Proper 25 :: Joel 2: 23 – 32 / Psalm 65 / II Timothy 4: 6 – 8, 16 – 18 / Luke 18: 9 – 14
This
is the homily given at St. John’s, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania by Fr. Gene Tucker on
Sunday, October 23, 2022.
“THREE POSTURES BEFORE
GOD”
(Homily
text: Luke 18: 9 – 14)
This
morning, we are treated to a hearing of Jesus’ well-known parable, the Parable
of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (or, in an earlier time, its title was
the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican).
Jesus’
marvelous parable outlines three postures that we might assume as we stand
before God. They are:
A boastful attitude which magnifies our
wonderful deeds and accomplishments.
An attitude of gratefulness for God’s
mercy and lovingkindness, which enables us to stand before God in a justified
state.
An attitude of remorse for our
shortcomings and sins, coupled with a prayer that God’s mercy will be given to
us.
Clearly, as we look at each of these
three, we can agree that the first stance is completely unacceptable. After
all, if we’re completely honest with ourselves and with God, we will have to
admit that there’s no platform we can construct which will support our own
self-promotion in God’s sight. Of course, this is the obvious problem with the
Pharisee’s behavior in the parable….the platform he’s constructed for himself,
as he reels off all his great and good deeds, is – in actuality – a platform
made up of a house of cards. The great western Church theologian and bishop,
St. Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430 AD) would agree with this assessment.
Then, we’d have to come to the
conclusion that the last stance is the most appropriate one, and the necessary
one as we relate to God. In truth, all of our righteousness is like a pile of
filthy rags[1],
if we’re honest with ourselves.
But, we are bound to add here, that
though we’re unworthy of any measure of God’s goodness and mercy, that doesn’t
mean that we are without worth and value in God’s eyes. Quite the contrary, we
are God’s most valued and most desired possession. God created each and every
one of us, creating us deliberately and in God’s image and likeness. That means
that we, each one of us, has value - great value - in God’s sight. Put another
way, we’re worthy putting up with in God’s eyes. We’re worth seeking out, in
God’s estimation.
All of this discussion leads us to the
third stance, one of upright thanksgiving and adoration for God’s goodness and
mercy and thoughtfulness. Only if we begin by lowering our eyes while uttering
the prayer, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner”, can we then lift our eyes in
thanksgiving, and fix our gaze on the God who upholds righteousness, but also
extends mercy to the remorseful and the repentant ones.
Thanks be to God!
AMEN.
[1] See Isaiah 64:6.
