Jesus commends another crook! Luke 18:9-14

Luke 18:9-14 Gospel reading for Sunday 24th October 2010.

On the surface this shapes up as being something to do with prayer and a lesson on humility (and yes it can be ... I'll come back to that.) We note however that this is not an actual real life happening but a parable of Jesus. As such, we should be alert for the twist that it is sure to be buried in the story somewhere.

Let's test this out. All things considered, the Pharisee is a good man. He is committed in fulfilling his religious obligations. He is regular in his visits to the temple and gives the prescribed share of his wealth to "the church". The tax-collector however is a crook. He rips people off. He is an agent of the Roman Government and while collecting money for them, he stuffs a bit more in his own pocket.

Should we be able to give the Pharisee some credit here? Surely the Pharisee is closer to God than the tax-collector? If that's our thinking, we make the same mistake as the Pharisee and this might as well be the present-day parable of "The Good Lutheran and the corrupt financial advisor".

It seems to me that the parable, aimed at the Pharisees, was primarily about the futility of religion. Religion in the sense that it convinces us to do stuff in order to gain favour with God. Jesus has found another way to put into a story setting the fact that the only thing that God requires of us is to trust Jesus. The tax collector through his words of confession has done that very thing.

That's the parable THEN.

What about the parable NOW?

The good thing is that since we view this story with a full understanding of what Jesus has done for us to make us OK with God, our salvation is not at stake.

So what can we draw out of this for us in Lutheran Schools today? Perhaps a good place to start is by not subtly and sub-consciously thanking God that we are not like either the Pharisee or the Tax collector! If we have even a hint of that thinking as we reflect on this parable we are in trouble. This self-righteous line of thought can come in surprising forms, one of which for example, may be giving the impression that we are better than the state school, kindy or child-care centre down the road.

Let’s finish up then, by actually taking a brief look at HUMILITY (one of our Lutheran School core values). The paradox of humility is that the more intensely we pursue it, the more illusive and distant it becomes. To think we have humility is a sure sign that we don't! That perhaps leaves us to think there is nothing we can do to gain humility. But there is something we can do. It's called service. We might even call it secret service. Serving others, out of response to what God has done for us, seeking nothing in return and not blowing our trumpet about it, places us in an environment conducive to the growth of humility.

Nev