Tale of Two Opposites -- 11/30/08

Sunday, November 30, 2008

THE TALE OF TWO OPPOSITES
Luke 9:11-14

We just celebrated Thanksgiving. Of course, for the Christian that is really only a half-truth. While it is true we celebrated Thanksgiving on Thursday, an even greater truth is that we celebrate with thanksgiving every day. Our daily attitude is, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we shall be glad and rejoice in it” (Ps. 118:24). Praise God for special seasons of thanksgiving, but praise Him a thousand times more that we can give Him thanks every day, no matter what the circumstances.

This morning I want us to consider a prayer of thanksgiving which we find in the Bible, even in the New Testament. It is a very familiar prayer. I must also say that it is a prayer the Lord hates. Do you know the prayer I am talking about? That’s right – it is the prayer of the Pharisee in the 18th chapter of Luke. At least on the surface, it appears to be a prayer of thanksgiving, but the Lord certainly wasn’t pleased with that prayer.
Let’s read that familiar passage this morning. Read Luke 18:9-14…
And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10. Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Let’s briefly look at the context of Jesus’ little parable. By the way, a parable is basically a little story that conveys spiritual truth. Back in 17:20, Jesus began to speak about the kingdom of God, in response to a question from the Pharisees. That theme continued down through the end of chapter 17. And it hasn’t faded from view even here in chapter 18, for we read in 18:8, “I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” With this idea of the kingdom in the background, there is a question that is bound to surface pretty quickly. The key question is: “Who will be in the kingdom? Who is qualified to be in the kingdom?” This little parable about the Pharisee and the publican deals very specifically with that question and gives a definite answer.

On the other hand, if we look at the verses immediately preceding this parable, we find another theme. Let’s take time to read it in Luke 18:1-8a…
And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 2. Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3. And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 4. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5. Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. 6. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. 7. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? 8. I tell you that he will avenge them speedily.

In that parable Jesus emphasizes the need for persistence in prayer. He tells us that clearly in the very first verse: “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint.” Clearly this parable about the Pharisee and publican also deals with prayer. Jesus begins with the words, “Two men went up into the temple to pray…” While the parable of the first eight verses focused on persistence in prayer, this parable emphasizes the proper attitude of prayer.

So in this parable we will find the answer to the question: “Who can be a part of God’s kingdom?” We are back to that issue of who can be made right with God? Who will be saved? Put it in any terms you like, but the answer is put forth very clearly in this little story. In this same parable Jesus reveals the proper attitude of prayer. In the Pharisee and the publican we see two absolutely opposite attitudes. We will focus on the concept of what makes a person right with God, but we will also gain insight into a proper attitude in prayer.

I. The Pharisee – The Man Who Had It All

Let’s put this just about as simply as can be put. We are going to talk about three things with regard to this Pharisee…
1. A general description
2. What he didn’t do
3. What he did do
That’s pretty simple, and surely one feature of this parable is its simplicity.

A. The General Description

Let’s read again verse 9, “And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others.” Jesus had something to say to these type people. Our knowledge of the Pharisees from other scriptures makes it very clear that the Pharisees fit this description. Whoever else Jesus was addressing, He was certainly speaking to the Pharisees.

They trusted in themselves that they were righteous. As some translations put it, “[They] were confident of their own righteousness” (NIV). Why shouldn’t they be confident of their own righteousness? They lived a life that was different than those around them. These men were serious about the Word of God and about serving God. They devoted their entire lives to keeping God’s law and making that law known to others. They prayed; they attended all religious services; they taught others; the applied themselves to the law of God. No wonder they believed they were righteous before God.

Not only did they believe they were righteous, but they had pretty well convinced everyone else that they were righteous. When we hear the word “Pharisees,” we think of them as the bad guys. That wasn’t the case in that day. They were highly respected by the people. These were the religious leaders. If a person had a question about the scriptures, there was no better place to go than to a Pharisee. They knew the answers. When Jesus healed the man who was born blind, as recorded in John 9, the people were amazed. His neighbors asked him how his eyes had been opened. He told them about a man called Jesus who had anointed his eyes with moist clay and told him to go wash, and then he was able to see. When they asked him where this Jesus was, he told them he didn’t know. They didn’t know what to make of the situation. So what did they do? They took him to the Pharisees (John 9:13). Why? Because the Pharisees were the respected religious authorities. Surely they would know how to handle the situation. And they certainly handled it.

So where did the Pharisees get this righteousness which they believed they possessed? They trusted in themselves. They believed that they had attained this righteousness, that they had earned the favor of God. We must acknowledge that the Pharisees had grasped much truth. They knew well that God was holy and said, “Be holy, because I am holy.” That was the basic message of Leviticus. They understood than no man could stand in the presence of God unless he was holy and righteous. They understood the problem, which was summarized by Job, “How then can a man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman” (Job 25:4). How could a man attain a righteousness that would allow him to stand in God’s presence? They knew it was necessary that a person become right with God. The Pharisees came to the conclusion that they themselves had earned this righteousness. From the prayer of this Pharisee, we will soon see how he thought he earned this righteousness.

Not only did the Pharisees trust in themselves that they were righteous, but they despised others. They treated others with contempt. Literally, they despised “the rest.” The Pharisees saw themselves as above all other people in society. There were the Pharisees, and then there was everybody else. The word translated “despise” is very interesting. It is made up of two Greek words – ek and ouqenew. One meant “out of,” while the other meant “not, not even, nothing.” In short, the Pharisees viewed the rest as if they didn’t exist, as if they were nobodies. Even the term “Pharisee” itself means “the separated ones.” That is a fitting description of these men who were so self-righteous.

Now come to the prayer of the Pharisee. Verse 11, “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself…” We are still looking at the general attitude of this man. The Pharisee stood. That was an acceptable posture for prayer. By the way, it is not certain that the words “with himself” are to be taken with “prayed.” There are those who would link those words with “stand,” and that is a legitimate way to understand the grammar here (NRSV). It may be that the Pharisee stood by himself. Whether he did or not, it is likely that Jesus included his posture for a reason. We will read later that the publican stood far off. It is likely that the Pharisee stood in the most prominent place he could find. Remember what Jesus said about the Pharisees (though not mentioned by name, Jesus was certainly speaking about them) in Matt. 6:5, “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men…” Wherever this Pharisee was standing, I suspect it was the place where he would draw the most attention.

“The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself…” Now if the words “with himself” do indeed go with “prayed,” then what is the point Jesus is making? It’s possible it could mean that he was praying to himself, in the sense that he was not praying aloud, but to himself. However, it was very common for the Jews to pray aloud. It seems out of character for a Pharisee to not pray aloud, as they were always trying to impress people with their piety. It seems more likely that this Pharisee was really talking to himself and about himself (NIV has “about himself”). I love what George Whitefield said about this. He writes…
Two men went up to the temple to pray." I fear one of them forgot his errand. I have often been at a loss what to call the Pharisee's address; it certainly does not deserve the name of a prayer: he may rather be said to come to the temple to boast, than to pray… (Sermon, “The Pharisee and the Publican,” by George Whitefield)
As we read the prayer, we find that what he says has far more to do with himself than with God.

B. What the Pharisee DIDN’T Do

As he begins to pray, the Pharisee reveals what he does not do. His righteousness will consist of two things: those bad things he does not do, and those good things he does do. He begins with the negative. “God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.” The Pharisee could say that he didn’t try to take things that weren’t his. He did the right things. And he certainly didn’t commit adultery. Paul, who was also a Pharisee, would later say, “…touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless” (Phil. 3:6). When viewed from the outside, the life of the Pharisee was indeed blameless. Who could accuse him of anything? To drive his point home, he used the publican as the perfect illustration. “God, I think you that I am not like this filthy tax collector.

Now let’s stop for just a moment. What’s wrong with what the Pharisee was saying? Are you thankful that you are not an adulterer? Can you give God thanks that you are not a murderer? Can you thank God that you are not like those who have no hope in this world? The problem is still with the attitude of this Pharisee. The key is in answering this question: “Why am I not like swindlers, the unrighteous, and adulterers?” The Christian can say, “Father, I praise your name that I am not like that any more. You delivered me from the power of darkness and have translated me into the kingdom of your dear Son (Col. 1:13). There was a time when I was guilty of some of those very things, but you washed me, sanctified me, and justified me in the name of your Son (I Cor. 6:9-11). That was not the attitude of the Pharisee. Rather, he believed that he deserved the credit for rising above such terrible sins. That’s why he despised men like the publican. If they wanted to do, they could do better.

No one will be right with God because of the things he does not do. I think all of us here have a certain knowledge of that truth, but let us beware lest we fall into that subtle trap. Are you greater in God’s eyes because you don’t do certain things? Do you find yourself impatient and intolerant with those who do the things you do not? Are there certain sins that in your mind put a person beyond God’s reach? Years ago, I encountered a woman who confessed Christ but who didn’t believe God could forgive a man who had committed a certain sin. That was her open belief. What he did was just too bad. That is something of what we see in this Pharisee. Don’t think for one minute that you are above having that kind of attitude.

C. What the Pharisee DID Do

Now the Pharisee moves to the positive side of his righteousness. He is righteous in his own eyes not only because he had not done certain evil things, but also because he has done certain good things. Listen to him in verse 12, “I fast twice in the week; I give tithes of all that I possess.” Not only did the Pharisee abstain from the things forbidden by the law, but he went above and beyond what the law required. The law of God required a man to fast one day of the year, on the Day of Atonement. But the Pharisees fasted two days a week. Of course, Jesus reveals why they did it; they did it to be seen of men (Matt. 6:16). Don’t misunderstand. Our Lord expects His people to fast. Let me say that again in case you missed it; the Lord expects His people to fast. That is why in Matthew 6 He says, “When you fast,” not “If you fast.” Nevertheless, fasting is not a way to earn God’s favor, to make one’s self righteous in His sight.

Not only did this Pharisee fast, but he gave tithes of all that he possessed (or “acquired”). The best commentary on this verse is found in Matt. 23:23, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." Again, the Pharisees went above and beyond what the law required, but they were blind to their omission of the weightier matters of the law.

So there stands the Pharisee. If there was ever a man who could attain God’s righteousness, it was surely the Pharisee. People of that day would have told you that if there was anyone righteous before God, it was the Pharisees. Do you see the problem? “Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart” (I Sam. 16:7). As Jesus would say later, they cleaned the outside of the cup, but they were corrupt on the inside. Earlier in Luke 16:15, Jesus said to the Pharisees, “Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God." Though they appeared to be righteous on the outside, God hated the attitude of their hearts.

This is not just a cute little story that Jesus told. This is the way people try to become right with God. Not doing the bad and wicked things + doing good things = righteous before God. That equation has sent countless people to hell and will continue to do so. Just because most people aren’t as blatant as the Pharisees, don’t think that people aren’t using this equation as a way to try to earn God’s favor. I would be very surprised if there aren’t people here this morning who are banking on that very equation. But if anyone wants to go that route, don’t miss the words of Jesus, “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:20). It is impossible to attain God’s righteousness. Perhaps no statement would summarize the Pharisee better than what Paul said of his fellow-Jews in Rom. 10:3, "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."

Now please listen to me. Our tendency is to think of the Pharisees as those bad buys in the New Testament. And because of that, we become blind to the Pharisaism that is all around us and sometimes within us. The Pharisees of the New Testament might as well have worn a sign with four-inch letters which said, “I AM A PHARISEE.” It was that obvious. They made broad their phylacteries and enlarged the borders of their garments. You can identify them at any feast because they always took the highest seats. On the street, they were the ones who received the extended and flattering greetings. They loved to be called by special honorific titles. Everyone knew who the Pharisees were.

In our day, the attitude of the Pharisee has outdone itself. Today Pharisees don’t dress in a special way, don’t sit in a separate seat, don’t always have special titles attached to their names. Why not? Because they know those things would make them look bad in the eyes of men. Do you see it? That is the Pharisaic attitude, but it has become much more sophisticated than in Jesus’ day. I’m not talking so much about Pharisees, as about the attitude of the Pharisee. That attitude is no respecter of persons. It can knock on the door of anyone. It can craftily influence your thinking and you will hardly know it.

Conclusion

Let me suggest three areas where we need to watch for it…

1. Watch for it in your attitude toward people.

If I asked you, “Do you despise others? Do you look down on others, as if they were less than you?” all of you would say that you don’t. Why do we answer that way? Because we know it is a bad thing to despise others, and we don’t want anyone to think that we would do that. And perhaps we truly don’t want to look down on others. But I remind you that God looks on the heart. When He looks deep inside your heart, what does He see?

A man comes to the service one Sunday morning. You find out that he was once convicted of spying for a foreign nation. He actually sold United States of America government secrets to another country. Furthermore, he hangs out with some really shady characters. You might question both their national loyalty and their general morality. You become aware that this man is not welcomed in many circles. Can you pray with this man? Can you accept the idea
that he is here to seek the Lord?

A woman comes to service one Sunday morning. She is 40, but she looks 70. You don’t have to ask questions to know what kind of life she has lived. Hundreds of men could tell you. She has no manners; she is rude and crude. But she has come here to seek the Lord. Could you get down on your knees beside her and pray with her?

Make no mistake about it, we are more than capable of deceiving ourselves when it comes to our attitude toward others. If you don’t know this verse, you need to know it. It is 1 Cor. 4:7, "For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?" Whenever you are tempted to elevate yourself above another because of something you know or something you do, remember that it is only because of what God has given you. May we never forget that. Had God not given it to us, we would be just like that person we are tempted to despise.

2. Watch for it in your attitude toward God.

What did this Pharisee think of God? We learn the answer to that question by looking at his prayer. Notice now he begins: “God, I thank you…” Do you see the way he addresses the Almighty? Just “God.” There is nothing like, “Our Father, which art in heaven; hallowed by thy name.” The problem isn’t that the Pharisee doesn’t say those exact words; the problem is that he has none of that attitude. When we look at this prayer, we might get the idea that the Pharisee is addressing an equal, a peer, one of his associates.

He does say, “I thank you,” but that is the last acknowledgment of God. The rest of the prayer is about the big “I.” I am not as other men… I fast twice in the week… I give tithes of all that I possess. After one passing reference to God, he uses “I” no less than five times. No wonder Luke tells us that the Pharisee “prayed thus with himself.”

But wait a minute. Didn’t the Pharisee give thanks? Yes, but for what? He does not thank God for His wonderful creation. He does not thank God for giving him life, for sustaining him day by day, for blessing him with His Word. No, all the Pharisee can thank God for is the fact that he isn’t like other men. The Pharisee is well described by the words Jesus addressed to the church at Laodicea… "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" (Rev. 3:17). The Pharisee demonstrated his inner attitude, an attitude which said, “I have need of nothing.”

This man did not walk humbly with his God. Though he knew what the scriptures said, he had certainly forgotten the truth of Ps. 138:6, "Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off." Later, both James and Peter would state this same truth very forcefully: “God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble” (James 4:6; I Pet. 5:5). How proud this man was. Let us all beware of pride and its ability to penetrate our lives.

3. Watch for it in your attitude toward self.

In reality, we can hardly separate our attitude toward God from our attitude toward self. They are vitally connected. How we view God will always influence how we view self, and vice versa. It has well been said, “Anyone who takes a high view of God will take a low view of self. And anyone who takes a low view of God will take a high view of self.” How true it is.

From the very beginning, one of the greatest problems of man is his tendency to elevate himself – from the garden of Eden in Genesis to those stubborn rebels of Revelation who refused to repent. Apart from God and His grace, man will always elevate self. That’s part of what it means to be in Adam. Don’t think you are immune from this destructive disease. I remind you of King Uzziah. Let’s read about him in 2 Chron. 26:3-4, "Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. 4. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did." Then in verses 5-15 we are told of all his wonderful accomplishments. But now let’s read verses 15-16…
And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong. 16. But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.

He was greatly helped by the Lord until he became powerful, but when he had become powerful, his heart was lifted up. That is, he became proud, so proud that he had the audacity to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense on the altar. That was forbidden by anyone except the priests. Not even a king was permitted to do such a thing. But Uzziah, in his pride, was not afraid to disobey the Lord. He started so well, but he became proud and was destroyed.

So how do we avoid becoming proud? A great place to start is by lifting up the Lord. We once had a sign out here, “It’s hard to stumble, when you’re on your knees.” Make much of the greatness and majesty of Almighty God. Surely that isn’t hard to do, because that is who He is. To do anything else is to lose touch with reality. God is King and deserves our worship and praise. If you want to walk humbly with your God, lift Him high.

There was another man who came on the heels of Uzziah. His name was Isaiah, and he spoke these familiar words…
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. 4. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. 5. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

When we truly see our Lord high and lifted up, we will be content to fall at His feet and worship Him.

Next week, Lord willing, we will take a look at the man who did just that. That man was the publican in this parable.