WISE PRAYER (Luke 18:9-14)
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
There is no room for God's grace in the Pharisee's prayer. The prayer of the tax collector is a wise one. The Lord who is coming does not despise the prayer offered with a humble and repentant heart.
The Pharisee's Prayer
Advent is a season of prayer. How should we pray during this Advent season?
Jesus spoke this parable with the Pharisees in mind, who were always nitpicking. Verse 9 of the main text reveals why Jesus spoke this parable:
“He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt.”
Jesus spoke this parable because of those who believed in their own righteousness. It would have been better if they just thought they were righteous, but they also despised others.
It is said that there were about 6,000 Pharisees in Jesus' time. The word Pharisee means separation and distinction. As the meaning suggests, the Pharisees believed that they were righteous. What process is needed to reach the conclusion that one is righteous? They must compare themselves to others. They compare prayer times, the extent of service, and the amount of offerings. Through such comparisons, they evaluate their level of faith. Finally, they use their faith rating as a weapon to trample on others in the name of faith. This was the characteristic of the Pharisees.
Jesus chose prayer as the subject of rebuke for the Pharisees, who liked to compare themselves and be conscious of others. Jesus exposed the very thing that the Pharisees were most confident in, which they thought was the cornerstone of their religious life. How shocked the Pharisees must have been when they heard Jesus' words.
The Pharisee is praying to God. The premise we must not overlook is the fact that he is not praying to an idol. How bewildering and disastrous would it be if God did not listen to a single word of his prayer, even though he called upon God's name and prayed? Look at the Pharisee's prayer. As befitting their name, they prayed separately (11). We can already guess the content of their prayer from the fact that they cannot pray with their neighbors. Although the Pharisees compare themselves to others while praying, they have actually already finished the comparison. In other words, they have already made judgments and are just informing God of how great they are in case God doesn't know. The Pharisee ends his prayer by saying, "God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector." This is not a prayer. It cannot be a prayer to wallow in self-righteousness. Such a prayer is a prayer that belittles God.
The Pharisee's prayer does not end in self-praise but is persistent. He presents evidence that the content of his prayer is not wrong. "I fast twice a week. I give exactly a tenth of my income." The evidence the Pharisee presents to God is not manipulated but factual. In fact, could we live like the Pharisees if we were told to? We might be able to follow fasting and tithing to some extent if we were determined and committed. The Pharisees were people who made unimaginable efforts to strictly observe every provision of the law. They established and followed over 600 provisions to keep the law flawlessly.
However, Jesus evaluates the Pharisee's prayer as an improper one based on self-righteousness. The reason is that the Pharisee did not pray to God but to people. The Pharisee wanted to show off his superiority compared to others, and he chose prayer as a means to do so. This is the best way to make a prayer that, despite praying hard, God never hears even once. When you pray like the Pharisee, directly to people's ears, that prayer truly falls to the ground.
The Prayer of the Tax Collector
Unlike the Pharisee, the tax collector dares not even look up to heaven, but beats his breast and asks God to have mercy on him, a sinner. The tax collector's job was to collect local taxes. Naturally, there were those among the tax collectors who amassed wealth by collecting taxes unfairly. They were easily exposed to an environment where they could commit sins in the course of their duties. Tax collectors often encountered foreigners and collected taxes to be paid to Rome, so they all lived a life of sin in one way or another in the face of money. The tax collector had nothing better to offer compared to anyone else, and naturally, he was not morally upright. It is true that the Pharisee stands on the main road, raises both hands towards heaven, and prays. The tax collector had no room to refute the Pharisee's prayer.
Righteous Prayer of the Sinful Tax Collector
One person considers themselves righteous, while another person defines themselves as a sinner. It is not surprising that the Pharisee is righteous and the tax collector is naturally a sinner. However, Jesus turns this assumption upside down. The tax collector is more righteous than the Pharisee. Why was the prayer of the sinful tax collector accepted? Why did the Pharisee see himself as righteous, and the tax collector think of himself as a sinner? It stems from the difference in how they view themselves. The Pharisee found out what kind of person he was by comparing himself to others. But the tax collector realizes he is a sinner in front of God. The tax collector beats his chest in front of God. He cannot help but beat his chest because he thinks about what he looks like in front of God, not in front of people.
It is said that when a painter paints a self-portrait, they do not paint their exact appearance but a different face. The painter painted himself, but to our eyes, the self-portrait looks very different from the painter's appearance. The difference comes from the painter drawing their inner thoughts, disheveled appearance, etc. You cannot find the true self by comparing yourself to others like the Pharisee. Only by looking at yourself in front of God, through the mirror of God's word, can you see your true self.
What would have happened if the tax collector tried to find his own appearance by comparing himself to others like the Pharisee? He would have become a pessimist or blamed the environment that made him inevitably become a tax collector. He would not have beaten his chest, even if he became a person who despised others like the Pharisee. The tax collector did not find himself through comparison with others. He humbly accepted the self-portrait that God shone on him and beat his chest. As the tax collector began to beat his chest, God heard his prayer. God acknowledged him as righteous. The Pharisee does not need God's grace. God saves us only by grace, but there is no room for God's grace in the Pharisee. The tax collector obtained the opportunity for repentance through prayer. The person who receives the grace bestowed by God is the one who admits they are a sinner. Jesus said that God hears their prayer.
Advent is a time to look up to the sky and wait for the coming of the Lord. It is natural that we should pray while waiting for the Lord. Let us pray wisely to God and wait for the coming Lord. Let us engrave the words of the psalm, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise" (Ps 51:17).