Be Careful
Luke 18:9–14 (NRSVUE)

I

n this text, Jesus is sharing a parable about a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Pharisees were known to think highly of themselves. They could be described as self-righteous. The tax collector, on the other hand, was one of the lowest professions. They were known to cheat people out of their money and collect more than the amount due. 

The scripture recollects that Jesus told this parable “to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt.” Be careful! The Pharisee prayed, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even this collector.” Can you believe that he had the audacity to pray this prayer? Be careful! Our self-righteousness may be our only reward.

Jesus said that the tax collector was humble. He wouldn’t even lift his eyes to heaven. He prayed with his head down, looking at the ground and beating his chest, probably feeling unworthy to even be at the temple, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” Be careful! For the one who was considered to be among the lowest in society humbled himself in prayer.

The parable concludes with Jesus proclaiming that the tax collector was justified. It is easy to read this parable and see ourselves as humble and being justified by Jesus. The reality is we are, at times, more like the Pharisee than the tax collector. We fall into a trap of self-righteousness and seeing all the faults of others instead of self-examining and acknowledging our own faults. Be careful!

The Lenten Season is a time of introspection where we truly should examine ourselves. No one likes to go to a doctor and get probed and pried, but at times such examinations are needed for our well-being. We are called to do the probing and prying to ourselves as we carefully seek to align with God.

Be careful! Lent is not a time to be nonchalant about our self-examination. It is a time to intently look into those places where we need to ask forgiveness to better align with God. 

Reflection: How are you like the Pharisee? How are you like the tax collector?Doug: We have to be careful not to think we are the one always justified.
Sherri: In spite of our shortcomings, God always loves us unconditionally. We don’t have to put others down to build ourselves up. ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; YET, God continues to love us.