Listen here.

Luke 18:9-14

⁹ He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: ¹⁰ “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat 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 everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Happy Labor Day weekend. Labor Day became an official national holiday when President Grover Cleveland signed the bill into law on June 28, 1894. I came across an article from 2017 titled, “Have we forgotten the true meaning of Labor Day?” The article claimed (and, from what I have read, it is true) that the original establishment of Labor Day was to help unify union workers and reduce the typical workday from twelve hours. It was to be a recognition of the contributions that workers have made for our country.

But, like many holidays (especially Christian/church holidays), the intention behind the celebration gets lost. Traditions grow while reasons fade. Today, most citizens look at Labor Day as just another day off. It’s commonly considered the end of summer, the weekend to close up the lake cabin, and the date after which you should no longer wear white clothing.

I’d better get to the point of all this and how it relates to Jesus’ parable before us. The Pharisee in the parable is celebrating his own personal version of Labor Day. He is there in the Temple to recognize how much his own work has contributed to… well, himself. He is there to celebrate his works and labors and how great his holiness is. Literally, Jesus says that the Pharisee prayed to himself, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.” Talk about recognition of work.

The Pharisee is there in the Temple praying to himself. You have to understand that the Temple is the very place where God said that He would dwell with His people in order to forgive their sins. When Solomon prayed at the dedication of the Temple, he said six times that when God’s people prayed toward the Temple that God would hear their pleas and, in His mercy, would forgive (2 Chron. 6:12-42). But there, in the place of forgiveness, this Pharisee doesn’t want forgiveness because, in his mind, he doesn’t need forgiveness. Instead, he wants recognition, he wants accolades, he wants God’s applause. His prayer is nothing less than, “Hey, God. Look at how great I am.” Not even, “Hey, God. Look at how great You have made me.” God gets none of the credit. The Pharisee’s prayer is one of the most self-centered, self-interested, self-idolizing statements in the Scriptures.

The tax collector, on the other hand, when he looks at himself sees nothing good, nothing worthy, nothing laudable. So, there is nothing for this tax collector to pray for except mercy. And that is precisely what he receives. He goes home justified. You have to imagine what is going on behind the scenes. In heaven’s courtroom, this tax collector’s case is heard. All charges are dropped and every accusation against him is dismissed.

The parable does teach that the worst of sinners can go to heaven. We know this, but unfortunately, we can grow a little numb to this. But the main reason Jesus tells this parable is to destroy any self-righteousness and contempt we would have against other sinners.

We, I mean us here at Christ the King, need to take this to heart. There are people who have been raised in the church and appear to live good, decent lives who will not go to heaven. Some of our friends who regularly attend church and appear to be upstanding citizens will not go to heaven because they do not have faith in Christ. Not all pastors go to heaven. Flip this around. Some who have political views that appear, at least in our minds, to be incongruous and inconsistent with the Scriptures (either left or right) will be in heaven. Don’t be surprised if you even meet a repentant drug dealer, illegal immigrant, or abortionist in glory.

We are not better than other people, but, because of our sinful nature, we are always tempted to think the worst of others and impose our conceived motivations behind others’ actions. Stop it. Repent.

Dear saints, don’t fall into the trap that this Pharisee did. We are not better than other people – no matter how good we are. We are all equally deserving of God’s wrath and condemnation. We all need the grace and mercy of Christ which covers a multitude of sins.

Maybe that waitress who seems to be annoyed with you was in court fighting to keep custody of her children and away from her abusive boyfriend. Maybe that driver who appears completely incompetent behind the wheel is on his way home after watching his mother die. Maybe that rude, intrusive, foul-mouthed kid on the playground hasn’t gotten any attention from her parents in months. Don’t look down on them and treat them with contempt.

Sinners who come to Christ for the forgiveness they need tend to be more patient with others.

We can make a mistake and think that, because the Pharisee’s pride condemns him to hell, that it is the tax collector’s humility is what sends him home justified. A person’s humility is not what merits justification. None of us, including this tax collector, are humble enough to get to heaven. Too easily we switch out the good works that the Pharisee mentions – his upright living, his fasting, his tithing – with the tax collector’s humility. But when we do that humility becomes just another good work, and we will begin boasting about our humility. We easily swap the Pharisees’ prayer with our own version, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men, self-righteous, pretentious, holier-than-thou types, or even like this Pharisee. I’ve given You my heart, dedicated my life to You, and made You my Lord.” You might as well be praying to yourself.

The point Jesus is making in this parable is to not look inside or to yourself at all. Don’t try to find some super spirituality inside of yourself. The thing, the only thing, that the tax collector looks to is the mercy of Christ. The tax collector is there in the Temple looking to the mercy seat, to the place where God says that He would forgive and dwell with His people.

Dear saint, you look there too. Look to the cross. Look to the blood of Jesus shed for you on Calvary. Look to His death. Look to His resurrection. Look to His ascension. And know that Jesus promises that all of that is for you.

In our Epistle text (1 Cor. 15:1-10), that is where you are pointed. Look to and remember the Gospel. Christ died for your sins according to the Scriptures. He was buried and rose again. Jesus appeared to the first believers. They have seen and have born witness so that you would also believe (Jn. 20:30-31; 21:24-25).

Don’t be like the Pharisee. Don’t look to yourself, your good works, your piety, your heart, your decisions. Don’t even seek to be like the tax collector. Instead, look to Christ and to Christ alone.

We’d better get to Communion where Christ delivers this mercy. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.