Trinity 11, 2022
Rev. Thomas Van Hemert
St. Luke 18:9-14
Trinity 11
August 28, 2022
In the name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit.
When we Lutherans speak of Law and Gospel, we’re speaking of how the Bible can be rightly interpreted and divided into the commands and promises of God. This what St. Paul exhorts the young Timothy to do in his second epistle when he tells him to “Rightly divide the word of truth.” The Law is the unchanging will of God—what He wants and desires for humanity. God’s Law is best summarized as the Ten Commandments and the Law functions in three ways. First, it functions as a curb. This means when we look at the Law, when we look at the Ten Commandments, we might realize that our behavior and what we want doesn’t match up with what God desires for us. So the Law might literally curb our behavior, it might stop us from doing certain things or going through with certain actions.
Second, the Law acts as a mirror. This means that when we think about things we have done in the past and when we look at what God desires of us in His Law, we may realize that we have transgressed a commandment or two, or all of them. We then come to realize that we are sinners. Thus, the Law exposes our sin and reflects that sin back to us, just a mirror shows us our reflection.
Third, because we have been baptized and have been reborn of water and of the Holy Spirit, the Law functions as a guide and shows us how to live a life of faith and how to perform good works. Luther explains this in the Small Catechism after every commandment. After every commandment Luther asks, “What does this mean?” There, he lists not only what we should not do, but what we should do, how we can uphold each commandment and what truly is a good work according to each commandment.
That’s the Law. And because we still live in this world where our sinful nature always is putting up a fight, the Law does always accuse us. It always shows us that we are fallen creatures and that we cannot, by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ our Lord or come to Him. But the Bible also contains many promises of God. We call this the Gospel—how God, almost from the beginning promised a Savior and how God in Jesus Christ became man, suffered the wrath of His Father and made atonement for all men who ever lived by dying on the cross, thus fulfilling the promises of God. The Gospel shows us the Father’s grace. The Gospel requires nothing of us. This very concept, God’s Law and His Gospel is what pastors are called to preach to God’s flock.
Sometimes, however, the sheep, those baptized members of God’s flock do not want to hear His Word. Sometimes, it’s not that they don’t want to hear it but that they don’t realize what’s being preached is for them. Imagine, if you will, a seemingly pious middle-aged man who is a member of the church. He goes to church every Sunday. He gives a generous portion each week to the offering plate. He has served in various capacities in the church throughout the years. He never acted unjustly toward anyone. He never found himself lusting after women who weren’t his wife. In the eyes of many he truly seemed to be a righteous man. So much so, that he let the comments others made about him get to his head. It inflated his ego. He often found pride in everything he did. He loved how people viewed him in a positive light. After all, he did seem to be a righteous man.
Later that week on Sunday, while sitting in the pews at church, his pastor preached a sermon on Luke 18:9-14, the parable of the Pharisee and Tax-Collector. The pastor’s sermon was about how every person there that morning was like both men. The pastor warned them that because of their sometimes obstinate but always sinful nature, at times they all fall prey to lording their self-righteousness over others. He assured them that their good works do not make anyone righteous before God. The pastor called them to repentance. But then he compassionately explained to them that because they were present in church that morning, confessing their sins and receiving absolution, they were acting just like the tax-collector. The Tax-Collector beat his breast and prayed, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”
Now the Pharisee was not like other men and he wants everyone to know. He was not an extortioner, unjust, or an adulterer. He fasted twice every week and give tithes of all that he got. But what he lacked was the most important thing of all. What he lacked was faith. He didn’t think he needed it. His mind and his life were so dedicated toward being an outwardly good person but in reality, he was a rotting tree that didn’t produce any good works. His lack of faith is reflected in his prayer. He says nothing to God about the need for forgiveness of sins. He’s just boasting about how much of a goodie-two-shoes he is.
The Tax-Collector, on the other hand, is the polar opposite of the Pharisee. He was a sinner and he knew it. He was an extortioner. The very nature of his job made him out to be an extortioner and a thief. He had acted unjust toward many people. He had been an adulterer. He did not fast twice a week or give any tithes and offerings to the church. He was a poor, miserable sinner. But the difference between this man and the self-righteous Pharisee is that this man knew he was a sinner. He knew he was a sinner and he wanted to do better. God’s Law had exposed his sin and was accusing him. God’s Law had acted as a mirror by showing him his sin. The Law had also acted as a curb because, as we see in the Parable, we learn that he had felt his sin in his heart and was coming before God in repentance. Thus, he beat his breast. He could not offer up a fancy, well thought out prayer. He simply came before God as a beggar and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”
The greater our sins, the greater God’s mercy abounds. His love covers all sin. The blood of Jesus Christ washes away all sins of extortion, unjust behavior, adultery and lustful thoughts, everything. We pray “God, be merciful to me,” and because we come to Him in repentance and faith, all those who call upon the name of the Lord in this way, return to their homes justified.
This was the summary of the pastor’s sermon in the story. But after the sermon, imagine if you will, this middle-aged man looked throughout the room and thought to himself, “Well that’s nice. But I don’t think that sermon really applies to me. I’m really not as much of a sinner as those people sitting in front of me who are both on their second marriage, or those people across the aisle who lived together before they were married. For the most part, I am a pretty good person. After all, I’ve been a money counter at the church. I know I give more than anyone here. Even after they were confirmed, my kids still regularly attend Divine Service. That was a nice sermon, Pastor,” he thought to himself, “because there are many others who needed to hear it.” I tell you, if this happened to me, if I was the pastor in that story, I would have a difficult time believing that this man went home to his house justified.
The point that I’m trying to make is that, like the two sons in the parable of the Prodigal Son, we really need to see ourselves as both of the men in this story. We need to learn from the examples of both of them, from both of their prayers, and learn what Jesus is teaching us with this parable. Our works do not make us righteous, no matter how well they make us look to others because in the sight of men, Pharisees do look pretty righteous. Sometimes we fall pray in making comparisons to others by comparing our sins and shortcomings to theirs. In the end, who cares if you are not an extortioner, unjust, an adulterer, if you fast twice a week, and give large amounts of money to the church, but you don’t have faith? What good is it if you want to look good in the sight of men but are on the inside a rotten tree? What good is it if a whole city is carefully defended against the assaults of the enemy, if one way is left open by which they can sneak in and enter? What good are works if they are not accompanied and brought forth from faith? If you do well, will you not be accepted? That is, if your works are done in faith, will they not be accepted as proof of faith? If you do not have faith, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you to have you and plunge you into hell’s fires.
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, like the Pharisee. Whoever puts his trust in his works or his knowledge or his cleverness and sneakiness to get what he wants will be humbled in the end. But the one who humbles himself, the one who is meek, who loves to serve others because he knows his neighbors need help, the one who has faith, he is the one who will be exalted in the Kingdom of Heaven. For he will go down to his house justified.
In +Jesus’ name.
