Pharisees, who Mark Allan Powell describes as “pompous paragons of self-righteousness” in his Introducing the New Testament, p.70, as a whole don’t come off very well in the gospels. In Matthew’s gospel, chapter 23 is given over to all the ways they are off base, pointing out what insincere hypocrites they are. Luke’s gospel goes through a similar litany in the last third of Chapter 11:37-54.

Jesus’ parable in our gospel today is aimed, scripture tells us, “to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt.” Might those have been the Pharisees of Jesus’ day? Do you know anyone like that—does the shoe fit on your foot? Jesus goes on to relate the fabled Pharisee’s arrogant prayer: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of my income.” I don’t know about you, but this Pharisee somehow reminds me of the nursery rhyme “Little Jack Horner” saying “What a good boy am I!” Is the shoe beginning to get snug; does the personal comparison with others sound familiar to you? Have you ever said to yourself, “Well, I may not be perfect, but at least I don’t . . . like that person over there.” It’s a common human temptation to build ourselves up by tearing others down. God, however, looks on the heart, sees what is inside, knows what motivates us. Our arrogance doesn’t win us any gold stars with the Divine.

Jesus, who J. Philip Newell calls the “Humble One” in his Christ of the Celts, p.75, that one adult education group is currently reading, doesn’t leave us hanging with that bad example. He goes on to point out the virtue of humility, the sincere recognition that we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and the stance of knowing that we can only be open and receptive to God’s ever-present mercy and grace to heal our relationship with the Holy One that we so often strain. It is the tax collector’s prayer that has become the foundation for what we call the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”