IRS Righteousness...

 

“IRS Righteousness”

 

Luke 18:9-14
18:9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt:

18:10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

18:11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

18:12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.'

18:13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'

18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted."

 

Seems like the church is rife today with debates over who is “righteous” and who isn’t. Most of those engaged in the debate tend to substitute the word “right” for “righteous,” making the debate over who is right and who is wrong. It has become, at least on the surface, a theological debate. But that’s just on the surface. In reality it is more of a “urination” contest, with each side wanting to “win.” Unlike past “urination” contests, which have been featured throughout the history of the church, and most of which just result in bad PR that chases away “seekers,” this one looks like it is leading toward a schism, at least for the Methodists. Of course a better definition of “righteous” is “right-living,” not right-thinking. When Jesus uses the word “righteous,” he tends to think toward the former, and today’s parable from Luke 18 is aimed at those who “trust in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt.” Is audience is the “right-thinkers,” or at least those who thought they were, and the “regarded others with contempt” is important here. This is what turns a debate into a “urination” contest.

 

As far as the individual Christian is concerned, our definition of “righteous” matters, too. In my years in ministry, if I were to ask parishioners if they were “righteous,” most would hem-haw around a bit before saying they want to be, and to live a life pleasing to God, but generally would judge themselves as falling short. Interestingly, this response revealed several things about them, including that they understood Jesus’ definition of “righteous” as “right-living,” and that the person they tended to “regard with contempt” was themselves, or more accurately, their relative failure at living as a follower of Jesus. As their pastor, it was my job to teach them about grace, and the love, forgiveness, and acceptance it offers to all in the name of Jesus, and then to offer life lessons (Bible study) in living for Christ. We clergy have apparently been failures ourselves in this endeavor, given the number of our people who miss the grace and beat themselves up with self-contempt. Unfortunately, this is the land where so many of our parishioners live—the world of the “tax collector” in Jesus’ parable.

 

The good news is that this humility is admirable, as demonstrated in the parable. The Pharisee is quite proud of whatever he does (or doesn’t do) that makes him “righteous,” at least in his own mind. He feels good about himself, his standing in the religious community, and believes his theology is correct and appropriately “honors” God. What makes him feel better is comparing himself to others he views as inferior, including “that tax collector.” He doesn’t need to seek mercy, as he has arrived at full-blown SELF-righteousness. The tax collector, on the other hand, fully understands his need for God’s mercy, and asks for it. And as we know, good things come to those who ask.

 

Jesus ends this little story with one of his famous “great reversals”: “…for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but those who humble themselves will be exalted.” The Pharisee does all the right things, but for the wrong reasons. His “right-living” is done to keep God off his back and allow him to inhabit his little, religiously supplied bubble. From its safety and security, he bolsters his ego by comparing himself to those who are NOT “right-living” folk. However, in the reversal, it is folk like these “nots”—specifically the tax collector—who humbles himself before God and is “exalted” by going to his home “justified.” 

 

Rejoicing that we are “not like those people” is not an endorsed activity, at least by Jesus Christ. And if we spend any of our time drawing borders as to who “those people” are and why we are NOT “those people,” we are doing the most UN-Jesus-like thing we can do. The good news of the Good News is that, if we discover the error of these judgmental ways and ask for God’s mercy to change, we may enter the realm of the justified, like the tax collector. If, however, we work at fine-tuning our judging skills, instead, we will find ourselves on the wrong side of the great reversal. 

 

Of course, we only see the humility of the tax collector. Hopefully, if we saw “the rest of the story,” as the late Paul Harvey might have said, we would not see the justified tax collector allowing his ego to be stroked by the grace he has received and begin to draw some lines of judgment, himself. “Thank God I am not like that OTHER tax collector over there!” would be a bad response to grace. This error can happen on the macro scale, as well. If those in the church who crusade for the inclusion of all of God’s people, act like they are “more right” or even more “righteous” than the self-righteous judgers, they, too, will cross over into the wrong side of the great reversal. This happens. We can become such strong advocates for those we feel are being oppressed that we “take up the offense” of these “victims” and harshly or even severely judge the oppressors, when the ultimate goal of grace is reconciliation of the two parties. Reconciliation is truly the “rest of the story.”

 

One of the other lectionary passages for this weekend is from II Timothy 4. It is well known, and is often quoted at the funeral service of a beloved servant/saint: “As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Wouldn’t we all want that said of us? Living rightly, according to the teachings of Jesus, in accordance with the “spirit” of the law of God? Glorifying God with our everyday response to the life challenges dealt us? Sure we would! The “race” is not a sprint, but a marathon. The “good fight” is not a boxing match, but a stand against evil and injustice, “turning the other cheek,” and offering grace when a reciprocal punch would be much more personally satisfying! The “tax collector” fights the good fight and “finishes the race,” in this weekend’s parable. The Pharisee plays the game of “King of the Hill” and shoves inferior challengers to the prize off the mountain. Marathons are really hard, and usually are notable by the differing “turf” they put before the runner. The Pittsburgh Marathon, for example, is famous for its hills. Paul’s race had him challenged by the pagans and the gentiles on the “evangelism” side, and by the Jerusalem Council and the “genuine believers” on the “friendly” side. Which was worse? Paul would probably say the church officials—sound familiar? We are living in a time when large numbers of Methodists are saying the church is “wrong,” and should be left behind by a two-thirds vote. But this is the church many of us were baptized into, confirmed into, and some of us even ordained to serve. That it is both challenged by and challenging in terms of what we believe, what is “biblical,” and what is in accordance with the teachings of Jesus is normal, if you follow the writings of Paul the Apostle. Equating the pending schism with Paul and Barnabas going their separate ways over John Mark seems like a monumental overreach. “Fighting the good fight” is not really about whose “good,” nor is it meant to be a real “fight.” It’s a metaphor for persevering in the face of monumental challenges.” People are lining up to fire at each other for very, very unrighteous reasons. The humble tax collector may teach us all lessons, indeed.

 

The church would be much better off today if there was more beating of breasts and looking up to heaven going on, rather than the judgmental “tsk, tsking” by those finding fault with others and making that their mission. For the individual Christian disciple, the call of God is to faithfulness, being a genuine witness for the love and grace of Christ, and understanding that the “race” is a lifetime long journey, is the goal. When John Wesley urged his preachers to “offer them Christ,” he was sending them into a marathon, not a sprint. His understanding of “the offer” was simple forgiveness and acceptance, for a simple, humble people. Let us not turn it into a Pharisaical, theological puzzle that only some people are able to solve. May we all beg for it like the tax collector and offer it like a beggar helping another beggar find bread. Amen.