Thursday 10 May 2007

Today we enter into the ending section of the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt. (Luke 18:9) "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 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. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.' (Luke 18:10-12) 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!" (Luke 18:13)

There is a difference between the Pharisee "standing by himself" and the tax collector "standing far off." The Pharisee is separating himself from other by way of privilege and by viewing the world from the perspective of a hierarchy in which he is up toward the top. The tax collector is put in his position. He is one that this Pharisee and others expect to be put off at a distance. They create the distance. Even if he wanted to come close, he would not find his movement appreciated by those who have been able to rise to the top of this hierarchy of privilege. In this parable we are viewing a tear in the fabric of God's people. The God who rescued the people from such a hierarchy in Egypt and then acted again to shake up the oppressive hierarchy of Israel before the Exile does not want a temple with a split in the household. Walter Brueggemann writes about how the temple itself was set up to keep in place this kind of division. There were various levels of acceptance in the temple - places for Gentiles, for women, for men, for priests, etc. And yet, as we can see, Jesus is even noting the divisions within the divisions. What leads to such separation? An abandonment of the vision of the Reign of God. A vision of self and power that transcends the vision of God's Reign. Who is to be welcome - fully? All of God's people...not all of my people...all of God's people.

Connection: It is so easy to live by lines and barriers. It seems safe and it appears to work. But no matter what those lines and barriers we put in place in our lives today, none of them make us a part of this great vision of God's Reign.

You, O Lord, are our God, the only one who bring life that is beyond our pettiness and our idolatry. Continue to show us your ways and by your Spirit, make us a courageous people of love, mercy, justice, and peace. Amen.