Three Takes on a Parable

One

[Jesus] also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 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. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 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!’ 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.” (Lk 18:9-14)

Usually, when I hear this story, I think, “Wow, I’m glad that I'm not like that Pharisee.”

In doing so, of course, I risk becoming like the Pharisee.

Two

Those of us who’ve been in the church long enough have heard this parable a lot and have (thankfully) to some extent internalized its message. As a result, it’s easy to overlook how revolutionary the Good News is compared to other world religions. Consider, for example, an adaptation of the story as told by Mack Stiles:

Two men went to the mosque to pray. One was a rich man, the other a poor man. The rich man went through his libations and prayers as he did five times a day. As he was praying, he began to have a sexual fantasy about the young wife who lived next door to his home. But he finished his prayers and went home. The poor man stood off at a distance. He came so infrequently to the mosque, that he couldn’t remember the positions for prayer or his libations. But he looked up to heaven, beat his breast, and said, “Forgive me, O Lord, for I’m a sinner.” Who went home justified?…

Mr Stiles says that every Muslim he has asked this question has answered “The rich man.”

Three

Those of us who’ve been in the church long enough have heard this parable a lot and have (sadly) to some extent become overfamiliar with its message. As a result, it’s easy to overlook how revolutionary it is in our own lives. Consider this attempt to update it for more contemporary American culture:

Two people went to church to pray. One was a church elder, and the other was a despised LGBT activist. The church elder stood by himself and prayed this prayer: “I thank you, God, that I am not like other people - cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that activist! I go to church three times a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ But the LGBT activist stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat the ground in sorrow, saying, ”O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner." I tell you, this activist, not the church elder, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.