Day #29
Larry Trotter
Words of Love
Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple
to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank
you that I am not like other people… like this tax collector.
13 “But
the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but
beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
14 “I
tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God
Luke 18: 10-11, 13-14 NIV
Overcoming the Barrier
Some years ago when
I was coming back to faith I made a weekend business trip to Chicago. Needing
only casual wear and knowing the October weather could be unpredictable I
crammed jeans and sweatshirts into my bag. Since I would be free Sunday morning
I packed one button up shirt to wear to church. Friday and Saturday were
beautiful fall days by the lake, but Sunday dawned with a cold, drenching rain.
I had overslept and had only minutes to get a taxi to First United Methodist
Church at Chicago Temple, downtown. I reached into my bag and in the bottom, in
a wad, was a red flannel shirt that looked as though I had slept in it…for
several nights. With no time to iron I slipped into some jeans and buttoned up
my wrinkled shirt. To save time I threw a $20 bill into the front seat of the
cab and asked the driver to let me out at a light about a half-block away from
the church. Drenched and shivering I walked in off the street and was promptly
greeted by a sweet lady who was welcoming worshipers. She offered an energetic
“good morning,” then, after getting a better look at my wet, wrinkled clothes
and disheveled bedhead lowered her voice and told me there were showers and a
hot breakfast at the homeless ministry downstairs. I’m sure I flashed a
slightly indignant facial expression when I said, “Thanks but I’ll shower back
at the Fairmont. Right now, I just want to worship.” (I still can’t believe I
dropped the name of the luxury hotel my company was paying for—I certainly
couldn’t afford it—to make sure she knew I wasn’t, you know, one of those
homeless people.) She turned fire engine
red with embarrassment and walked me into the sanctuary with me telling her
it’s okay the whole way. But, was it really okay? Was I that proud, that
self-righteous?
This week we are peering
into the belly of the beast and exploring the evil that is both within and
without. We begin with the winsome, often hard-to-discern side of evil. I have
heard people say that God doesn’t grade on a curve, and it’s true. One sin is
all it takes to keep us from the presence of a completely holy God who cannot
be in the presence of evil. The Pharisee in Jesus’ parable was more than happy
to evaluate himself in light of a tax collector. How could anyone disagree that
a highly religious Pharisee who prided himself on keeping the law would be in
much better standing with God than a roundly hated tax collector? Easy, if
you’re Jesus. He doesn’t see sin on multiple elevations like lines on a contour
map. To wit, this person hasn’t sinned as much so they are in less need
forgiveness than someone else. He sees each one of us as a sinner in need of
grace and, according to the passage, takes a dim view of people who think they’re
better than someone else. In this case evil was lurking in the Pharisee’s
pride. It was hiding out in my pride, too. I try to be fair and treat everyone
the same, but if I had been confused with a prominent citizen who had been at
church that morning would I have been as quick to say, “No, you’ve got it
wrong?” To paraphrase Forrest Gump, evil is as evil does. We can’t hide evil
behind appearances. God sees right through disguise, wrinkles and all.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I try to kid myself about
the evil in my life, and I’d kid you, too, if I could. But, I can’t, so please
forgive me and reveal the evil that lurks in my pride. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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