Fasting twice a week rather than once a week. Tithing on all he gets rather than just the foods and animals for which it is required

Below is a sample prayer of the Pharisees:

I give thanks to Thee, O Lord my God, that Thou has set my portion with those who sit in the Beth ha-Midrash [the house of study] and Thou has not set my portion with those who sit in [street] corners for I rise early and they rise early, but I rise early for words of Torah and they rise early for frivolous talk; I labor and they labor, but I labor and receive a reward and they labor and do not receive a reward; I run and they run, but I run to the life of the future world and they run to the pit of destruction.

[b. Ber. 28b (Soncino 1: 172), quoted in Hear Then the Parables by Bernard Brandon Scott]

So it would seem that the Pharisee's prayer thanking God that he is not like the rest of humanity was not all that unusual.

 He is the model of the pious man, both by what he did do (fasting and tithing -- which were both beyond what the law required); and by what he didn't do

 -- acting like swindlers, evil people, adulterers, and tax collectors.

Shouldn't we be thankful that we are Christians and that we are walking down the paths of righteousness God has set before us?

 Or can we only confess that we have failed to walk down all the paths of righteousness God has set before us?

Tax collectors were considered traitors to their fellow Jews.

According to temple standards, they are the "bad guys" -- the "unrighteous"; they were often rich -- cf. Zacchaeus (19:1-10 -- the gospel for Nov 4) -- and since they were usually disliked -- they could and often had to rely on themselves.

The tax collector wasn’t trying to be humble. He was humble. He wasn’t acting like he did not know what to pray. He didn’t know how to pray. He was down.

Having defrauded his neighbors on behalf of the Roman overlords, he had much to be humble about. He was a sinner, personally and corporately. He wasn’t trying to act like he didn’t know what to do in church; he didn’t know what to do in church.

You come to church, not knowing whether or not you ought to be here.

After all, you have secrets. You’ve done things you should not have done. Some Sundays everyone else looks so righteous, so close to God, so near to getting it right. As for you, you’re feeling far from God.

 Distant. When it comes time for prayer, you don’t know which words to use. You’re down. Humble.
And the good news is, that’s when God meets us, blesses us.

What Can We Learn?

One mistake that can really bite us is our failure to see the image of God in the people around us.

Step into a subway car, and you tend to see differences — different skin colors, hairstyles, tattoos, piercings, body shapes and makeup choices.

Some of these differences repel you and you step back, just like the Pharisee moved away from the crowd, not wanting to associate with unclean people.

But these differences are all superficial, and most don’t reflect the true nature of a person. The really deep truth about a crowd of people in a subway car is that they are children of God, created in the image and likeness of God. That is what we ought to be looking at.

One of the schocks I had when I recently came to the US after serving churches in Mexico where there are very conservative in aspects like: No drinking, nor smoking, nor dancing, can you believe that?

So when I arrived at my first Church in Phoenix, I was amazed to see that there were cigarrette butt cans  just outside the Narthex. "How can this be possible?" I thought.

But as time went by and I got to know and pastor the people my whole perspective changed. I began to see my fellow brothers and sisters for who they were inside and not just outside.  

What a lesson God taught me.

Another mistake is to judge others more harshly than we judge ourselves.

Think of the times you have felt your temperature rising as the line at the post office moves at a glacial pace, and then, when you get to the counter, the clerk messes up your transaction.

You want to lash out, saying, “Pay attention and get it right!” We’re quick to judge others, but slow to judge ourselves

 — in our own daily work, we go easy on ourselves because we know how hard it is to focus when we are ill or tired or distracted by a personal problem.

Two people come before the presence of God. God came close to one and not the other. The bad guy is justified, made right with God. The good guy goes home empty. Why?

I don’t know. Hey, it’s a story about God, not us. Why did God bless the prayer of one and not the other? I don’t know.

 That would be the conventional story we already know, the story about our getting our lives all cleaned up on our own, God as another of our projects, making ourselves right before God. We know that story by heart already.

Someties we are in teh stage of the Pharisee:

Perhaps, when you are on top of the world, when you can say the words of the Creed by heart, when you know the Bible and have a ready verse on the tip of your tongue, when prayer comes easily, then you don’t need a gift from God. What can God do for you?

 Rejoice, you are well fixed, spiritually speaking. Sunday worship becomes a time to celebrate your gifts, to count your blessings, enumerate your virtues.

“God I am thankful that I’m not needy, empty, confused, bereft....like some other people in my neighborhood.”

But sometimes we encounter ourselves in the stage of the tax collector:

 humble, down close to earth, empty handed, unsteady, unsure, then this story may be yours. Rejoice.

 Hold out your empty hands to receive the gift. We call it grace. Unmerited, free grace. It’s amazing. Don’t worry about what you ought to say to God. Listen for what God has to say to you. Don’t trouble yourself about what you ought to do for God. Let God do for you..

The tax collector saw himself clearly, and he confessed his sinfulness, saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (v. 13).

All of this begs the question: HOW do I get to a place where I see the image of God in others, show mercy instead of judgment, recognize my own need for forgiveness?

How can you fail to see God in others around you when you’ve started your day by praying to God:

 “God, please show your mercy and grace to me today because I realize I am needy and must rely on your help”?

The opportunity comes to us here, just as it came to the Pharisee and the tax collector in the temple — the opportunity to see our mistakes, confess our hidden faults, and ask for the gift of forgiveness.

Perhaps you have heard the story of the man who came to the gates of heaven to be greeted by St. Peter. 

Peter asks the man if he can give a brief history of his life with an emphasis on the good deeds he has done in order to gain entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

“You will need 1,000 points to be admitted,” Peter tells the man.

“This will be an easy task,” the man thinks to himself, “I’ve been involved in church from the days of my youth.” Then he begins to list his activities for Peter.

 He was an officer in his youth group, served in every possible position he could as a youngster. Was on the church council and every committee the church had to offer. His list was extensive.

“Very impressive,” Peter smiles at the man. An angel standing with them also smiled and nodded as he tallied the points and then whispered in Peter’s ear.

 Peter tells the man, “This is quite striking; we seldom see men of your very good works. You will be pleased to know that you have 327 points! Is there anything else you can think of?”

The poor soul breaks into a cold sweat and begins to reach deep for every single act of kindness he could think of.

He listed them as the angel scratched furiously on his angelic clipboard and nodded his head in admiration.

Peter looks at the clipboard and says, “This is quite exceptional! You now have a total of 402 points. Can you think of anything else?”

The distressed guy strives to recall good deeds, like the time he helped a little old lady across the street. He finally arrives at a grand total of 431 points and cries out, “I’m sunk! There’s no hope for me! What more could I have done? O Lord, all I can do is beg for your mercy!”

“THAT,” exclaims Peter, “is a thousand points!”