Hello, my name is Jack, I am a recovering Pharisee.
A long time ago I worked and lived in a halfway house for homeless men in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. It was a long hard year.
Lots of brutal honesty as men stood up, introducing themselves, naming their addiction and sharing their struggle to be set free.
I noticed that the men who were most likely to relapse and leave the program were the ones who were the most impressive, the smart ones with the most accomplishments, often outspoken and boisterous, often charming and entertaining.
It turns out this simply made them better liars, to themselves, to those around, even trying to fool and bargain with God.
This made a big impression on me. I discovered that I was pretty good at lying myself.
The men who made it out of the house, who slowly rebuilt their lives, they were the ordinary ones, often the most broken ones with nothing to brag about.
They could tell the truth, especially to themselves.
Simple, humble honesty is so hard to practice. It is a rare gift that blesses all those around.
It is a graced moment to be able to bow humbly before God and to be set free from scorn and contempt for others.
To forsake judgment, to stand before God and trusting God to be God, and not we ourselves.
What a rare gift; to stand in that place as that mercy slowly spreads and anoints all those around.
What a blessing to be near those who share that anointing.
It is a fun exercise when reading scripture to imagine ourselves, to see ourselves in the story.
Where do we find ourselves in this parable?
It can be unsettling.
I always find myself standing about half way between the Pharisee and the tax collector. I find myself praying, “God I thank you that I am not self-righteous like that Pharisee, and not as bad a sinner as that tax collector…”
I am damned by my own moderation, moderately self-righteous, moderately sinful, moderately merciful, moderately forgiving, moderately generous, moderately repentant and a full-fledged hypocrite.
That true humility that elevates and blesses those all around has always been elusive for me.
I am pretty much a dyed in the wool Pharisee.
Like I said, “Hello, my name is Jack, I am a recovering Pharisee…”
These parables, they have a habit of driving us to our knees, seeing ourselves as we are and seeing God and being surprised by what we see.
We see God as God is.
God is not full of contempt and scorn.
God is generous, God is compassionate, God is caring, God actively cares for others, setting people free.
God is humble and in that humble love, God is exalted.
The Cross of Jesus is the humility and the exaltation of God.
The Cross of Jesus is the fullness of God’s freedom.
Will we walk in that way?
Will we be set free from scorn and contempt and share in the blessing of God’s freedom?
Free from contempt, free from bondage and fear, free from the addictions and perceptions that turn us into sour old Pharisees.
Will we stand up, say our names, and say that we are recovering the image of God?
Be that holy image that brings freedom to all those around.
Be that that holy smoke that brings great flavor and fellowship.
Be the bell that calls all to worship the God who brings freedom.
