The Parable of the True Sun of God and the Worshiper

 

 

Gather around, everyone. Its story time again. A little late I apologize.

My story borrowed again from Jesus again tonight is:

The Story of the Tax Man and the Pharisee

 ^9-12He told his next story to some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and looked down their noses at the common people: "Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax man. The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: 'Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man. I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income.'

 ¹³"Meanwhile the tax man, slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, 'God, give mercy. Forgive me, a sinner.'"

 ¹⁴Jesus commented, "This tax man, not the other, went home made right with God. If you walk around with your nose in the air, you're going to end up flat on your face, but if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself." 

How many of you, in leaving church, or work, or the gym this week have heard your fellow say things like:

"Boy I'm glad I don't have all of those bastard kids to pay for.".... "Geez, I'm glad MY part of MY project is done and its just up to my mates to finish up."....  "See that fatty going there? All she does is pick up a magazine and pretends to pedal on a bike for 45 minutes while the rest of us sweat our asses off." 

How often do we see instead:

"Pastor, I'm blessed with only one child. What can I do to help Sarah with her handful?"... "Hey Chad, I finished up my part of the project about an hour ago, what can I do to help you?" ...."Hey Sally, I've noticed you've been working out on the bike the last two weeks. There's two treadmill machines open side by side. What do you say we learn them together?"

How rare is it that we personally say things such as:

"Pastor, I know I"m not the greatest with kids, and I'm certainly not the most patient. Do you think maybe Sarah would help me learn how to run the nursery this week, so I can run it next week while she gets to go to service? " ..... "Hey Chad, I've finished my part of the project, but honestly I pencil whipped it. Do you have time to help me bring it up to standard?" ......And finally one of the hardest things for us to admit is our failing in body standards. "Sally, I've noticed you've really been working hard on that bike. I've been gaining a few pounds so stressed from work, do you think you can give me some pointers?"


Sometimes we look at Jesus' parables from about 2000 years ago and we don't look at it from those standards. 2000 years ago, you went into temple and church almost every day. You saw those same people almost every day. Your pride rose or failed on their opinions of you. You could chose to be honest and humble or you could chose to bluster and hide every feeling and hope no one ever noticed, even though you knew Jesus and many others did.

How many times do we look back on these "old" parables and think "i'm not some blustery pharisee. I'm not the one Jesus say's is a braggart". How often can we take on extra second, one extra deep breath and reword something and still share our knowledge and our skill without degrading or humiliating those around us?  Would it truly demean ourselves to admit we need help and go to one whose skills you recognize as being stronger than yours?

This is just one of many way we can take Jesus' wonderful, meaningful, beautiful parables and bring them to life in 2011 and have them be just as meaningful.