REFORMED WITNESS
Volume IV, February 1996, Number 2
God Be Merciful to Me the Sinner
Sermon by Pastor Arie den Hartog preached recently in Hope Protestant Reformed Church in Redlands. This sermon is an exposition of the parable of "The Pharisee and the Publican" recorded in Luke 18.
The inspired gospel writer Luke tells us in his introduction to this parable the purpose for which Jesus told the parable. "And He spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others." Though this is not directly mentioned, it is evident that Jesus addressed this parable especially to the Pharisees in his audience. It is suggested by commentators however that the reason why this is not specifically mentioned is exactly because there is a Word of God in this parable for all of us. All of us have "a little Pharisee" in us. The attitude of a Pharisee is an abomination to the Lord. While Jesus was on earth He often revealed His grief over the Pharisees.
The Pharisees became proverbial for their attitude of self-righteousness. So much is this true that an English word has been coined to describe this attitude. "Pharisaism" is an evil attitude of self-righteousness that is accompanied by a contempt for others. The Pharisee imagined himself to be righteous before God through his own works. At the same time he condemned others. He considered himself to be much better than almost everyone else. He imagined that God was pleased with him because of his great works.
Jesus told this parable to condemn the evil attitude of the Pharisee. The parable is told by the Lord in such a manner that it causes all who hear it to search their own hearts. The intention of Jesus is to drive from our hearts all inclination to the evil of self righteous hypocrisy. The force and power of the parable is in the sharply contrasting picture it paints between the Pharisee and the publican. The two characters in the parable are at opposite ends of the religious spectrum. The Pharisee considered himself to be among the religious elite. He was known to be the most holy of men of his day. The publican was considered the greatest of sinners. There was no one despised like publicans. They were counted with other great sinners such as thieves, murderers and adulterers.
The parable comes to a surprising end. Jesus declares that the publican went home justified and not the Pharisee. This must have caused a great offense to the hard-hearted proud Pharisees of Jesus' day. On the other hand, Jesus told this parable to be the source of greatest comfort and assurance to those who consider themselves to be sinners like the publican. This parable is a mighty encouragement for the penitent sinner to come to God with a plea for mercy. The Lord by means of this parable gives us instruction as to the manner in which all of us must approach before the Lord. We must come before the Lord with the cry: "God be merciful to me the sinner!"
Both the Pharisee and the publican went up to pray. In Jerusalem this is literally what the worshipers did. They went up to the temple mount, Mt. Zion, when they went to worship God. There were regular stated times for prayer. The Pharisee used this occasion to make a public show of his supposed piety and godliness. The publican also went up to pray. God had worked repentance in his heart by the mighty operation of His Spirit so that this great sinner deeply humbled himself. He came to the temple to plead with God for mercy.
Man reveals who he really is in the manner in which he worships God, especially in the manner in which he prays to God. In prayer more than at any time we stand consciously before the presence of God. Prayer reveals the whole attitude of our heart and life before God. When we approach God in prayer He judges our heart. He alone is able to do that. It is possible, of course, to come outwardly before God as though we are like the publican, but in our hearts we are nevertheless more like the Pharisee. But the Lord knows our hearts. True prayer is the high point of worshiping God. Through prayer we have fellowship and communion with God. The Lord commands us to bring our deepest needs before Him in prayer.
What a stark difference there is between the Pharisee and the publican. The Pharisees were a religious sect of the Jews which arose sometime during the four hundred year period between the Old and the New Testament times. After the Babylonian captivity the Jews were characterized by carnality and worldliness. They did not return to the great sin of idolatry that they were so prone to before the exile. Apparently God's chastening during the seventy years of captivity cured them from this. But after the captivity the Jews compromised with the heathen world. They had little regard for the law of God and holy living. They were no longer a separate people who lived distinct lives of godliness. They had descended to a low level of piety and spirituality. The sect of the Pharisees arose in reaction to this sad situation in Judah. The Pharisees in the beginning stressed the great importance of keeping the law of God and of being holy and separate from the ungodly world. This certainly was a highly commendable thing. In the beginning there were some very good Pharisees who were serious about godly living and sincerely devoted to God.
Over time the sect of the Pharisees degenerated into a cult of self-righteousness. We can learn from this history. Certainly we as Christians must be greatly concerned about godly living. We must be serious about the law of God in our lives. We must strive in all our life to separate ourselves from this ungodly world and to consecrate ourselves to God. On the other hand we need to guard our hearts from the great evil of self-righteousness. Even as Christians our hearts are deceitful. We need to realize that it is forever impossible to be justified by our works. Even our best works as Christians are imperfect and polluted with sin. We need to guard our hearts from the great evil of imagining that because we are concerned about obedience to the laws of God we are better than others. We have no basis for exalting ourselves above others.
The Pharisees were meticulous about keeping the ceremonies of the law. They prided themselves in how well they did in keeping the law of God. They were confident that they merited the favor of God through their own keeping of the law. They were sure that they were righteous in themselves. Therefore they were not really in need of the forgiving mercy of God. In their assumed self-righteousness they exalted themselves far above the common ordinary folk and certainly above those they considered vile sinners.
The publicans were considered the lowest of the low among sinners. They were tax collectors. They were the servants of the hated Roman oppressors. Rome apparently at that time farmed out the collection of taxes to these men. Publicans were placed in charge of a jurisdiction from which they had to collect a certain amount of taxes that were to be sent to Rome. The personal profit of the tax collectors came from any amount in excess they could collect above that which had to be sent to Rome. Sad to say, many publicans earned the reputation they had for being evil. Many were greedy, unscrupulous and corrupt. In the eyes of the public, therefore, they were considered to be the epitome of evil. Many considered publicans to be absolutely beyond the hope of salvation, especially, of course, the Pharisees thought this of the publicans.
The publican of this parable was a penitent publican. He is an example of the mighty power of God's grace to make the most corrupt and evil of sinners into a humble penitent child of God. The publican showed his penitence in coming to the house of the Lord to plead for the mercy of God.
Jesus' parable contrasts the demeanor and attitude of the Pharisee and the publican as they come to God's house to pray. The Pharisee walked boldly and confidently into the temple. Everything about him revealed his pride and confidence before God. The Pharisees often wore special religious robes to distinguish them from the ordinary people. They walked in public with heads held high. The Pharisee in this parable walked immediately to the front of the temple as near to the altar of God as he could. He was confident of having the right to stand before God and sure that God would be greatly pleased with him as he worshiped.
Listen to the prayer of the Pharisee. "God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in a week, I give tithes of all that I possess." The Pharisee gave thanks to God. He knew that this was "proper" when one prayed. According to the Heidelberg Catechism prayer is the chief part of our thankfulness to God. Nevertheless, the Pharisee did not truly give thanks to God. In fact his "supposed" thanksgiving was nothing more than a boasting of himself. I have heard payers like this. Maybe you have too. They are sometimes even long prayers with many thanks to God but it was quite obvious that in reality they are a long proud boast of man's own works before God.
The prayer of the Pharisee contained not a single confession of sin. In his own mind he had no sins to confess, only good works to boast of before God. How may prayers heard in churches today are just like this. There is little or no consciousness of sin reflected in them, only thanks for good works that in reality are nothing but boasting of human greatness.
The works of which the Pharisee boasted were all ones relating to outward observance of ceremonies. The Pharisee imagined that he had done better than keeping the law. He had done works of supererogation, works that far exceeded what God required of men, God required that Jews fast only once a year on the great day of atonement. This man boasted of fasting twice every week. God's law mandated only giving a tenth of one's income. This man gave tithes of all his possessions. What an outstanding man of God he was in his own imagination.
It is significant that the Pharisee boasted only in ceremonial matters of the law. The Pharisees were notorious for this. They considered such observance of ceremony above all things the great proof of their piety. Meanwhile they neglected the weightier matters of the law. The law of God requires that we love God with all our heart and soul and strength and mind and that we love our neighbor as ourselves. This is the true and perfect righteousness required by the law of God. The Pharisees had no knowledge of this, at least no spiritual knowledge of this perfect requirement of God's law. They had no understanding at all of how far short every man falls in keeping this perfect demand of the law of God, and therefore, how great of a sinner man really is.
The Pharisee in his prayer is preoccupied with comparing himself with others to prove that he is so much better than others. He is not at all conscious of the fact that in the temple of God he stands before the holy God and must compare himself with the perfect requirements of the law of this holy God. He judges the wickedness of other men. He is sure that he is so much better than they are. But he has no knowledge of the fact that, because his heart is full of pride, he is himself abominable before God.
It is not true of course that this Pharisee has no sin. He may have been outwardly a rather pious and upright man, seemingly beyond reproof. But the chief of all sin of man is the sin of pride in his heart. There is nothing more abominable before God. The reason why pride is such a great evil in God's sight is because it is essentially a denial of God. It is the lie of the devil which suggests that man himself can be like God. The sin of pride gives honor to men rather than to God, to whom all honor and glory belong; therefore, pride is a terrible sin before God. God hates it above all. A man may be outwardly oh, so religious but when his heart is filled with pride he is abominable before God. How much of modern day religion is exactly this. It is essentially a boasting of the greatness of man and the mighty achievements of men. It may even be accompanied by great ceremonies of worship before God, but God hates it.
According to the parable, the Pharisee "spake with himself ." This does not mean that he prayed silently to himself. In fact, the Pharisees usually prayed with a loud voice to be heard of men, But this means that the Pharisee prayed talking to himself and boasting of himself to himself. Though he imagined that he was talking to God, he was not. A proud man can have no true communication with God. In his prayers he speaks only to himself.
How different than all of this was the penitent publican. Jesus tells us in the parable that he stood afar off. The publican truly desired to come into God's temple. He desired to make his earnest plea before God. But he hardly dared to approach before God. He dared not come too near to the holy God because he considered himself to be so unworthy of standing in God's presence. He feared the holy God, who is a consuming fire to the workers of iniquity. Even in his public presence, in contrast with the Pharisee who wanted to be seen of men, this publican wanted to go unnoticed. He wanted to hide himself in a remote corner of the temple. He was so terribly ashamed of himself because of his sin.
The publican dared not raise his eyes to look into the face of the holy God. He hung his head in shame and remorse because of the deep consciousness of his sin.
The publican had only one petition to make before God. In deepest humility and earnest repentence he cried out unto the Lord: "God be merciful to me the sinner!" He had no good works to boast of before God. He called himself "the sinner." The original text has the definite article here. In the opinion of this publican there was none worse than he was, none had committed sin as great as he had. The holy apostle Paul later echoed this same sentiment when he called himself the chief of sinners. The publican knew he had committed great and terrible sins which were highly offensive to the holy God. He went even further than this. He realized that the awful reason for all these sins was the fact that he was in himself a sinner. He had a corrupt and sinful nature. He was hopelessly depraved. His sinful nature was the source and fountain from which all his sinful deeds came forth.
The publican was deeply sorrowful over his sin. Jesus tells us that "he smote upon his breast." This is something done by a person who is in deepest agony and torment of soul. When a great personal calamity such as the sudden and tragic death of a loved one has happened, people today will do that. They will smite their breasts. The publican had such great sorrow over his own sins. He considered them to be of such dreadful and tragic character that it caused him to smite upon his breast. He did this not merely as an outward display but sincerely because of the profound sorrow of his heart over his sin. Who today has such consciousness of the reality of his own sins and such deep sorrow over them before God?
The publican pleaded earnestly with God for mercy. The word that is used for mercy in the publican's prayer is not the usual word that is used for mercy in the New Testament. Rather it is a prayer for forgiveness, for propitiation and covering for sin. The publican pleaded that, if possible, God might make atonement for his sin; blot out his sin. This prayer of the publican is, therefore, similar to the payer of David in Psalm 51. "Have mercy upon me, O God, according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin."
There are several implications of this prayer of the publican. This man realized that through his prayer he stood in the presence of the holy God. He was overwhelmed by the fearfulness of this. What do many modern day worshipers know about this? They come to church to be entertained, not to stand before the holy God and confess their sin before Him. Much of modern day religion is nothing but a "feel good about yourself" religion. Such religion is loathsome to God.
The penitent publican worshiped God in the deep consciousness of the awfulness of his sin. All our sin is against God. Sin is a great offense before the holy God and deserves a most terrible judgment, the judgment of eternal hell fire.
Because the penitent publican confessed the greatness of his sin before God, he also realized that his only hope was the mercy of God. He prayed for the sovereign mercy of God. He knew that he had no claims to God's mercy. Yet he hoped, he pleaded, that God would be merciful to him for His own name's sake.
The publican realized that his sin had to be atoned for. His sin was so great and God is so holy. Because God is perfectly and unchangeably holy, all our sin must be satisfied for. God's just wrath must be appeased. Someone must make atonement for us. The publican and all those like him come to the cross as the only hope for mercy. At the cross of Jesus God Himself has made atonement for the sins of His people.
We come to the surprising end of the parable. The publican and not the Pharisee went home justified. The word justified means to declare righteous. We agree with the great commentator Lenski, when he states that the word used here never in scripture means to make righteous but always to declare righteous. This is what is meant by justification. God declared the publican to be righteous before Him. This God could do only on the basis of the perfect sacrifice of the cross of Jesus Christ, the only place where sinners are justified. When we come as penitent sinners to the cross of Jesus, God frees us from all condemnation and declares us to be worthy of His favor and blessing.
What a surprise! The publican and not the Pharisee is justified. The idea is not that the publican is more righteous than the Pharisee. Justification knows no degrees. One is either justified or he stands condemned before God. The Pharisee and all those like him stand condemned before God. The Pharisee was confident of being accepted of God, but instead he was condemned. He did not go home with the blessed assurance of righteousness.
The publican on the other hand was justified in his heart. God not only justified him objectively because of the cross of Christ Jesus, God also gave him the deep and blessed assurance of justification in his heart. That certainly is implied in that this publican went home justified.
Justification is the great and fundamental blessing of salvation. When we are justified we know that God's favor is toward us and we are heirs of all the blessings of salvation and of the hope of eternal life. This fills the penitent child of God with greatest joy. In a moment his deep sorrow over sin is changed to greatest joy and assurance. The sinner who is justified before God can go home singing, "It is well with my soul." Oh, the joy of the knowledge of justification! This beautiful parable of our Lord teaches us that this joyful assurance is obtained in the way of humbly confessing and acknowledging our sin before God, with sincere sorrow in our hearts, and repenting from our sin.
Because of justification the publican was exalted before God, but the Pharisee was cast down, condemned to hell. Therefore, Jesus concludes this parable with the statement: "For every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."
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