“JUSTIFIED BY THE JUST ONE”
Saint Luke 18. 9-14
11th Sunday after Trinity: 4 September Anno Domini 2011
Fr Jay Watson SSP
You all trust in yourselves more than is permissible. According to God's inviolate Law you are to "fear, love and TRUST" in God above all things." This is an all-or-nothing requirement. You must trust God perfectly, totally, 100% of the time and with 100% accuracy or be damned.
Adam and Eve had the Image of the Lord and could have so complied before the fall. But instead, your parents trusted in the lie; trusted in the deceiver, trusted in the world, and trusted in the allure of "things."
From that moment on, they, and you, are corrupted and no longer bear the Image of God but rather the rot of "old Adam" sinful self. Even as Adam tried to "justify" himself by making excuses and blaming "the woman," so too Eve tried to "justify" herself by making excuses and blaming the serpent.
The only blaming any of you should be doing is when you look into the mirror. The only guilt you should be exposing and grieving over is your own. The only finger poking and shaking and condemning you should ever be doing is when you curl the index finger up into a fist and smite your own breast thrice: "thought, word, and deed," or "my fault, only my fault, my most grievous fault."
You sin by thinking, maybe just the smallest 1% iota, that you are righteous because of your faith. Faith is good and faith is a gift but faith is not from you, but rather, to you-it's a free gift. Who pats oneself on the back for being good when one gets an undeserved (GRACE) gift?
Of yourselves, you are not right with God. Don't ever think that "you as you" are not like other men. You are JUST like other men. You are just like the Muslim, Jew, atheist and Hindu. You don't love God above all things. You may not split your loyalties with Allah, Vishnu, or Darwin, but you re-make the Lord daily into a less-than LORD by your own selfish fallen natures desire to have "your will" complied with more than His will. You trust in yourselves.
The Law says that you also "despise others." If you protest this reality that you do indeed hate other people, than you are also guilty of lying to God. You do despise others. The Law makes you see this ugliness and the Spirit works sorrow over this horrible flaw. Repent and turn.
Solid Biblical and Confessional theology is of maximum importance because the Christ wants you to know and grasp the real Savior in all of His revealed Self & works; but even the purest Theology (what we "Believe, Teach and Confess") won't allow you to keep the two tables of the Law. The Bible and your correct insistence that it is Inspired, Infallible and Inerrant doesn't save you. Only Jesus saves you. The Book of Concord and your delight in its beautiful and efficacious commentary doesn't save you. Only Jesus saves you. Your prayer life, devotional regime and countless good works don't save you. Only Jesus saves you.
It is good that the two men went to the Temple to pray. They could have prayed anywhere as the Lord seeks your constant prayer at all times and in all places, but it is so fitting to pray where the Lord has placed His + Name and where He tabernacles in a unique way. But even as there were two men there are only two ways to pray-the incorrect way and the correct way. The wrong way to pray is to curve in on oneself and make the ego the star of the show. The Pharisee says "I thank thee, that I AM not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week. I give tithes of all that I possess."
No, the Pharisee was not thanking God for anything. The hypocrite was lying to himself, justifying himself and talking to himself. And the hypocrite was also totally wrong-he was an extortioner, an adulterer and not just with the Holy Trinity. And in your own self-as-self so are all of you.
When you pray to yourself you are praying to the serpent.
The Publican, i.e. the tax-collector, shows you the only prayer which is Christ pleasing: "God be merciful to me a sinner." Instead of curving in on himself, he seeks mercy from outside of the foul, blackened and fallen creature he knows he is. The Law has worked on this man, this Publican, i.e. "traitor" to the hypocritical Jewish nation in subjugation to Roman occupiers. His real treason is to God the King and he knows it, he feels it; his heart breaks, his eyes weep and he smites his own breast in misery. The Law showed him his sin and Jesus' words of Peace and Rest showed him and you the only Good News there is.
That's because Jesus is telling the story. He told it for the "12" and for all the other listeners. He tells it for you…the "other listeners" who also too often "trust[ed] in themselves."
That's because Jesus is not just telling Gospel, JESUS IS GOSPEL.
You are not here for information and knowledge. You are not gathered here for just hearing stuff, not even about Jesus, but rather you are receiving JESUS Himself. You go home justified, i.e. just/right with God the Holy Trinity, because of Jesus the JUST & RIGTHEOUS ONE! You are not Just (Justified/Righteous) only because He Is JUST, but because He makes you JUST, in Himself, by taking you into His + Body, and by giving You His Body, and by Loving and Absolving you in His Body. You now possess a restored Image of God, an imputed, reckoned Image of God in His Words of absolution but also IN THE WORD + of Absolution Placed on head +, ears, and tongue!
The "two men" are but parable pointers of Christ's TRUTH. Jesus is the Two-Natured God/Man, perfectly Divine and also perfectly Human. Jesus is no Pharisee and He is no Publican rather He is the perfectly obedient and serving Man Who is God in the Flesh. He took your extortions (your bullying and controlling manipulations), your unjustness, your adultery (both lust and spiritual whore-mongering) and all your hypocrisy and made it His burden, His punishment and torture, His painful and asphyxiating death. Jesus did not tithe but rather He gave His entire life, ALL His innocent Body and ALL His precious Blood.
You've already "smote" your breast this morning in the Confession of Sin. Now know and believe that because Christ was smitten and afflicted and crucified for you, you are invited, gathered, carried, honored and served here as you "come down to your house" for the Feast. The Humble One has made you humble. Your "Kyrie Elieson" has been heard…and granted. The Just One has made you Just. Now eat and drink and be exalted
In the Name of the Father + and of The Son and of The Holy Ghost