“THE RIGHTEOUS ONE RIGHTEOUSES YOU”
Saint Luke 18: 9-14
11th Sunday after Trinity: 23 August Anno Domini 2020
Fr Jay Watson, SSP
Those who trust in themselves are damned. They will go to hell. This is tragic. That’s why it can even be dangerous to talk only about “my faith,” while downplaying Christ Crucified. A person’s personal faith, the so-called “my faith” is nothing but a free gift. It isn’t earned. It is not worked for. An individual faith only has value because it grasps onto THE FAITH—and that is Jesus, The Faithful One, The Righteous One—the “author and finisher of (y)our faith” [He. 12.2]
Having you, having all men, “right” with God, is what God desires.
The unbeliever is not right with God. All people are conceived and born unbelievers. As they cannot choose or decide to be born, choose or decide to pick their parents, so too, they can not decide to be “right.” All men are saved the same way an unconscious, unbreathing, drowning or fire victim is saved—by the actions of the rescuer; redeemer.
You sin. The Lord saves. You were dead. The Lord brought you back from death. You deserve to die and go from the grave to hell. The Lord suffered and died in your place. The Lord went to death—to hell—and came back alive forever more to give you eternal life.
Are you the Pharisee? Are you the Publican?
Yes!
Are you the Right One? Are you Righteous?
No!
Where are you right now? Have you gone down into the house of bondage and death? No! You have been brought down from the heights of you own ego and self-justifying to House of The Lord. This parish is The House of God.
There are two men in the parable. The easy one to mark and avoid is the Pharisee. You can easily identify his flaws, and resolve to avoid them in your own life. You probably don’t extort money from others. You may have never committed adultery. Well, good for you. “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” [Ja. 2.10]. You are extortioners and thieves, if not financially then at least asserting your will against others; if not taking their property taking their wishes and preferences subject to your own dominance. And of course, you are spiritual adulterers. You, like the Pharisee worship other Gods besides The Lord. You do NOT fear, love, and trust in Him above all things. All men have idols. Even a Christian can turn his own prayer life, or Scripture reading, or alms giving, or knowledge of Lutheran trivia, into a Golden Calf. Instead of raising your arms like the Hypocrite probably did, it is salutary instead to simply strike the breast in contrite confession—“God be merciful to me a sinner.”
The Publican’s prayer is perfect. It does nothing. The asking is all constrained and motivated and created by The Holy Ghost; and, by The Lord. The tax-collector does nothing but receive what he has been moved to ask for: Mercy—Forgiveness—Absolution. When one is given to by The Right One; when one receives all That IS The Right One; then one is Right. The Lord is Righteousness incarnate. His Word is reality. When He speaks peace through forgiveness Peace is bestowed. The fruits of His bitter passion, death, and resurrection are actually, truly, and really given by His Words into your ear and into the Publican’s ear. When His precious and holy Body and Blood are placed onto your tongue, into your mouth, He does everything. You receive everything.
You need not look up “to heaven.” You must not look into your own heart and desires! The Lord is the one that comes to you. He is righteous—perfectly right—perfectly good—perfectly God! He speaks His Work, Love, and Peace into your ears. He serves you His Meal of Mercy which is Himself. Filled with The Righteous One; feasting on The Justifying One; you are exalted by The Father, In The Spirit, by The Son.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of The Holy Ghost
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