The gospel passage is about a tax collector and a Pharisee who both went to the temple to pray. The tax collector brags about his righteousness, but the Pharisee is humble and repentant. According to Jesus, it is the latter that went home justified (which means, in the Jewish context, the person was judged not guilty or considered innocent and righteous before God).
It should be noted that the Pharisee and tax collector described in the passage are extremes. Not all Pharisees were cocky and self-righteous, many of them followed the requirements of the Law and were good examples to others. Also, not all tax collectors were repentant. Many of them were extortionists, collecting money in behalf of the Roman empire and making fat commissions. So we should bear in mind that the ones described in the passage are not prototypes, but tendencies that were apparent among these groups at that time.
Observation and Interpretation
While this is a lesson on humility and in accepting our sinfulness before God, an understanding of some Jewish religious practices would help provide depth and nuance in the message of this passage.
- The setting in the story is a public worship in the temple, and not a private or devotional visit by the tax collector and the Pharisee. When a Jew says that he or she is going to the temple to pray, that most likely means attending a public worship activity. In the parable, this would refer to the atonement ritual, which is done twice daily, and is the only daily service in the temple. Many attend these services.
- The Pharisees believe that one must strictly follow all the requirements of the Law (the Ten Commandments, plus so many other additional laws regarding rituals, fasting, and prayers) in order to be righteous before God. The tax collector, on the other hand, violated several of these laws and were despised. Given his situation, there was no way he could ever become righteous because the Law required returning the money that he has stolen (by over-collecting taxes), and there was no way he could possibly find all the people that he stole from. He was doomed.
- Since this was a public worship, one can now imagine how physically apart the two characters were from each other. The tax collector “stood off at a distance” (verse 18) and the Pharisee was likely away from the rest of the crowd as well because he was grateful he was not like “the rest of humanity.” Being a Pharisee, he was also quite careful of being in contact with the crowd since there may be some of them who were “unclean”, and that would contaminate him and certain cleansing rituals would then be required.
This distance between the two characters provides a significant nuance in the story. They were very much apart from the crowd and from each other, and yet… the Pharisee looked around and noticed the tax collector; enough for the former to compare himself with the latter. The Pharisee saw the tax collector and used him to further prop up himself.
The message of this passage is more than just humility versus self-righteousness. Jesus also deplores the self-righteousness based on comparing one’s self with others.
Generalization:
While we are generally conscious of our sinfulness before God, a genuine humble attitude requires we stand alone before God, and never beside someone else. When we say, “I know am not perfect, but at least I am not like him who has another woman,” or “I know I spend a lot on myself and I should think of others, but I don’t have as much jewelry as she does," are we not being like a Pharisee? There may be other quotes such as: “At least I go to prayer meetings and go to confession regularly,” or “Did you fast for the SE Weekend? (I did.)”
Application:
- In what ways do we compare our goodness (or lack of it) with others?
- Next time you pray and fast for someone, keep it a secret; don’t let anyone know. It’s just between you and Jesus.
(Trivia: The tax collector was described as having “beat his breast.” This is usually not done by men, but by women. The only time that men would do this gesture is to show extreme remorse.)
Luke 18:
9 He then addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.
10 “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’
13 But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’
14 I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Friday, October 15, 2004
Sunday, October 03, 2004
The Prodigal Son - Luke 15: 4-32
This Sunday’s gospel consist of three parables. Each is most likely already quite familiar to all of us. In all three of them, Jesus shows the priority He places on the sinner and the outcast. This is a key theme of the Gospel of Luke, he is very harsh against the Pharisees and scribes. By the way, the parable of the Prodigal Son is one parable that is found ONLY in Luke, which suggests that the gospel writer really found this to be quite important to the overall message he wants his gospel to bring out.
Observation and Interpretation
First, we observe that the audience of Jesus when he told these three parables were two opposing kind of audiences: the sinner and tax collectors (which were considered the worst kind of sinner) on the one hand, and the Pharisees and scribes on the other hand (who were generally considered the pure, the clean, and the saved because they followed the cleansing laws to the letter, practicing much fasting and conforming to tithing requirements at that time). By doing so, the Pharisees were following a legalistic approach towards salvation.
It is also noteworthy to note that the criticism of the Pharisees is that Jesus “eats” with sinners. Eating with someone is a serious expression of one’s fellowship with that person, and violates the rabbinical rule: Let no man associate with the wicked, not even to bring him near to the Law. That suggests that one should not even bother trying to convert a sinful person.
In the parable of the prodigal son, it should be noted that the younger son, upon running out of money, decides to finally return to his father. But did you notice that he had a spiel ready which goes: “Father I have sinned against heaven and against you, I no longer deserve to be called your son, treat me as you would treat one of your hired servants.” While this could mean a sign of humility, in the Jewish context, it also meant that this was a face saving plan of the son since being a hired servant, he could earn a decent living, remain independent and be able to secure a future without asking favors of anybody. In this plan of his, the approach was totally legalistic, and the Pharisees knew that Jesus was trying to hint at their legalistic approach to salvation.
Did you also notice that when the son finally returned, he was ready with his spiel “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you, I no longer deserve to be called your son,” but the Father butts in and does not allow him to say the latter part of his spiel which asks that he be treated as a hired servant. For the father, the son’s intention to return, regardless of his motivations, was sufficient.
The elder son could very well be the Pharisees who were more concerned about the legal obligations of the son to the father. The Pharisees believe that the way to the Father is through following a set of laws such as tithing, fasting and other cleansing laws.
Generalization
Feeling of unworthiness has no place in a Christian’s life. The prodigal son, who had ulterior motives, was accepted back. What more those who truly wish to turn back to the Father, regardless of their past. I have often also heard some who say “I am not worthy to serve (because of their sinfulness or unworthiness).” This parable ought to convince us that this is no valid reason. A sincere desire to convert and transform is enough. Making up for your sins is not a requirement before the Father embraces you. You may even be criticized as a Pharisee or elder son. Just come back. This is not to disparage good works, for indeed they are pleasing to God and completes our transformation; so long as one does not treat them as God’s prerequisites and conditions.
Application:
- What sinfulness do you have that you feel may be difficult to be forgiven?
- If there are none, what feelings of unworthiness do you have that may be holding you back from serving in the community?
I have rated myself quite high in God’s Worthiness Scale, for after all I have and am giving so much. This gospel made me realize that God does not have such a scale, for if He did we would all be found wanting. Insisting on such a scale is also not God’s way. Now I also realize that it is much more wonderful to simply rely on His love especially for the unworthy. End of sharing.
------
Other interesting things about this gospel:
The "100 sheep" can mean more than just a metaphorical number, but an actual number that an extended family in Palestine could have since one family could have around 5 to 10 sheep. So this is the number of sheep owned by say, 10 families, and usually more than one, commonly three members of that extended family will shepherd their sheep.
When a sheep is lost, one of the three shepherds will look for it while the other two bring the rest of the flock home. Thus, when this happens, the extended family is concerned not only for the sheep but more so for the shepherd who remained behind to look for the lost sheep. Thus, we can appreciate the joy that the family feels when both shepherd and sheep returns, for both could have been in danger.
Observation and Interpretation
First, we observe that the audience of Jesus when he told these three parables were two opposing kind of audiences: the sinner and tax collectors (which were considered the worst kind of sinner) on the one hand, and the Pharisees and scribes on the other hand (who were generally considered the pure, the clean, and the saved because they followed the cleansing laws to the letter, practicing much fasting and conforming to tithing requirements at that time). By doing so, the Pharisees were following a legalistic approach towards salvation.
It is also noteworthy to note that the criticism of the Pharisees is that Jesus “eats” with sinners. Eating with someone is a serious expression of one’s fellowship with that person, and violates the rabbinical rule: Let no man associate with the wicked, not even to bring him near to the Law. That suggests that one should not even bother trying to convert a sinful person.
In the parable of the prodigal son, it should be noted that the younger son, upon running out of money, decides to finally return to his father. But did you notice that he had a spiel ready which goes: “Father I have sinned against heaven and against you, I no longer deserve to be called your son, treat me as you would treat one of your hired servants.” While this could mean a sign of humility, in the Jewish context, it also meant that this was a face saving plan of the son since being a hired servant, he could earn a decent living, remain independent and be able to secure a future without asking favors of anybody. In this plan of his, the approach was totally legalistic, and the Pharisees knew that Jesus was trying to hint at their legalistic approach to salvation.
Did you also notice that when the son finally returned, he was ready with his spiel “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you, I no longer deserve to be called your son,” but the Father butts in and does not allow him to say the latter part of his spiel which asks that he be treated as a hired servant. For the father, the son’s intention to return, regardless of his motivations, was sufficient.
The elder son could very well be the Pharisees who were more concerned about the legal obligations of the son to the father. The Pharisees believe that the way to the Father is through following a set of laws such as tithing, fasting and other cleansing laws.
Generalization
Feeling of unworthiness has no place in a Christian’s life. The prodigal son, who had ulterior motives, was accepted back. What more those who truly wish to turn back to the Father, regardless of their past. I have often also heard some who say “I am not worthy to serve (because of their sinfulness or unworthiness).” This parable ought to convince us that this is no valid reason. A sincere desire to convert and transform is enough. Making up for your sins is not a requirement before the Father embraces you. You may even be criticized as a Pharisee or elder son. Just come back. This is not to disparage good works, for indeed they are pleasing to God and completes our transformation; so long as one does not treat them as God’s prerequisites and conditions.
Application:
- What sinfulness do you have that you feel may be difficult to be forgiven?
- If there are none, what feelings of unworthiness do you have that may be holding you back from serving in the community?
I have rated myself quite high in God’s Worthiness Scale, for after all I have and am giving so much. This gospel made me realize that God does not have such a scale, for if He did we would all be found wanting. Insisting on such a scale is also not God’s way. Now I also realize that it is much more wonderful to simply rely on His love especially for the unworthy. End of sharing.
------
Other interesting things about this gospel:
The "100 sheep" can mean more than just a metaphorical number, but an actual number that an extended family in Palestine could have since one family could have around 5 to 10 sheep. So this is the number of sheep owned by say, 10 families, and usually more than one, commonly three members of that extended family will shepherd their sheep.
When a sheep is lost, one of the three shepherds will look for it while the other two bring the rest of the flock home. Thus, when this happens, the extended family is concerned not only for the sheep but more so for the shepherd who remained behind to look for the lost sheep. Thus, we can appreciate the joy that the family feels when both shepherd and sheep returns, for both could have been in danger.
The Dishonest Steward - Luke 16, 1-13
Luke 16, 1-13 – The Dishonest Steward
This is a rather difficult parable to interpret because it seems to suggest that a dishonest man can get away with dishonesty. He appears to be even praised by Jesus himself: in verse 8, it reads, “And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.” Further, Jesus says, “for the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.” It seems that the obvious lesson of the parable is to be as smart and shrewd as dishonest people, so long as you do it for God’s work.
This is one instance wherein we can clearly apply the principle that we use the Bible to interpret the Bible. We cannot take a passage or verse out of context. Instead, we interpret and compare with the other message in other parts of the bible and clearly, God does not condone dishonesty, even if for noble ends.
Observation and Interpretation
It is important therefore to really understand the culture at that time to appreciate the parable. Let’s consider the following:
- first, the position of steward is a trusted position. He becomes the manager of the master’s estate, which can be very large, so there must have been a long period of friendship and trust that precedes any appointment of a steward.
- this long relationship probably explains why, firstly, the steward did not anymore bother to deny or appeal the decision of the master to dismiss him (which is unlikely in the culture); and secondly, why the master did not sue him which could have likely landed him in jail. The relationship was still worth something, and the steward therefore felt that his master was generous to him to the very end, despite of his fault.
- secondly, it would be helpful if we knew exactly what is the scheme that the steward try to pull off in order to be ingratiated to the tenants later on? Did he overprice the rental initially and simply brought it back to the original amount? This is unlikely since the rent was generally known to everyone and it would be easy to discover if one has been overcharged, and tenants could even go straight to the master to appeal the rates. It seems that the what the steward did was to simply reduce the expected rental from the tenants. The rent is usually paid after the harvest, and can be reduced due to many stipulated reasons like bad weather, crop disease, drought, and others. Thus, their anticipated payment was reduced, and therefore perceived as an act of generosity by the steward and, obviously, of the master as well, since the former would not have the authority to act without permission of the master. This act of the steward therefore served two purposes: it ingratiated him to the tenants (which he would now need that he is fired), and it also projected the master as generous and understanding.
The master compliments the steward not only for being sly and scheming, but also in recognizing his generosity and projecting such generosity to the tenants.
This interpretation make sense when we notice that while this parable was being told to the disciples, verse 14 also says that the Pharisees were part of the audience and could hear what he was saying. The Pharisees sneered at Jesus “dahil alam nila na sila ang pinatatamaan.”
The Pharisees firmly believed that obeying the law was the way to righteousness. Jesus had another message: God is not legalistic but merciful and generous, to the extent of even complimenting a sinner who recognizes such characteristics of our true Father. By the way, verse 10 when he repudiates the dishonest person in small matters.
Generalization:
When we look at God as an accountant who keeps a record of our rights and wrongs, then we overlook his mercy and generosity.
Application:
- Share an experience when you felt God’s generosity exceeded God’s justice.
Personal
I have always felt that I got more than I deserve during times I have turned to God, and less than I deserve when I have turned away from Him. When I was young and foolish, I went home intoxicated and slept while driving. I woke up a split second before hitting a parked truck and while I hit it anyway, I escaped with minor injuries and it became a wake up call to turn back to him. Jesus used a mishap to bless me. Such generosity. End of sharing.
This is a rather difficult parable to interpret because it seems to suggest that a dishonest man can get away with dishonesty. He appears to be even praised by Jesus himself: in verse 8, it reads, “And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.” Further, Jesus says, “for the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.” It seems that the obvious lesson of the parable is to be as smart and shrewd as dishonest people, so long as you do it for God’s work.
This is one instance wherein we can clearly apply the principle that we use the Bible to interpret the Bible. We cannot take a passage or verse out of context. Instead, we interpret and compare with the other message in other parts of the bible and clearly, God does not condone dishonesty, even if for noble ends.
Observation and Interpretation
It is important therefore to really understand the culture at that time to appreciate the parable. Let’s consider the following:
- first, the position of steward is a trusted position. He becomes the manager of the master’s estate, which can be very large, so there must have been a long period of friendship and trust that precedes any appointment of a steward.
- this long relationship probably explains why, firstly, the steward did not anymore bother to deny or appeal the decision of the master to dismiss him (which is unlikely in the culture); and secondly, why the master did not sue him which could have likely landed him in jail. The relationship was still worth something, and the steward therefore felt that his master was generous to him to the very end, despite of his fault.
- secondly, it would be helpful if we knew exactly what is the scheme that the steward try to pull off in order to be ingratiated to the tenants later on? Did he overprice the rental initially and simply brought it back to the original amount? This is unlikely since the rent was generally known to everyone and it would be easy to discover if one has been overcharged, and tenants could even go straight to the master to appeal the rates. It seems that the what the steward did was to simply reduce the expected rental from the tenants. The rent is usually paid after the harvest, and can be reduced due to many stipulated reasons like bad weather, crop disease, drought, and others. Thus, their anticipated payment was reduced, and therefore perceived as an act of generosity by the steward and, obviously, of the master as well, since the former would not have the authority to act without permission of the master. This act of the steward therefore served two purposes: it ingratiated him to the tenants (which he would now need that he is fired), and it also projected the master as generous and understanding.
The master compliments the steward not only for being sly and scheming, but also in recognizing his generosity and projecting such generosity to the tenants.
This interpretation make sense when we notice that while this parable was being told to the disciples, verse 14 also says that the Pharisees were part of the audience and could hear what he was saying. The Pharisees sneered at Jesus “dahil alam nila na sila ang pinatatamaan.”
The Pharisees firmly believed that obeying the law was the way to righteousness. Jesus had another message: God is not legalistic but merciful and generous, to the extent of even complimenting a sinner who recognizes such characteristics of our true Father. By the way, verse 10 when he repudiates the dishonest person in small matters.
Generalization:
When we look at God as an accountant who keeps a record of our rights and wrongs, then we overlook his mercy and generosity.
Application:
- Share an experience when you felt God’s generosity exceeded God’s justice.
Personal
I have always felt that I got more than I deserve during times I have turned to God, and less than I deserve when I have turned away from Him. When I was young and foolish, I went home intoxicated and slept while driving. I woke up a split second before hitting a parked truck and while I hit it anyway, I escaped with minor injuries and it became a wake up call to turn back to him. Jesus used a mishap to bless me. Such generosity. End of sharing.
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