Title: The Pharisee and the Publican's Prayer
Contents
1. Words that begin
God, who created all things in the universe, and created humans to rule and live in harmony with all things, provides for man and all things. One of the essential gifts that God has given to man is prayer. Prayer is a means of spiritual communication with God, who provides all things and is in charge of life and death. Prayer is a means of receiving grace and blessings necessary for living according to God's will. Prayer is a way to live with God's love, power, and wisdom.
Therefore, there is no blessing more precious than prayer according to the will of God to the imperfect and imperfect human beings who have sinfulness and selfishness, possibilities and limitations, weakness and mortality. Those who do not know how precious the blessing of prayer that is in accordance with God's Word and do not pray to God, who is the Spirit, is alive but spiritually dead. Those who do not pray while claiming to be born again by believing in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, or who pray incorrectly, will become spiritually sick or die.
2. Those who believe in themselves righteous and despise others
Jesus spoke parables to the Jewish religious leaders, including the Pharisees, who believed themselves righteous and despised others. They did not acknowledge the gospel of salvation, that is, justification by faith, but believed that justification was achieved by works of the law. Therefore, he despised those who did not keep the law, and despised all Gentiles without the law as servants of destruction.
The Jews heard and learned the law in the synagogue, but that alone does not make them righteous. The reason is that the law is not simply to know, but to do. Therefore, only those who do the law can be justified. However, this does not mean that humans can keep all the commandments of the law.
In Judaism, the central issue was the righteousness of the law, not the righteousness of faith. However, in reality, the righteousness of the works of the law is not righteousness in the true sense, and it is impossible to keep all the provisions of the law without exception. Even if the law is followed literally, it is only external and formal, and it cannot be said to have kept the original meaning of the law in the true sense. This fact became clear from frequent clashes between the Jewish religious leaders and Jesus over issues of interpretation of the law and observance of the law.
M. Luther commented on Galatians 3:10: “Because God knew before giving the law that we could not keep the law, He promised us a blessing in Abraham.” This fact also applies to those who claim to be saved by the works of the conscience of the Gentiles, a law written in the heart.
Whether it is the salvation of the works of the law, the salvation of the conscience, or the salvation of all religious works as people claim, I do not know how to say that it is the way of salvation because the human being, the subject of the act, is not the perfect being of goodness. God made the Messiah promise and sent Christ Jesus in due time, wasn't it because man could not be saved by anything, anything, or anyone?
3. The prayer of the self-proclaimed righteous Pharisee and the publican's prayer
Jesus began the parable by saying, “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a publican.”
The Pharisees who took great pride in being righteous who lived by observing the law thoroughly and the opposite, a publican, went up to the temple to pray. Faithful Jews prayed three times a day at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm in the “courtyard of the woman” in the temple.
First, the prayers of the Pharisees were amazing. Like a Pharisee who had the self-consciousness of being exceptionally superior in all aspects, including the law, he prayed separately from ordinary people. The correct translation of the Greek word for “the Pharisee stood and prayed separately” (? . There are a lot of people who say they pray to God and actually sing Yongbieocheonga to themselves or powerful people.
First, the Pharisee prayed to God, emphasizing that he was different from other people. They are not like extortioners, unrighteous people, and adulterers, and they are not like publicans who pray. So thank you. Saying “O God” was an ostentatious calling, and his prayer was, in fact, self-congratulatory.
As A. Plummer said, “There is no prayer in form. He is completely content with his present condition and therefore asks nothing from God. And it mentions gratitude only formally. It is self-praise.” Among the ten commandments, which are the core of the law, they are different from those who have broken the commandments that should be kept between humans, and they are different from publicans who stand at a distance and pray. Strictly speaking, it is not a prayer to God.
Next, the Pharisee prayed to emphasize that he wanted to be better than others. They fast twice a week and pay tithing.
Although the origin of the fast is unknown, the original Jews only had to torment themselves with a mandatory fast once a year, on the 10th day of Tisri, the Day of Atonement. On that very day, the whole nation confessed their sins to God and received forgiveness. But over the years, strict Jews, like the Pharisees, have developed the habit of fasting from 6 am to 6 pm every Monday and Thursday. And then enjoy the feeling of superiority.
A tithe of the income was paid to God for the Levites, and the Levites gave the tithe of the tithe to Aaron the priest. In the third year the tithe was used for the Levites, the strangers, the orphans, and the widows.
Fasting twice a week and tithing, which are factors in the sense of superiority of the Pharisees, are not much to be promoted as practically all Jews do. Where do you put it before God? It is not a prayer to God, but rather a self-congratulatory praise. How would God answer such a proud prayer? Maybe, ‘Yeah, you’re fine. I don't need it.'
W. Barclay introduced a rabbi's prayer. “O Lord my God, thank you for making me like those who sit in the schools and not with those who sit on the street corners. I rise early, they rise early, I rise early for the words of the law, they rise early for vanity. I work, they work, I work and I get paid, and they work and I don't get paid. I run, they run, I run for life to come, they run for the pit of destruction.”
Second, the publican's prayers were very humble. The publican's prayer contrasted in every way with the Pharisee's prayer. The publican who prayed did not have the right to stand before God and stood at a distance from the sanctuary for fear of being noticed because of his self-consciousness that he was a sinner who had no qualifications to pray, and did not even dare raise his eyes to look up to heaven. It only struck the heart, an act of mourning, bitterness, and repentance. His prayer was very concise, unlike that of the Pharisees. “God, have mercy on me, for I am a sinner.”
The Greek word for “have pity” (?λασθεητ?) originally meant a sacrifice to appease the wrath of the gods and an act of atonement in which a sacrifice was offered for the forgiveness of sins. In the Old Testament (the Septuagint), this word meant 'to make atonement', 'to make amend', and 'to forgive'. Therefore, the publican's prayer was not simply asking for God's mercy, but begging for God's grace for atonement. This is also supported by the fact that the publican confessed, “I am a sinner.” How will God turn away from this humble prayer?
4. Conclusion
There are proud clergy who pride themselves as religious leaders who are legally and conscientiously righteous, and more than ethical and moral, unlike others who commit sins, including the sin of not believing in God. Among the clergy, there are those who pray to become a clergyman, general president, or bishop because of their self-consciousness as a clergyman, forming factions and sowing money while praying. On the other hand, there are those who cannot lift their heads before God thinking that they are sinners and ask for God's grace, including forgiveness of sins. May all of us humbly ask for God's grace, including forgiveness of sins committed during our Christian life, to be justified and enjoy peace.
(Poongseong Methodist Church. Book: Complete Commentary on 27 New Testament Books/ Interpretation of Difficult Scriptures I, II/ Salvation Before Jesus Came/Paul’s Understanding of Man/ Prosperity Prayer/ Seasonal Sermonbooks/ Sermonbook 18. -3051)