God, I thank You that I am not like other men. While it is a fact that David in the Spirit wrote, It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High (Ps 92:1), such a virtuous encouragement to offer heartfelt thanks to the Lord does not provide license to turn the praise into judgment of another.
But this is human nature, isn’t it? If I set out to assess my spiritual state in life, is my analysis founded on Scripture and the instructions of my Lord, or does my judgment of self get run comparing myself to someone else?
We’ve all at least heard such things, and if truth be told, we’ve most likely all participated in such things. “Yes, I did thus-and-such wrong, BUT others have done so much worse!” In short, we ‘justify’ ourselves not on an absolute scale (“Sin is sin!”) but on a relativistic scale (“I’m not as bad as……”)
Consider for a moment the Pharisee’s words. I thank You that I am not like other men. What does this mean analytically to the one making the ‘prayer’? The clear implication is that only I am without sin. How dangerous a position is that to take with the Just Judge?
And what kinds of other men are we talking about?
1) Extortioners: My memory is not so good, but just last week we heard from a man whom our Lord called by name who said this: If I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold. In these words, Zacchaeus is admitting to extorting money, and he is offering the repentant response of giving back four times what he stole unrighteously.
2) The Unjust: Recall the account of St. Moses who lived a life of crime, but was saved by his repentance.
3) Adulterers: We have the example of St. Mary Magdalene, who by repentance saw the Lord expel seven demons from her, and also St. Mary of Egypt who although lived a life of sin in her youth received great spiritual strength in her old age by repentance and fasting.
4) Tax collectors: Remember, St. Matthew was a tax collector. Also today’s Publican, who went to his house justified is in this group. The Greek word for justified here is dikaioo, and it carries the meaning to render as innocent!
And so those being judged by the Pharisee as unworthy of God’s love and attention are among the first to find His favor—when they also find repentance.
The Lord is so very careful to spend so much time, so many words, describing the Pharisee with at least 40 words in his description. What does our Lord say about the Publican? Twenty-nine words total, but seven of greatest import—God, be merciful to me, a sinner!
Today, the Church gifts to us the entry point, the gate, if you will, to enter into the season of the Fast. How does She open this gate to us? By gently teaching us, as taught by St. Theophan, to focus on that one and only thing I have been given the ability by my Lord to be able to change.
Myself!
David said in Ps 51, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Lord, I beseech You, put that Spirit to right myself into my heart. And teach me to pray fervently and continuously, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!
