Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost, 10/23/2016

Sermon on Luke 18:9-14, by Evan S. McClanahan

Joel 2:23-32, Psalm 65, 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18, Luke 18:9-14

You may have noticed that it is almost time to vote, and perhaps never before has there been so much disappointment in the two choices for President. Oh, there is always disappointment from one side about the other side. But within the ranks, liberals and conservatives alike seem to want a do-over. About the best argument I have heard for either candidate is…they’re not the other guy…or gal. I have to say, that is not a convincing argument.

For those of us who continue to accept a 2-party system, and for those of us who accept the reality that one of these two people will be the next President of the United States, being better than the other guy or gal is probably the best argument we can make. For I could easily argue on Biblical grounds that neither candidate for our highest office is worthy of that office. And I would be far from alone in making that case. Both have demonstrated lapses in character, a lack of fidelity to their creator, a lack of basic humility.

But if we believe these are the only two choices we have, and you feel you must vote for one or the other to try to preserve what is left of this Republic, then by all means, vote as you feel you must! It is your right, and even your civic duty. You have my blessing to enter the ballot box. But I do not believe that either candidate has the blessing of God. For as far as I can tell, neither has chosen to live in accordance with God’s Word when it comes to regular and orderly worship of God, love of neighbor and enemy alike, or defending the sanctity of human life.

What made me consider our immediate political situation is the comparative dynamic that is at play in our teaching from Jesus today. One person justifies himself on the basis of another, while the second person understands he should only live a life that is pleasing to God. The Pharisee regards himself as fundamentally better than the publican for all of the virtues he lists: fasting, tithing, and generally not being a criminal. The publican focuses only on himself and his sin, never daring to better himself at the expense of another. In another brilliant twisting of the way things are thought to be, the one who leaves justified is the one who admits he is a sinner. And the one who believes he is justifies ends up being the one who is condemned.

In other words, taking inventory of ourselves on the merits, or demerits, of others is not a good way to approach the situation of our sin and our rebellion. Being better than someone else does not make you “good enough”. For the standard before us concerning God is not being better than someone else. It is being so righteous, so holy, so good, so perfect, that we do not offend a perfectly holy and good God when we stand before Him, or even as we live in his presence this very day.

And since we are dealing here with being just before God and we are dealing with absolute things, let’s be clear that we are talking about eternal things, heaven and hell at the very least. Last year, the Pew Research Group released a survey on heaven and hell and what people thought of it. No matter the ethnicity, religion or lack of religion asked, more people believed in heaven than hell. In other words, we all like the idea of heaven and are totally fine if God saves some for eternal paradise. But the idea of hell…well, let’s hope that same God isn’t true to his word. To be consistent, if we believe in heaven we are biblically bound to also believe in hell, for both are a function of God’s judgment and our eternal future state as human beings made in God’s image.[1]

Interestingly, though the existence of hell is believed in by many, only 1-2% of people believe they will be going there. In a 2014 poll, 82% of “those who believe in heaven” believe they will be going there.[2] Where am I going with this? Well, besides the fact that the Church must be doing a terrible job of teaching the absolute reality of both heaven and hell, we are doing an equally terrible job of communicating the reality that people will occupy these places. And yet, even if someone agrees these places are real, a disproportionate amount of people believe they will be in heaven and others will be in hell. But the math just doesn’t add up. This is the product of viewing ourselves as better than others. This is the result of being unwilling or unable to carry something to its full conclusion. This is the result of placing yourself in a positive light before God but placing your neighbor in not-as-positive a light. This is the Pharisee and the publican all over again.

And I cannot imagine moral progress in us as individuals or in our society so long as this way of thinking is allowed to survive. Just the other day I had a conversation with a bright young lady who had more or less abandoned the Christian faith of her parents. I asked her, then, what her final authority was, for in my view she endorsed inconsistent and immoral views. She said that she was her own moral authority and that her determining what was right or wrong was good enough for her. I’m sure it was! Or she might grant that society could reason together what was ultimately good or bad, right or wrong. But in the end, it was the creature who could judge the creation and its deeds, not the creator.

This is moral anarchy. And make no mistake, it will lead to a loss of peace, a loss of well-being, and a loss of life for those who are not defended against the self-justified sins of the many, many who believe exactly as this young girl believes. Better, in fact, to be a Pharisee (!), who wrongly understood his ability to fulfill the Law, did bind himself to God’s Word. Now, it’s just a free -for-all.

So what do we do when we meet those who justify themselves, either as Pharisees or as authorities unto themselves? The same thing we do to each other: we proclaim a holy God and his Law. We declare that on our own none of us, not me, not you, and not them, can be made just before a God who demands perfection. We admit that just because we may be superficially better than our neighbor, we are not justified on that basis.

And when we are adequately terrified of God as the one who stands ready to be our judge, we unleash the sweetness of the Gospel. We are justified because of what Christ has done for us. He was perfectly obedient for us, so we do not have to be perfect. We do not have to plead our merits before God or the demerits of another person. We can plead Christ and Christ alone.

And God will listen. For it was God’s work to send Himself in flesh to die not he cross and rise from the dead. So we can beat our breast and admit our sin. And God will not forsake us. For it is not our merits, but Christ’s merits that has earned our justification.

That message, I promise you, will be foreign to many modern ears, just as it was foreign to ancient ears. And if their heart is broken, it will be received with joy. We can’t force someone to receive the merits of Christ; but we can offer them the freedom to stop trying to be good enough on their own terms. For I promise you that it is far better to be good on God’s terms than to be merely better than the other person. Amen.

[1] http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/11/10/most-americans-believe-in-heaven-and-hell/

[2] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathleen-weldon/paradise-polled-americans_b_7587538.html

Pastor Evan S. McClanahan
Houston, Texas 77004
E-Mail: emc2@felchouston.org

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