Righteous before God

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"while the Pharisee felt no need, and uttered no petition, the publican felt only need and uttered only petition." (Edersheim) God resists the proud, but gave to the humble man his request.

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Romans 3:21–31 NKJV

21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. 29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, 30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

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Luke 18:9–14 NKJV

9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Sermon

Just like the parable of the persistent widow, Luke tells us who the parable is for.

“Those who trusted themselves that they were righteous, and despised others.”

And at the conclusion of the parable, Jesus uses the word “justified” - it is a different form of the same word in verse 9 - translated “righteous”. It means “To be declared righteous.”

Righteous and just are different words in English, but in the Greek they are the same word. It means to be completely conformed to the standard of God’s law.

The law says, Deut. 27:26

Deuteronomy 27:26 NKJV

26 ‘Cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ ”

It is part of our nature to believe that we are naturally good people. Nobody wants to be a bad person. We are created with a deep moral sense and have the desire to be known as good.

And because the heart is deceitful, it convinces us that God’s assessment of our goodness is substantially the same as our own assessment. This tendency doesn’t go away when we are saved. We must fight against it our whole lives.

The parable is spoken to everyone who considers themselves to be righteous and at the same time despising others - those who are “not righteous”. But in the end, God’s declaration might be totally different.

The Pharisee

This parable should be soberly considered. There is a man in the parable that has spent his whole life thinking of himself as a pretty good man, by God’s grace - at least not as bad of a sinner as that guy over there.

And this man isn’t a pagan. He isn’t an atheist. He isn’t a gentile. He is a Pharisee. The expert in religion. Trained thoroughly in the scriptures, well-known for his zealousness for good works.

He understands himself to be a child of Abraham, and heir to the promise, part of the people of God, circumcised, thankful to God, an upstanding member of society, well-regarded and well-respected. Horrified by sin and committed to living a godly life.

And when he dies, the judge gives the verdict: You are not righteous. You are cursed, for you are a sinner, an alien from the promises of God. You are fit only to be cast into outer darkness. I never knew you.

The Tax Collector

We live 2000 years after this, so the horror of the tax collector in the ears of a Jewish audience is somewhat lost on us. It is necessary for the impact of this parable that we understand some of the emotional issues involved with being a tax collector.

Rome had a very organized way of collecting taxes. Gathering taxes themselves would have been a monumental task, and very costly. They didn’t want to bother.

So they franchised it out. Large areas of their provinces would be “sold” to a chief tax collector. He would be a man wealthy enough to buy the area and pay the annual fee to keep it. He would then gather “taxes” on the trade routes, the merchants, the tradesmen, the townspeople.

He would send the Roman portion to the appropriate authorities, and he would keep the rest. He could charge whatever he wanted.

And they didn’t sell the franchises to Romans, but to local citizens. Rome preferred using local citizens who knew their communities, knew the trade routes, and knew where the money was hidden. Zacchaeus, whom we will meet in chapter 19, is one of the “Chief Tax collectors”. The chief tax collectors sold smaller franchises within their territory and oversaw the whole thing for that area.

Israel considered themselves to be victims of Roman occupation. Rome considered them to be a province. Rome crucified rebels as traitors.

There were, needless to say, extremely hard feelings between the pious Israelite and the tax collector.

The tax collector were often greedy, oppressive, violent, and traitors of their countrymen, all to make more money. They were driven by covetousness and would sell their own families to Rome if it meant a profit for them. At least, many were just like that, and they were all viewed like that in the eyes of Israel.

To emphasize the repulsive aspect of this parable in the minds of the hearers, we in the modern day would not use “tax collector”, but a term that would signify the heartless, cold, compassionless drive for more and more money, even over the destruction or enslavement of your whole community.

This drug dealers, pimps, traffickers, robber barons - the worst of the worst.

And yet, Jesus says, in the eyes of God, the just judge of the whole world, the tax collector was considered righteous, and blessed by God.

This is why we must pay very close attention to this parable.

Justification

The Pharisee knew that he was righteous. But God declared him to be unrighteous.

The Tax Collector knew that he was NOT righteous. But God declared him righteous.

Everything is backwards, isn’t it? Doesn’t that mean that God is unjust, declaring the sinner to be righteous and declaring the righteous man to be a sinner?

It seems as if God can’t do that. We all know that there are sinners. And we suspect that we are NOT sinners - at least not really. Only kindof.

And it offends our moral sensibility to think that God declares the unrighteous to be righteous and those who are righteous to be unrighteous.

The tax collector, by any standard, was a sinner.

The Pharisee, by any human standard, was righteous.

Jesus said something shocking in his Sermon on the Mount. He said,

Matthew 5:20 NKJV

20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Unless your righteousness is greater than the righteousness of the Pharisees, you won’t enter the kingdom of heaven.

The righteousness that the Pharisees achieved was the pinnacle of human effort. Paul himself, trained a Pharisee, said that according to the law, he was blameless.

But Jesus said, “It isn’t enough.”

The Pharisees believed that a sinner could be converted, forgiven, and have his sins washed away. That is what the Day of Atonement was all about.

But then, after that, they had to live a righteous life to be declared righteous before God. And they were very proud of their achievements.

But God’s standards are not the same as human standards. God sees the heart.

He sees what we fantasize about. He knows what we would do if we had the opportunity. He knows what our bent is. He knows what we would do if provoked.

Hercule Poirot said that every man is a murderer if the conditions were right.

And Paul said, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

The time came when the conditions were right, and the Pharisees were threatened - and they plotted to murder the most righteous man who ever lived. They lied about him and murdered him.

And each one of us has the seeds of the most vile acts in our hearts. We betray, we lie, we commit adultery, we steal, we slander, we blaspheme God…we have the seeds in our hearts...

And if the conditions were right and God let us go, there we would go.

This is what the Pharisees missed. What will you do when what you REALLY value is threatened.

We have no idea. But God does.

62. But why cannot our good works be the whole or part of our righteousness before God?

Because the righteousness which can stand before the judgment seat of God must be perfect throughout and entirely conformable to the divine law, but even our best works in this life are all imperfect and defiled with sin.

Only a perfect righteousness can stand in the judgement, and the Christian can have such righteousness only outside himself and in the perfection of Christ.

John Calvin

You may work your fingers to the bone, but you can never weave a righteousness that shall cover your nakedness before God.

“The Blood Of The Testament”, Volume 58, Sermon #3293 - Hebrews 9:19, 20

Charles Spurgeon

I want you to keep a distinction in mind.

In the Bible, there is relative righteousness. It is better to not commit adultery than to commit adultery.

It is good to not bash your enemy over the head with a hammer.

It is good to give to the poor and work hard and support the church.

Those things are good, and as Christians were should strive for those things. There are many who are called “righteous” in scripture. Sometimes it means “in this particular case, they were right” - like the quarrel between Saul and David. Sometimes it means “In the eyes of men, without reproach” - Bishops should be blameless. Zachariah and Elisabeth were righteous.

That isn’t what this parable is about.

Jesus is talking about the righteousness which can stand before God.

He is talking about the spirit of the Pharisee, standing in prayer and thanking God that he isn’t like other men.

That publican, for example.

Now I know human nature. I know that there would be those in Jesus’ audience who would say, “Jesus is always harping on people. I don’t know anyone that is like that. These Pharisees are good people. They don’t despise others like he says. I know them.”

But they do. And we do today. And the church is full of it.

From Jesus’ day, here are some of the prayers that have come down to us:

The talmud: “I thank thee, O Lord my God, that thou has put my part with those who sit in the Academy, and not with those who sit at the corners” (that is, the money changers and traders) “For I labor and receive a reward, and they labor and receive no reward.”

The proud Pharisee was thankful to God that he wasn’t like other men. He expected his reward for his hard work.

But notice his prayer. He asked for nothing. He doesn’t plead for mercy because he doesn’t need it. He doesn’t ask for righteousness of forgiveness because he doesn’t need it.

Edersheim writes, “The Pharisee retains the righteousness which he had claimed for himself, whatever its value; the Publican receives the righteousness which he asks for. Both have what they desire before God.”

The Pharisee said in his heart - thank you for the righteousness that I already have which I know is good enough.

And the tax collector said, “Lord, be merciful to me, the sinner.”

The only righteousness that can stand before God is a righteousness that is outside of ourselves. Ours is never, ever, at any point from now until we die, ever going to be even close to good enough to stand before God.

This is why I will never preach the law. I will never boast about anything that we accomplish or do in this life. I will never encourage anyone to look to their good works for the assurance of their faith. I will always point to Christ, the righteousness of another put on my account. The righteousness that ISN”T ours

But it is free, if only we accept it with a believing heart.

The Pharisee didn’t receive that righteousness, because he didn’t ask. He got what he asked for, which was nothing.

The tax collector, as vile and repulsive as he was, received what he asked for. Mercy.

And he received mercy because God declared him “Righteous.”

How could God do that?

Romans 3:21–26 NKJV

The righteousness which is from God, that is, the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ put on my account.

So that my standing before God is changed. I am now In Christ and all that is his is mine and all of my sin and corruption is his.

Even though I will struggle with it my sinful nature my whole life, yet the only way that I can struggle and not lose hope and not lose heart is if I know for certain that no matter what happens in this life, Jesus perfect righteousness will never change. I can’t add to it. I can’t take away from it.

And so I cling to it, even as I struggle with sin.

And because I cling to it, I can be honest with my sinful nature.

Nothing in my hands I bring. I don’t have any strength. I know that murder, adultery, theft, blasphemy are all possible for me, if you do not have mercy on me.

Have mercy on me, a sinner. Like this publican, every single person who asks for mercy receives it. Everyone who asks to be clothed, cleansed, washed, covered, receives it. Not one is ever turned away, for God delights to hear prayer.

And then, knowing that God hears prayer, I can lift my head up, rest in his promises, and go back to my house righteous before God.

God resists the proud. They get what they ask for. They want recompense for their works, and kudos for their service, they want paid what they are owed. That law is the law of merit, and God honors it.They get what they ask for. They don’t ask for God to show mercy, for they need none. They don’t ask for Christ’s righteousness to be put on their account, because they don’t need it.

And so they don’t receive it. They go away unjustified. Condemned. Not righteous. Your greed, covetousness, idolatry, fornication, murder, blasphemy is all still on your record and you will bear it alone.

But the tax collector - the sinner. He knew what kind of a man he was. He knew what a disaster he has made of his life. He didn’t even know how to fix it.

He didn’t even walk into the temple. He just stood outside peeking in. Knowing that he didn’t deserve a place there.

“Lord, I need something I don’t have. I don’t even know how to ask for it. I need mercy, because I am the sinner.”

Contempt

Because Jesus tells this parable, you won’t find those in the church who are so blatant about the Pharisees prayer. But the spirit is the same. You can tell what they believe about their works by how they despise others.

A tax collector was indeed a sinner. We covered that. And no matter what kind of a sinner someone is, human nature shows us that they can always find a worse sinner than they are.

But this tax collector wasn’t doing that. He was too busy pleading for mercy.

There is one thing that Jesus emphasizes over and over in his ministry: When you know the amount of debt you owe, when you know the depth of your own sins, when you understand the depravity of your own heart - you have no more taste for despising anyone else.

All you want is for the world to know who Jesus is, so that they also can find life. How can I fix you? I can’t even fix me. But I can point you to the one who can show mercy, and who has promised, and who can never lie.

How can you tell that this Pharisee didn’t understand his own sins. He despised others. This tax collector.

And, Yes, the tax collector was a sinner. He was a horrible sinner.

And the Pharisee naturally believed that the world would be a better place if God removed those kind of people.

They’ve sold us to Rome. They’ve trampled our civil rights, they are greedy and covetous…and the world would be better off without them.

But if God came in judgment, who would be left?

If God judged you or me by the same standard that you want him to judge the tax collector, are we really sure we can stand up? Really?

It is interesting that among Jesus’ twelve disciples there were two as far apart politically as can be.

Matthew was a tax collector. He believed that cooperating with Rome wasn’t a bad way to go. A man needs to make a living and we are occupied whether we want to be or not, so might as well be at peace and go with it.

Simon was a Zealot. He believed that Rome was the worst thing that could happen. They were gentiles and idolators and cruel and hateful and we need to be rid of them. We need to rebel and fight against them as much as we can.

Both sides had valid points. Both sides traditionally would have viewed the other as an enemy. Dis-fellowshipped and would have nothing to do with the other.

And both sat at the feet of Jesus.

Because human nature is what it is, they both most likely kept remnants of their old way of thinking. Matthew still thought in terms of cooperating with Rome. He wrote his gospel in Greek, which a zealot would have hated - pagan language for pagan people.

And Simon, we don’t really know much about. Perhaps he was the one asking Jesus to call fire and brimstone down on the Samaritan village.

But both sat at the feet of Jesus. And Jesus taught them both. And Jesus clothed both of them with his perfect righteousness. And they learned at his feet and they learned from one another. And they both grew and were filled with the Holy Spirit and came to a better understanding.

And they both finally recognized that they served a greater king of a greater kingdom and that the question above all questions was not whether publicans were right about their view of Rome or whether zealots were right about their view of Rome - the most important question of all questions was this one: How can we be righteous before God?

And that question, answered rightly, is the only way that we can have peace with God and with each other.

And God designed the church so that there is no one person, no one denomination, and no one building that has the monopoly on the truth. He designed the church to learn from each other and to grow together. We aren’t designed to walk in lock-step, but to humbly listen to each other and grow. We all need each other.

1 Corinthians 12:15–19 NKJV

15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? 18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. 19 And if they were all one member, where would the body be?

But because we don’t understand how a man is justified before God, we become proud and refuse to listen to those we formerly called enemies. We won’t talk together, we don’t bear different viewpoints. This is the way it is and we will destroy and devour anyone that thinks otherwise.

And the body is destroyed. We anathematize one another, we throw each other out of the body -

They don’t raise their kids right

They don’t vote right

They don’t eat and drink with the proper sorts of people

They don’t view marriage right

They don’t hate the right sort of people

And the things that divide us grow farther and farther apart, because we don’t have the right view of justification.

My only righteousness before God is the perfect righteousness of Jesus. There is nothing that I can add or subtract from that.

And the only righteousness that can save the publican is the exact same righteousness which alone can save the Pharisee.

Without it, I have the same chance of acceptance before God as the most vile sinner.

And this is why they crucified Christ. Because if the gospel is true, then the tax collector is accepted by God.

Doesn’t God know what kind of a person he is? Doesn’t he know that he isn’t the right sort of person?

It is the same reason that Cain killed Abel, that Luther was excommunicated, that Latimer and Ridley were burned at the stake.

THIS is the offense of the cross. And it is where we must stand.

Our hope is only in the prayer, “Lord, have mercy on me a sinner”.

It is so crucial that it was worked into the liturgy of the church from the earliest centuries. It is the only part of the ancient liturgy that was in Greek.

Kyrie eleison

Christe eleison

Kyrie eleison.

Lord, have mercy

Christ, have mercy

Lord have mercy

It is the continual prayer of every believer, the cry of the soul, and the prayer that God hears and answers.

Edersheim - “and while the Pharisee felt no need, and uttered no petition, the publican felt only need and uttered only petition.”

He answers with the blood of Christ covering sin, and the water washing it away, and the garment of salvation covering us from head to toe.

And he is making us beautiful. And we will stand around God’s throne with this tax collector, and with harlots, and with thieves and revilers, and murderers and insurrectionists - all, just like me, loved by the Father, washed by the blood of the Lamb, sanctified by his word and spirit.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, forever and ever.