Trinity 11

August 31, 2025

Luke 18:9-14

Pride is one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Inspired by Saint Augustine, Martin Luther viewed pride as the mother of sin.

Pride curves man inwards; it forms the love of self, of man’s own excellence. It’s the epitome of self-centeredness. It’s the Pharisee in today’s Gospel who says, “God, I thank you I am not like other men…” It’s you when you go through life alone, when you refuse the help of others, when you reject the help God desires to give to you.  

This is the difference between the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in the parable Jesus tells today. For the Pharisee, it’s all about what he does for God, the idea that he can save himself by his external works.

Whereas the Tax Collector comes to the same temple, bowing his eyes to the ground, beats his chest, and says, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

Pride is an inward focus on the self, while humility possesses not only an outward focus but also a sense of dependence on others.

Which one are you?

It’s not always easy to tell, is it?

If you take a step back, you’ll notice that both men in the parable today go to the temple. Both men are in the temple to pray to God.

Honestly, suppose you were to judge these books by their covers. In that case, you’d probably say the Pharisee is the better person, listen to all his self-proclamations, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.”

This Pharisee sounds like a good guy, like he’s checking all the boxes. It’s almost like he’s still alive today, isn’t it? You can hear him being interviewed on the television, “So Mr. Pharisee, what makes you such a good person?”

But being a tax collector at this time would make you a despised person in a hated occupation. And because we likewise do not always enjoy paying taxes or becoming frustrated with the government, this man becomes an easy target to hate.

So, how can you honestly tell the difference been the two men standing before God?

Their words…the words spoken from their hearts.

Saint Augustine said, “[The Pharisee] had no mind to pray to God, but to laud himself.”

The Pharisee lauds what he believes to be a list of good qualities, achievements, and works to show him as the better man. 

It’s the same for you; you enjoy listing your good deeds and perceived qualities, the ways you might “pay it forward,” the hours you work in a week, your salaries, your grades in school, your number of friends, or friends you think you have online. The idea that when life gets tough, you can do it on your own. 

That really hits the mark for the Pharisee; he thinks he can do it on his own, that his works will save him and lead him into heaven.

But as it is written in the book of Proverbs,

         Pride goes before destruction,

                  and a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)

Pride blinds you, so you do not see its destructive force in your lives and the lives of those who love you.

Pride is a destructive cancer that grows and pumps within a man’s heart. It has been present since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden, as they turned away from God’s word and sought to be like Him in the eating of the forbidden fruit.

The challenge is realizing that you will never be Him, no matter the lies the Devil and this world whisper into your attentive ears.

So stop and say with the poor Tax Collector, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

These are the words of a humble heart. A man convicted of his sin. A man who knows he cannot save himself.

So again, the Tax Collector comes to God as a child before their parent, head hung low with his eyes to the ground in shame. He beats his chest and confesses, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

Are you so humble?

Now, you might ask, “What does beating your chest have to do with anything?” The action of beating one’s chest was an outward sign of unworthiness and humility. There’s only one other place throughout the Gospels where we read “They beat their breasts,” and that’s at the cross.

St. Luke writes, “And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place (that Jesus had died), returned home, beating their breasts.” (Luke 23:48)

The death of Jesus on the cross brings the crowds, once calling for Jesus’ death, to contrition and repentance.

The death and resurrection of Jesus do this, don’t they?

It humbles you to look at the cross and see how Jesus was willing to take your place, to suffer and die for you, so that you could receive the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. 

We call this justification.

Justification is God’s action of making you righteous, forgiven, saved, and acceptable to enter His presence. 

None of your works or self-love proclamations will save you.

Of course, this doesn’t mean you aren’t called to do good, love your neighbors as yourself, to do well in your callings; you are. This is simply living out your Christian faith in the callings and vocations God has given you. 

But if you want to enter the eternal presence of God, then you must practice and exercise the same kind of humble faith as the Tax Collector today, no matter how much the world might despise you.

And this humility begins here in the Divine Service as you enter with your heads and hearts bowed before your Father in heaven.

While you may not beat your chests, you can, if you choose, take a gentler approach by making the sign of the cross as we start “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Remembering the tree in which Christ died for you, where forgiveness was won for you, so that as you confess your sins, you confess your dependence on Him by saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

And what happens next? His Word declares you forgiven, and just like today, you are then sent home with all the other Tax collectors and sinners, justified by the blood of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Glory be to Jesus. Amen. +INJ+

Rev. Noah J. Rogness

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Tomah, WI