A
MODERN-
“But the tax
collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but
beat his breast and said, 'God, have
mercy on me, a sinner.' ”
Luke
I recoiled a bit as a claw-like hand suddenly
reached out of a doorway. Its owner
reeked with the odor of cheap alcohol and unwashed body and clothes. He was
also badly in need of a shave. He
unsteadily followed me with an outstretched hand while he muttered what sounded
like any of several languages but his gesture spoke clearly of his desire for a
monetary offering. I withdrew a bit and
quite loudly proclaimed, “Why don’t you get your act together?” In an undertone he lisped some remark that
surely was not an expression of gratitude for my offered advice.
Later as I reflected on the encounter,
the parable of “The
Pharisee and Tax Collector” came to mind.
Further, I recognized that my adversary probably emerged from the
engagement much better than I. At least
he did not try to deny who or what he was, whereas, I, the offended one, surely
did not reflect much Christian love and concern. Indeed, in my dealing with him I was more
like the self-righteous Pharisee than the humble tax collector.
As I pondered the situation I emerged
with the uncomfortable thought how often not only I, but also other members of
our society, blame others for their conditions.
Sometimes we blame women for being raped or beaten, wondering whether
she really was a victim or why she didn’t do something about her
situation. We tend to blame the poor for
being unkempt and underfed, but what are we dong to alleviate their
situation? We blame the idle or
unemployed for not having a decent job and not trying to get ahead, but do we
try to understand their plight? It is
easy to forget that all of us are in need of God’s merciful love even though we
might not be fully aware of it.
The words of Dwight Moody uttered when
viewing an alcoholic stumble and curse, “There but for the grace of God, go I,”
came to mind in regard to my encounter with the inebriated soul. Whereas, one of the first thought that came
to my mind was, “ Thank God, Lord,
that I am not like that”, was a painful echo of the words of the Pharisee in
the parable. How more Christian it would
be to reaffirm the plea of the tax collector, “God, have mercy on us, a
sinner,” and reaffirm that we are all in need of His grace.
Although God does not blame any of us
for being imperfect, He does ask us to not judge one another and to embrace our
own call to healing and wholeness and to promote that process in others. I pray in my next such encounter with His
help; I will show more compassion than criticism and will reflect those of the
humble tax collector rather the righteous Pharisee. Amen.