Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time 'C'

Sunday October 28, 2007

Just As I Am

At the peak of autumn as we ‘tilt’ toward winter, the end of ‘Ordinary Time’ in the liturgical cycle is on the horizon. The readings over the next few weeks will focus on the notion of our accountability as individuals and as a community of faith.

Jesus Ben Sirach, author of the Book of Sirach, lived around 180 BC. Written in Hebrew as a book of instruction or guide on day-to-day living for the faithful Jew, Sirach was translated into Greek by his grandson around 132 BC to preserve Jewish thought and wisdom for the Jews in the Diaspora in the midst of a Greek culture.

Sirach is also known as ‘Ecclesiasticus’ or ‘Church Book’ because of its extensive use by the early church in instructing the faithful and preparing catechumens for baptism. Although it was never accepted as an inspired book in the Jewish tradition and is included only among the apocryphal books of the Protestant Bible, it’s still a good practical read for religious people of whatever tradition notwithstanding the fact that the Christian gospel has moved far beyond the demands of Sirach.

It deals with a variety of subjects ranging from individual piety, family relationships and social responsibilities within the larger community. More specifically, it deals with friendship, education, poverty and the distribution of wealth, the law, religious worship and other matters dealing with the religious and social customs of the times.

The notion of ‘hesed’ or biblical justice is very strong in the book of Sirach as it is in the prophetic books. The love of God is connected with the love of neighbor through the fulfillment of one’s social responsibilities with special attention to the poor and to the alien.

The accent in today’s readings appears to be on the contrast between the hypocrisy of the Pharisee and the transparency of the tax collector.

Luke portrays this particular Pharisee as cock sure of himself who believes he has nothing to worry about. He knows the Torah and has abided by all the temple rules. But more importantly, he portrays him as an ‘insider’ who thinks he has it made in the shade. He sincerely believes that his righteousness has assured him of salvation.

On the other hand, Luke presents the tax collector who is certain of only one thing and that is his sinfulness who considers himself an outsider in need of God’s mercy. He is aware that salvation is possible only through the generosity of God rather than something he can earn.

Yet, there is much more to this parable than what first meets the eye. Not all Pharisees were hypocrites. In fact Luke characterizes Pharisees in a variety of roles throughout his gospel. For example, in Chapter 13, it was a Pharisee who warned Jesus that Herod wanted to kill him. Gamaliel, a respected teacher of the law, was a moderator between the apostles and the Sanhedrin in the Acts of the Apostles. There was only one Pharisee who persecuted Christians. His name was Paul.

The Pharisees were mostly good, observant Jews, religious people who were respected and loved by the people. The Pharisee in today’s gospel reflected the reality of the demands of the Torah—he avoided sin, fasted not only on the Day of Atonement but twice a week and he paid his tithe to the temple.

The Jewish law prescribed only one absolutely obligatory fast and that was on the Day of Atonement. However, there were some among the Pharisees who wanted to make a few extra points by fasting on market days, Mondays and Thursdays, when the city was crowded with shoppers from the country. These folks would whiten their faces and appear in shabby clothes for the ‘edification’ of the crowds. There’s no evidence that this particular Pharisee went that far though it’s possible that he did.

This brings to mind my beloved grandmother who to the embarrassment of my mother, used to dress like a gypsy on the days she went up town to pay her bills. One day my mother asked her why she dressed that way. She replied, “I don’t want the bill collectors to think I have a lot of money!” In fact, she was a woman of very modest means and even when she dressed in her best, few would have considered her a millionaire.

At any rate, Pharisees were popular with the people and contributed greatly to Jewish life. They attempted to make their homes a sacred setting by adhering firmly to the dietary restrictions and prescriptions on cleanliness.

The Pharisee had a right to take his place in the Temple and surely was acting properly in giving thanks to God for his blessings. His contemporaries would not have viewed him as a hypocrite. One scripture scholar has suggested that a modern day parable might say, “A parish pillar and member of the council and a pimp went into a church to pray.” No one would assume self-righteousness on the part of the respected member of the parish council.

This parable is about insiders and outsiders—those who think they have an ‘in’ with God because they abide by all the Church rules. And outsiders who are aware of their inadequacies and their sinfulness who truly believe that they can’t make it on their own despite their human attempt to do the right thing.

As a ‘pastor-at-large’ of a ‘parish without walls’ I meet many people who consider themselves outsiders, second class citizens, because they are in a second marriage or because of their sexual orientation or because they believe for whatever reason, there is no room for them at the table of the Lord. Some are angry. Most are not. They are not perfect people but they are good people looking for the assurance that they are not outcasts in God’s sight.

It was the tax collector who went home justified not because he was entitled to it nor even claimed it. He went home justified because he recognized who he was before God.

Charlotte Elliot, who suffered from a debilitating illness for most of her life with bouts of depression was approached by a friend from Switzerland, a pastor, who became her friend and confidant. At the time Charlotte had no religious affiliation and may have even been an agnostic.

She meditated on the biblical text, “If a anyone will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.’” Another time she wrote, God sees, God guides, God guards me. His grace surrounds me, and his voice continually bids me to be happy and holy in his service just where I am.”

And this is the hymn she eventually wrote:

Just As I Am
Charlotte Elliot
Just as I am, without one plea, 
But that Thy blood was shed for me, 
And that Thou biddest me come to Thee, 
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Just as I am, and waiting not 
To rid my soul of one dark blot; 
To Thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot, 
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Just as I am, Thou wilt receive, 
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve; 
Because Thy promise I believe, 
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Just as I am, Thy love unknown 
Hath broken every barrier down; 
Now, to be Thine, yes, Thine alone, 
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

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