Br. Jamie Nelson, SSJE

Luke 18:9-14

“Comparisons are odious.”

Have you heard that old proverb before? It’s meant to remind us that weighing our own lives against other people’s lives is harmful and ultimately has negative consequences for both parties.

We all have moments when we compare ourselves to others. And in “we all,” I certainly include myself. On the one hand, we say, “at least I’m not like them;” on the other hand, we say, “if only I was like them!” The former leads to a false sense of superiority by looking down on others; the latter, to a false sense of inferiority by looking up to others.

The gospel writer recounts Jesus telling a parable about two men praying in the Jerusalem temple. One man meets the external markers for righteousness and knows it, and the other man falls far short and knows his need for God’s mercy.

The first man’s prayer is not so much a prayer to God as it is an opportunity for the man to sing his own praises. He recounts his zealous accomplishments – fasting far more and giving far more than his religious tradition mandates.

To be clear, almsgiving, fasting, and praying are all good practices when used as expressions of devotion to God and love for neighbor – that’s why they’ve traditionally been emphasized by the church during Lent.

The question at stake, though, is why is this man fasting and almsgiving? Is it out of devotion to God and love of neighbor, or is it to seek validation in his peers’ eyes?

He then builds up his ego by comparing himself to thieves, adulterers, and his fellow worshipper, the second man.

The second man is not comparing himself to the first, for he knows where he stands before God. He is a sinner, and he recognizes it. He makes his living by collaborating with the Roman occupation and by exploiting his fellow Jews. Unlike the first man, the second man is not proud of what he’s done. In his great humility, he is conscious only of his desperate need for God’s great mercy.

Jesus shared this parable with a particular audience. We are told that he was speaking with “some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt.” Sounds rather like the first man, wouldn’t you say?

What do you think Jesus’s invitation to them might have been, upon hearing the parable?

What invitation do you hear as you listen to the parable today, in Lent 2025?

Let us give thanks for a God who knows us, loves us, and is ever ready to share mercy and grace with us.

Amen.