1 00:00:11,100 --> 00:00:13,400 Hi everyone. Welcome back to the logical. 2 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:16,800 Bible study podcast. Thanks again for tuning in and 3 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:19,200 we're going to take a look as always at the Gospel reading 4 00:00:19,200 --> 00:00:22,800 from today's mass. Today, we're looking at Luke 5 00:00:23,300 --> 00:00:29,200 18:9 to 14. Jesus spoke the following 6 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:33,400 Parable to some who prided themselves on being virtuous and 7 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:37,000 despised. Everyone else, two men went up 8 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:40,600 to the temple to pray one, a Pharisee the other a tax 9 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:44,500 collector, the Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to 10 00:00:44,500 --> 00:00:47,500 himself. I thank you God that I am not 11 00:00:47,500 --> 00:00:52,200 grasping unjust adulterous like the rest of mankind and 12 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:55,400 particularly that I'm not like this tax collector here. 13 00:00:56,100 --> 00:01:00,100 I fast twice a week. I paid tithes on all I get. 14 00:01:01,700 --> 00:01:03,900 The tax collector, stood some distance away. 15 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:08,000 Not during even to raise his eyes to heaven, but he beat his 16 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:12,700 breast and said, God be merciful to me a sinner. 17 00:01:14,300 --> 00:01:18,500 This man, I tell you when home again at rights with God, the 18 00:01:18,500 --> 00:01:23,300 other did not. for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, 19 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:31,500 but the man who humbles himself will be exalted, So the focus on 20 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:34,600 Jesus teaching hear this parable of the tax collector in. 21 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:38,800 The Pharisee is basically about prayer and in context, Jesus has 22 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:42,300 just said another parable about prayer which is the parable of 23 00:01:42,300 --> 00:01:45,600 the Widow and the judge and that's quite a common theme in 24 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:47,700 Luke. Jesus does a lot of Parables 25 00:01:47,900 --> 00:01:52,200 about how to pray in. Luke so verse 9, we start at 26 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:55,400 Jesus spoke the following Parable to some people who 27 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:59,300 prided themselves on being virtuous and despised everyone 28 00:01:59,300 --> 00:02:03,800 else. So really clearly here we know 29 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:06,800 the audience and we know the purpose of this Parable, Jesus 30 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:11,200 is speaking to people who Pride themselves on being virtuous and 31 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:15,000 despised everyone else. So basically, this Parable is 32 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:18,700 directed to those in Jesus audience, who have a false 33 00:02:18,700 --> 00:02:22,900 notion of what God desires. Now notice this Parable is not 34 00:02:22,900 --> 00:02:26,400 directed to the Pharisees. There's a lots of other Parables 35 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:29,000 where that it is directed to the Pharisees, but this is directed 36 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:32,200 to people in general. Who who Pride themselves on 37 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:35,400 being virtuous? Now, the Pharisee appears in the 38 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:38,300 parable, but it's not actually directed at Pharisees. 39 00:02:40,100 --> 00:02:42,900 Verse 10, two men went up to the temple to pray. 40 00:02:42,900 --> 00:02:44,900 So we have an image here of them. 41 00:02:44,900 --> 00:02:46,900 Both going up at the same time to the temple. 42 00:02:46,900 --> 00:02:49,300 It's probably some sort of public prayer service, they're 43 00:02:49,300 --> 00:02:52,500 going to, which might be the evening or the morning 44 00:02:52,500 --> 00:02:54,400 sacrifice, which happened at the temple. 45 00:02:56,400 --> 00:02:59,300 So in the parable, it appears the two main can see each other. 46 00:02:59,300 --> 00:03:03,300 Praying, one of them is a Pharisee and in that culture, 47 00:03:03,300 --> 00:03:06,200 the Pharisee was considered to be the most righteous and holy 48 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:10,100 kind of Jew in the eyes of the Jews that is and the other is a 49 00:03:10,108 --> 00:03:13,000 tax collector and they're considered to be the worst of 50 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:15,900 Sinners by the Jews because they work for the Romans. 51 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:20,000 So the collaborators with evil and they tax people heavily and 52 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:22,500 they take people's money. So the Jews viewed Tax 53 00:03:22,500 --> 00:03:25,500 Collectors as almost the worst of the worst. 54 00:03:25,700 --> 00:03:29,400 So to Trust a Pharisee with the tax collector is like the most 55 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:33,500 holy being contrasted with the worst kind of Sinner in the 56 00:03:33,500 --> 00:03:38,500 Jewish mind. So this is why the parable is 57 00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:42,100 surprising because in the end, the Pharisee is the one who said 58 00:03:42,100 --> 00:03:49,300 to be not in the rights in God's good books and the other man the 59 00:03:49,300 --> 00:03:52,500 tax collector is considered righteous by God. 60 00:03:53,900 --> 00:03:56,800 So the Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to himself. 61 00:03:56,900 --> 00:03:59,500 Now notice he's saying it to himself and not to God. 62 00:03:59,900 --> 00:04:02,000 So it's a fairly selfish sort of prayer. 63 00:04:02,700 --> 00:04:06,200 It's not allowed public prayer. Like in other Parables, you have 64 00:04:06,900 --> 00:04:09,800 the Pharisees depicted as being on street corners and stuff 65 00:04:10,100 --> 00:04:12,000 here, it's actually a private prayer, but it's one. 66 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:15,700 He's saying to himself. He says, I thank you, God, that 67 00:04:15,700 --> 00:04:19,600 I am not grasping unjust adulterous like the rest of 68 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:22,600 mankind. So some of the Jews particular 69 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:25,300 the Pharisees did consider the rest of mankind. 70 00:04:25,300 --> 00:04:29,700 The Gentiles the non-believers to be just unjust adulterous 71 00:04:29,700 --> 00:04:33,100 people that was a common Jewish way of thinking about the rest 72 00:04:33,100 --> 00:04:35,900 of the world. So the Jews particularly the 73 00:04:35,900 --> 00:04:40,300 Pharisees saw themselves as the only holy ones since only they 74 00:04:40,300 --> 00:04:44,700 follow God's law and the rest of the Gentiles don't so that 75 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:49,100 filthy evil people. He goes on particularly that I'm 76 00:04:49,100 --> 00:04:51,000 not like this tax collector here. 77 00:04:51,700 --> 00:04:54,200 So again, it's like, thank goodness. 78 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:57,200 I'm not like the worst of the worst, this tax collector so he 79 00:04:57,200 --> 00:04:59,400 can see the tax collector as he says this. 80 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:03,200 The Pharisee goes on in the parable verse 12. 81 00:05:03,500 --> 00:05:06,400 I fast twice a week. Now that's actually above and 82 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:09,300 beyond what's expected. So it is quite a holy righteous 83 00:05:09,300 --> 00:05:14,500 thing to do based on the evidence we have apparently holy 84 00:05:14,500 --> 00:05:16,600 Jews, dude. Fast on Mondays. 85 00:05:16,900 --> 00:05:22,300 Thursday's every week he says, I pay tides on all I get so Jews 86 00:05:22,300 --> 00:05:25,400 were expected to give some of their money to the temple, as an 87 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:28,500 act of Devotion to God. Apparently, the Pharisees went 88 00:05:28,500 --> 00:05:30,600 above and beyond with their tithing, which is actually a 89 00:05:30,608 --> 00:05:34,100 good thing and they expected to get blessings from God for that 90 00:05:34,100 --> 00:05:36,400 reason. The problem is, is kind of 91 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:40,400 boasting in those good acts. So here is an example of a 92 00:05:40,407 --> 00:05:44,200 person who is doing the externals very well, but not the 93 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:47,500 internals this Pharisee. It's a fictional Pharisee but 94 00:05:47,500 --> 00:05:51,300 it's one who's he hasn't had an internal change. 95 00:05:52,500 --> 00:05:55,400 Or in the language of Matthew, he's forgotten the weightier 96 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:57,900 matters of the law. He's doing the externals, but 97 00:05:57,900 --> 00:06:00,600 he's forgotten things, like mercy and compassion, which are 98 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:05,000 the more important things verse 13, the tax collector, stood 99 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:07,400 some distance away. So his further back in the 100 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:12,400 temple he probably feels he isn't worthy to be close to the 101 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:15,800 inner part of the temple. So he stands right back. 102 00:06:16,900 --> 00:06:19,700 And he's not even during to raise his eyes to heaven. 103 00:06:19,700 --> 00:06:24,100 So he's feeling shame, he fears God, and he knows that he is a 104 00:06:24,108 --> 00:06:27,000 sinner. So he beat his breast and that's 105 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:29,700 a sign of a men, sort of sorrow and repentance. 106 00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:33,100 So this is evidence that the man truly is repentant. 107 00:06:33,300 --> 00:06:39,200 This is a truly repentant tax collector and he says to God God 108 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:43,400 be merciful to me a sinner. So the tax collector recognizes 109 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:46,600 that he's a sinner, his honest about his own status. 110 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:48,600 And that's why he's considered. Humble. 111 00:06:48,700 --> 00:06:52,100 He's honest about his own status in the eyes of God. 112 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:56,300 Now, the word, interestingly, that's youth here for merciful. 113 00:06:56,400 --> 00:07:01,200 God, be merciful to me a sinner. The Greek word is hylas Khmer 114 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:03,900 and it's only found one other place in the New Testament, 115 00:07:03,900 --> 00:07:08,400 which is the book of Hebrews. So it's not the same word as 116 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:10,900 other places in the gospels, where it talks about showing 117 00:07:10,900 --> 00:07:12,600 Mercy. This is a different word that's 118 00:07:12,600 --> 00:07:16,500 used here and it carries the connotation of expiating or 119 00:07:16,700 --> 00:07:19,900 Making atonement for sin. So it appears in the parable 120 00:07:19,900 --> 00:07:23,500 that the Pharisee is asking Jesus to make atonement for his 121 00:07:23,500 --> 00:07:26,700 sin. Verse 14. 122 00:07:26,700 --> 00:07:31,200 Jesus says this man. I tell you went home again at 123 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:34,100 right with God. So in other words, he went home 124 00:07:35,100 --> 00:07:39,300 being right in God's eyes. Now, interestingly this 125 00:07:39,300 --> 00:07:41,900 prefigures the Kia. So in the very next chapter of 126 00:07:41,900 --> 00:07:46,200 Luke, Luke chapter 19, Zacchaeus is a real tax collector who is 127 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:48,800 said to go home Justified because of what he does. 128 00:07:49,500 --> 00:07:54,400 So Jesus is probably setting up his audience so that they're 129 00:07:54,600 --> 00:07:57,100 Ready for the story of Zacchaeus by telling them this Parable 130 00:07:57,100 --> 00:08:01,000 first. So he goes home Justified or 131 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:03,300 writing the eyes of God which is quite profound. 132 00:08:03,300 --> 00:08:06,000 You can imagine Jesus here is going what a tax collector 133 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:07,700 considered, right in the eyes of God. 134 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:11,400 Whereas the other man, the Pharisee does not, and that's 135 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:14,400 really scary. Because the man, the Pharisee 136 00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:18,800 himself thinks he is right in God's eyes but his attitude 137 00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:22,600 makes him not right, in God's eyes and that's somewhat scary 138 00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:25,100 because it means we can think that we're being righteous in 139 00:08:25,100 --> 00:08:30,500 God's eyes, but actually, God doesn't consider us righteous So 140 00:08:30,500 --> 00:08:33,700 Jesus, now goes on to summarize what he's just said and he 141 00:08:33,708 --> 00:08:35,700 repeats something. He said earlier, in Luke, in 142 00:08:35,700 --> 00:08:38,000 Chapter 14 verse 11, he says it again. 143 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:42,200 Now, for everyone who helped, sorry for everyone who exalts 144 00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:46,400 himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be 145 00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:49,400 exalted. So this applies to everyone. 146 00:08:49,400 --> 00:08:53,000 Now, this is the point, Jesus is making in the, in the parable. 147 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:56,800 So let's pull it apart a little bit, everyone who exalts 148 00:08:56,800 --> 00:08:59,900 himself, so that's anyone who tries to make himself greater 149 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:04,900 Others will be humbled. So will be brought Low by God. 150 00:09:05,100 --> 00:09:08,200 God is going to do something to them, to bring them low in the 151 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:12,200 kingdom of God, that is where, as the man who humbles himself. 152 00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:15,800 So, this is a man who knows his own status and does not magnify 153 00:09:15,800 --> 00:09:20,200 himself before God, he will be exalted, so he's going to be 154 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:22,800 made great in the kingdom of God by God. 155 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:28,000 Now, notice this Parable is not. Well, let's put it back this 156 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:30,000 way. Jesus is not commending the tax, 157 00:09:30,100 --> 00:09:33,800 A collector for being a sinner. Jesus, is not saying this guy is 158 00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:36,500 great because he's a tax collector and he's also not 159 00:09:36,500 --> 00:09:40,000 condemning the Pharisee for his righteous actions because 160 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:43,800 clearly on the external level, the Pharisee is doing more, 161 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:48,000 righteous things than the tax collector, but the focus and the 162 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:51,300 condemnation from Jesus comes into their attitude. 163 00:09:51,300 --> 00:09:54,400 It's their attitude that he's criticizing, not their external 164 00:09:54,400 --> 00:09:58,700 actions. This Parable is not about 165 00:09:58,700 --> 00:10:02,000 salvation, it's not about getting into the kingdom of God, 166 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:05,100 or getting to Heaven. It appears to be a Peril parable 167 00:10:05,100 --> 00:10:07,900 about those who are going to be made low in the Kingdom. 168 00:10:08,500 --> 00:10:12,600 So that's those who try to exalt themselves versus those who are 169 00:10:12,608 --> 00:10:14,500 going to have a higher place in the Kingdom. 170 00:10:15,100 --> 00:10:17,100 So that's those who humble themselves. 171 00:10:17,900 --> 00:10:22,300 So let's keep that in mind. So what's Jesus overall message 172 00:10:22,300 --> 00:10:25,700 with this Parable? It's his messages to those who 173 00:10:25,700 --> 00:10:29,100 Pride themselves on being virtuous and those who despise 174 00:10:29,100 --> 00:10:34,100 everyone else and he's messages humble yourself and then God 175 00:10:34,100 --> 00:10:37,500 will see you as truly great. That's the message. 176 00:10:37,700 --> 00:10:41,000 Humble yourself and then God will see you as truly great. 177 00:10:43,700 --> 00:10:46,900 Now, this Parable has been a rich source of information about 178 00:10:46,900 --> 00:10:49,600 Catholic teaching, so it is reference quite a few places in 179 00:10:49,608 --> 00:10:52,800 the catechism, particularly in connection with prayer. 180 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:57,400 So I want to read out a few of these paragraphs paragraph 2559 181 00:10:57,400 --> 00:11:00,400 in prayer. As God's Gift says, prayer is 182 00:11:00,400 --> 00:11:05,300 the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting 183 00:11:05,300 --> 00:11:09,300 of good things from God. But when we pray, do we speak 184 00:11:09,300 --> 00:11:12,700 from the height of our pride and will or out of the depths of a 185 00:11:12,708 --> 00:11:14,300 humble? Contrite heart. 186 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:18,500 He who humbles himself will be exalted, humility is the 187 00:11:18,500 --> 00:11:22,100 foundation of prayer. Only when we humbly acknowledge 188 00:11:22,100 --> 00:11:24,400 that, we do not know how to pray as we ought. 189 00:11:24,800 --> 00:11:28,700 Are we ready to receive freely? The gift of prayer, man, is a 190 00:11:28,700 --> 00:11:30,100 bigger before. God? 191 00:11:32,100 --> 00:11:34,900 There's a reference to it in paragraph. 2 6, 1 3. 192 00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:38,300 It says, three principal Parables on prayer transmitted 193 00:11:38,300 --> 00:11:42,100 to us by Luke the third. Parable is the Pharisee and the 194 00:11:42,108 --> 00:11:45,400 tax collector which concerns the humility of the heart. 195 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:49,400 The praise God, be merciful to me a sinner. 196 00:11:51,300 --> 00:11:53,100 The church continues to make this prayer. 197 00:11:53,100 --> 00:11:57,200 Its own key real, a saint. So, a rough translation of 198 00:11:57,200 --> 00:11:59,000 Curie. A lace on, which you might hear 199 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:02,800 in mass, or say, in mass is basically, God have mercy on me 200 00:12:03,300 --> 00:12:05,900 and that comes largely from this parable. 201 00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:11,400 Paragraph 588. We hear Jesus scandalize the 202 00:12:11,408 --> 00:12:14,800 Pharisees by eating with tax collectors and sinners as 203 00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:18,900 familiarly as with themselves against those among them who 204 00:12:18,900 --> 00:12:22,100 trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despise 205 00:12:22,100 --> 00:12:24,500 others. Jesus affirmed. 206 00:12:24,600 --> 00:12:26,900 I have not come to call the righteous but Sinners to 207 00:12:26,900 --> 00:12:30,100 repentance. So you'll hear the other quote 208 00:12:30,100 --> 00:12:37,300 from Luke chapter, 18 paragraph, 26 31, It says, the first 209 00:12:37,300 --> 00:12:40,400 movement of the prayer of petition is asking forgiveness, 210 00:12:40,700 --> 00:12:44,700 just like the tax collector in the parable, God be merciful to 211 00:12:44,700 --> 00:12:48,100 me a sinner, it is a prerequisite for righteous and 212 00:12:48,100 --> 00:12:51,300 pure prayer. A trusting, humility brings us 213 00:12:51,300 --> 00:12:54,900 back into the light of communion between the father and his son 214 00:12:54,900 --> 00:12:56,700 Jesus Christ and with one another. 215 00:12:57,200 --> 00:13:00,600 So that we may receive from him, whatever we ask. 216 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:03,600 So you can hear there's some really awesome paragraphs here 217 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:05,900 about how we're supposed to approach God. 218 00:13:06,100 --> 00:13:09,600 Prayer just like the tax collector does in the parable 219 00:13:10,100 --> 00:13:13,400 and there's a couple more really good ones to paragraph. 2667 220 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:17,000 says the symbol. This simple invocation of Faith 221 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:19,100 developed in the tradition of prayer. 222 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:21,700 Under many forms in the East and the West. 223 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:25,400 The most usual formulation transmitted by the spiritual 224 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:30,200 writers of the Sinai Syria and mount Athos is the invocation 225 00:13:30,500 --> 00:13:32,900 Lord. Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. 226 00:13:32,900 --> 00:13:35,900 Sinners, this combines the christological him. 227 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:40,500 In Philippians 2 with the Cry of the Publican and the blind man 228 00:13:40,500 --> 00:13:44,300 begging for light by it. The heart is open to human 229 00:13:44,300 --> 00:13:49,100 wretches and wretchedness and the savior's Mercy So that there 230 00:13:49,100 --> 00:13:52,200 is a commentary on particular prayer, that's offered to Jesus. 231 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:56,000 And then, lastly, in paragraph, two eight, three nine, which is 232 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:59,200 a commentary on the line of the Our Father, forgive us. 233 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:02,300 Our trespasses. It says, with bold confidence, 234 00:14:02,300 --> 00:14:06,200 We Begin praying to our father in begging him that his name be 235 00:14:06,200 --> 00:14:08,800 hallowed. We were in fact asking him that 236 00:14:08,800 --> 00:14:13,500 we ourselves might be always made more holy but though we are 237 00:14:13,500 --> 00:14:16,900 clothed with the baptismal garment we do not cease to sin 238 00:14:16,900 --> 00:14:20,800 to turn away from God. Lord, now in this new petition, 239 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:24,900 we returned to him, like the prodigal son and like the tax 240 00:14:24,900 --> 00:14:28,000 collector, recognize that we are sinners before him. 241 00:14:28,700 --> 00:14:31,400 Our petition begins with a confession of our wretchedness 242 00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:36,600 and his Mercy, our hope is firm, because in his son, we have 243 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:39,000 Redemption, the Forgiveness of sins. 244 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:42,300 We find the efficacious and undoubted sign of his 245 00:14:42,300 --> 00:14:45,200 forgiveness. In the sacraments of the church. 246 00:14:46,900 --> 00:14:50,100 So that last paragraph is particularly important to us, as 247 00:14:50,100 --> 00:14:52,800 we're all Sinners. And as the line in the, Our 248 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:56,000 father says, forgive us. Our trespasses as the church 249 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:58,500 says. In this paragraph, We need to be 250 00:14:58,500 --> 00:15:02,400 like the tax collector of the parable and forgiveness is 251 00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:05,600 offered to us, primarily through the sacraments of the church. 252 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:08,600 So I'll put all those paragraphs in the show notes. 253 00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:11,600 Thanks again for listening and hopefully you'll tune in again 254 00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:12,100 tomorrow.