St. Luke 18:9–14
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
If I asked you, “Are you a sinner?” I’m guessing most of you wouldn’t have much trouble saying, “Yes.” And if I asked you, “Does God forgive you?” I’m sure you would say “Yes” to that as well. But then if I asked, “Why does God forgive you?” Would you have a harder time answering that? And what if I told you the correct answer is not, “Because I said I’m sorry,” or “Because I believe." Do you know what the real answer is?
Let’s say we ask this question of the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable: “Why does God forgive you?” Or in his case, since it appears that he doesn’t think he is a sinner, we could rephrase it: “Why does God love you? Why will God bless you?” We can see what his answer would be by the prayer he offered at the Temple. “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.” He claims to thank God, but he doesn’t thank Him for anything that God has done. His prayer is all about what he, the Pharisee, has done. He does not take bribes, he is fair, he does not commit adultery, he doesn’t cheat people like the tax collector does. The Pharisee fasts and tithes, he is a true follower of God’s Law. So, if we asked the Pharisee, “Why does God love you?” or “Why will God bless you?” he would probably give his exemplary life as the reason. He would say that “God will bless me because of the good things I have done.”
This kind of thinking is everywhere, even among those who call themselves Christians. You hear people say things like, “I think I’ll go to heaven because I’ve tried to be a good person.” Or they’ll hope that God forgives them because they are really sorry. Or they’ll claim to have a strong faith, even though they never talk about what they have faith in. This kind of thinking becomes really noticeable if the person is thinking about death. They might say, “I’m not afraid to die. I’ve made my peace with God.” I'm sure they think they’re sincere, but the problem is, peace on whose terms? Unfortunately, it’s probably been on their terms, and instead of seeking forgiveness from God, they have found a way to “forgive themselves.” By the way, that is impossible—you can’t forgive yourself. The ones you have wronged are God and the people around you. You must seek forgiveness from the people you have sinned against and from God. This lie of “forgiving yourself” is just another version of the Pharisee who trusted in himself. Other people getting towards the end of life will say that they have no regrets. Really? I’m sure they do. They’re just trying to convince themselves and quiet their nagging consciences. At least a Christian should know that you absolutely must regret your sin.
But let’s assume that you are a Christian and you do regret your sin. What’s to be done about it? Look at the tax collector and learn from him how to answer that important question we keep coming back to. You are most definitely a sinner, so why does God forgive you? Like the Pharisee, the tax collector’s answer is also in his prayer: God, be merciful to me, a sinner! He doesn’t look for an answer in what he has done, but in what God does.
The tax collector knows that God has mercy. Although I need to give a little explanation on that word “mercy” in our translation. The word that Jesus uses in telling this story is not the ordinary word for mercy. The prayer really goes more like this: “God, make atonement for me, a sinner!” Noticing this important word will help us realize what is going on in the Temple.
Jesus tells us that the two men went up into the temple to pray. Now there are two times a day that the Jewish people would go to the Temple for public prayer: at the time of the morning sacrifice or the evening sacrifice.This was the Old Testament Divine Service that happened every day at 9:00am and 3:00pm, as it was commanded by God in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.
First, the priest would drain the blood from the sacrificial lamb. Then he would splash the blood on the sides of the altar—this made atonement for sin, because without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22).
Now the altar was really like a large grill, with fire burning under it, so next, the priest would take holy coals from the altar and enter the Holy Place. There he would stand in front of the Temple curtain where a smaller altar was for burning incense. The priest would use the holy fire to burn incense before the Lord. And while the sweet smelling smoke ascended to heaven, the priest would pray for the people, and the people gathered outside in the courtyard would also be praying. This is what the Pharisee and tax collector were doing.
Next, the priest comes back outside to the main altar, and he’s smelling like the incense, so he represents the holy God coming out to meet with His people at His altar. Then the priest puts the butchered lamb on the altar, along with a portion of bread, and burns it all up, along with more incense. This creates a great cloud of sweet smelling smoke—a reminder of God’s presence in the glory cloud when He dwelt with His people in the wilderness. The delicious smell of cooking meat and bread and the sweetness of the incense showed that God was present with His grace, His mercy and love. God was there at the altar to justify His people—to forgive their sins, make them holy, and bless them.
So the last thing the priest did was stand in front of the altar facing the people and bless them with God’s name, saying: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24–26).
Now, imagine all that as the tax collector standing in the back of the Temple court, seeing all this happen. He prays for God to make atonement, to cover His sins with a sacrifice. And he knows that God does this. God is merciful to him, a sinner. He sees the sacrificial blood splashed on the altar, paying the price for his sin. He sees and smells the great cloud rising from the altar, showing God’s gracious presence with him. And he hears the benediction, the name of God is placed upon him, blessing him, making him holy. In answer to his prayer, the tax collector sees and hears all this and so he knows God forgives him and he knows why. And so he goes down to his house justified.
But as New Testament Christians, we know that those Old Testament sacrifices were not the final solution for sin. There’s a reason we don’t have them anymore. That Old Testament Divine Service pointed to a better answer for sin: the real answer to the tax collector’s prayer, the real answer to the question, “Why does God forgive you?” Jesus. Jesus is the sacrificial lamb who has made atonement for our sins. His blood was shed to cover our sin and cleanse us from our iniquity. His life was the offering that paid the price for sin and has made us holy in God’s sight. In the death of Jesus, God is merciful, He makes atonement for us, sinners. So, the real answer to our important question is this: God forgives me because Jesus died for me and rose again.
And like the tax collector, you also get that answer spoken and presented to you in the Divine Service. You know that your sins are forgiven because you hear the Word of Scripture that tells you what Jesus has done for you. And you hear the declaration of forgiveness, the absolution, spoken by God’s representative: “I forgive you all your sins.” Now, you do not see the blood of animals on the altar nor smell the roasting meat of the offering, but instead, you receive something much greater: you eat the flesh of the holy Sacrifice and drink its blood—the body and blood of Jesus that cleanses and makes you holy. All of this is why you can say, “I know God forgives me.” And so with the tax collector, you can go home justified and blessed by God.
In the Holy + Name of Jesus. Amen.
