Sermon for Trinity 11. The Scripture readings are Genesis 4:1-15; 1 Corinthians 15:1-10; and Luke 18:9-14.

Adam and Eve fell into sin, but they fell by trying to go upward. They rose up in pride. They exalted themselves. Believed in themselves. Trusted in themselves. They desired to rise high, up to godly and divine status. Ever since that moment, everyone who has ever been born has the same desire to exalt themselves.

The Pharisee exalts himself, his holy living and good works. The tax collector, on the other hand, sees only two things: the just demands of a holy God and his own sinfulness and depravity. He looks at himself where there is no hope and to God where the only hope lies. He sees the gap and cries out for mercy (lit. ‘propitiation’ or that God would be made to be the atoning sacrifice for him).

The tax collector leaves the Temple with God having become the propitiation for his sins, so he goes down to his house justified. And that is an important point to keep in mind.

The tax collector goes home declared by God to be holy and just no matter how despicable he was. He goes home a changed man. He now goes down to his house to live out a holy life. God could have forgiven him and swept him immediately up into heaven like Jesus did with the thief on the cross. But God doesn’t. And God hasn’t done that for you – not yet anyway.

The tax collector goes home justified and that makes a difference for him, his family, his neighbors, and for the entire world. By God’s grace freely given through Jesus, the tax collector is made to be a lamp. Christ lights that lamp and Jesus’ mercy shines in and through the tax collector. He has been enlightened by Christ which means that God sends him down to his house justified and placed on a lampstand to give light to the whole house (Mt. 5:14-16).