The Pharisee and the Publican. Two persons. Two ways of going into the temple to pray. Two approaches to faith: One good, the other not just self-centred, but maybe not even an approach to ‘faith’.
The Publican is the one with the good way of praying – the good approach to faith. To him, faith is not something to be achieved nor proved. Faith is not a competition where one will succeed while other fail.
No. To him faith is a gift. Something God granted. Faith is something that has opened his eyes upon God’s mercy and his own flaws which has left him with two feelings:
A joy because of God’s unjust justice that saves him despite of any wrongdoing. This feeling he expresses through praise. At the same time, he feels fear because of him sinning – doing bad things despite him not wanting to. This feeling he expresses through prayer.
The other person is the Pharisee who thinks highly of himself but truly has not gained sight of what is important in the eyes of God. To him faith is a competition, and he constantly compares his deeds with those around him making sure he is respected by people.
But what about by God? In short, in his eager to compare himself with other people and to gain respect, he has lost sight of God. Because to God, people are not either sinners or righteous. All are sinners.
Faith is not how to save yourself. Faith is about God saving you.
There is a lovely quote by the Danish philosopher, Søren Kierkegaard, that I will like to share with you today. The quote is a great example of how often we think as the Pharisee.
Because not only do we think as the Pharisee when we praise ourselves above others. We also think as the Pharisee when we in doubt try to calculate how faithful we are.
The quote compares faith with how one loves a loved one and it enlighten us on how faith is never a calculation nor a competition. How faith is beyond measurement. How faith is a complete change of perspective.
The quote goes like this:
“If I have 17 reasons, I believe less and even less if I have 18. Yes, because faith has only one reason: that it believes – that’s the maximum, there’s nothing more to say.
It’s like when you love another person: you love them because you love them.
If you’re busy finding 17 reasons why you love – and if, when you’ve found the 18th, you say: now I can, with a clear conscience, love this person, because now I have 18 good reasons – then you don’t love at all.”
Faith is not about counting your reasons, counting your deeds. Faith solely is about believing. There is nothing more to say. This is what today’s Gospel is all about as it enlightens us on faith through the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican.
There is nothing more to say! Since we are only halfway towards the usual length of my sermons though, I will continue talking despite Kierkegaard not wanting me to.
Making Kierkegaard happy, I will keep on the same track though and continue to talk about how faith – and love for that matter – is not something to be compared nor calculated, how faith and love should not be achieved nor proven.
And why do I not turn toward a more modern perspective. A perspective I found in the iconic tv-series, Friends, that I am rewatching currently.
Have you seen it? Or maybe just heard about it?
It is a series about six friends that over 10 seasons turns into – and here comes a spoiler alert – two couples, two friends, and two kids (if I recall correctly). In a survey from 2022 it came out as the most beloved tv-series of all time.
Two of the friends that turns into a couple is called Rachel and Ross. We follow them through a lot. Ups and downs. Both as individuals and as a couple. One of the downs they have in the series as a couple I came to think of as I used Kierkegaard’s quote. Because at a certain point Ross cannot help but counting his love towards Rachel.
He does so by making a list. Ross is in doubt. He loves both Rachel and another woman, but whom should he choose. Whom does he love the most.
He starts with Rachel. And on the list, he writes down all the things he hates about her. The list grows and grows. Rachel truly has the odds against her.
Rachel of course sees him writing, takes the list from him, and gets furious. This is good TV. But it also is just as good as Kierkegaard, because Rachel also finds the list with all the things he hates about the other woman. A list very short. Because it only says: Not Rachel!
Not Rachel. Not while writing down all the bad things about Rachel did, he discover how he truly loved her. But his eyes were opened as he learned that there was no flaw in the other woman. He simply did not truly love her. He loved Rachel.
Hence, just as with Kierkegaard. Love is not about finding 17 or 18 reasons: “You love them because you love them.” “There is nothing more to say.”
But just as I went on talking after Kierkegaard, the series of course also goes on. Turns out Ross is bad at writing so the list about the flaws of the other woman did not say: Not ‘Rachel’.
It was what he intended to write. But instead, the list wrongly said: Not ‘Racal’. And founding out who ‘Racal’ was or was not of course is what the subsequent episodes is all about.
Now we have reached the point where I soon will have nothing more to say. Only thing left is a short recap of my sermon.
Faith. It is a gift. A gift that we express in praise and prayer. Because praise and prayer are all there is left to utter when we realise how faith is not something to be achieved nor proven, compared nor calculated.
Let us therefore encourage ourselves in doing this. Let us not compete. But let us rejoice and find comfort. Together with each other. And together with God.
Amen.