Perfect Phil and Terrible Tom

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are a reflection on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://www.myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media]


This past sunday, Pastor Dirk introduced a new message series called “Red Letter Prayers.” We started off by looking at the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (or Phil and Tom, as Pastor Dirk called them), as told in Luke 18:8-14.

Phil actually sounds like a pretty stand-up guy. He fasts and gives more money than he needs to, is probably loving and friendly to his family and friends, and seems like the type of guy who helps elderly people cross the street. Meanwhile, Tom sounds greedy, skeezy, rude, and like the type of person you probably wouldn’t want anyone you know to be hanging out with.

Except, when they start to pray, cracks appear in Phil’s seemingly-perfect facade. He stands off to himself, not to avoid distraction, but to subtly send the message that he is better than the rest. The words of his prayer emphasize his message, as he thanks God that he is not like the other people around him.

Meanwhile, Tom separates himself from the crowd, but for a very different reason--he doesn’t want to risk tainting the people around him, because he knows he’s done wrong. His prayer is more of a beg.

And so, at the end of his parable, Jesus says that Tom is the one who goes home justified.

Because Tom understood what Phil did not: no amount of money he gave away, times a year he fasted, or any other works could earn him forgiveness, grace, or answered prayer. Tom knew he had done wrong, and that he had no reason to assume that God would forgive him.

In our human mindset, we often view things in terms of “input/output.” We input money at the store; we walk out with purchases. We go to class and do our homework; we graduate and get a degree. The problem comes in when we try to use the same logic for our spiritual lives: We donate money and go to church; God answers our prayers.

Tom didn’t think this way, though. He knew he had done wrong, and that he had no reason to assume that God would forgive him. Because forgiveness is not something we earn by doing, but something God gives us freely. All of the gifts God chooses to bestow on us are exactly that--gifts. We cannot earn answers to pray through anything we do, no matter how committees we volunteer on, how much money we give away, or how many hours a week we spend reading our Bible. These are all good things to do as expressions of gratitude and ways to honor God, but it is not a system of input/output. Phil’s actions certainly weren’t bad, but he completely missed the point.

While prayer can be a difficult part of the Christian life, one thing we never have to worry about is trying to earn God’s attention through good works. Everything from God is an undeserved, beautiful, gracious gift.


[Brianna DeWitt lives, works, and writes in Grand Rapids, MI. Among her favorite things are good people, good books, and good desserts. You can see more of her musings on her personal blog at http://awritespot.wordpress.com and on Twitter at @bwitt722.]