Faith, Hope, and Charity
Proper 25C
One day I was alone in a large Episcopal church in the
Diocese of Rochester, NY. I was inspired by several stained-glass windows. One
of the largest depicted Lady Charity, larger than life, ready to step out of
the window, with a banner waving around her with the words from the 13th
chapter of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, “Faith, Hope, and Charity.” I
recalled Mrs. King in high school, who assigned us to memorize that chapter in
the “King’s English.” It being the mid-sixties, a number of us petitioned
permission to memorize the Revised Standard Version which replaces “charity”
with “love.” I now find myself siding with Mrs. King - for charity better describes
the kind of love the Bible encourages: having empathy and compassion so as to
do something helpful for others, whether or not you even like them, let alone
love them.
This Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost we pray, “Almighty
and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity.” Note
that we pray for “us,” not “me” or “myself.” Like our sister faith, Judaism,
Christianity from its very outset is a communitarian faith - we pray for
ourselves collectively, and for our neighbors as well. Jesus teaches us to pray
to “Our Father.” Today we pray for “us” to experience an increase of the gifts of
faith, hope and charity. These are gifts of the Spirit, not something we can
make on our own. We can accept these gifts or not. Paul urges us to abide all three, but, he
concludes, “the greatest of these is charity.”[i]
Our story about a Pharisee and a Tax Collector in Luke
18:9-14 invites us to be charitable. It takes place in the Jerusalem
Temple. Jesus often reminds people that for the past 500 years this Temple at
the heart of Israel’s life of faith was to be “a house of prayer for all
peoples.” [ii]
The Pharisee is part of a group of Israelites who were intentional in following
the commandments of God, and were looked up to and consulted by others in
matters of faithful living. We would expect to find him in the Temple to pray
or even to offer the appointed sacrifices. These prayers and sacrifices were
always understood to be offered on behalf of all people, Jews and Gentiles
alike: Gentiles being non-Jews, including foreigners and strangers.
Those listening to Jesus tell this story would likely be
surprised to find the Tax Collector also praying in the Temple. He might be a
Jew or a Gentile, employed by Rome to collect the Roman tribute taxes. They
were viewed as sinners, as collaborators with the occupational forces that at
the time, controlled Israel as part of the Roman Empire. Tribute had to be paid
to Caesar who was understood to be Divine, God. This was problematic for Jews
to have to acknowledge Caesar as God. As the tax collectors were not fairly
compensated for their work, they often had to add surcharges to pay themselves,
making many of they wealthier than most of the people of the land. These taxes
were often tolls to transport goods to market, and even in the form of taking a
percentage of the goods themselves. The tax collectors were not popular at all.
The Pharisee, says Jesus, prays, “God, I thank you that I
am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax
collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of whatever I acquire.” [iii]
Though it may at first strike us as rather self-righteous, the general thrust
is gratitude, and thanking God for the commandments that keep him on the “right
path.” Like we might say, “There, but by the grace of God, go I.” It is astonishing
that he singles out the other man in the Temple, our tax collector. But it is
even more astonishing that he fasts twice a week, and tithes ten-percent of all
that he acquires – both of which are practices beyond those required by the
commandments themselves! He is faithful.
This may be the heart of the story since it was believed
that those who followed the commandments, or even exceeded them, could in a
sense “store-up” protection to impact the lives of others in the community. The
Pharisee lives the life of faith as outlined in the covenant commandments, and
beyond. This may benefit others in the community.
Like our tax collector, who stands away from others and prays,
“God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” This would equally astonish those
listening to Jesus tell the story. For the tax collector appears to recognize
that his collaboration with the Empire subjugating the people of Israel is a
real problem for the entire community. Like the Pharisee, he acknowledges God’s
mercy – the mercy that has led the Pharisee to go beyond the requirements for
the life of faith. Our tax collector hopes that God’s mercy might find a way to
forgive him, and may even lead him to give up his collaboration. He knows the Pharisees
are faithful, and perhaps he will benefit from his good deeds. This, no doubt,
is his hope.
The real surprise comes in the conclusion, which is most
often rendered, “I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather
than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who
humble themselves will be exalted." [iv]
The usual interpretation is that the tax collector is “justified” for admitting
his sinfulness, rather than “exalting himself,” as one might interpret the
Pharisee to have done. The Greek, however, is ambiguous. Instead of “rather
than,” it could also be translated “because of” or “on account of”, or even, “along
side the other.” These alternative translations remind us that in communitarian
communities like Judaism and Christianity, just as one person’s sin can create
a stain on the entire community, so one person’s righteousness can save it. [v]
Here is where divine charity is demanded of us all. The parable
leaves it up to us to ponder: is it the Pharisee’s going beyond the
requirements that justifies the tax collector? Or, is it the tax collector’s
honesty and contrition that justifies a Pharisee who could appear to be
praising himself instead of God? If we were, however, to judge either one as
better than the other, we find ourselves trapped by the parable! And if we
dismiss them both we are also trapped! To be honest with ourselves, we must confess
that we are happy when we are saved, but less happy if salvation is given, like
the gifts of faith, hope, and charity themselves, to those people we do not
like, even if our dislike for them seems justified by good reasons.
The stained-glass window of Charity is only visible when
light shines through it. Otherwise, it looks like dark glass. Charity, the love
God urges us to share with all people, is only apparent when we allow the light
of compassion, empathy and love to shine through our lives in how we judge and
treat one another. The charitable translation, then, is that Jesus concludes,
“To you I say, descending to his house, this one is justified alongside that
one. Because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles
himself will be exalted.” [vi]
Both prayers are heard. Faith, Hope, and Charity, abide these three; but the
greatest of these is Charity!
[i] 1
Corinthians 13
[ii]
Isaiah 56:7
[iii]
Levine, Amy Jill, Short Stories by Jesus (HarperOne, New York:2014)
translation, p.183.
[iv]
Luke 18:14
[v] Ibid
Levine, p.211.
[vi] Ibid, Levine, p.183.
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