Sermon on the Sunday of the Tax Collector and the Pharisee

Originally Given on Sunday, February 26, 1992

After listening to the parable about the Tax Collector and the Pharisee, why do you think the tax collector was justified and not the Pharisee?

The Pharisees had high self-esteem – in the parable the Pharisee likes himself. He is a proud man. Is this not the goal of much of our educational programs in public schools? Low self-esteem can cause mental problems.

I read an article in Newsweek about self-esteem.  The article suggests that a serial killer’s crime was the outcome of high self-esteem. The article questions the benefits of self-esteem because some children are finishing their schooling with high self-esteem but cannot read.

The article does not answer the question about the value of self-esteem, but implies that we may have gone overboard with it.

This parable may answer that question. The tax collector was justified, which means he was put into the right relationship with God. He was humble. He recognized his short comings and his character defects.  This implies he had low self-esteem. The problem with the concept is in the way it is used.  There are two ways in which self-esteem is used. According to the Bible, pride is considered the chief of all sins. It was the sin of Lucifer, who was infatuated with his beauty. In his infatuation he put himself above God.  The Pharisee was, in a sense, doing the same by bragging how good he was. Instead of worshiping God in the temple, he was worshiping himself. Self-esteem is evil when God is left out. By bragging how good he was, he did not recognize his flaws. He forgot that he is a creature who owes his existence to God. He bragged about fasting twice a week. This was a minimum and we must remember the Devil never eats. He gave alms to the poor out of his wealth to glorify himself, fulfilling the law.

Self-esteem can be transformed into self-worth when we add the right relationship with God, and when we recognize that we are created beings and owe our existence to God. He is our Father, and we are adopted members of His family. He sacrificed His only begotten Son so that we could be saved and live eternally with Him in paradise. We have self-worth because of God. Without God self-worth becomes self-esteem which is pride ─ the root of all sin.  We may question how self-esteem can be taught in our schools when God is removed from the curriculum. This is one of the reasons why children with high self-esteem can do poorly in school. They don’t recognize their short comings. The only way for spiritual growth is to know our defects and do what we can to overcome them. With God all things are possible.

Let us pray to the Lord. Lord have mercy.
O Lord you have given us the lesson about the Tax Collector and the Pharisee to warn us against the sin of pride. You want us to run from the pride of the Pharisee and learn from the Publican’s tears. You call us to humble ourselves and pray as he did. Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me a sinner. Amen