Since childhood, we have heard fairy-tales. Most are fictious stories which seek to convey a moral truth. Today I’d like to begin with my rendition of a fairy-tale like story.

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, lived a very religious man named Martin. He became a professor at Wittenberg University in Germany, where he was a Bible teacher. He had been taught about the Bible and was encouraged to believe certain principles about the Bible, but once he began to study it for himself, he learned very much.

At the same time in a land far, far away, another religious man name Leo, and he was the Pope. He needed money to build a new cathedral in Rome. The building would eventually be called St. Peter’s Basilica, but he needed money. He decided that people could buy forgiveness from God; obviously, everyone needed forgiveness, and Pope Leo X made a deal with a German Archbishop named Albert that the sale of the indulgences, money given to buy forgiveness, would be split evenly for projects in Rome and Germany. Leo X and Albert also said that people could even buy forgiveness for their loved ones who had already died.

Martin mostly taught from the Psalms and the letters from Paul. He began to realize in his Bible Study that a person believes by themselves, and salvation is also an individual thing. He said that the Bible was the best source for Christian teaching and practice. He even learned from his Bible Study that every believer had access to God without the intervention of priests, and that Christ was the only mediator between God and humanity. He began to teach from his understanding of the Bible that every believer had the right to interpret Scripture under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and that every believer was a priest before God. This doctrine became known as the priesthood of all believers.

Luther did not like what Pope Leo X and Archbishop Albert were doing. He said, "The Church needs a reformation. And this cannot be the work either of a single man, as the pope - but it must be that of the whole world. Why doesn't the Pope build the basilica of St. Peter's out of his own money?"

Today, we join Christians from a variety of Protestant denominations in recognizing Reformation Sunday. Having a congregational invocation and a congregational offertory prayer were not accidental Today we join millions of other Christians who are also remembering that God’s Word has been given to the people of God, not just the clergy. Today we join millions of other Christians who celebrate the priesthood of all believers doctrine, that each of us are priests before God and to each other, and that no mediator is required to stand between us and God. The fairy-tale type account of the origin of the Reformation is a story of when tradition goes awry. But this fairy-tale was true. Just because a Pope and an Archbishop upheld a system of tradition above scripture did not make it right. No one has the right nor power to offer forgiveness of sin, except God alone. Our gospel text also examines Jesus’ teaching directed to those who thought of themselves as acceptable to God yet viewed others with contempt. Today’s New Testament Lesson is another story of when tradition goes awry.

In the previous passage, Jesus had shared a parable on prayer; he continued this teaching in our text. Did you notice to whom the parable was directed: "to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt." While Jesus favored no one, he was especially hard on the pious religious elite. And the Pharisees of that day truly fit that category.

Perhaps Pharisees are given a bad rap. They were the most privileged of that society; they were educated, had some wealth, and dedicated themselves to the keeping of the Law. They were intended to be the best law-abiding citizens. They wanted to abide by every jot and tittle of the most minuscule legality. The word "Pharisee" actually means "separatist." They sought to separate themselves from the common people who did not share their strict adherence to the law; those from whom they were separating were considered to be ceremonially unclean. The Pharisees were committed to obeying the law as it was interpreted by the Scribes. When the question was asked, "How do I live out this commandment in the Law," the Scribes gave a practical answer of what to do. These interpretations were laid on top of what was found in the Scripture; these were "extra credits." Remember when you were in school and there were extra credit questions on quizzes and tests? The Pharisees became more committed to keeping the legalistic traditions of the scribal law, rather than the biblical law. The Pharisees became fixated on their conduct; their understanding of religion was solely based on what they did and did not do.

A certain arrogance accompanies this kind of superiority complex. When one thinks that they act better than others, they begin to act condescendingly toward others. Such was the case in the parable which Jesus offered. The Pharisee and the tax collector stood on opposite ends of the spectrum labeled "righteous." The Pharisees were known for their good behavior; again, theirs was a religion of works.

About Pharisees and this text, William Barclay wrote, "The Jewish law prescribed only one absolutely obligatory fast–that on the Day of Atonement. But those who wished to gain special merit fasted also on Mondays and Thursdays. It is noteworthy that these were the market days when Jerusalem was full of country people. Those who fasted whitened their faces and appeared in disheveled clothes, and those days gave their piety the biggest possible audience. The Levites were to receive a tithe of all a person’s produce (Numbers 18:21). But this Pharisee tithed everything, even things which there was no obligation to tithe. His whole attitude was not untypical of the worst in Pharisaism. There is a recorded prayer of a certain Rabbi, which runs like this, "I thank thee O Lord my God, that thou hast put my part with those who sit in the Academy, and not with those who sit at the street corners. For I rise early, and they rise early; I rise early to the words of the law, and they to vain things. I labor, and they labor; I labor and receive a reward; they labor and receive no reward. I run and they run; I run to the life of the world to come and they to the pit of destruction." (William Barclay. Commentary on Luke. Philadelphia: Westminster Press. 1975. p 223-224)

The Pharisees wanted to be seen doing what they considered to be the right thing. The Pharisee in our text was found in the Temple praying, but instead of praying to God, he was praying with himself. He was informing God of how good he was.

Contrasting that example, Jesus mentioned that the tax collector also was praying in the Temple. While the Pharisees were known for their works, so was the tax collector, but this person’s works were bad. Good people did not aspire to become tax collectors for the Roman government; they were seen as traitors by the locals because not only did they work for the occupying government, but they also added to their collections to pad their own pockets. Tax collectors were reprehensible in the eyes of the Pharisees and common people alike. In hearing the passage today, we could lose sight that the tax collector was not a welcomed person by anyone, but especially not welcome in the Temple.

The Pharisee in the text is not necessarily a villain; he is simply someone representing complete dedication to keeping the law. His prayer was from his heart; he truly believed what he was saying. His words indicated another example of when tradition goes awry. Keeping the law should be a given for everyone; living right and doing the right thing are goals that parents seek to instill into their children. Yet, his attitude, which resulted from making tradition his god, left him arrogant and prideful. His self-righteous position presumed that his works were enough to patronize others; his narcissistic pride inflated his own ideas of self-importance. While he may have been doing good works, his attitude was pathetic. While he may have looked religious, his heart was not in the right place. His idea of righteousness was not the same as God’s idea of righteousness. All his good works could not save him. Forgiveness could not be purchased with good works. Indulgences could not provide absolution of sin. Two key components of Luther’s reform movement was that forgiveness cannot be bought with anything we do, nor can we do anything to merit God’s grace.

The tax collector in the parable realized that he was in need of God’s grace and that there was nothing he could do which could merit that forgiveness. And as a result, he was the one who left the Temple accepted by God.

A man came to the gates of heaven to be greeted by St. Peter. Peter asked the man if he could give a brief history of his life with an emphasis on the good deeds he had done in order to gain entrance into the kingdom of heaven. "You will need 1000 points to be admitted," Peter told the man.
"This will be a cinch," the man thought to himself, "I was involved in church from the days of my youth." Then he began to list his activities for Peter. He was an officer in his youth group, served in every possible position he could as a youngster. He was on the Church Council and every committee the church had to offer. His list was extensive.
"Very impressive," Peter smiled at the man. An angel standing with them
also smiled and nodded as he tallied the points and then whispered in Peter's ear. Peter told the man, "This is quite striking -- we seldom see men with your very good works. You will be pleased to know that you have 327 points! Is there anything else you can think of?"

The poor soul broke out into a cold sweat and began to reach deep for every single act of kindness he could think of. He listed them as the angel scratched furiously on his angelic clip board and nodded his head in admiration. Peter looked at the clip board and said, "This is quite exceptional! You now have a total of 402 points. Can you think of anything else?"
The distressed guy attempted to recall good deeds -- like the time he helped a little old lady across the street. He finally arrived at a grand total of 431 points and cried out . . . "I am sunk! There is just no hope for me! What more could I have done? O Lord, all I can do is beg for your mercy!"
"THAT," exclaimed Peter, "is worth a thousand points!" (John Jewell, Qualities of Faith. www.esermons.com)

A person’s ticket into heaven does not result because we have fasted, or given to the poor, or helped the elderly. Forgiveness of sin is not a result of service on church committees or attendance in Sunday School. Gaining salvation does not happen because a person is friendly or good. Only God’s grace plus our faith equals salvation. There is nothing we can do to merit or justify what God has already done through the gift of Jesus Christ. Our works simply cannot measure up to that great gift.

What needs to be reformed in our lives? Are there traditions that have become more important than people? When have traditions been elevated to having more importance than scriptural truth?

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, God came to earth in the person called Jesus; that grace-filled gift is better than any fairy-tale, because we have done nothing nor can we ever do anything good enough to deserve that gift. Thanks be to God that grace is free, with no strings attached.