What Would It Be Like to Empty Ourselves?

The proud religious man stood and prayed:  “God, I thank you that I am not like other people…”  

The parable is about the point of view of the Pharisee.  And the point of view of the tax collector.  Both who are demonstrating an ant’s-eye point of view.  That is a very limited, ground level view of things.  

It is a story about how we perceive ourselves, and others.

It is also a pointed story about how God see — perceives us.  

It is telling us that God’s perception is nothing like our perception. 

It is also about our ability — or inability — to come before God willing to be genuine! Willing to be honest about who, and how, we truly are.

The tax collector, in that culture, was considered scum.  Someone who worked for the oppressive Roman government.  Cheating his Jewish bothers and sisters.

The Pharisee was a well known proponent of God’s Law.  A respected, “religious man,”  who appeared to be honest and to followed all — or most all — of what he believed were God’s rules for life.

Sinner and Sinner come before God with very different perspective on their worthiness and/or unworthiness.

And!  Both perspectives are incorrect!

And! God, according to Jesus, wasn’t all that impressed with the Pharisee’ list of good deeds. 

And, the tax collector was probably totally unaware of how impressed God was with his pure and honest prayer.  His genuine presence as he knelt there. 

It is pretty clear to me that God’s perception and our perception don’t come close to agreement.  Just take a quick look back at history.  God picked the most unlikely to assume the places of honor and position among his people.

Moses, David, Mary, Jesus, Paul!  Or, how about the shepherds in the field, of all people?  They were just one step above a servant in that culture.  And yet it was the shepherds who were called upon to announce the most important news in the history of Christianity.  All unlikely, probably unacceptable, candidates for service in God’s holy name.  According to human standards that is!  

Clearly!  What we see!  What we perceive!  What we think we know!  Are all quite different from what God see, perceives and knows.

That is why it simply does not make sense, to the human eye, that scum could receive God’s approval over “religious people.” Or anyone who was held in high regard and social standing.

However, apparently God sees something, knows something, that we cannot see or know.  Because God, being God, can see past our lists and verbiage.   God knows our internal thoughts!  Our private rationalizations!  God sees us at the heart of what/who we really are, to where our deepest secrets live.  And so, of course things aren’t going to make sense to us!

God, being God, has total advantage! 

So what do you and I do with all of this?  How do we obtain better perception?  Better perspective?

My first thought is to ask, a question I often ask, where am I in this parable?  Can I honestly pray with the tax collector: “Lord have mercy on me a sinner!”  Period!  No buts?  No additional information?  

Or!  Am I tempted to skirt around such genuineness by justifying my short comings with my own list of glowing qualifications?

What I have learned is that it is VERY difficult, impossible as a matter of fact, to fool God!  And, in my simple reality, God is only impressed with what I do or say that truly honors him!

My mom use to tell us: “Don’t insult my intelligence by lying to me!”

God wants total honestly, genuine conversation with us too!

What follows from that is God’s desire (my perception of course!) that we continue an honest posture, and  conversation, by living out our lives in genuine attempts to honor others in God’s name.  

God's Name!    

     Not our own names!

That is, by focusing on how God would have us think, feel and act!  By focusing on how God would speak to, and treat, our fellow sinners.  

Now that is tricky!  

Tricky because our understanding and God’s understanding, according to what scripture and Jesus tell us,  are very, very, very different!  “As far as the East is from the West.”(Ps. 103:12)

However, what occurs to me is that we are told how to focus on God and God’s ways.  Paul tells us clearly, in Philippians 2, how God chose to live, work, speak, act and relate to others. It goes like this!  By emptying himself of all power and authority.  By becoming like the tax collector with no list of accomplishments!  No position! No authority! No honor!  

EMPTY!  

That is, not full! 

Not full of himself!   Nor of who he actually was!  Nor what he knew to be true!  

I invite you to really think about that!  Being “empty” void of all prideful identification to feed our ego and importance before others.

An extremely powerful concept!  

Our bucket turned up-side-down!  Drained!

Now, if we truly think about that, it can make some good sense.  Because, when we are void/empty of all our importance, all our thoughts and opinions, with all of our stuff GONE.  Then we are able to be filled!  Filled with God’s stuff!

God’s thoughts!  

God’s touch!  

God’s voice!  

God’s heart!

However, when we are full of ourselves there is no room for God to work within us.  No space for different!  Different opinions, or points of views.  No space for change or growth or possibility!

9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: 10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, "God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.' 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' 14 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.”(Luke 18)