"God! I thank thee that I am not like other men! I am not one who
exacts more than I should from others; I am not unjust or impure; or
even like this Publican. I fast twice in every week, and I give tithes
of everything I have."
Then the Pharisee, having finished his prayer, went down once more to
his home.
He had not seen the vision of God! He had not come near to Him, nor
waited to receive the answer to his words. He did not even know what he
had missed!
* * * * *
And the other man who went up to pray was the Publican.
He was a collector of the Roman taxes; and because of the frequent
cheating of these publicans, they were hated by the Jews.
It was a calling which gave great opportunities for dishonesty, and
when some of the Jews, for the sake of gain, engaged in it, they were
despised and called traitors.
So this Publican, whom our Lord Jesus told about in this story, was
evidently a Jew, as he among other Jews "went up into the Temple to
pray."
And when he entered God's House, there stood the Pharisee praying; but
the Publican, standing afar off, not full of his own good deeds, but
feeling ashamed of his own sinfulness, would not even lift up his eyes
to Heaven, but smote his breast saying:
"God be merciful to me, a sinner!"
* * * * *
And our Lord turned to those who were listening to Him and said, "I
tell you, this Publican went down to his house justified, rather than
the other."
Do you wonder what it is to be justified? Should we not all like, when
we have been naughty, or have done wrong, to know that we may go down,
like the Publican did to his house, justified?
It means, I think, for a person to realise that some one greater and
richer than himself has undertaken to set him free from his debt.
It means that we have come to God and told Him that we are very sorry
we have been naughty, and have asked Him to have mercy upon us, and to
forgive us for Jesus' sake.
When we have done that, we may, indeed, like the Publican, go away
"justified."
Perhaps some boy gets into trouble at school, and owes something to
another boy, which he has no means of paying.
So the boy who owes the money goes to his father. He knows he has done
wrong, but he tells his father all about it, and asks him to help him.
And the loving father sees to it all for him, and pays the debt.
The school-fellows know nothing about this, but they have heard about
the debt, and they whisper to each other, and jeer when the boy comes
near.
But to their surprise, he raises his head now! "My father has paid," he
says, with shining eyes.