The parable of the Pharisee and tax-collector in Luke 18:9-14 is about
two men praying. Much can be said about Christian prayer. The main emphasis in our reading is on the mental and spiritual
attitudes for prayer- and by extension, about attitudes for all of life. Here we have two
contrasting characters- a self-righteous person and a humble repentant one. The parable shows us two different kinds of sinners. And sinners are not distinguished as much by
their deeds as they are by their attitudes. Both
the Pharisee and the tax collector are sinners, but the tax collector prays with a better inner attitude.
All humans are sinners, and all human beings need true repentance before God. All of us need to stop
trusting in ourselves. All of us need to stop excusing ourselves by comparing
ourselves to the failings of others. To be right with God, each person must
truly regret his/her failings, realize his/her need for divine mercy, and trust
in God alone to take away our sins.
In addition to teaching about spiritual attitudes in prayer, the parable also illustrates another topic. It contains hints about some postures or mechanics of prayer. In the Bible and
Jewish tradition, people usually stood for prayer, as both men do in our Gospel. Sometimes, people also knelt for prayer, rarely they prostrated themselves, and even more rarely they sat.
Standing
has some practical advantages. Most people can stand longer than they can
kneel. It takes less space, and it was certainly more practical in the days before churches had pews and cushions. According to some ancient Christian teachers, kneeling in church should be limited to
penitential days such as Fridays or Lenten weekdays, but not done on Sundays, Easter, or other celebratory days. Even in the Book of Common Prayer during the 1500's, the instruction for the congregation to kneel only
occurs for the Ten Commandments and responses, the General Confession-Absolution, the
Prayer of Humble Access and the Reception of Communion. So while kneeling can be a fitting and meaningful way to pray, but it is not the only traditional posture for prayer.
Another posture implied by our parable concerns the head and the eyes. Despite his bad attitude, the Pharisee makes an appropriate start by praise or thanksgiving. Presumably he follows common Jewish practice and prays with head and eyes slightly lifted. We know that Jesus and the early Christians often prayed this way. The tax collector, on
the other hand, is emphasizing confession of sin, and so it is fitting that his head and
eyes be downcast. Again we must be open to the worship context and to personal needs in prayer.
Now
to a third matter- the position of our hands in prayer. In Jewish and Christian
tradition, there have been two common but different traditions about hands in
prayer. One is with the fingers and palms of both hands joined in some way. This posture
stresses quietness, introspection, and meditation. The other is with hands and
arms slightly extended and lifted near shoulder level. This posture emphasizes
praise and openness to God. In Scripture, it is referred to as lifting up of
hands. It was common among clergy and laity in the early church, and still expected of ministers in parts of the liturgy. However, even in the ancient church, there
were problems with lifting hands. The church father Tertullian (about 200 AD) warns, “We more
commend our prayers to God with modesty and humility- with not even our hands
too loftily elevated…” Unfortunately, in our time, some people who raise their
hands seem more extravagant and less modest or humble. (And lifting up hands does not mean the unruly waving like a rock concert!)
In
conclusion, Christ’s parable of the Pharisee and the publican points us toward
proper worship of God. Every human being
needs to turn aside from daily activities on a regular basis in order worship
and pray. Prayer involves both our inner attitudes and our external postures and gestures.
Let us pray for and pray in humble
faith. And whatever our postures and gestures- standing, kneeling or sitting,
eyes up or down, hands joined or lifted- they should reflect both our praise of God and our humble dependence on divine mercy and grace.
