The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity —
greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector. (Lk 18:9-14)

It sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? There is little to no subtlety in Jesus parable about the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. It’s a master class in sin and sincerity! First, note that the Pharisee ‘took up his position’ in order to make himself righteous. Positions are always over and against something or someone else. Position implies separation and judgement and usually involves a tremendous amount of narcissism. You can almost see the Pharisees two pointed fingers (with three of them pointing at himself). And if the tax collector stood off at a distance, you can imagine that the Pharisee may not have been able to even see the Tax Collector – as if he would really want to, right?

What we traditionally call sin merely swims at the surface of our lives. They are easy to see, especially in others. To some extent it’s about being seen or not being seen. Specifically, “caught in the act” sins seem most obvious: theft, adultery, murder, tax collection, etc. But these are not the sins that Jesus seems to be honing in on in the parable. Actually, in one sense, He doesn’t even seem to be talking about sin at all. Sincerity seems to be the theme of this parable – sincerity and humility in relationship, as juxtaposed with exaltation and judgement in righteousness.

How easy it is for us to do this blaming? VERY! I am talking about noticing and pointing fingers, judging others and their behaviors within a very ‘secure’ mindset of what is appropriate or inappropriate or what is right or wrong. There is always a sense of superiority. It is quite humiliating when you see it, and if you make a point of training yourself to see this, you will be amazed at how often it happens. I have – it can be quite subtle.  All of which makes Jesus’ holding the mirror right up to the Pharisee in the temple so grotesque. Is it a matter of degree? Perhaps, but it is still insincerity. And the reason it is such, is because it is all about me. Any comparisons always proceed from me – my set of standards (from wherever I subscribe), my evaluation, my agenda, my privilege. Thank God I am not like the rest of humanity!

What does the tax collector in the parable do? He does not approach but beats his chest and asks for mercy as a sinner. Of course, we can always say, well…the tax collector is trying to get out of his misdeeds in his request for mercy. It’s all an act of insincerity – UGGH!…there goes the finger pointing again! Given the hyperbolic description of both the Pharisee and the Tax collector in the parable, the extreme nature of their behaviors is almost meant to be comical! What is the big thing missing in the characterization between the two? I would say again, sincerity.

“…for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Sincerity and humility have to do with relationship or perhaps better, relatedness. Sincerity and humility are qualities of the heart. Their truth lies not in their content but in their energetic direction – outward, forward, towards others. Self-exaltation, righteousness and judgement are all forms of narcissism functioning in nuanced ways. It’s either all about me by myself, all about how I compare with you, or how you don’t measure up to me.

The Kuwaiti American spiritual teacher, A. H. Almaas, claims that all the problems that we encounter are the result of what he calls cognitive distortions.[i] What that might mean is that we can more easily convince ourselves that other people are less worthy, or not as important (consciously or unconsciously) or simply ‘problems,’ because our minds want to protect the ego. And the ego protects because our self feels disconnected. It focuses on its ‘self’ because it is not attuned to relationship and connection. Our mentality bolsters the mind’s escapades, at the heart’s expense. It’s not that the mind is malicious at all, but when it is separated from the heart, then all sorts of problems arise because as it is cut off, it has a distorted sense of itself and of others. Relatedness does not enter into the picture. We can see this resulting narcissism, marginalization, and extreme defensive posturing at every level of our world – politics, religion, economics, nationality, ethnicity, the list goes on and on.

And when only the mental capacity (and I’m not talking about intelligence here) is online, then all the qualities of relatedness are also absent or not being energized: sincerity, mercy, humility, and ultimately love. Only these things can approach and relate to the divine, because the divine is their source – our source, as the prophet Hosea tells us:

For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice,
and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. HOS 6: 1-6

When we are really in sin, (at the risk of being clever) we are actually more insincere! Sin is what happens to us when we feel the loss of connection and relatedness that we have with one another and with the Divine. It comes out in all kinds of ‘problems’ that seem unsolvable and indissoluble. But that impasse is itself ultimately delusional. There is another way – a way of wholeness and relatedness. Sincerity walking hand in hand with humility in the heart is the only way we can approach the Divine Who calls us constantly in ever-present Mercy!

“Come, let us return to the LORD,
it is he who has rent, but he will heal us;
he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.
He will revive us after two days;
on the third day he will raise us up,
to live in his presence.
Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD;
as certain as the dawn is his coming,
and his judgment shines forth like the light of day!
He will come to us like the rain,
like spring rain that waters the earth.”

[i] A.H. Almaas, FACETS OF UNITY: The Enneagram of Holy Ideas (Shambhala: 2002), p. 58