"You are sinner and saint. But in Christ you go home justified!" Trinity 11 2025

31. August 2025

Trinity 11

John 1:19-28

He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others… everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. (Luke 18:9,14)

This is the Word of the Lord that came to me, so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in His + Name. AMEN.

Two men went up to the temple to pray. One went home justified. The other went home condemned. This is one of the shortest of Jesus’ parables, but also one of the sharpest. Luke tells us why Jesus told it: “to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt.” That is not just Pharisees long ago—it is us.

The Pharisee stands tall in the temple, confident and proud of his religious life. He prays, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.”

Notice something. On the surface, the Pharisee’s words aren’t wrong. He really has avoided scandalous sins. He really does fast and tithe. He even thanks God for it. The problem is not the words, but the heart behind them. He does not pray to God so much as he prays with himself. His confidence is not in mercy but in merit. He believes his blessings and discipline have placed him above others.

Here lies the danger: God’s good gifts can be twisted into idols. When success becomes self-justification, when morality becomes self-confidence, when reputation becomes our righteousness, we fall into the Pharisee’s trap. Blessings become curses. Satan’s trick is to use God’s good gifts against us—to make us believe we do not need mercy. So the Pharisee leaves the temple righteous in his own eyes, but not before God.

And then there is the tax collector. He stands far off. He will not lift his eyes to heaven. He beats his chest. He prays only: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” (Luke 18:13) This is the prayer of faith. This prayer is the beating heart of the Gospel. It is short. It is desperate. It does not explain, excuse, or bargain. It clings to mercy alone.

And Jesus says: this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. Why? Because mercy is for sinners. By definition, mercy is undeserved. Only criminals can be pardoned. Only the guilty can be forgiven. Only the sick can be healed. Only the dead can be raised. The tax collector knew his need. And knowing his need, he found his Savior.

Here is the trap: we hear this parable, and we despise the Pharisee. “What arrogance! What self-righteousness!” And the moment we do that, we have become him. “I thank God I am not like that Pharisee.” We become the Pharisee’s Pharisee! We all have Pharisee hearts. We look to our works, our pedigree, our accomplishments, our families, our reputation. We justify ourselves by our parenting, by our careers, by our generosity, by our faithfulness to church. We look at others and quietly think, “At least I’m not like them.”

Repent. Sin is not far from you. Think of an ordinary morning: the lustful glance, the angry muttering, the quiet envy, the hidden resentment. Sin multiplies in our hearts at an alarming rate, and we excuse it almost instantly. “I’m only human.” But humans were created to keep God’s Law (Romans 2:15). To sin is not to be human, but less than human.Sin destroys faith. Sin destroys families. Sin destroys nations. Sin destroys you.

What if your search history were read aloud in church? What if your text messages were projected on the wall? What if your thoughts were made public? Would you stand tall like the Pharisee—or fall on your knees with the tax collector? Repent and cry out: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

This prayer God always answers. “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:14). God hears the Kyrie: “Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.” This is not just the cry of the tax collector. It is the voice of the Church. It is the Church’s heartbeat. It is prayed at every Divine Service because it is always needed.

And the Lord answers: “I forgive you all your sins.” In Christ Jesus you are justified. For He is righteous. He has kept the Law you cannot keep. He bore your sins in His body (1 Peter 2:24). He was condemned in your place. He died your death. And He rose to give you His life. The righteousness you need is not your own—it is Christ’s. His perfect life counts for you. His blood blots out your guilt. His resurrection declares you righteous.

This is the irony of God’s kingdom: the last are first, the first are last. The proud are cast down, the repentant lifted up. The Son of God becomes Man. The Innocent becomes Sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). The cross of death becomes the tree of life. The Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. The King dies for rebels. He descends into death to raise you into life.

And yet, beware. You can hear this parable so often that you begin to despise the Pharisee and miss the point. Our Lord died for him, too. The danger is thinking you are holier than the self-righteous. To condemn others for judging is still to judge. To say “holier than thou” is to claim the very thing you deny. The sin of the Pharisee is not just out there. It is in here. In our pride, our comparisons, our contempt for others. We have despised those Christ died for. We have sought to justify ourselves by our works, our families, our reputations. Repent.

Where, then, is mercy given? Not in your works, your comparisons, your prayers of self-congratulation. Mercy is given in Christ. Here is the temple not made with hands (Mark 14:58). Here is the mercy seat, not of gold but of flesh and blood. Here, in bread and wine, the crucified and risen Christ gives Himself for you. His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins.

Here, Pharisees and tax collectors, hypocrites and doubters, saints and sinners, come together as one. Here you confess together: “I, a poor miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities.” And here you hear together: “I forgive you.” Here you cry out: “Lord, have mercy.” And here you hear: “Take, eat; take, drink. This is My body, this is My blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” Come, then. Come with your shame, your guilt, your fear, your grief. Come as a sinner. Come to the altar where Christ welcomes sinners. And go home justified.

Two men went up to the temple to pray. One trusted in himself and was condemned. The other cried for mercy and was justified. Which are you? The truth is, you are both. You are Pharisee and tax collector. You are proud and penitent. You are sinner and saint. But in Christ you go home justified.

Your righteousness is not your own—it is His. It cannot be taken away. It lasts forever. And so the Church sings with the Psalmist: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). And she prays with the tax collector: “Lord, have mercy.” And she rejoices with Paul: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

This is the Word of the Lord that came to me, so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in His + Name. AMEN.

Rev. Christopher R. Gillespie
St. John Ev. Lutheran Church & School - Sherman Center
Random Lake, Wisconsin