Most of us manage to avoid the arrogance of the Pharisee in the parable but, at the same time the tax collectors lament seems exaggerated. Rarely do our personal sins reach the level of breast beating. We generally do not sin boldly. It is interesting, though, that the sinner in the parable is a tax collector and not a thief, rogue or adulterer. The tax collector’s sin is political because he has aligned himself with the powers of oppression. We too, often without recognizing it, are aligned with powers that oppress and enslave. People we elect, purchases we make, and deeds we leave undone implicate us in the oppression of people all over the world. Like the tax collector, we allow ourselves to be co-opted by the powerful. Where it not for the saving power of Jesus Christ, we too would be unable to look up to heaven without fear. Thank God for our justification in Christ. May we have the humility to recognize and change our sinful ways.
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