The Pharisee and the Publican

Putting your worst foot forward

As children, we are taught to be quiet and reverent in church. This is God’s house. We are also taught to be polite to our elders, and courteous to our friends. A child might draw the conclusion that a certain social attitude is required when approaching God, just as much as when approaching anyone else.

Putting on your best manners for others is a kind thing to do—nothing wrong with that! But your relationship with the God who is closer to you than you are to yourself is different.

The Pharisee thanked God for making him a good man. He did not take credit for the goodness, but he was definitely putting his best foot forward. When we feel we are in the presence of the Holy, we too want to put our best self forward. To do otherwise might seem not to take the sacred seriously, and to be rude or casual would not express the truth in our hearts.

The Publican thought his best self was not good enough to bring to God. For some reason known only to himself, he had to be there, and he brought his best and his worst. He brought all of his selves; the cruel and rapacious self, the selfish self, the greedy self, the yearning self. As far as he could tell, that is all he had to bring. And Jesus said he is the one who went home at peace with God.

It truly is a kindness to treat other people well, even if we don’t feel like it. But God is God. The act of intentionally bringing all your selves into the presence of the Holy is making a gift of everything you have; everything you are. Here I am, warts and all. Worse than warts, if I’m honest. Have mercy.

And God will say—you are my beloved, as He did to the Publican.