Weekly Devotion

      If you’ve been around the Lutheran church for a minute, you’ll recognize the phrase “sinners and saints.” Our gospel lesson this week is a perfect illustration of what that doesn’t mean.

      Pharisee means “separated one” and refers to the group’s strict adherence to the written and oral word of God. The apostle Paul was a pharisee and describes himself as a pharisee, zealous for the Jews, guiltless regarding the law of God. This religious party was often considered to include teachers and keepers of the law. They did subscribe to some flexibility of interpretation over time but, however they interpreted God’s law, it was their holy task to keep it precisely and constantly. They were quite good at it…saintly almost.

     But Jesus was constantly criticizing and challenging them. Why? If they were such saints, what fault could Jesus find in them? Our gospel lesson sheds some light on this. Jesus said, “Do what they say but not what they do.” The Pharisees did know the law and all of scripture very well. They set themselves as examples of how to be a saint, how to follow the law exactly. They demonstrated for the people how to gain sainthood by your own perfect performance of God’s laws.

     But they had it wrong. The law was meant to show people their sin and call them to recognize their need for forgiveness. Instead, the pharisees (at least those Jesus scrutinized) saw themselves as beyond the need for forgiveness. They earned their own sainthood. Then they flaunted it.

     They puffed out their chests with pride at how well they were doing, how perfect they could be. And they wore their pride, quite literally, on their sleeves! The tassels and phylacteries referred to in the text are symbols of how beautifully they prayed, how tirelessly they studied, how precisely they measured or washed or rested—in accordance with the law.

     Of course, they were correct in what they said. God wants us to follow His law, which, in summary, means to love God and love your neighbors. But the pharisees made it a burden for the people, focusing so much on each nuance and requirement that it was nearly impossible to perform perfectly and certainly a joyless undertaking.

     And therein lies the rub. It wasn’t nearly impossible. It was completely impossible for humans. Only God, incarnate in the body and blood of Jesus, could accomplish it. And He did. The law shows us that we are each sinners. Every day. No matter what. Even if we successfully obey some laws, pride sneaks in and undoes our hard work. Jesus tells us that if we turn to Him alone, we are washed clean in the sight of God…sinless, saints. It is not our work, but his.

     On this Sunday, All Saints Day, we remember the saints that went before, the saints sitting next to us, and the saints still to come. We remember that we are sinners. Nothing we can do will fix that. We can puff out our chests, wear the right size cross, obey the law, but it will never earn us God’s love. It isn’t earned. That wouldn’t be love!  But we are saints nonetheless because of the unconditional love and saving sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.