God’s deliverance is proclaimed in all our readings. The deliverance is not only in the New Testament in the person of Jesus Christ, but also in many ways in the dynamics of the Old Testament.

Prophet Joel’s vision of ‘God pouring God’s Spirit’ on all people is an act of God’s deliverance. In Psalm (65:) God’s deliverance from transgressions is stated. God’s deliverance from plague, and military destruction was there many times.

Through Joel God promises a compensation for all the sufferings of the people and assures that they will never be put to shame again. Psalm 65 resonates with Joel’s prophecy. The psalm goes further to describe deliverance from the nation’s iniquity.

The epistle is about Paul’s deliverance from lion’s mouth. The Book of Acts records some of the difficulties the apostle had to go through. Almost immediately after his conversion, Jewish religious leaders conspired to kill him. Later murderous Grecian Jews, prominent Jews in Pisidian Antioch as well as Jews from Antioch and Iconium also tried to kill him.

Even Paul’s missionary travels were sometimes dangerous. When, for instance, authorities sent him to Rome, he nearly died in a storm that wrecked the ship. In Malta a snake bit him. People who gathered around expected Paul to die of the snake bite, but the snake died. God’s deliverance is exhibited in all these instances.

The deliverance Jesus taught through the parable is again a deliverance from what holds a person, or rather what a person holds on to. That becomes a barrier between a person and God. The parable is about the unworthy, sinful tax collector’s deliverance, while the pharisee who observed all the rituals and justifies himself fails to get God’s deliverance.

Jesus addresses certain people. Luke 18:9 clearly states the intention. “Jesus told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt.” Jesus showed them what they trusted in is a barrier between them and God. It is not going to justify them.

The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector is a message of God’s deliverance to the sinner and not for the self-righteous. It is evidence of the “great reversal” announced by Jesus. There were many instances of the great reversal in Jesus’ teachings. One example is, “the last shall be first, and the first shall be last.” Another is the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man. Moreover, Jesus’ association with the so-called sinners such as tax collectors, women categorised as bad in the society and the excluded.

Jesus’ reversal teachings and actions stirred up controversy because the circle of people around Jesus got wider. In Jesus’ circle of mission, ministry and love, there are no outsiders. Yet, there were some who wanted to be superior with what they possessed and represented. They were the ones who trusted in themselves. It was to them Jesus told the parable.

This parable cuts through to the depth of the hearts of those who trust in themselves. The difference in the prayers of the pharisee and the tax collector expose the different contents of their hearts and their attitudes towards God and neighbour.

The prideful and slanderous prayer of the pharisee discloses the opposite of what Jesus taught. Jesus positions specific things in this parable such as hearts, attitudes, and devotion in two distinct characters.

The parable is never outdated. It continues to portray even today the distinction between those who trust in themselves and those who trust God’s mercy. We are free to make the choice. It is not a position of some of the pharisee’s self-trust and some of the tax collector’s acknowledgement of unworthiness. It must be one or the other.

At times it is much harder for us to make the right choice. This is where we count the transformative power of the Holy Spirit. God offered to pour it on all people. In love the Holy Spirit leads us in lifting us to God as we are and not to look up at ourselves or to look down on our neighbours.

The good news of this parable is, even those who are the representatives of the empire can be delivered from their bondage to the status quo and become agents of God’s deliverance. God’s message of deliverance in its breadth and depth is seen in the parable of the pharisee and the tax collector.

As we focus on the message of God’s deliverance, we must be aware of the fact that God’s deliverance is subversive of the status quo. God’s deliverance is not for us to conform to the standards of the world. God’s deliverance pushes us to move from our comfortable seat to take a stand with the oppressed in their struggles. God’s Spirit empowers us to move to and move with God’s justice.

We cannot deny that we are delivered to do something. By God’s grace, we are empowered to do something, to move beyond the prayer of confession to the life of action with Christ.