Lord Jesus Christ, Have Mercy On Me

But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ - Luke 18:13

On my journey, I have discovered something called the Jesus Prayer. It is derived from the verse above in Luke that was part of Jesus' parable of the pharisee and the tax collector. Reciting this prayer is one of the cornerstone rituals of Eastern Orthodox Christianity that is refreshing and different from the Christianity that we practice. My first encounter with this tradition (aside from the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding) was when I was directed to the book The Way of a Pilgrim, which recounts the wanderings of a 19th century pilgrim across the Russian countryside.

Jesus told the famous parable as a response to those who were confident in their own righteousness, or put another way, those who felt that their works and their disciplines were enough to get them to God. As a contrast, the words given to the pharisee in the parable to differentiate him from sinners are that he fasts twice a week and diligently gives his tithe. That is as clear a statement of basing your righteousness on works as you will find.

Thing is, Jesus is not dismissing disciplines or advocating that they be abandoned, but simply that we must guard against using them as our way to become like God. As if we can achieve that on our own. Remember in the garden, after their sin, Adam and Eve hid from God and sewed together fig leaves to cover their shame. Trying to make themselves right apart from the Father. It is that exact thing that Jesus is cautioning against when he rebukes the pharisees. Disciplines are good just as wearing clothes (provided by God), but not when we are using them as our righteousness.

Ironically, a subtle switch is possible here. What if instead of tithing or fasting, the Jesus Prayer becomes the thing that we are trusting in? So we revel in the fact that we've said it 1000 times today and now use that as our righteous platform. Hey God, look how many times I said this sinner's prayer. Doesn't that prove I love you?

I love saying the Jesus prayer. To remind me to enter into it and help me keep track of my sayings, I even purchased a chotki from an eastern supply store. It is a great reminder and a connecting to historical Christianity that I treasure. Yet, the prayer is not a formula and the chotki is not a protective amulet. Saying the prayer doesn't put a special hedge of protection around me, nor does it cause God to leap to my aid or do what I want him to do.

Here is a humbling definition that should give us pause. It is from the book Spiritual Theology by Simon Chan (an amazing and dense book). "Magic is trying to manipulate natural or supernatural powers to serve our purposes. The self stands at the center of the universe, not God...If you have faith, they say, anything you ask in prayer will be yours. Prayer is a technique for twisting God's arm to get what they want. Such prayers are an abuse of relationship."

In other words, if we are saying a prayer as a way to get something from God, rather to know and be known by Him, it is an abuse of our relationship. It is magic. Chew on that for a bit. Before you doubt me on this, do you remember the Prayer of Jabez? One old testament verse describing Jabez' magnificent faith become our one line prayer. So, at the end of everything, Christians were saying "God increase my territory." That book was a best seller for some time.

I'm guilty of saying "in Jesus' name" at the end of my prayers. We're told anything we ask for in the name of Jesus will be ours, right. So, just to get God's attention, and He won't be fooled by where my heart really is, I stick that phrase at the end so I've done my duty. We could go on and on with examples.

Point is, our prayers can become just as much a way we justify ourselves as any other discipline. In Luke, Jesus is not saying replace one discipline for another. Saying "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner" is not a magic formula.

What Jesus is contrasting is what the faith is in. The pharisee had faith in the power of the spiritual discipline. The tax collector had faith in the God behind the discipline. The key is one's heart for God.

That's why I love the Jesus Prayer. For me, it is about openness. It is a reminder of God and his infinite mercy on me. When I begin to say it, my thankfulness wells up to the top. My mind is staggered that God would and will continue to bestow His mercy up me. Between repetitions I am able to supplicate as God brings reminders to me, I'm able to meditate on scripture that I carry with me. The discipline of the Jesus Prayer gives God a sliver of an opening within me so that the spirit within me can cry out to him. It is praying in Jesus name.

Obviously it is not the discipline for everyone. That is the point. For others fasting takes them to that place. Or solitude. And I'm not saying to focus exclusively on one. But I am saying that nothing carries me to the presence of God like the Jesus Prayer (or a hike, but that's for another time).

We sin when we are closed to God. That's why David said against God alone had he sinned. He laid eyes on Bathsheba and invited her to the palace. He was closed to God. Paul tells us to "take captive every thought" and "renew our minds" so that we do not become closed to God.

Disciplines to not make us more appealing to God, rather practiced with the right perspective, they open us to the God who loves us and transforms us, the one who began a great work in us and wants to carry it on to completion. We have to be open to His work.

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me!