You see, the Lord is Judge, not you, not the world, not Satan, not society's standards, not some majority opinion, not garden variety morals or changing yardsticks.  The holy Law of God defines us, and we have fallen short, far short of the glory of God.

The Pharisee of Luke 18 was a good man according to a flawed standard.  He compared himself to others-other sinners like himself.  Afflicted with spiritual myopia, his vision was 20-200 (legally blind).  Yes, others at a distance he could see-robbers, evildoers, adulterers like this tax collector who was exactly as his critic declared, a wicked, despicable man.  But himself he could not see.  Legally and morally blind, every man will look good next to a cadaver.  Each of us will look good (more or less) if all we gauge are the flaws of others.

But the Pharisee was in the temple of the Lord.  In the Lord's house who can stand erect and boast in the first person singular?  "I am a good man.  I am above other men.  I am custodian of righteous deeds.  I dare to look God in the face without embarrassment.  I am beautiful." 

Charlotte Church sings a song called, "Jewel's Song," about a girl looking in the mirror, saying 'How beautiful am I?'  The hundred year old lyrics are ancient in sentiment, "Ah, I laugh to see myself so beautiful in this mirror; It's the daughter of a king, it's no longer you."  

The composer is right.  The one you see in your own mirror is not you.  Only the one you see in the mirror of God's Law is you. 

If self-criticism always errs, so also does self-justification.  "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled."  How practiced we are with self-praise.  That is why we are so hurt by any disapproval from others or when others don't like us and why so often people avoid churches where a Confessional Service begins the worship. 

We begin Lent confessing, "I, a poor miserable sinner."  The posture of our heart is not even to look to heaven but to beat upon our breast and cry, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' 

This is not a prayer of merit.  It earns no points with God.  It does not deserve his forgiveness.  It argues not.  It makes no case.  It merely reiterates the verdict of the Law.  "Me-a sinner; me, the foulest of men."  It cries for pity without any right to ask.

The tax collector did not criticize himself.  He went into the temple to pray beneath the Judge of all.  He did not look to heaven.  He did not cast his eyes across the crowd for someone worse, a whipping boy to ease his conscience-- because there is no one worse than me.  No one.  Not any.  That is our confession.

A man is justified neither for admitting sin nor for avoiding self-praise.  One is justified by Christ.  It is the person who hears mercy proclaimed on the grounds of the cross, who is given undeserved forgiveness and unqualified clemency, who is declared righteous for Christ's sake-and Christ's sake alone--  who now will have clarity to see himself as a absolved sinner and Jesus as the cause of such great and wonderful grace.

"I tell you this man, not the other, went home justified before God."