The Pastor and the Mason

"Two men went up to the temple complex to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee took his stand and was praying like this: 'God, I thank You that I'm not like other people--greedy, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get.' "But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even raise his eyes to heaven but kept striking his chest and saying, 'God, turn Your wrath from me--a sinner!' I tell you, this one went down to his house justified rather than the other; because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." - Luke 18:10-14 HCSB

[1]Two men, a pastor and a mason, were believers. The pastor, being hired by a congregation, had plenty of time to study the Scriptures and pray. He would delve deeply into the Word, trying to resolve critical issues that could only be determined by studying in Greek or Hebrew. Obviously, he didn’t miss any services.

In the same church was a mason. Because he had to work twelve hard hours a day, he frequently missed services. He rarely came to Wednesday night Bible studies or the Sunday evening service. He often arrived late to the Sunday morning service, looking harried and exhausted. There were even times when he occasionally nodded off during the sermon, as he struggled with his exhaustion and the warmth of the building. However, the mason loved the Lord. He deeply regretted not having more time to study His Word, and was mortified each time he fell asleep in church. He longed to know God and to be a better servant, but what was a man to do? He had to support his family!

When the pastor saw the mason nodding off in church, or noticed his absence on Wednesday night, he shook his head saying condemningly, “Some people simply aren’t as dedicated as they should be.”

Both men passed away and found themselves standing before Yawheh Shaphat – the Lord our Judge.[2] When asked what he had done as a steward of Hashem’s resources,[3] the pastor proudly stated, “I prayed long and hard, studied the Scriptures for hours, and never missed a service.”

However, Hashem’s response was, “Yet you have missed the point. You are proud of your religiosity and have looked down upon my faithful servant the mason.”

When the mason’s turn came, he bowed his head regretfully and mourned, “I have been a very poor servant. I have found little time to study your Scriptures, have missed many services and sometimes even fell asleep during them. I’m very sorry.”

Yet Hashem’s response was, “Your groans speak of your longing for your Creator.[4] Well done, my faithful servant.”

Hashem knows our limitations and expects us to care for our families.[5] What He longs for is not religiosity but passionate love.[6] Do what you can.[7]

[1] The Pharisee and the Publican by an unknown French Master
[2] Hebrews 9:27
[3] Matthew 25:19-21
[4] Romans 8:23-26
[5] 1 Timothy 5:8; Romans 12:13; 2 Corinthians 12:14; Galatians 6:6, 10; Ephesians 4:28; James 2:15-16; 1 John 3:17
[6] Amos 5:21-24; Isaiah 1:11-18; Mark 12:30-31 cp Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Leviticus 19:18
[7] Luke 21:3-4; Matthew 14:17 cp Mark 6:38 and Luke 9:13 every little bit counts