Good Morning!
There is another parable in Luke 18 that I
would like to share with you this morning. We start with the Scripture …
Luke 18:9-14 English Standard Version (ESV)
9 He also told this parable to some who
trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others
with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the
temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed[a] thus: ‘God, I
thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or
even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I
get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not
even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down
to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts
himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Footnotes:
a. Luke 18:11 Or standing,
prayed to himself
I am a believer in Christ Jesus as my Lord and
my Savior. One of the promises that I embrace is my adoption into God’s family
as a child. Being His child makes me
special … doesn’t it? Well, yes … but…
What Jesus is pointing out is the lack of
humility by the Pharisee who obviously thought very highly of himself. I try to get into the mindset of that
Pharisee. Being a Jew, the Pharisee had
been taught that he was a member of God’s Chosen People. He already considered himself to be special
just because of his birth. He then was a member of the religious hierarchy …
being very careful to keep the Law … as men interpreted the process. By comparison, if he were a “Baptist”, he might
have not consumed alcohol; not have danced; not have played cards; and many other
restrictions we have placed on ourselves as a sign of our “faith”. Now, please don’t get angry with me … I am
not slamming Baptists – I are one. What
I am pointing out is that this Pharisee was following a strict pattern of
living in order to claim his righteousness.
But he was missing the mark … our
righteousness is as a polluted garment (see Isaiah 64). Paul points out that there is none who is
righteous … not anyone. As a result, the
Pharisee is not really praying to God … he is citing his works of righteousness
as a “prayer”.
The contrast was the tax collector. He, too, was a Jew … but was very aware of his
sinfulness. Instead of citing his good works in pride, he went to God with a
broken and humble heart. He wanted – no,
he NEEDED to feel forgiven. Jesus
honored his brokenness. Jesus points to
the tax collector receiving justification because of his attitude.
So, what does this mean to me on this good
morning? Yes, I am a child of God, set
aside for His purpose, in the process of begin set aside for His glory. But I am still just a sinner saved by the
grace of God. Thus, my approach to God
is not one where I compare myself to another but rather to the standard He
set. Jesus told us that standard … “be
perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect”.
Well, since I cannot make that standard, I must go to God in humility, seeking
His forgiveness … and seizing on the promise that He will not only cleanse me
but restore me.
A simple parable that God gives to us for our
growth …
Agape’
Mr. Jim
Prayer: Father God, thank You for reminding me of
Whose I am and not who I am. Thank You for redeeming my soul and adopting me
into Your family. I am so unworthy of Your
love. Teach me to love like You love. In
Jesus’ Name … Amen.
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