Daily Bread 2011 - Luke 18
Daily Bread 2011 – Tuesday, March 29th, 2011 Luke 18
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 13 “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.’ 14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
What Does This Mean?
Jesus tells them another parable to teach them what true “righteousness” looks like. The Pharisees were proud of their “own righteousness” manufactured through their adherence to religious activity. They fasted twice a week and tithed; two spiritual disciplines which draw us closer to God, but don’t prove our righteousness.
In addition to their false sense of righteousness they also looked down at the other array of “sinners” and thanked God that they were not like them. But the bottom line is that they were like them in the fact that all of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. One of the humbling realizations when you realize you are a sinner, is that are no better or worse than anyone else. As we see in this passage Jesus had his harshest judgment for those who thought they were more righteous than others based on their title.
Yet the man who recognized his own sinfulness and asked God for mercy, went home “justified”, or right with God. His righteousness came from the humble admission of his sinfulness and need of mercy.
What Does This Mean For Us?
Who are you more like the humble sinner, or the self-righteous Pharisee? Maybe there is a little bit of both in our experience. We often go back and forth between being humbled and relying on God’s grace, and then experiencing a period of success, which can if we are not careful lead to a sense of self- righteousness and spiritual superiority.
When Jesus tells us to pick up our cross and follow him daily, he meant that we need to daily die to ourselves, and our pride and sense of self-righteousness. As we daily humble ourselves we are in position for God to use us, just because we are in position to not take credit for what God can do through us.
Jesus, thank you for being an example of humility, being the Son of God, yet humbling yourself and becoming a servant, even unto death on a cross. As we humble ourselves and take up our cross daily you will exalt us in ways that glorify your name, Amen.
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 13 “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.’ 14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
What Does This Mean?
Jesus tells them another parable to teach them what true “righteousness” looks like. The Pharisees were proud of their “own righteousness” manufactured through their adherence to religious activity. They fasted twice a week and tithed; two spiritual disciplines which draw us closer to God, but don’t prove our righteousness.
In addition to their false sense of righteousness they also looked down at the other array of “sinners” and thanked God that they were not like them. But the bottom line is that they were like them in the fact that all of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. One of the humbling realizations when you realize you are a sinner, is that are no better or worse than anyone else. As we see in this passage Jesus had his harshest judgment for those who thought they were more righteous than others based on their title.
Yet the man who recognized his own sinfulness and asked God for mercy, went home “justified”, or right with God. His righteousness came from the humble admission of his sinfulness and need of mercy.
What Does This Mean For Us?
Who are you more like the humble sinner, or the self-righteous Pharisee? Maybe there is a little bit of both in our experience. We often go back and forth between being humbled and relying on God’s grace, and then experiencing a period of success, which can if we are not careful lead to a sense of self- righteousness and spiritual superiority.
When Jesus tells us to pick up our cross and follow him daily, he meant that we need to daily die to ourselves, and our pride and sense of self-righteousness. As we daily humble ourselves we are in position for God to use us, just because we are in position to not take credit for what God can do through us.
Jesus, thank you for being an example of humility, being the Son of God, yet humbling yourself and becoming a servant, even unto death on a cross. As we humble ourselves and take up our cross daily you will exalt us in ways that glorify your name, Amen.
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