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We're walking through Luke 18 this week. Let me invite you to read today's passage. Even if you've read this parable a million times, try to read it as if it's your first time encountering this text.
"He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.' 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!' 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." (Luke 18:9-14)
I've mentioned before that anytime I study a passage of Scripture, the first question I always ask myself is, "What does this passage teach me about God?" When I read this parable from Luke 18, I begin to think about what this passage has to reveal to us about the Lord our God. It doesn't directly tell us a truth about God in plain text. There isn't a direct statement like "God is love," for example. But it does reveal important truths about God nonetheless.
The parable is clear that God accepted the humble prayer from the tax collector and rejected the self-righteous, self-serving performance parading as a prayer from the Pharisee. Why is this? This is where I learn something about God. I learn from this passage what the Lord values. I learn the kind of heart position the Lord is after and accepts.
The Lord values and accepts a humble heart. A humble heart is aware of one's own desperate need for God. The Lord rejects a proud heart that thinks, "God is lucky to be on my side."
This parable is a rich teaching about where justification comes from. Justification (being declared right before God) comes through faith in Jesus and not through an attempt at personal righteousness on your own. If even the Pharisees, who followed the law meticulously and went above the standards of the law, fell short of the heavenly standard of holiness, then you and I don't stand a chance.
The Pharisee in this parable rested his hope solely on not being as bad as someone else. What a sad way to live! Seeking justification through not being as bad as another is a prison. It traps you into comparing yourself to others and keeping the focus on self. Furthermore, God's standard is not "not being as bad as those other people", but perfect holiness. This is impossible without God. Through repentance, we recognize our own inability to meet this standard, and we receive justification through the blood of Christ. We live in a culture that constantly wants to tell us how awesome we are. But there is something incredibly dangerous about this. It is actually good for us when we can recognize our own unworthiness. It is from this point of us recognizing our own unworthiness that we cry out to the Lord and we are made worthy through His justification as He gives us His righteousness. This is true freedom. It is from this place that you can see how deeply loved you are by the Lord, and this speaks incredible value to your heart. God loves you so much that He would sacrifice His Son for your sake. Praise the Lord! I pray that you will feel the freedom of finding your righteousness through humility.
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