By
Allen White
To some who were confident of their own
righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two
men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax
collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you
that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax
collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'
"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.'
"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home
justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he
who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke
18:9-14
Jesus
didn’t hate the Pharisees. It would be easy to get that impression. But, Jesus
loves all people equally. He loved the Pharisees just as much as He loved His
disciples. The disciples were just more open to His teaching.
Tax
collectors were equally hated by all people. While paying taxes was painful
enough, the tax collectors of the day had a rather inequitable system fit for
their own advantage. They ripped everybody off: rich and poor, young and old.
They were equal opportunity offenders. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that
the tax collectors were sinners. They had sinned against everyone by stealing
from them. If anyone would burn in hell, it would be tax collectors for sure.
So,
why was the tax collector’s pray more acceptable than the Pharisee’s pray? The
tax collector acknowledged his need for God. He was a sinner. He needed mercy.
It was not an option.
The
Pharisees, on the other hand, felt that they had lived their lives so well that
they really didn’t need God’s mercy. If everyone lived their lives as well as
they did, they wouldn’t need God’s mercy either. The problem is that no one
actually lives their lives that well. Mercy is a necessity, not a consolation
prize.
Which
group would you put yourself in? Are you a miserable sinner and everybody is
well aware of it? Or, do you feel that you’ve got your act together
spiritually, and you don’t have that much to confess? Or, are you somewhere in
between?
Here’s
the test: what have you confessed to God recently? How have you offended Him by
falling short?
God
doesn’t want us to live without His mercy. Our goal is not to become
self-sufficient, that only leads to self-righteousness and pride. You and I are
no better than anyone else. Acknowledging that our survival is entirely
dependent on God’s grace is the first step toward humility. You and I are
capable of every sin that we’ve looked down our noses upon. It’s by God’s mercy
that we can become who He created us to be.
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