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Rejected and Respected (Luke 18:9-17)
We are quick to take credit for the things that God does, and fail to see our daily need of the Lord’s mercy. It begins by acknowledging that while we should celebrate God’s redemptive work in our lives, we often overestimate our righteousness and underestimate our brokenness. This self-reliance can lead to arrogance and contempt for others, especially those we deem less worthy or more sinful.
We need to be careful, as we are prone to trust in our own systems, plans, or perceived moral superiority. The problem with this is that we fail to see our need for Christ and the redemption that he gives us.
Christ drives home this point through the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, which contrasts two attitudes in prayer. The Pharisee, confident in his religious achievements, thanks God for his superiority over others. He is not like the other people so he is distant from the rest by his superiority.
Christ summarizes the tax collector’s prayer, which confesses and relies on the Lord’s mercy. Jesus’ teaching shocks our expectations: it is the humble, repentant sinner who goes home justified, not the self-assured religious leader. One would think that the pharisee is in the right because he has done all the right things. However, the point is not about the specific words of prayer, but the posture of the heart. One needs to see and have a humble reliance on God, and not self-exaltation. The tax collector is separate because he sees himself as a sinner who needs mercy. We see the continuation of the parable in Luke 19.
Jesus connects this parable with Jesus’ welcoming the little children. Children were insignificant in society. The disciples do not want Jesus bothered by these insignificant ones. Just as children receive the kingdom with dependence and humility, so must we. The kingdom of God is not earned by status, achievement, or self-sufficiency, but is received by those who recognize their need and come to Christ with childlike trust. In God’s economy, the “nobodies” who humbly seek His grace are the ones truly exalted.
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By Pastor Paul Lindemulder (Belgrade URC)
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We are quick to take credit for the things that God does, and fail to see our daily need of the Lord’s mercy. It begins by acknowledging that while we should celebrate God’s redemptive work in our lives, we often overestimate our righteousness and underestimate our brokenness. This self-reliance can lead to arrogance and contempt for others, especially those we deem less worthy or more sinful.
We need to be careful, as we are prone to trust in our own systems, plans, or perceived moral superiority. The problem with this is that we fail to see our need for Christ and the redemption that he gives us.
Christ drives home this point through the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, which contrasts two attitudes in prayer. The Pharisee, confident in his religious achievements, thanks God for his superiority over others. He is not like the other people so he is distant from the rest by his superiority.
Christ summarizes the tax collector’s prayer, which confesses and relies on the Lord’s mercy. Jesus’ teaching shocks our expectations: it is the humble, repentant sinner who goes home justified, not the self-assured religious leader. One would think that the pharisee is in the right because he has done all the right things. However, the point is not about the specific words of prayer, but the posture of the heart. One needs to see and have a humble reliance on God, and not self-exaltation. The tax collector is separate because he sees himself as a sinner who needs mercy. We see the continuation of the parable in Luke 19.
Jesus connects this parable with Jesus’ welcoming the little children. Children were insignificant in society. The disciples do not want Jesus bothered by these insignificant ones. Just as children receive the kingdom with dependence and humility, so must we. The kingdom of God is not earned by status, achievement, or self-sufficiency, but is received by those who recognize their need and come to Christ with childlike trust. In God’s economy, the “nobodies” who humbly seek His grace are the ones truly exalted.