In the first eight verses of Luke 18, Jesus taught about the importance of praying persistently. Beginning in verse 9, he tells another parable about prayer.
For anyone confident of their own righteousness and looked down on anyone 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, be merciful to me, a sinner.’
I tell you this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself with be exalted.” Luke 18:9-18:14
In Jesus’ time, the Pharisee were the super-religious men who were extremely careful about obeying the Torah, which is basically the first five books of the Old Testament. They also followed the Mishnah, which explained how to obey the Torah. There might be several chapters in the Mishnah devoted to one single verse in the Torah. In addition, they followed the Talmud, which was a commentary on the Mishnah. These guys supposedly really knew God’s word. They were considered ‘holy men’ not only by others but also that’s how many of them thought of themselves.
However, a tax collector was considered the scum of the earth, the very bottom of the religious food chain in Israel. Hired by the pagan Romans, he could charge exorbitant taxes and keep most of the money for himself. He was considered the villain. In light of this parable here are some questions for us to consider today:
WHY DID YOU COME TO CHURCH?
In the parable, both the Pharisee and the Tax Collector went to the temple in Jerusalem to pray. But when you examine their actions and attitudes, you discover they were there for two different reasons. Why did you come today?
Was it to be seen?
Obviously, the Pharisee was at the temple for others to see how good he was. To him it may have been more of a public performance and his behavior at the temple was just part of the script. He had given much thought about what he would wear, and where he would stand, and what he would say, because there was an audience. When he arrived, he walked up to the front and stood before the people in his flowing robe with the ornate prayer shawl the Pharisees wore. It just all part of the religious show for him. The words he prayed may not have been really directed toward God. He prayed to himself. He was there to be seen and to be heard by the other worshipers. Jesus warned about this kind of behavior in Matthew 6:5, “But when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men.”
When you prepare to come to church, are you thinking more about who will be there to see you than you are about connecting with God? Do you choose what you’re going to wear based on what other people will think about you? Hard to believe, but some people actually go to church because they think it will help them in their business, politics, or will improve their social standing. Why do you attend church?
The tax collector represents another reason you might be here today. Did you come to seek God? I hope so.
The tax collector showed up because he was in trouble and he believed God could help him. His body language revealed his sense of unworthiness; he couldn’t walk to the front of the crowd, instead he kept his distance. He didn’t focus on the other people there, he focused on God.
Worship does involve an audience. But it’s an audience of one. When we come to church, we should be primarily concerned about seeking God’s face.
Why are you here today? Is it just your habit, a part of your weekend routine? Perhaps you came because your parents or your spouse pressured you to come. Or maybe you feel guilty if you don’t come. Or did you come seeking to connect with the Almighty God, the Creator of the Universe? God says in Jeremiah 29:13, “‘You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you.’ declares the Lord.”
Some people may come seeking God, but some who are half-hearted about worship becomes a hindrance to others. I read a letter written by a teenager to a church her friend invited her to amd then later to the minister of the church. She wrote…
“Dear Kathy, I attended your church yesterday. Although you had invited me, you were not there, so I sat alone. After sitting down, a lady came up and informed me that I was in her seat. I was so embarrassed because I didn’t know some seats were reserved. Finally, I climbed over some people hugging the aisle and found another seat. During the singing, I was surprised to note that some of the church people weren’t singing at all. Instead, they looked around or just stared into space. The pastor’s speech was interesting, although some members didn’t seem to think so. They looked bored and restless. I recognized some of my classmates a few pews in front of me, but they were giggling and passing notes. I thought, “How rude!” The speaker talked about the reality of faith, which I decided I didn’t have enough of. The message really got to me and I thought about walking forward, but I was unsure. I saw some people walking out before the service was over, so I figured it must not be too important to stay to the end, so I slipped out too. As I left I said good morning to one couple, but they were in a hurry and must not have heard me. My parents don’t go to church. I came alone yesterday hoping to find a place to truly worship and find some love. I’m sorry, but I didn’t find it in your church.”
When the minister read that letter, he literally got on his knees and said, “Please God, don’t let that be the impression people get when they come here!”
Some really what to be in church to draw closer to Father God, yet there are others who don’t realize that they may be a stumbling block or be hindering or disrupting the church service. Across the nation some take what we do here too lightly. Some play with their cell phones during worship. Some talk or pass notes during the service. Some disrupt the service by regularly coming in late or repeatedly getting up and going out. Some people even leave before the church service is over… all because they are more focused upon their own agenda rather than on effect on others and their service to God.
The next question is: WHAT IS YOUR ATTITUDE IN CHURCH?
In the parable Jesus showed two totally different attitudes people can display in worship. The Pharisee presented an attitude that said
‘I’m proud of how good I am and who I am’
In some instances, pride can be good. It is okay to say you are proud to be an American, or that you take pride in your neighborhood. But the Bible warns against the dangerous kind of pride characterized by self-love, egotism, and arrogance. This kind of pride is revealed in the prayer of the Pharisee. He wanted others to know about his goodness, so he bragged that he fasted, tithed, and kept all the commandments.
The Bible says, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18). According to Isaiah 14, once the devil was a beautiful angel named Lucifer. Pride filled his heart and he developed a pride problem. He said, “I will ascend and make my throne with God, I will be like the most high, I’m going up!” But God said, “No, Lucifer, you’re going down!’ That’s really what pride is, reflecting the ego of the devil.
Some people are the happiest when they talk about themselves. Someone has said Pride is the only sickness everyone can recognize except the person who has it!
Also, Pride seldom admits a need
Pride gives a person a false sense of self-sufficiency. Have you ever heard the expression, “I’m too proud to ask for help?” When you are too proud to ask for help or admit you have a problem, you are too proud–period!
Pride also seems to pick out the faults of others
Did you notice the Pharisee was quick to criticize and condemn the tax collector? Pride blinds a person to their own faults and magnifies the failures and faults of others. When you compare yourself to someone else, you’re using the wrong standard. God’s measuring stick is not the goodness or badness of another person; His standard is Jesus–how do you measure up to Him?
I once read a story in which a man described a house in Scotland that was painted white. The house stood out clean and brilliant against the dark green backdrop of the grass-covered hills. One day it snowed and the entire country side was transformed into a winter wonderland. When the man looked at the cottage against the backdrop of the pure fallen snow, he noticed for the first time it was dingy and dirty. It was the same house, just a different backdrop. When you compare yourself to a rapist, you may appear to be morally clean, but when you stand up next to the purity of Jesus Christ, you see a different picture.
There was another attitude expressed in the parable and sometimes in some members of the church. The tax collector displayed an attitude that said:
‘I desperately need God’s mercy!’
He couldn’t even lift up his head, he was so burdened. He pounded his fist on his chest, a spontaneous gesture of his agony over his sin. He uttered seven simple words with a voice broken with emotion: “God be merciful to me, a sinner. You don’t have to pray a long, eloquent prayer full of religious words. If you pray a simple prayer that comes from your heart, God will hear you and He will answer you.
When the tax collector caught a glimpse of the greatness and holiness of God, he realized how dirty and filthy he was. The Bible says, “All our righteousness is as filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:6) Even the good things we do are dirty compared to the stark, brilliant holiness of God. When you see God for Who He is–holy, then you will be able to see yourself for who you really are–a fallen creature in desperate need of God’s mercy and forgiveness. That can humble you in a hurry.
Is that your attitude? Have you come to a place in your life where you know you can’t make it another moment without God’s mercy, peace, and forgiveness in your life? This past week I heard someone say on the radio, ‘We should return to God and repent every day.’ So True.
The final question to answer is: HOW WILL YOU GO HOME?
In the parable, Jesus said only one of the two men went home justified. “Justified” is a great Bible word meaning to be “right with God.”
In verse 14 Jesus summarized the main principle of the parable by saying: “He who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
A paraphrase of verse 14 could be, “If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face, but if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.”
Just like in Jesus’ parable, you’ll go home today basically in one of two conditions.
You may go home…
1. Unchanged–Religious and proud of it!
The Pharisee was so committed to his religious observance that he could be proud by his performance. So he went home unchanged. Thousands of people attend church Sunday after Sunday, but they leave exactly the way they come in. To them, religious observance is something they the simply DO. God addressed the problem of superficial religion in Isaiah 29:13. The Lord says, “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.”
Dr. Ray Pritchard wrote some powerful words: Without a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ, religion leads you to Hell while making you think you are going to Heaven.
I hope you go home today the same way the tax collector did:
2. Unburdened–Right with God and thankful for it!
Jesus said that this guy, not the respectable, religious Pharisee went home justified and right with God. He entered his church so burdened down by his sin he couldn’t even lift up his head. But when he cried out for the mercy of God, he experienced the liberation of forgiveness. He hadn’t done anything to deserve it, so he couldn’t brag about it. All he could do was to thank God for it!
Maybe you are here today and you feel a little out of place because you aren’t really a very religious person. In fact, you know you have done some dumb things and messed up your life. Congratulations! Like the tax collector, you are the best candidate for God’s mercy and salvation! Just turn to Him and ask for mercy to forgive you.
CONCLUSION But you must approach God in humility if you want to receive His forgiveness. You can’t strut into His presence bragging about how nice you are. In Bethlehem, The Church of the Holy Nativity is built over the place believed to be Jesus’ birthplace. It is a huge stone complex, but it only has one tiny door through which people can enter. It’s called the door of humility and it is less than 48″ high. Originally, there was a larger door, but when the Muslims first conquered Bethlehem, the soldiers rode their horses into the church to defile it. So the monks reduced the size of the door so only a person can enter. And every person must stoop and bow and enter alone. What a lesson! The doorway of God’s mercy and salvation is open to you today but we must humble our self before Him.
Based on a sermon by David Dykes
