“Everyone who lifts
himself up will be brought down. And
anyone who is brought down will be lifted up.” (Luke 18:14)
Jesus told many,
many parables. Some were told to his
disciples, some to the crowds that followed Him everywhere He went, and some to
the Pharisees. The ones He told to the
Pharisees had deeper meanings because of the wrong thoughts they had about God,
and sin, and the Kingdom. Today’s
devotion deals with these Pharisees and the Tax Collector.
The Pharisees
didn’t like to hear the parables of Jesus.
They felt like because they were following “the rules,” most written by
them or handed down by the Pharisees before them, that they were better than
anyone else. They set themselves apart
from everyone else. They considered
themselves to be part of a group that sinners could never be a part of.
Jesus had two very
important messages that He wanted them to understand. First, He wanted them to see that their way
of thinking and doing things was taking them farther away from God; and second,
He wanted them to know that it was possible to repent of their way of thinking,
ask for God’s mercy, and only then could they become a part of God’s kingdom.
Today, there are
many that think their self-righteous thoughts, behaviors, and
beautifully-worded prayers are enough to satisfy God, and will keep them close
to Him. Jesus said that the Father will
draw close to those who humble
themselves and pray. Our hearts must be
right with Jesus or the beautiful words we use as we pray are in vain. We must recognize that we are all sinners, and humble ourselves
before God’s mighty throne of grace, and then our prayers will be heard, and we
will attract the heart of God, and He will draw Himself close to us.
The Pharisees saw
themselves as better than the tax collector.
They followed a set of “documented rules”. They felt that following the rules made them
religious. But their hearts were not in
their actions to try and please God.
Keeping the rules God has set for us is part of our obedience to
Him. Like the laws that He handed down
to Moses, we follow rules to help us live according to the way God wants us to
live. But we cannot be saved by
following just the rules. If we believe
that Jesus is God’s Son, and that He came to pay the price for our sins, then
it is our faith in Him that keep us from being separated from God. It is through the mercy God provided through
the life, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus, that we will be saved. We do not deserve the mercy God has provided
us. But because Jesus came to take the
punishment we deserved, the price for our sins was paid in full! The tax
collector recognized that he was a sinner. He repented, and was forgiven. Where do you think he resides today? Do you think God answered his prayer for
mercy?
Two men behaved
very differently. One was proud, and
thought he was better than everyone else.
The tax collector humbled himself.
He knew that only God could give the mercy and forgiveness he
needed. Are you broken by your sin? Or do you think that just by living
righteously God will grant you His mercy?
You must recognize your need to depend on God’s mercy to enter into His
kingdom.
Prayer:
Father, help us not
to think of ourselves as being better than those around us just because we
think we have done nothing wrong. Help
us to recognize that we all sin and fall short of your Glory. Humble our hearts so that you will hear our
prayers and through your mercy we will be forgiven. Amen!
Questions:
1.
When
the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?
2.
Is
your pride keeping you from receiving God’s mercy?
