#st.luke

“Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”” Luke 18:9-14 NLT http://bible.com/116/luk.18.9-14.nlt Jesus was an interesting fellow, He often times told people the last thing they expected Him to. I honestly wonder if He were alive now, He is mind you, but I mean if his first coming had taken place in our contemporary time period, just what that would look like. I'm sure a lot of us would be shocked, but at the same time relieved. Jesus is interesting because the Pharisees that He refers to in this pericope or story if you will, expect him to tell them that they will be the ones seen to be righteous by God because they didn't cheat, sin, or commit adultery. I mean hey the guy even fasted twice a week and gave a tenth of his income, he tithed. If I were to look at all of the church through this lens, this guy was doing then more than we're doing now, and I'm not disqualifying myself from this category either. I can't remember the last time i fasted twice a week, there was a time where i was fasting for an entire week, or two, but recently I most certainly haven't fasted twice a week. So by our standards and his, if we looked solely on his actions, this guy seemed pretty righteous ,and those who fellowshipped with him would've thought so also, and they may have even thought of him as an example. Plot twist, Bruce Willis was dead the whole time. Darth Vader is Luke's father, And when Jesus referred to the one who walked away righteous in God's eyes it wasn't this guy. It was actually the guy everyone would've hated and probably thought was a jerk. Why do I say that you say? He was a tax collector, and the other was a Pharisee, the Pharisee who thought himself righteous could've been compared to the rich elite or even like a religious celebrity, but the tax collector would've been seen as the dregs of the earth. The Jews thought of Tax Collectors as traitors and the lowest of the low because they worked with the occupying Romans to rip off their own people and essentially help the Romans keep them under their thumbs. So, when Jesus introduces the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, you're already like ok, so obviously this is the good guy and the tax collector is the villain, but actually it's the other way around. The Tax Collector humbled himself and repented from his evil, to the point of not even looking at God, and He asked for God's mercy, and told Him that he was nothing but a sinner. On the other hand, the Pharisees thanked God for being awesome, thanks God that I'm awesome and not like those dumb people over there (the ones he probably should've been helping mind you, and the ones that Jesus came to save, as He mentions the righteous do not need a doctor but the sick do.) and even directly names the Tax Collector who later prays and receives God's righteousness. This Pharisee is so self righteous and self assured that he never even asks God for his forgiveness, something I never noticed tell now, he simply assumed he was righteous and assumed he was right with God because he did all of these awesome things for Him (supposedly), but he never seeks forgiveness and for God's approval or righteousness, he simply exalts himself. I never truly understood that until this reading and the writing of this blog, the Pharisee simply explains to God why he's so awesome, he actually exalts himself to God and above everyone else there, including the Tax Collector, as where the Tax Collector doesn't exalt himself at all, he is repentant and seeks God's forgiveness. Something perhaps a Pharisee would never do because they don't think they need it or already think they're saved, but what God wants is more Tax Collectors, more people that realize that they're sinful terrible people, who beat their chest and ask him for mercy, because whether or not we realize it, we need it, and we need it now. God forgive us for being self righteous, Help us not to be, and for those who're Reading this that are, may they repent and no longer be Forgive us oh Father, as we need you for everything And for those that understand that they're imperfect and flawed And they understand that they need you, may they ask for your Mercy And Your forgiveness, as I know they will find it. May you exalt the humble and humble the exalted, Forever and ever, Amen