Luke 18:9-14
Read Luke 18:9-14
Helpful Background Information:
In Daniel 4, Nebuchadnezzar receives his second dream. In this dream, God warns him about the consequences that would follow his continued arrogance. These consequences were meant to teach him where his proper place was before God—a place of humility. Nebuchadnezzar may have been the most powerful ruler on earth in his day, but after being reduced down to the lowly level of a wild beast (v.33), he learned that the true God, “is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone He wishes” (v.25). From his own experience, Nebuchadnezzar concluded that, “Those who walk in pride, he [the King of heaven] is able to humble” (v.37).
In Luke 18, Jesus is sharing a parable with some people “who trusted in themselves that they were righteous” (v.9). Two men are spoken of by Jesus, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. As the story goes, both of the men walk up into the temple to pray (v.10). The first to speak is the Pharisee, who stands and gives thanks that he’s not like the worst kinds of people—the ones who get their money through manipulation, know nothing of justice, sleep around, or even worse—like those awful tax collectors (v.11). No, the Pharisee was really serious about his spiritual disciplines and was always donating money to the temple (v.12). As he’s speaking, the camera pans over to the tax collector standing far off with his head down and his heart clutched. All he brings himself to say is that he’s a sinner in need of God’s mercy—nothing more, nothing less (v.13).
So, which of the two men went home justified? Jesus says it was the tax collector (v.14). How could that be? Jesus says that “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted (v.14). All along, this has been the way things work. The proper place before God for the king of Babylon was the same for the Pharisee and for the tax collector—the place of humility.
Reflection Questions:
Jesus’ audience was “convinced” that they were already in right standing with God. How do you think Jesus’ parable might have challenged their expectations?
Compare the prayer of the Pharisee to the prayer of the tax collector.
What do they pray for? What do you think their prayers reveal about their hearts?
What kinds of things do you pray for? What do your prayers reveal about your heart?
Are there any specific aspects of your thinking, behavior, or speech that reflect the attitude of the Pharisee? What would a shift toward a posture of humility look like for you?