Today’s Devotional Passage: Luke 18:9-14
“What do you want?” It’s a question we often ask of others. Want…we want a lot of things throughout our life. The “wants” of our life fall into many categories and fill our prayers…better health, a new house, a new car, a new job…the lists are long. We want a great many things and our motivations are important. Specifically, trusting in ourself vs. trusting in God. This trust is a common theme throughout the Bible. The Israelites wanted out of bondage in Egypt but complained repeatedly in the desert…all the while being blind to the ever faithful presence and grace of God. Blindness of our position to God is a common problem. We see this in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector from Luke’s gospel – Luke 18:9-14. The heart of this parable comes down to the Pharisee asking nothing of God – he believes that who he is and what he does is ample evidence of how good he is and his perceived standing with God. On the other hand, the tax collector states his unworthiness before God. The Pharisee asks nothing of God and the tax collector boasts nothing before God. Trusting in our own righteousness often leads to regarding others with contempt and turning away from trusting in God’s grace. This parable is more than a warning against arrogance, self-reliance or a relationship with God because of one’s own works – things that blind us to the other side of this parable…which shows the ugly combination of claiming an elevated position with God and contempt for the tax collector. The Pharisee had enough religion to be virtuous but not enough to be humble…and it drove him away from the tax collector instead of toward him.
Both the Pharisee and the tax collector went to the temple to pray. Here are some thoughts to avoid that could help each of us as we begin each new day…in other words, have you ever found yourself saying/thinking the following?
- Of course I am a Christian!
- I am more comfortable with those from MY church than those who don’t go to church.
- If he/she knew the Bible as well as I do, his/her life would be better.
And of course there are many more similar thoughts. How is your journey through Lent going? Have you had any new revelations that have caused you to grow in your faith?
First Pres Joliet 
March 13, 2017 at 11:39 am
Of course, the Jew’s view of mercy (v. 13) was not simple mercy, but of the blood-sprinkled mercy seat (Lev. 16:5, Rom. 3:25). The tax-collectors prayer is something like “God, view me as if You are looking at atoning blood.” We’ve obtained forgiveness from God for our short-comings, but at a cost (Matt. 26:28).