Trust Yourself?
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9–14 ESV)
1. Luke implies that these men are trusting in themselves that they are righteous. What does that mean?
This man was a Pharisee, a keeper of the law and a member of the ruling class. His outward appearance of fancy clothes, his knowledge of the Law, and his exalted status in society would all have served as badges of honor for him.
For our context, we have to think about the things that we wear as badges of honor. What might those be? It could be our job, or appearance, or different gifts and opportunities we have in life. I've boasted in my 'work ethic' before. Having a strong work ethic is a good thing, but it can be the thing I trust in to make myself righteous. We have to be willing to ask of ourselves, "What are those things in my life that I tend to think give me an elevated status?"
2. What does the Pharisee's prayer say about his heart toward God? What about his view of himself? Where is his boasting?
The Pharisee's prayer reveals where his boasting lies. His first thought is to thank God for the ways that he is not like other, "worse" men. In his thinking, he is better than others because of who he is. He boasts in his works. He tells God about how he fasts and gives. He tells God how his works make him righteous and better than other men.
What we don't see from the Pharisee is dependence upon God. The Pharisee is trusting in himself and in his approach to God, without realizing that he is completely self-dependent.
What ways to we try to approach God in self-dependence? How do we boast in our works? I've found that the things I think I'm good at also become the things I use in my own heart to self-justify. For example, if I'm good at keeping a calendar and someone else isn't, my heart wants me to boast in my ability. My heart wants me to say, "God thank you that I'm so much better than them!"
We have to be aware of the ways we think we're better than others, and we have to be careful about the ways we boast before God, because that shows that we are trusting in ourselves and not in God.
3. What does the tax collectors prayer say about his heart toward God? What about his view of himself?
One of the challenges the Pharisee has in this parable is his status in society. Everyone makes a big deal of him, and that puffs him up to really believe it. The tax collector on the other hand would have known his lowliness. Tax collectors in this society would have been seen and ridiculed as lowly dogs, traitors working with the Roman government. The tax collector would have been well aware of his lowly and despised status in society.
Because he is aware of his lowliness, the tax collector approaches God in humility. Where the Pharisee prayed loudly and publicly, the tax collector stands far off. He barely can even raise his eyes to heaven. He knows that he has no business approaching a holy God!
The tax collector has a right view of himself. He knows his need, he knows his absolute dependence upon the mercy of God. In his prayer he trusts wholly in God, refusing to trust in himself to even draw near to God through any sort of works or merit. He screams, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!"
It can be hard for us to have an object view of ourselves. It can be hard to just ourselves soberly. Even recently, I struggled to receive feedback because I thought it might be negative. I thought that negative feedback would be a challenge to my core identity. I thought it would mean that I wasn't okay. The tax collector knew his need. He needed God's mercy. When we judge ourselves soberly, especially in light of God's holiness, we know we need his mercy to. We know he doesn't owe us anything because we have nothing to boast about before him. We have to throw ourselves on his mercy.
4. What does it mean that tax collector went away justified?
The tax collector went away justified because he did not trust in himself, but fully trusted upon the mercy of God. God is a God of mercy, and that is why Jesus went to the cross. God's mercy toward us is motivated by his great love for us, even though we have sinned.
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved" Ephesians 2:4–5 ESV)
The tax collector was saved by the grace of God. God in his great love made the tax collector alive with Christ, and he did it by grace. The tax collector threw himself on the mercy of God, completely abandoning all self-reliance, and he found grace. God's grace is his free gift of justification, a restoration of his relationship with the tax collector. The cross of Christ makes the way for the tax collector to be forgiven of all his sins and to receive grace. The cross of Christ demonstrates God's mercy to us, and we have to receive that gift by faith.
This is the gospel: We have sinned and only deserve death. But God, sends Jesus to the cross. Jesus gives up his life on the cross, becoming the atoning sacrifice. Jesus pays our penalty for sin in full, absorbing God's wrath by his death. But then, Jesus is raised from the dead by the power of God!
Now, when we repent of our sins, and believe in Jesus, God in his grace justifies us as a free gift.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:7b–9 ESV).
All we have to do is stop trusting in our works to get us to God, because they never will. We have to trust in Jesus, who alone is the way we can get to God. The only way we can do that is to repent of self-dependence and boasting, and to believe in the name of Jesus. The Bible says that the moment we do this, we are made alive with Christ!
5. What does it look like to humble ourselves before the Lord?
Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” (Luke 18:15–17 ESV)
We have to humble ourselves. We have to receive the kingdom of God like a child. We have to see ourselves as the sinner, in need of a Savior. We have to actively receive the free gift!
Jesus says that trusting in him looks like this, "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5 ESV)."
Trusting in self instead of trusting in Jesus is like being a grape that plucks itself off the vine, leaving its nourishment behind in self-reliance, and becoming a dried up raisin.
This is also where freedom is found. Trusting in Christ means finding freedom, because we don't have to self-justify. We are okay in Jesus. God loves us because he loves us. Our boasting isn't in who we are, but who Christ is! He declares us beloved! When we live as beloved people, we feel great freedom and joy.
Who are you trusting in to be your righteousness, self or Christ?
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