Year 2, Week 35, Day 5 Bible Reading Observations

Year 2, Week 35, Day 5

I have a brief observation for today’s reading of Luke 18.

Today’s reading consists of various episodes from Luke’s Gospel account concerning Jesus’s interactions and instructions. A common theme that runs through today’s reading is how one enters God’s kingdom. Luke 18 includes a parable that has two very different approaches for entering the kingdom: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector” (Luke 18:10). Luke 18 also includes an occasion in which children were seeking access to Jesus to teach about entering the kingdom: “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 18:16-17). Luke 18 adds an interaction between Jesus and a rich man to speak of the dangers of trusting in wealth because it is an obstacle for entering the kingdom: "For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:25). Luke concludes today’s segment of his Gospel account with two episodes that provide a stark irony. The disciples do not “see” what Jesus is saying as He once again announces His arrest and crucifixion: “But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said’ (Luke 18:34). One the other hand, a blind man “sees” who Jesus truly is: “As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging… And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Luke 18:35-38). Entering the kingdom entails seeing who Jesus truly is.

One of the things that struck me from today’s reading was how much of this chapter from Luke revolves around self-righteousness: “He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt” (Luke 18:9). The parable about the two men when they went to the Temple to pray certainly pertains to self-righteousness, for it is the stated preface to the parable; however, self-righteousness is reflected in the other episodes as well. The parable is an important statement on self-righteousness, for it teaches that trusting in one's self and self-righteousness go hand in hand.

Two men make their way to the temple to pray: a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Pharisee prays: “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” (Luke 18:11b-12). The tax collector prays: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13b). In addition to the contrasting prayers, the two men had differing postures. The Pharisee’s posture was one of, “standing by himself” (Luke 18:11:a), which suggests he stood off from everyone else so as to not be defiled by the sin of others. The tax collectors’ posture was one of, “standing far off” (Luke 18:13a), which suggests that he did not feel worthy to draw near to the LORD (or perhaps even the others). The content of the Pharisee’s prayer is more like a religious resume expressed to impress by comparing his moral superiority over others. The Pharisee does give thanks to God, but the real focus of this prayer seems to be upon himself and not the Lord. Any honor toward the Lord seems to be disingenuous: “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me” (Matthew 15:18). Whereas the Pharisee sees other people as sinners, the tax collector is truly concerned that he is a sinner. The tax collector does not look around at others; in fact, he does not feel qualified to even look up to God. The tax collector offers no moral resume, but does grasp his need for mercy. While the tax collector may not be as officially skilled in the Scripture as the Pharisee, he does seem to have a better grasp concerning salvation: “Do not remember against us our former iniquities; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake!” (Psalm 79:8-9).

The Lord completes the parable with an important conclusion about the two men: “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other” (Luke 18:14a). The tax collector, not the Pharisee, is justified and declared to be in the right. The word used here for “justified” is the term Paul uses regularly in a forensic sense to denote those who are declared righteous: “And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness” (Romans 4:5). Jesus adds another concluding application: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:14b). The Pharisee is not justified, for he exalted himself, but the tax collector is justified, because he humbled himself. The Pharisee worshiped himself and his achievements, while the tax collector put all his hope in the forgiveness God grants. The Apostle Paul speaks very personally about self-righteousness and how trusting Christ is a better righteousness: “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Philippians 3:7-9).

What struck you in today’s reading? What questions were prompted from today’s reading?

Pastor Joe