 Send olympiabp blog feed to OBPC Podcast | Introduction On the first Sunday of the month for the first six months of this year we considered the truth that God wants us to live lives of transformation. Rom. 12:2 – … do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Each day the Christian is being transformed a little more into the image Jesus, that is, each day the Spirit makes us more like who Jesus is. Today we will consider one more aspect of this life of transformation. God wants to be transformed from self-righteous people who trust in themselves and despise others to humble sinners who trust in Christ and love others. I. The Context of the Parable A. These three stories in chpt. 18 plus the using the children as an illustration are all about humbling oneself. 1. The widow of 18:1-8 humbled herself by going back again and again to the magistrate who didn't like her and who mistreated her, but could help her. 2. There is nothing more humble or unpretentious than a little child, 18:15-7. 3. Jesus calls the rich, young ruler to humble himself by giving away his wealth, 18:18-23. B. The call to humility is constantly present in Jesus's teaching. Mt. 23:11-12 (repeated several times in NT)– But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Mt. 19:28-30 – So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first. C. Because the call to humility was an important part of Jesus's teaching, it also became an important part of the teaching of his disciples. Rom. 12:16 – Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Phil 2:3-5, 8 – Let nothing be donethrough selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Col. 3:12 – Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering…. Jam. 4:6, 10 – But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. 1 Pt. 5:5-7 – Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to yourelders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. II. The Audience of the Parable, 9. A. Luke tells us that this parable was designed for self-righteous people who despised others. B. Some, like J.C. Ryle, have said that Jesus was directing this parable to elements in his group of disciples, but the last reference to any group in the context of the parable is the Pharisees in 17:20. C. So who is Jesus's audience? 1. Immediately, the Pharisees who saw themselves as righteous in and of themselves and because of that thought they could look down on others who they considered not as righteous as they. 2. Any other person in any age who considers himself/herself to righteous in and of himself/herself and because of that thinks he/she can look down on others. 3. Any person who may be tempted to think highly of himself/herself. III. The Characters in the Parable 1. Originated as a holiness movement calling God's people back to obedience to God. 2. Eventually obedience to the oral traditions became more important than God himself. 3. Considered the pinnacle of virtual and righteousness in society. 4. Popular religious leaders. 5. Meticulous observers of the oral traditions of the Jews. 6. Forefathers of modern Hasidic Judaism. 1. Usually somebody from the conquered people who bought a franchise from the Roman government that allowed him to collect taxes from his own people. 2. Rome didn't care how much was charged from the people as long as it received the stipulated amount; therefore, tax collectors often charged more than Rome demanded and pocketed the difference in order to enrich themselves. 3. Because of these two facts, Jews considered the tax collector the worst kind of sinner – he betrayed his own people. a. He was not accepted into Jewish society because of his betrayal – he was not allowed to be part of the synagogue. b. He was not accepted into Roman society because he was part of the conquered people, therefore, inferior to them and unworthy of their company. C. Jesus brings together the two extremes in Jewish religious society. 1. Jesus's original hearers would have thought that it was the pious Pharisee who deserved acceptance by God. 2. Today we are not as impacted by this story because we have become so used to the Pharisee being the self-righteous guy. 3. This was a culturally revolutionary idea – Jesus says that God is looking for people who know that they are bad instead of people who think they are good. "We never begin to be good till we can feel and say that we are bad." J.C. Ryle IV. The Plot: The Two Men Go Pray in the Temple, 10. A. The Pharisee praises the Lord for the Pharisee's greatness, 11-12. 1. "He prayed with himself" is a weird expression because it literally means that he prayed toward himself even though he addresses God in the prayer. a. Different versions of the Bible have tried to smooth it over by translating it "by himself," or "about himself," but the literal translation tells us a lot about the self-righteous person. b. The self-righteous person doesn't really need God, so he doesn't pray to God. 1) As a matter of fact, the God of the self-righteous person is himself/herself. 2) So it makes a lot of sense that he prays toward himself/herself. Mt. 9:10-13 – Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, thatbehold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." 2. What makes this Pharisee self-righteous is his belief that his righteousness was determined by the things he didn't do and the things he did do in comparison to other people – in other words, he believed that righteousness was completely determined horizontally. a. He is not as bad as other people – I am not like other men, and definitely I am not like this tax collector. 1) He probably didn't struggle with covetousness, lust, at least according to his system – so he is better than those who did struggle with those things. 2) This is a clear mark of self-righteousness – judging people because they struggle with different sins than you do and then excusing the sin you struggle with. a) The self-righteous person is a horrible judge because he judges as if he was God when he couldn't be further from him. b) That's why Jesus says that self-examination must always precede our examination of others – Mt. 7. 3) Where are you on this one? a) Does the thought that you are better than other people because we don't struggle with the same thing ever come across your mind? b) Do you find your comfort by comparing yourself to others? Jam. 2:10-11 – For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point,he is guilty of all. For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. c) This next one is counter-intuitive, but as self-righteous as the other ones – do you find yourself in despair because, when you compare yourself to other people, you are not like them? d) Do you ever feel justified to hate a brother/sister because they are sinners? b. He is really good at doing things that God didn't ask him to do, 12. 1) What the Pharisee is doing is letting God know that he has done more than was required of him. a) There was one required fast a year on the Day of Atonement, but this man does it twice a week! b) God commanded his people to tithes a portion of their income, but this guy kept on tithes on everything: groceries, water, etc. c) So he thinks that God might actually owe him for being such a good guy! "The Pharisee came short of congratulating God on the excellence of His servant, but only just." Leon Morris a) Do you ever find yourself selling what you did to God? b) Do you think of yourself as being ok with God – "Nobody is perfect, but…." c) What is it, really, that you trust in to be accepted by God? Is. 64:6 – But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. B. The Tax Collector couldn't even raise his head, 13. 1. He knew that he had nothing with which to bargain with God. 2. He knew that he had to throw himself in the mercy of God because if it was up to whom he was and what he did, he had no chance to be accepted by God. a. Jesus puts in the Tax Collector's mouth an unusual word for be mercy. b. It is the word used in the OT for the result of the pouring of blood on the mercy seat. 1) The high priest would pour the blood of an animal on the mercy seat that covered the Ark of the Covenant in order to cover the sins of the people. 2) As a result, the people would be reconciled to God. c. In essence, then, what the Tax Collector is saying is this: God, have mercy on me on account of another because I know that I am a sinner and in me dwells no good thing. d. That is the only way to be accepted before God – as a sinner on account of another. "Not the labors of my hands can fulfil thy law's demands; could my zeal no respite know, could my tears for ever flow, all for sin could not atone; thou must save, and thou alone. Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling; naked, come to thee for dress; helpless, look to thee for grace; foul, I to the Fountain fly; wash me, Savior, or I die." Augustus Toplady "Not what my hands have done can save my guilty soul; not what my toiling flesh has borne can make my spirit whole. Not what I feel or do can give me peace with God; not all my prayers and sighs and tears can bear my awful load. Thy work alone, O Christ, can ease this weight of sin; thy blood alone, O Lamb of God, can give me peace within. Thy love to me, O God, not mine, O Lord to thee, can rid me of this dark unrest, and set my spirit free." Horatius Bonar V. The Moral of the Story: Do not Trust in Yourself before God "Every man that is puffed up with self-confidence carries on open war with God…." John Calvin Phil 3:7-11 – But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. VI. How Shall We then Live? In Humility, 14. A. The man who was accepted by God as righteous was the one who humbly acknowledged that he could not do anything for himself. B. Self-righteousness is the opposite of humility "What the Pharisee said about himself was true. His trouble was not that he was not far enough along the road, but that he was on the wrong road altogether." Leon Morris 1. The result of self-trust is invariably thinking that we are better than others – despising others. "To despise someone or something on the basis that it is worthless or of no value." Louw-Nida a. Racism is the result of self-righteousness. b. A social caste system a la Hinduism is the result of self-righteousness. 2. We tend to think that the stuff that really bad people do. 3. But all of us can and often do fall into the self-righteousness trap. a. You are the Pharisee when everything is about yourself. 1) Conversations have to be about yourself. 2) If somebody wants to tell you about her mother's cancer, you change the conversation to be about your ingrown toenail. 3) You are part of a group or a family and everyone needs to cater to you. b. You are the Pharisee when your standard is other people. 1) You think that you are ok because there is someone doing worse than you are. 2) You think that things are bad because other people have it better than you. a) You don't look the way they look. b) You don't have what they have, so we get depressed. C. Humility is found in trusting in God through Jesus Christ like a little child, 15-17. "It is not age per se that is in view but childlike qualities such as trust, openness, and absence of holier-than-thou attitudes." Walter Liefeld We called to be transformed. In this particular passage, we are called to be transformed from self-righteous people who trust in themselves and despise others to humble sinners who trust in Christ and love others. http://olympiabp.blogspot.com/2016/11/trust-in-yourself-luke-189-17.html | |
