Tag: worse sinner?
Have mercy on me, a sinner!
Scripture reading for April 16th: Luke 18:1-17
It’s easy to be self-righteous! We are prone to think very highly of ourselves and focus on the other people who are ‘worse’ sinners than we are. Church people are very often the best at this, because they think that going to church or doing something for the poor brings them into special merit with God. But God is not as impressed with our attempts to look good as we are. Jesus told a story to help His disciples better understand their need for humility.
“To some who were confident in their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told them this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men–robbers, evildoers, adulterers–or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'” (Luke 18:9-13)
The Pharisee went home as he came–proud and full of himself! He was oblivious to his real need of deliverance from pride. He was eager to see the faults of others, but missed the ‘log’ of self-righteousness in his own eye! He was confident in himself and his own ability to do what God required by keeping the law and earning his standing with God and failed to ask God for mercy for this fatal sin. To the rest of the world, it probably looked like this Pharisee had it right, but Jesus saw it otherwise!
Any Jewish person who worked as a tax collector was considered a ‘sinner’ by the society of Jesus’ day. But this man was humble and recognized his need of forgiveness. He confessed that he was a sinner and took ownership of his own mistakes. He did not blame God or claim to be a victim of someone else’s sin. He humbly asked God for the mercy he knew he needed. This attitude caught Jesus’ attention and Jesus said that this man went home justified! “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:14b)
Degrees of sin?
Scripture reading for April 9th: Luke 13:1-22
“Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them–do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” (Luke 13:1-5)
We sometimes have a tendency to make judgments about violent events or deadly natural disasters. It is easy to speculate that God is punishing the ones who died because of some hidden vile sin and they deserved it. Some came to Jesus with a report of some Galileans who had been slaughtered by Pilate as they were offering sacrifices. They were probably Jewish Zealots who had gone to Jerusalem to the temple and Pilate had them brutally slaughtered to eliminate the possibility of sedition. The common theology would have said that they suffered in this way because of God’s judgment! Jesus said this was not necessarily the case. The real need was for those now hearing Him to repent themselves!
Jesus then brought up another report of a collapsed tower that had fallen on workers and killed them. If these were Jewish workers, they were working for the Romans and the common judgment was that God punished them for their compromise with the pagan Roman government. Jesus said that this was also not the case. The people’s greatest concern should be for repentance themselves.
Dying without repentance is the worst possible thing that can happen to anyone! God must judge them for their sins when they could have found forgiveness and eternal life. Jesus went on to warn them that they also must produce fruit in their lives. Like the story of the fig tree that had only taken up valuable space but produced no fruit, God is looking for fruit from each person and His people. His patience will run out and the tree without fruit will be cut down! It’s time to focus on our own hearts and quit judging others! Facing the Lord could happen at any time! I want to be ready!