LOOK to the LORD!

Luke 18:9–14  

Jesus tells this story for those who look down on others and are sure they’re right with God. They compare themselves to those they despise and they think of themselves as righteous in their own eyes. So these two men went up to the temple to pray. The temple was elevated from anywhere in Jerusalem, and the elevation depicts that God is far above all of us (18:9-10). Both these men went up to the temple to talk to God and the temple was that special place at that time where God could be approached. The temple was where people could come and meet with God. 

So these two men who went up to the temple to pray and one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax-collector. The Pharisee was a religious leader who was part of a popular holiness movement. They sought to strictly adhere to the law and their oral tradition about what the law really meant and required. There strict conformity was there way by which they thought to please God. They considered themselves to be ‘righteous’ and they were typically admired in society for their zeal for the law. The other man was a tax-collector and tax-collectors were widely regarded as traitors to the Jewish nation. They were considered to be collaborators with their Roman oppressors. They were considered traitors because they collected taxes from their fellow Jews on behalf of the Romans. They were widely regarded as corrupt and were considered to be more than willing to cheat their fellow Israelites. (18:9-10)

This zealous religious leader, the Pharisee, stands by himself and he prays to God. He begins by thanking God that he isn’t a thief, an evildoer or an adulterer. Let’s not be too quick to ‘look down’ on this Pharisee. He doesn’t take what belongs to others. He is concerned about what is moral and seeks to avoid evil. He is also faithful to his wife and he is faithful in his giving. Not only that, but he is engaged in self-denial in that he fasts regularly and it looks like he is not ruled by his appetites. By any human standard he is a devout person. His commitment to the God of Israel is seen in his work, his ethics, his relationships, his diet, his religious practices, and his finances. Moreover, he prays and he is thankful to God. On the other hand the tax-collector would be considered a collaborator with Israel’s Roman colonizing oppressors. The tax-collector makes his money by collecting taxes from his fellow Jews. Whatever he collects above what the Romans expect from him he gets to keep. Most tax-collectors where known for cheating and making money at the expense of the common Jewish people. How can Jesus say that it was the tax-collector and not the religious Pharisee that went home right with God?

Looking again at the Pharisee’s prayer we see that he thanks God, but he thanks God that he is not like other people. Is he trying to remind God that he doesn’t steal; that he avoids evil and is faithful to his wife? Why is he telling God that he gives a tenth of all he gets, and even fasts twice a week? Why is he comparing himself to others who are lawbreakers and to the tax-collector across the room?  This Pharisee fasts twice a week, even though the law required only one fast per year and that on the Day of Atonement. So this Pharisee prays to God, thanks God that he is not like other people who are lawless, especially like this tax-collector. His sense of being right with God is based on a comparison to others. He sees himself as going beyond what the law requires, but of course this is only in selective areas. Moreover, he seems to be reminding God of what he thinks he deserves and oddly he doesn't ask God for anything. (18:11-12)  

Now in contrast to the Pharisee, the tax collector stood at a distance and he wouldn’t even look up to heaven. He stand back away from people, he looks down and beats his chest. He prays to God and he asks for what he doesn’t deserve. He confesses himself to be a sinner and in humble dependence he asks for mercy from God! As a sinful person he asks God for what he needs most; the mercy of God. He looks at himself in relation to the Holy God of Israel and he asks for what he does not deserve: he asks for mercy. (18:13)

Now Jesus gives his evaluation of the story by saying that it was the tax collector and not the Pharisee who went home accepted by God or justified before God. It was the tax collector who Jesus said was rightly related to God. Jesus sums up the parable by saying that, ‘whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.” (18:14)

Jesus’ verdict was that the tax-collector went home justified by God, and not the Pharisee. The parable demonstrates Jesus’ concern for outcasts, in this case a tax-collector. Jesus calls us to be humble and contrite before others and before God in prayer. God is ready and willing to receive the unrighteous who are humble, contrite and repentant. But God closes his ears to those who are prideful about their own religious practices. We can't obligate God to bless us. If we are just trying to get God to bless, then who are we actually serving. Are we serving God or are we simply serving ourselves? God doesn’t owe us anything. If we were to get what we deserve then we would have to face the just judgment of God for our sins. What we need is the forgiveness and therefore we must look to the Lord, who is gracious and merciful. God in his grace sent His Son to live the life we should have lived and to die the sinners death that we deserve to die. We can find no comfort in looking down on others or in comparing ourselves to others and thinking of ourselves as superior to other. This is a false sense of righteousness. However, the good news is that we can humbly look to our merciful God for what we do not deserve. When we as sinful people humble ourselves and ask for mercy we shall receive the riches of God’s grace at Christ’s expense!

“Timely Justice from the Just Judge”

 Luke 18:1–8                     

Jesus tells his disciples a story about a widow who wears out an unjust judge who is reluctant to give her justice against her adversary. This judge doesn’t fear God or respect people. The widow has an adversary who is doing her wrong by treating her unjustly. The widow apparently has no advocate and so she pleads with the judge to make things right for her. Jesus, we are told, tells this story to his disciples so that they will always pray and not be discouraged, lose heart and give up. He wants them to prayerfully, persistently and continually go to God in prayer. No matter the injustice or the mistreatment they can speak to God who is available and ready to hear from them. This man is a judge, but he is not a judge whose administration of justice reflects the just and fair judgments of God. He doesn’t respect or care about people. Deep down this judge didn’t love God and as a result he didn’t care about people who are made in God's image (18:1-2).

A certain widow who lived in the same town as the ‘unjust judge’ was being treated unjustly by her adversary. She was being oppressed and so she went to the judge. She knew this judge didn’t fear God or respect people, but having no advocate she kept repeatedly going to the judge and pleading for justice. Even though she begged the judge on numerous occasions to give her justice the judge refused to do anything to help her. Finally the unjust judge said to himself, “I don’t fear God, and I don’t respect people but this widow keeps on bothering me. I will give her justice because if I don’t she will keep coming here and she’ll beat me down!’ ”. Jesus told his disciples to listen to the unjust judge who was essentially annoyed to the point that he gave in and gave the widow justice against her adversary. The judge is annoyed, beaten down and worn out so that he gives up his resistance to giving her justice (18:3-6). The word Luke uses can be translated literally to give one a black eye. This little old powerless widow seems to put the fear in this arrogant judge who doesn’t fear God or respect people. He doesn't care what God thinks, or what the widow thinks but he doesn't want the shame of suffering a black eye at the hands of a widow who he has provoked by denying her justice. 

Jesus, however, is drawing a contrast between this unjust judge and God. God is not like that unjust judge. God is good and God is just and he will give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night. The good and just God will not put off his own chosen ones who are able to come and speak to him because they are his beloved who belong to God. God, who is merciful and just, will hear their pleas and he will answer their prayers. The good and just God will give them justice. Therefore, Jesus tells them to pray and to keep on praying and not to give up in their pleading for justice. Luke even says that God will do this quickly. This creates some tension for us as we appeal to God and wrestle and plead with him for justice. Again, we're not trying to wear down a distant God who is reluctant to answer our prayers. God is good and just as well as all-knowing and he knows what is best. We are never to give up or quit but we should continually go to God is prayer knowing that God will do what is right even if he doesn't do what we want when we want it. When the timing is right God will do what he has determined is best and when its right he'll do it quickly! Then Jesus leaves them and us with this question, “when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” This is persevering faith that makes one's request known to God and trusts patiently for God's answer in God's timing and it continues in the attitude of heart until the 'Son of Man' comes again and sets everything right! (18:7-8)

A 'Grateful Samaritan' Luke 17:11-19

 Backstory: God promised Abraham multiple descendants and a homeland to bless the world. They multiplied in Egypt, but became enslaved. God raised up Moses and delivered them with miraculous signs and formed them into a ‘holy nation’. God gave them His law and instructed them to build the Tabernacle as a mobile sanctuary for God to dwell among His people. They entered their promised land under Joshua, but they didn’t take full possession of it until the time of David. David made plans for and Solomon his son, built the Jerusalem temple as a more permanent sanctuary for God to dwell in their midst. They were to be a ‘light to the nations’ they became idolatrous like the rest of the nations. The Northern kingdom was defeated by the Assyrians and scattered, while the Southern Kingdom was taken into 70 years of captivity in Babylon. God preserved them because he had promised to bless the world through Abraham and He had promised David a perpetual kingship over God’s people. When the Persians defeated the Babylonians, God’s people were allowed to return to their land, but the return from exile and the rebuilt temple fell desperately short of the ‘kingdom’ promised by Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and others. They remained in their land, but they dominated by various ‘pagan empires’. At the time of the Roman Empire they were longing for God to send them an ‘anointed conquering king’ and God sent them JESUS!

 John the Baptist introduced Jesus at his baptism and the voice from heaven confirmed Jesus to be the ‘Son of God’. The Spirit anointed him to preach ‘good news’ to the poor, liberation for captives, and recovery of sight for the blind, to set free the oppressed and to proclaim the ‘year of the Lord’s favor’. The Spirit led him into the wilderness were he overcame Satan’s temptations. Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit preaching God’s kingdom, and demonstrating his authority over demons, healing the sick, cleansing lepers, and even raising the dead. Yet, he incited the religious leaders against him by claiming authority to forgive sins, failing to adhere to their Sabbath regulations and eating with tax-collectors and sinners. Jesus formed a new 12 around himself and when his disciples recognized him as ‘God’s anointed King’ he proceeded on a journey to Jerusalem.

Luke 17:11–19    Jesus was continuing on his way to Jerusalem to fulfill his Exodus in his death and resurrection (Lk 9:31). Jesus was traveling along the border between Samaria and Galilee and making himself accessible to both Galileans and Samaritans. Jesus entered a town which was his normal practice since he had come to preach the kingdom of God (Lk 4:43). As he enters this town he met ten lepers who were keeping their social distance. They were shouting out in a loud voice, “Jesus! Master! Have mercy on us!”  They cry out to Jesus to pity them and to show them mercy; hoping to be cleansed by Jesus. Jesus sees them has pity and says, “Go. Show yourselves to the priests.” They are challenged to go to the priests and even though they were still leprous they went and as they went they were cleansed. They hear Jesus and they obey what Jesus told them to do. As they went, they were healed (Luke 11-15). One of the ten, a Samaritan, saw that he was healed and he returned to Jesus praising God in a loud voice. He had cried out with the ten for mercy, but he alone cries out in praise to God for the mercy he had received (17:16). This grateful man throws himself at Jesus’ feet and thanks Jesus. The man was a Samaritan (17:17).  Jesus asks him about the other nine?  Jesus is curious why only the Samaritan had returned to give praise to God (17:19). Jesus tells this formerly leprous now cleaned Samaritan to get up from his prostrate position on his face at Jesus’ feet. But he tells him to rise up for the Samaritan’s faith had made him well. But, what about the other nine; hadn’t they obeyed Jesus’ word? We know that Jews and Samaritans had no fellowship together at that time (John 4:9). But would that Samaritan have been accepted at the Jerusalem temple among the Levitical priests? What about the fellowship the ten had in their shared leprous condition? They were outcasts bound together, by their shared uncleanness! Now that the ten were clean would the racial religious barrier between Jew and Samaritan be restored in the lives of the ten? Would the nine return to the old order and the old ways of the Pharisaical Jews and would the racial barrier between Jew and Samaritan be restored? The story shows us that Jesus is God’s Messiah and the savior of Jews and Samaritans. There is a new allegiance that supersedes the alliance to the Mosaic system, the Levitical priesthood and the Jerusalem temple. There is a new order and a new people with primary alliance to Messiah Jesus! God is working his restorative healing power through his Messianic King Jesus who has ushered in the new Messianic age and alliance to Jesus must be our supreme alliance. Jesus is the savior of Jews and Samaritans and Gentiles as well. Jesus becomes God’s new dwelling place where we can meet with our God! King Jesus has broken down the barriers to genuine fellowship with God and with God’s people. Jesus becomes the embodiment of Israel’s God and the very presence of God and we are to fall at his feet in grateful praise and rise up in obedience to his word (Luke 17:17-19)!