Title Pride and Humility / Luke 18:9-14
Content Pride and Humility / Luke 18:9-14
Key Verse: “I tell you, this man went down to him being justified more than the other, and everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (verse 14).
Two contrasting protagonists appear in Jesus' teaching, known as 'the parable of the prayer of the Pharisee and the publican' in today's text. In the first Pharisee's prayer, he uses the word 'I' (vv. You can find a way to be grateful for several things. First, you are grateful that you are not like 'sinners', and secondly, you are expressing gratitude for living the life of a 'righteous person'.
The tax collector who appears with him also uses the word 'I' (verse 13), but there is no boasting or claiming in the expressions that follow. In short, one person knew how 'good' he was and the other knew how 'evil' he was.
Contrary to the expectations of the Pharisees at that time, as Jesus said to these two contrasting prayers, “This man (the publican) was justified more than the other (the Pharisee) and went down” (verse 14). He said that He heard and forgave his sins. How do you think he came to this conclusion?
The answer can be obtained by looking at the prayers of two people and evaluating them from the perspective of 'are there areas in their lives that need God?' Hearing a prayer confessing his 'perfection' through the media, the question arises, 'Why does he need God?' However, in contrast, in the publican's prayer, you can read the sincere heart that 'only God needs me'. The difference between these two shows the difference between those who humble themselves and those who exalt themselves.
One of the characteristics of human beings is that they evaluate themselves by comparing them with others. Of course, we are accustomed to the educational system in which the evaluation standard that determines 'good or bad' or 'how well' is done through the method of comparison. For this reason, this situation can be taken for granted.
However, it must be clearly understood that there is a serious problem in trying to apply these standards to our religious life. Because the standard of faith for believers is not based on comparison, but “Be ye perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect” ( Matthew 5:48) is because, as the Word shows, it is to become like the 'complete and perfect' God.
In other words, we must remember that the standard of our religious life is 'God's perfection.' There is no choice but to fall into stone.
Prayer: Remember that you alone are the strength of our life and the standard of our lives, and help us to become more like you by humbly serving you. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Lord's Prayer