Two Men - Part 1

Scripture – Luke 18:9-12: 9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The 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. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

Reflection: Once again, Jesus sets up this parable by telling us who it’s for. If I put confidence in my own righteousness it means I trust myself to be good enough to deserve eternal life. And if my salvation is based on what I do, I’m naturally led to look down on others who don’t do as much. (Although I conveniently overlook those who do more.)

So as Jesus tells this story about two men, the first is a man full of himself and quite confident in his own works. In fact, in his prayer it’s like he’s telling God how lucky God is to have a man like him in His service.

A big lesson I’ve learned – and sometimes re-learn – is that I’m totally dependent on the grace of God. I cannot be good enough to make God owe me anything. In fact, the good news is God doesn’t give me what I deserve. For that I will be eternally thankful.

An Invitation: A small group will be meeting this coming Sunday morning from 9:45 – 10:30am to share what we’ve learned and seen in this week’s readings. We meet in the Pastor’s office at Bethel Baptist Church, 13330 Trenton Road in Southgate. Everyone’s welcome to join us.