Lessons on humility

 A parable to rebuke the self-righteous

 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men; extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

 To some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: The connection between those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and those who despised others is almost inevitable. If I credit myself for a supposed great and spiritual walk with God, then it is an easy thing to despise another for their supposed low and carnal walk with God.

 Two men went up to the temple to pray: In this parable, both men prayed, but both men did not come to God the same way. The Pharisee went up to the temple to pray, but he did not pray. He spoke with himself, not with God.; he prayed thus with himself, and in his short prayer he repeated the word “I” five times.

 It is entirely possible to address your words to God, but actually be praying to yourself, because your focus is on yourself, not on God. Your passion is for your agenda, not God’s. Your attitude is my will be done and not Thy will be done. 

 The man was full of praise, but he rejoiced “not for who God was but rather for who he was!” (Pate)

 God, I thank You that I am not like other men: In his (so-called) prayer, the Pharisee praised himself, and compared himself to other men. It isn’t hard to have such a high opinion of self when you compare yourself to other people; it often is not difficult to find someone worse.

 Even as this tax collector: “The demonstrative pronoun ‘this’ (houtos) pejoratively distinguishes the Pharisee from his counterpart in the temple.” (Pate)

One ancient rabbi (Rabbi Simeon, the son of Jochai) was an example of this kind of Pharisaical pride when he said: “If there were only thirty righteous persons in the world, I and my son would make two of them; but if there were but twenty, I and my son would be of the number; and if there were but ten, I and my son would be of the number; and if there were but five, I and my son would be of the five; and if there were but two, I and my son would be those two; and if there were but one, myself should be that one.” (Clark)

 I fast twice a week: In those days many Jews fasted on the second and fifth days of each week, because they believed that Moses went up on Mount Sinai to receive the law on the fifth day of the week, and that he came down with the law on the second day of the week. “Those who wished to gain special merit fasted also on Mondays and Thursdays. It is noteworthy that these were the market days when Jerusalem was full of country people. Those who fasted whitened their faces and appeared in disheveled clothes, and those days gave their piety the biggest possible audience.” (Barclay)

“I am not as this publican, No, for thou art worse; yea for this, because thou thinkest thee better.” (Trapp)

“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.” (Morris)

The tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” The Pharisee relied on his own power and deeds before God, but the tax collector relied on the mercy and compassion of God. He recognized that he was a sinner who needed the mercy of God.

We can imagine the Pharisee praying with eloquent words and flowing, spiritual style; anyone who heard him pray would say that he was a spiritual man. In contrast, we imagine the tax collector praying awkwardly, with halting phrases and fear; but his prayer pleased God.

But beat his breast: The idea behind this was that one was so aware of their sin and heart corruption that he hit at his own heart as a punishment. According to Morris, the verb tense of beat his breast describes a continual action; he kept on doing it. “The original does not say that he smote upon his breast once, but he smote and smote again. It was a continuous act. He seemed to say – Oh, this wicked heart! He would smite it. Again and again he expressed his intense grief by this Oriental gesture, for he did not know how else to set forth his sorrow.” (Spurgeon)

 The Pharisee thought he was not like other men; that he was better than them. The tax collector also thought that he was not like other men; that he was worse than them. “He actually prayed, ‘O God be merciful to me – the sinner,’ as if he was not merely a sinner, but the sinner par excellence.” (Barclay) “If there was not another sinner in the world, he was one; and in a world of sinners he was a prominent offender – the sinner of sinners. Emphatically he applies to himself the guilty name.” (Spurgeon)

The ancient Greek word translated be merciful is hilaskomai; it is actually the word for an atoning sacrifice. The fullest sense of what the tax collector said was, “God, be merciful to me through Your atoning sacrifice for sins, because I am a sinner.” The only other place this word is used in the New Testament is in Hebrews 2:17, where it is translated propitiation.

“In the original Greek the words are even fewer than in the English. Oh, that men would learn to pray with less of language and more of meaning! What great things are packed away in this short petition! God, mercy, sin, the propitiation, and forgiveness.” (Spurgeon)

This man went down to his house justified rather than the other: The justification of the tax collector was immediate. He humbly came to God on the basis of His atoning sacrifice and was justified. He didn’t earn his justification, and he didn’t have a probationary period; he was simply justified.

He was justified because as a sinner, he humbly prayed for mercy, and mercy in the sense of atoning sacrifice. He prayed, “O God, be satisfied with the atoning sacrifice, and forgive me.”

· He didn’t say, “God, be merciful to me, I’m not a Pharisee.”

· He didn’t say, “God, be merciful to me, a repentant sinner.”

· He didn’t say, “God, be merciful to me, a praying sinner.”

· He didn’t say, “God, be merciful to me – I’m only human.”

· He didn’t say, “God, be merciful to me, I’ll try to do better.”

· He simply prayed, praying body, soul, and spirit, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!”

 Everyone who exalts himself will be abased, and he who humbles himself will be exalted: Essentially, the Pharisee saw prayer and his spiritual life as a way to be exalted, but the tax collector approached God in humility.

 True humbleness is simply seeing things the way they are. The Pharisee saw himself as something great when he wasn’t, and the tax collector saw himself as a sinner needing God’s mercy, which he was.

We gain nothing by coming to God in the lie of pride. The principle God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble is so important God repeated it three times (Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5).

Jesus uses children as examples of humility

 Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. “Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."

 They also brought infants to Him that He might touch them: Children love to come to Jesus, and it says something about our Savior that children loved Him and that He loved children. Jesus was not a mean, sour man because children don’t love mean, sour people.

“It was the custom for mothers to bring their children to some distinguished Rabbi on the first birthday that he might bless them.” (Barclay)

That He might touch them: Jesus knew that these infants, though they did not understand speech or Jesus’ eloquent teaching, could respond to a touch. Jesus knows how to communicate in the way we need.

Matthew 19:13 says specifically that He might put His hands on them and pray. With this, Jesus blessed the children. The laying on of hands is used Biblically as a way to bestow blessing on another (Acts 6:6, Acts 8:17, Acts 9:17, 1 Timothy 5:22, 2 Timothy 1:6).

“He did not baptize them, but he did bless them.” (Spurgeon)

Let the little children come to Me: Because children love to come to Jesus, we should never block the way – or fail to provide them a way. We know more about Jesus than the women of Judea did; so there is no good reason for us to keep our children from Jesus.

 For of such is the kingdom of God: Children receive the blessing of Jesus without trying to make themselves worthy of it, or pretending they don’t need it. We need to receive God’s blessings the same way.

“Not only did Jesus welcome these little human beings as members of the kingdom of God; He also extolled them as model citizens of the same, because of their capacity to trust and love.” (Pate)