THE PARABLE OF THE PHARISEE AND THE TAX COLLECTOR

 

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

Luke 18:9-14

“9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:

 

10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

 

11 “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

 

12 ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’

 

13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’

 

14 “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

 

It is interesting that this parable, as well as a long list of others, were spoken by Jesus as he gave a response to the accusations of the Pharisees that He fellowshipped and met with sinners. These self-righteous men, while living an outward holy life, were inwardly prideful and arrogant in their perception of themselves and judgmental and condemning of others. Those who were humble in spirit, though imperfect and sinful, were the ones Jesus sought to minister to; for their hearts were receptive to the Gospel He preached..

 

A possible visual illustration of pride can be found in nature in the form of the Pufferfish. It is a rather peculiar creature. National Geographic informs us that this strange looking fish can inflate into a spherical ball shape to scare away its predators. It is also known as the blowfish. These rather clumsy swimmers fill their elastic stomachs with huge amounts of water (and sometimes air) and blow themselves up to several times their normal size. While a rather strange behavior, this ability is actually a defense mechanism to warn predators that they are deadly. Most Pufferfish contain a toxic substance that makes them foul tasting and potentially deadly to other fish. This toxin is also deadly to humans and can be 1,200 times more deadly than cyanide. There is enough poison in a single Pufferfish to kill 30 adult humans. The other downside is that there is no known antidote. Similar to Pufferfish, human beings can blow themselves up with pride and arrogance to make themselves look bigger than they are. It is also true that this sin of pride can become toxic to a marriage, a family, a friendship or a church.

 

Pride can often mislead us into trusting our own abilities beyond what we really are capable of, such was the case of Muhammad Ali. The famous Heavy Weight Boxer Muhammad Ali was beginning his flight on a 747 which was starting to taxi down the runway for take off. The flight attendant walked by and noticed Ali did not have on his seatbelt, and said, “Please fasten your seatbelt, sir.” He looked up proudly and snapped, “Superman don’t need no seatbelt.” Without hesitation she stared at him and said, “Superman don’t need no plane.”

 

“It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.” Saint Augustine

 

The late Bible scholar John Stott once said, “Pride is your greatest enemy, humility is your greatest friend.”

 

Tim Keller states, “Pride is the carbon monoxide of sin. It silently and slowly kills you without you even knowing.”

 

Before I share some insight of this parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector we must understand that Jesus has just shared a parable with His disciples concerning prayer in Luke 18:1-8. He used the example of a poor widow whose persistence in confronting an unrighteous judge brought her what she needed. Jesus’ intent with sharing this parable was to illustrate the necessity of being persistent in praying to God for justice in our lives. Personal prayers play a significant part in this parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.

 

In the Jewish religious hierarchy there were three classes or groups of individuals. First were the Scribes. A Scribe was a person trained in writing skills and was used to record events that took place and decisions that were made.  (Jeremiah 36:26; 1 Chronicles 24:6; Esther 3:12). During the Babylonian Exile educated scribes became the experts in God’s written word, copying, preserving, and teaching it. In New Testament times Scribes interpreted the law, taught it to disciples, and were experts in cases where people were accused of breaking the Law of Moses. We also see that they were instigators of the plans to kill Jesus (Luke 19:47) and were sternly rebuked by Jesus (Matthew 23).

 

Secondly, were the Sadducees. These were members of a Jewish faction that greatly opposed Jesus during His ministry. They were known for their denial of the bodily resurrection or the immortality of the soul because these beliefs were not in the Law of Moses. They also did not believe in rewards or punishments after death, therefore they did not believe in Heaven or Hell. They also did not believe in angels. They interpreted the law of God literally and supported strict justice and rarely had mercy on offenders of the law. They came from the major families in leadership of the nation, the priests, merchants, and aristocrats. The high priests and most powerful members of the priesthood were mainly Sadducees. Many wealthy lay people were also Sadducees. They enjoyed privileged positions in society and managed to get along well under Roman rule. They were very concerned about any change in society that might upset the order and authority that was due them. While the priests were in charge of the teaching and application of the law for many years, they lost the respect of the Jewish people as they became corrupt. The common Jew then shifted their respect to the Scribes, who were experts in God’s Law and usually lived pious and disciplined lives.

 

Thirdly, there were the Pharisees. They were a religious and political party in New Testament times. They insisted that the law of God be observed as the scribes interpreted it. They also had a very dedicated commitment to keeping the laws of tithing and ritual purity. Their origin was in the faithful Jews known as the Hasidim. The Hasidim insisted on strict observance of Jewish ritual laws. Pharisees came to be represented on the Sanhedrin, the supreme court and legislative body of the Jews. At times, the Pharisees even dominated the assembly. In New Testament times, Pharisaic scribes, though probably in the minority, were still an effective part of the Sanhedrin. One distinctive trait of the Pharisees was their strong commitment to observing the law of God as it was interpreted and applied by the scribes. Although the priests had been responsible for teaching and interpreting the Law in Old Testament times, many people had lost all respect for the priests because of the corruption in the Jerusalem priesthood. They looked to the scribes instead to interpret the Law for them. The Pharisees also believed it was important to observe all the laws of God. But they were especially known for their commitment to keep the laws of tithing and ritual purity. Since Pharisees found that other Jews were not careful enough about keeping the laws of tithing and ritual purity, they felt it was necessary to place limits on their contacts with other Jews as well as with Gentiles. For example, they could not eat in the home of a non-Pharisee, since they could not be sure that the food had been properly tithed and kept ritually pure. Unlike the Sadducees, who were mostly rich landowners and powerful priests, many Pharisees were ordinary people. And even though other Jews could not be bothered with observing all the details of the law, they respected the Pharisees for making the effort.

 

One practice that the Pharisees were known for was the wearing of Phylacteries or Tefillins. These were small, square boxes of leather that contained portions of the Holy Scriptures and were worn by Conservative Orthodox Jews during prayer services. These Phylacteries were worn in pairs. One Phylactery was strapped on the left arm and one was strapped to the forehead of the Pharisee during weekday morning prayers. The word “Phylactery” comes from Greek meaning “safeguard, protection, or amulet.” The Phylactery strapped on the arm only had one compartment and the one on the forehead contained four compartments. The scripture verses were written in black ink on parchment specially prepared for this purpose using the skin of a ceremonial clean animal. There were also rules specifying the type of writing instrument to be used, the number of printed lines devoted to each verse and the arrangement of the pieces of parchment within each compartment. The wearing of Phylacteries was based on commands found in Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 6:8, 11:18). At some point in history, possibly as early as the fourth century BC, the Jewish rabbis began applying this very literally and began the practice of typing Phylacteries onto their arms and heads. Jesus mentions this religious habit of the Pharisees in Matthew 23:5. Jesus taught that God was more concerned with what was in a person’s heart than their external expressions of worship and service. Matthew 23:5 is evidence of this, “Matt 23:5-7, “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments.  “They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places,”

 

Pharisees observed the Law carefully to keep up their public appearances, but inwardly their hearts were far from God. Their motives were wrong because they wanted the praise of men. They also had evil desires that were hidden by their pious outward behaviors. That is why Pharisees were often called hypocrites, because their hearts did not match their outward appearance. The Pharisees thought they could match God’s standards by keeping all the outward rules. Pharisees often thought they were doing their best to keep God’s laws while others were not, therefore they often looked down on such “sinners,” especially people like tax collectors and prostitutes.

 

Tax Collectors or Publicans in New Testament times were contracted workers or agents for the Roman Empire who collected taxes for the government. Tax Collectors (Publicans) were wealthy men who contracted with the Roman government to be responsible for the taxes of a particular district of the imperial Roman state and were often backed by military force. There were times when Tax Collectors (Publicans) sometimes delegated their collection actions to lower subordinates who did the actual collecting of monies in the restricted areas where they lived. Zacchaeus is called a “chief among the publicans” (Luke 19:2), probably indicating one who contracted with the government to collect taxes, and who in turn hired others to do the actual work. These tax collectors gathered many different types of taxes that Rome levied upon the Jews such as a land tax, a poll tax, even a tax for the operation of the Temple. For collecting some of these taxes, a system of “tax farming” was used by the Romans, whereby the government auctioned off contracts to publicans (wealthy tax collectors) who would pay the Romans out of their own pockets and then collect from the public as much as they wanted to recover their investment. These greedy and cruel profiteers made their profit by collecting much more than they spent for their contracts. As a class, the tax collectors were despised by their fellow Jews. They were classified generally as “sinners” (Matthew9:10-11; Mark 2:15), probably because they were allowed to gather more than the government required and then to pocket the excess amount. John the Baptist addressed this when he urged tax collectors to gather no more money than they should (Luke 3:12-13). But even further, the tax collectors were hated because their fellow countrymen viewed them as mercenaries who worked for a foreign oppressor of the Jewish people.

In this passage we see two men went into the Temple to pray, but only one really did pray to God. This is seen in how they approach God in prayer, their outward actions, their inward demeanor, their humility before God or lack of it.

 

Pastor Alistair Begg tells us about this passage the following; “What you have really in these two individuals are two men who constitute the extremes within Judaism. One man representing the pinnacle of religion and the other the epitome of wickedness.”

 

Jesus was seeking to correct the false doctrine of the Pharisees who focused on outward religious practices for a measure of a person’s holiness before God rather than a submissive, humble heart before God. It was also true at the time, that people felt God was more apt to listen to prayers if they were done in the temple. In the Old Testament God dwelt in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple; specifically in the Holy of Holies where God’s “shekinah” glory dwelt. These were the appointed places of worship for Jews to fulfill their obligation to worship.

 

To fulfill their commitment to pray these two men went to the temple. The Pharisee was proud and confident of his own righteousness and thus with much pride he went to pray in the Temple. The tax collector, a despised individual by the local population also went to the Temple as well, but apparently his attitude was one of deep humility because of how convicted he was of his motives and actions as a tax collector. While he knew that most everyone despised him for his actions and his association with the Roman government, what apparently grieved him the most was how God viewed his motivations and actions as a Tax Collector.

 

While we see two men here who come to the temple to pray; we might say that only one really prayed, the repentant Tax Collector. The prayers offered up by these two men reveal what is in their innermost hearts and minds. It is also true that these prayers reveal the true motives behind their prayers.

 

It is interesting how Jesus chooses His words to describe each man. There are many observations we can make concerning these men and their prayers.

 

THE POSTURE, CONTENT, FOCUS OF THEIR PRAYERS AS WELL AS TO WHOM THEY PRAYED

 

FIRST: THEIR POSTURE WHILE PRAYING

 

PHARISEE: The posture of the Pharisee was one of standing upright, confident of his worthiness before God. The Greek word for “stood” here often refers to public speaking not internal praying to God. We do know whether he bowed his head which would reflect a more personal intimate prayer or whether he raised his head to indicate he was praying to God. Because the scripture indicates he was “praying to himself,” not to God, it is assumed the focus of his prayer was himself, not God. It is also very likely that because he knew he was in a prominent place in the temple that he was aware that he also had an audience of everyone else who was present. The Pharisee, in essence, had gone to the temple to feel good and brag about himself. He prayed with himself, to himself and for himself. In many ways he was thanking himself for his dedicated righteous living, not God. He was so “full” of himself there was no more room for God! His posture, both inward and outward, was one of pride because he felt he had not only kept all the laws exactly as God required, but even went the extra mile in excess of what God expected. As we evaluate the prayers of the Pharisee we must ask ourselves the question; As we live out our lives for Christ, do we make keeping rules and regulations the Gospel, or do we remain humble and intimately connected to God in our relationship to Him as we live out the Gospel in heart, mind and soul with love for God and others?

 

Theologian G. B. Caird stated, “No man can genuinely place himself in the presence of the holy God and still congratulate himself on his own piety; and this means that piety can become a barrier between man and God.”

 

TAX COLLECTOR: The posture of the tax collector was one of standing at a distance in the back of the temple, a place he could be secluded and alone. This would prevent others from seeing him because he knew people despised him for his profession. It also gave him personal seclusion so that he could pour out his heart to God and share truthfully how he felt for his motivations and actions as a Tax Collector. His head was bowed as low as possible in submission expressing unworthiness to approach God. He truly was humble and repentant of his sinful condition. The tax collector had gone to the temple because he was deeply convicted of his personal sin against God and others.

 

Bruce Larson shares his thought on the Tax Collector’s heart; “The publican saw God as unmerited grace, burning love, and endless forgiveness. He was awed by the God he knew.”

 

SECONDLY: THE CONTENT OF THEIR PRAYERS

 

As the Pharisee prays he is actually quoting a prayer in the Talmud. The Talmud is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law and theology. In New Testament times in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the centerpiece of Jewish cultural life and was foundational to “all Jewish thought and aspirations”, serving also as “the guide for the daily life” of Jews. Praying such a prayer the Pharisee was thanking God for his station in life, his status as a member of the “set apart ones.”

 

It is apparent that when the Pharisee prayed he did not speak to God but prayed to himself of how worthy he was of God. His prayer focused on the righteousness that he demonstrated by his disciplined life and commitment to the Law of God. His words almost suggest that he felt God was in debt to him for his righteous lifestyle and owed him blessings and salvation. The Law had become the Pharisee’s gospel of living. It is also very plausible that he prayed loud and eloquently so everyone could hear and be impressed, because it seems apparent that he was also impressed with himself as well. We should also take note that the Pharisee uses the personal pronoun “I” FIVE times in his prayer and as if he is the only righteous one present!

 

Biblical Theologian Dwight Pentecost states, “This parable was not addressed primarily to the disciples, but rather to those ‘who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else.’”

 

When the tax collector prayed to God he begged for mercy, recognizing his sinful life. The Tax Collector prays to show he is indebted to God.

 

The intensity of his very personal prayer was also verified by how he beat his breast in repentance with conviction. He was overcome with emotion of how his sins had grieved his God. It is very likely his voice trembled as he spoke words that reflected his repentance of his sins as well as the grief he was experiencing because he had sinned. There is always a great pleasure in being aware of the fact that God knows you inside and out, with your warts and all, and He still loves and cares for your!

 

THIRDLY: THE FOCUS OF THEIR PRAYERS

 

When the Pharisee prayed he concerned himself with the external evidence of his professed righteousness. He boasted of his own self-righteousness. He set his own parameters as to what was acceptable to God and boasted that he was not like other men who were “robbers, unfair evildoers and adulterers.” He even goes so far as to compare himself with the tax collector who was also present, whom he had probably noticed as he entered the temple. The Pharisee judged the tax collector by outward appearance and his business profession, rather than by personal knowledge of the man’s heart.

 

When the tax collector prayed his attitude was of conviction of sin and submissiveness to the holiness of God. He is totally focused on God and seems to have no awareness of the Pharisee who is present. The tax collector has chosen a place for his prayers in the back more hidden parts of the temple where he can avoid being seen. This was probably motivated by the fact that as a Tax Collector for his area people hated him for his profession, of collecting tax money for the Romans.

 

We see that the scripture verse Matthew 23:12 is appropriately applied in the prayers of these two men; “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.”

 

FOURTHLY: TO WHOM THEY PRAYED

 

While we might think the Pharisee is praying to God, actually he is mostly addressing himself. You might say he is praying a prayer of “Proclamation” boasting of his righteousness to those who are present in the temple. He is praying about himself, to himself. It is very likely the Pharisee was standing as he prayed and very likely up front in the synagogue so others could both see and hear him “perform” his prayer. Most Pharisees sought out optimal times to be seen in public so as to display their piety and holiness.

 

It is obvious the tax collector is overcome with remorse and repentance of his sin and wishes to confess them personally before Almighty God. He is totally focused on God and we see that he senses God’s presence and that His Lord is listening to him; for his head is bowed low in humble submission and repentance. We might say that while two men went into the Temple to pray, only one really prayed to God.

 

THE EMPHASIS OF THE PRAYERS OF THE PHARISEE

 

First, the Pharisee addresses three areas of his lifestyle and obedience. First, he majors on negative obedience. We see this in the statement;

 

‘God, I thank You that I am not like…”

 

The Pharisee focuses on the sins he has not committed and the sins that other people have committed. It is almost as if he is thankful for the sins of others for it makes him look even better he thinks in the eyes of God. This implies that God grades on a curve. The Pharisee’s standard is based on the worst of people who do the worst of sins thus he attempts to elevate his standing before God. This is actually deceptive praying to take the focus off his true sinful nature. This type of praying may fool those listening, but it doesn’t fool God and unfortunately the only one fooled is possibly the Pharisee. How horrible to pray in such a way that you deceive yourself to avoid facing your own sin!

 

We can also pray in this manner many times when we build ourselves up because we don’t consider our sins as bad as the ones that others do. Whenever we begin comparing ourselves to others to avoid facing our own issues the only one that is deceived by such thoughts is ourselves.

 

Secondly, the Pharisee majors on a legalistic type of obedience.

 

 ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’

 

The Pharisee begins to list the great and good things that he does to avoid recognizing his own sins. We see in the lifestyle of the Pharisees a legalistic pattern for life that is focused on extreme discipline, self-denial and ritualism that encourages an attitude of earning one’s acceptance by God. He makes the statement that he fasts twice a week, but fasting was actually only called for only on the Day of Atonement. His fasts of twice a week are way beyond necessary and total 104 fasts in the total year. It is very possible that he fasted on Mondays and Thursdays for that was the days people went to the market, it was the days that there were special services at the Synagogues and it was also the days the Jewish Sanhedrin had special meetings. Therefore it would be very likely that members of the Sanhedrin and the whole community would be aware of his fasting more than necessary and this would demonstrate his public righteousness. He states that he pays tithes of all that he gets. The Tithe that was to be given was 10% that came from the field of produce (Deuteronomy 14), but this Pharisee tithes everything that he gets in any form, whether it is a coin he finds on the road or clothes or possessions that are given to him.

 

Some of us have developed ritualistic behavior and thought patterns in an attempt to cover our guilt over the sins we commit. In a sense we develop our own pharisaical rules and regulations whereby we can justify ourselves as acceptable to God and totally avoid accountability in areas of sin that need to be confronted. While this may help us feel better about ourselves is causes us to avoid confronting the real areas of sin in our lives that need confession and repentance.

 

Thirdly, the Pharisee majors on what you might call comparative obedience.

 

“I thank you that I am not like other men other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.”

 

The Pharisee compares himself with other people who have outward lifestyle of sin or as in the case of a tax collector a tendency toward greed. He attempts to use a strategy of “self-justification” to validate his spiritual condition. The Pharisee fails to take into account that God looks at the heart of each person to discern their spiritual condition. While our outward actions are some evidence of what our heart is like, God knows your inward thoughts and desires intimately and judges your character based on these standards.

 

THE EMPHASIS OF THE PRAYERS OF THE TAX COLLECTOR

 

We see that the prayers of the tax collector are simple and to the point. He does not attempt to justify his behavior in any way. He does not compare his behavior to worse sinners such as murderers, adulterers, thieves or blasphemers. He is honest and to the point. He is humble and submissive, unwilling to even look up to the God he is praying to. He goes even further and beats his chest, which demonstrates the great conviction he has for his sin. It should be mentioned that men did not normally beat their breast in agony unless there was a loss of a loved one or occasions of intense emotional distress. In the Middle East women were the ones who beat their breast in agony and sadness because the culture understood women were allowed to vent their emotions. Men were to be strong and were expected to hold their emotional expression to a minimum except in dire situations. The tense of the verb in the original language indicates that the tax collector repeatedly beat his breast over and over due to the intensity of his emotional distress.

 

The content of the tax collector’s prayer was simple and directed completely to his God, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner.” He probably felt he couldn’t worship God, but he knew he could pray for God’s mercy. The simple use of the “the” before the word “sinner” speaks volumes. This communicates to us that the tax collector’s mindset was that it was as if he was the “ONLY” sinner in existence. It was “HE” who had sinned against God. It was “HE” who had offended his Heavenly Father. It was “HE” who felt remorse and conviction and wished to repent and be forgiven for his sins. He was not focusing on the sins of others, he was not comparing himself to those around him, he was greatly concerned about the sins he had committed and to him that was the most important thing in his life. He was intensely convicted to confess his sins to God and hopefully, by the grace of God, he could be forgiven. The Greek word for “merciful” used here is “hilaskomai” and means to conciliate, to atone for sin, make reconciliation for sins or to be merciful through grace. It comes from the Greek word “hilasmos” which means to atone for, or to have someone be an expiator for their sin. Jesus spoke these words in this parable to illustrate that He would be this expiator for all mankind. He would be the sacrifice, the sin offering so that mercy could be granted and sins forgiven for anyone who wished to seek forgiveness for their sins and receive eternal life.

 

We see in this parable Jesus shares that the Pharisee had a high view of himself and the Tax Collector had a high view of God. The differences we see between the Pharisee (self-righteous individual) and the tax collector (repentant sinner) illustrates for us how the religious people of Jesus’ day could reject the Jesus and feel totally fine with it. This is probably the most bold and accurate example of how the judgmental Pharisees rejected the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and felt absolutely fine and justified in such an opinion.

 

In the last verse in this passage, “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted,” Jesus tells us how each man goes home. The original language of this verse (passive voice) tells us that the tax collector went home “having been justified.” The tax collector was justified not because of something he had earned, but because of his heart attitude of confession and repentance. Such justification is something that takes place in the past and continues on into the future. It is quite possible that this tax collector went home and took action like Zacheus in Luke 19 after his conversion, he went and gave half of his possessions to the poor and paid those he had defrauded four times as much that they had lost.

 

We see as Jesus speaks in Matthew 5:20 that there are high standards for entering Heaven; “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Of course we know that there is no one that can achieve any amount of human enabled righteousness that can allow them to enter Heaven. It is only by the grace and mercy of God through acceptance of Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord that one can be saved.

 

This parable verifies for us the fact that Jesus taught justification by faith due to the grace of God. It actually teaches us how to become a Christian. You are saved not by trying to be good and pure, but by accepting the fact you cannot be good and pure on your own, you need the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross that supplies God’s grace to save you when you repent of your sins. Once you make this decision, the Holy Spirit is given to you to empower you to live righteously by His power. (Galatians 5:16, 25)

 

T. Kendall in his book, “The Parables of Jesus,” states; “The paradox of this parable is this: A good man is described, but he is entirely wrong; a bad man is also described, and he is entirely justified.”

 

This parable challenges us, as Disciples of Christ, to look within ourselves and evaluate which of the two men reflects our attitude towards not only God, but also other people. Do we come to the Lord in prayer as we live out our daily walk with Him; reflecting on…how blessed God is to have us as His child, how privileged Jesus is to our have us in His obedient flock and how proud the Holy Spirit is of us being a member of the His righteous team? Or, do we come to our loving Lord humbly in prayer, considering how blessed we are that God has granted us His precious grace, how we appreciate the fact that Jesus saved us from our sins, praying for us continually and how we are so privileged to have the gift of the Holy Spirit to empower us to live each day bringing glory to God? We must also ask ourselves another question; in our relationship with God are we trusting in our own righteousness like the Pharisee or are we living humble trusting in the righteousness of Christ who paid for our sins?

 

When we compare the characteristics of Pride and Humility we come up with some very critical distinctions:

 

The Prideful Person

 

Focuses on the failures of others

Is self-righteous, overly critical and fault finding

Looks down on those who aren’t as ‘spiritual’ or ‘committed’ as they are.

Thinks they know who is truly proud and truly humble.

Looks at their life through a telescope but at the lives of others with a microscope.

Thinks everyone is privileged to have them involved.

 

The Humble Person or Those Who Express Humility

 

Realize how far they fall short and have an overwhelming sense of their need to grow.

They are compassionate and forgiving.

They look for the best in others.

They seek to win people, not arguments.

They realize only God knows a person’s true motives.

They leave the judgment of the heart in God’s hands.

They think they don’t deserve the opportunities that God gives them.

 

One suggestion for how we should pray as obedient, humble and dedicate Disciples of Christ is the acrostic; A.C.T.S. – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication.

 

We should continually ask ourselves three questions as a Disciple of Christ:

 

Do your prayers reflect humility?

Do your prayers reflect who you really are?

Do our prayers reflect your relationship with your Heavenly Father? 

No one is perfect except Christ 

Identify your sins and faults. 

Ask forgiveness for your sins. 

Allow the Spirit to empower you to live like Christ to correct you faults.  

Keep short accounts with God.  

Stay in the Word of God. 

 

Other people have free will to make choices regardless of how hard you apply yourself to holy living, as you seek to support, love, and forgive them.

 

God is in control of your future. Your responsibility is to bow to His possession of your life; His desire for you to be conformed to the image of His Son and to be filled with His Spirit.

 

As you walk in His light, perceiving your weaknesses and being aware of the strengths He has blessed you with…Seek to be the person that brings Him glory and honor. Always…, always…recognize you never know when He will make a call on you to be a witness outwardly or to simply live in obscurity bringing Him glory in your thoughts and heart. Blessings await you as you put God first, people second and yourself last!”.

 

Racism is a horrible byproduct of pride. During Mahatma Gandhi’s student days he read the Gospels and thought that maybe he had found the cure to the caste system of India. He decided to go to church and ask the minister how to become a Christian. When he entered the church the usher refused to give him a seat, and told him he should worship with his own people. Gandhi left the church and never returned.

 

Jerry Bridges once wrote, “Humility is not an optional add-on for the super-spiritual; it is for all believers to practice in our daily lives.” Are you committed to growing in humility? Honestly assess yourself in light of these 10 marks and pray to God for his grace.

 

Karl Bart, “We dislike hearing that we are saved by grace alone. We don’t really appreciate that God does not owe us anything. That we are bound to live by His goodness alone. That we are left with nothing but the great humility of a child presented with many gifts, to put it bluntly; we do not like to believe. We would much rather do.”

 

In his book “UnChristian” David Kinnaman states; “Pride fuels judgmental attitudes. Arrogance is perhaps the most socially acceptable form of sin in the church today…arrogance within the Christian community is too frequently accepted or at least excused…research shows that we tolerate our own pride; we do not feel God’s anger at arrogance.”

 

Christian author; Tim Challies, shares his thoughts regarding Christian humility in an article called, “10 Sure Marks of Humility.” The ten marks are summarized below:

 

A humble person thinks little of himself. Job insists that God “saves the lowly,” which means, literally, “the person of low eyes” (Job 22:29). A truly humble person, in moments of honest introspection, thinks less of himself than even others think of him. He echoes David who insists, “I am a worm and not a man” (Psalm 22:6).

Isaiah 57:15

“For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.”

 

A humble person thinks better of others than of himself. “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,” says Paul, “but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3). A humble person thinks better of others than of himself because he can see his own heart and the sin that lurks there better than he can see the heart of any other person. Though he knows the extent of his own depravity, he assumes the best of others. While he searches himself for every vestige of sin, he searches everyone else for every vestige of grace.

 

 
Philippians 2:3-4

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

 

A humble person has a low assessment of his spiritual disciplines. Just as worms breed in the sweetest fruit, pride breeds in the holiest duties. The humble person studies God’s Word and prays fervently, but then repents of his trite study and weak prayers. He knows that even his best moments are still marred by sin and his best efforts are still so weak. He goes about the Christian disciplines, but puts his confidence in his Savior, not his duties.

 

 
2 Corinthians 12:9-10

“And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”

 

A humble person complains about his heart, not his circumstances. Even when he faces difficulty, his greatest grief is the state of his heart. Where a hypocrite loves to boast about his goodness, the humble soul is always aware of his badness. Even Paul, who had the immense privilege of being caught up to the third heaven, cried out, “Wretched man that I am!” The more a Christian grows in knowledge, the more he becomes aware of his ignorance, of his lack of faith, and the more he cries out for God’s grace.

 

 
Proverbs 3:5-6

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”

 

A humble person praises God in times of trouble. He praises God even in times of great difficulty and refuses to condemn God for bringing such painful circumstances. With Abraham he says, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” With Job, he always refuses to charge God with any wrongdoing, for it is the Lord who gives and the Lord who takes away.

 

 
Isaiah 41:10

“’Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’”

 

A humble person magnifies Christ. He always ensures that he gives glory to Christ. He deflects all praise away from himself and to his Savior. He takes the crown of honor from his own head and sets it upon Christ’s so that he will be magnified. He loves Christ in such a wholehearted way that he will give to him everything, including honor and praise.

 

 
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
“To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

 

 
A humble person accepts reproof for sin. A sinful, arrogant person is too high to stoop down to take a reproof, but a godly person loves and honors the one who reproves him. As Solomon says, “Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you” (Proverbs 9:8). A humble Christian can bear the reproach of an enemy and the reproof of a friend.

 

 
Proverbs 9:8
“Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you, Reprove a wise man and he will love you.

 

 A humble person is content to be eclipsed by others. He is willing to have his name and his accomplishments eclipsed by others so that Christ can be magnified and God can be glorified. He deliberately does battle with the ugly sin of envy, saying often, “Let me decrease and let Christ increase.” A humble Christian is content to be put aside if another can take his place and bring greater glory to God.

 

 Ephesians 3:6-9
“Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,”

 

A humble person accepts the condition God sees best for him. While a proud man grumbles that he has no more, a humble man wonders why he has so much. A Christian looks at his sin and marvels that his condition isn’t far worse. No matter his circumstances, his focus is not on his great difficulties but on his little holiness. He knows that even the worst of circumstances is far better than he deserves.

 

 1 Peter 5:6-7

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”

 

A humble person will stoop to the lowest person and lowest tasks. He will give time to the lowest person and he will give attention to the most undesirable tasks. He prefers to swab the sores of Lazarus than to enjoy the treasures of the rich man. He does not insist that he is too noble or too holy for anyone or any task, but willingly “associates with the lowly” (Romans 12:16).

 

 Romans 12:16

“Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.”

 

The missionary Hudson Taylor would be a good example of a humble person who accomplished much but never considered his Christian ministry as anything worthy of notice. The story is told of two women in Shanghai who were discussing the topic of pride and began to wonder if Hudson Taylor (the world renowned missionary) was ever tempted to be prideful because of his many accomplishments. One of the women decided to ask Taylor’s wife, Maria, about it. Maria promised the woman that she would find out. When Mrs. Taylor asked her husband if he was ever tempted to be proud, he was surprised. “Proud about what?” he asked. “About all of the things you have done,” his wife explained. Taylor responded, “I never knew I had done anything.” Hudson Taylor spent 51 years in China. The society that he began was responsible for bringing over 800 missionaries to the country who began 125 schools and directly resulted in 18,000 Christian conversions, as well as the establishment of more than 300 stations of work with more than 500 local helpers in all eighteen provinces.

 

I leave you with one last quotation concerning humility from Corrie Ten Boom.

 

“Corrie ten Boom was once asked if it were difficult for her to remain humble. Her reply was simple. “When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday on the back of a donkey, and everyone was waving palm branches and throwing garments onto the road, and singing praises, do you think that for one moment it ever entered the head of that donkey that any of that was for him?” She continued, “If I can be the donkey on which Jesus Christ rides in his glory, I give him all the praise and all the honor.”

 

May we as humble Disciples of Christ, challenge ourselves to be the donkey that Jesus rides on as we rub shoulders with our fellow Christians, but more importantly; with those who have not come to faith in Him yet.