Well, it has been another busy week, and add jury duty to the mix! The fundraising for Romania is going well. My grandson, Elijah, who just turned 7 put in $1.50 for “Nana’s trip”. I have to tell you it is the best money I have collected so far. Yesterday and today while I was having my quiet time in the morning I came across the same topic in two different places. The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. In Luke 18: 9-14 the bible tells us:
9) He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and looked down on everyone else: 10) Two men went up to the temple complex to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11) The Pharisee too his stand and was praying like this: God I thank You that I’m not like other people-greedy, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12) I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get. 13) But the tax collector, standing far off would not even raise his eyes to heaven but kept striking his chest and saying, God turn Your wrath from me–a sinner! 14) I tell you, this one went down to his house justified rather than the other; because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.
So we have two men here one a Pharisee and one a tax collector. The Pharisee’s had earned quite a reputation for personal holiness, at least on the outside, at least what people could see. The tax collectors on the other hand had a very different reputation. They were hired by the Roman government to collect taxes for them. If the tax collectors collected over and beyond what was due to the Romans they would then keep the “extra”. Needless to say many of them became rich overcollecting from their own people. They would have been excluded from many aspects of Jewish life and were considered the lowest of the low in this society. In this parable the Pharisee righteousness–self-righteousness, was keeping him from God. The tax collector who knew he was nothing but a sinner, this was a man who was counted righteous. When I was reading this morning, it reminded me of what I read yesterday morning in Anne Graham Lotz book. We become saved, then we know that Jesus is ours. Then to quote Anne,
Then our hearts are flooded with peace, our days are filled with purpose, our eyes are focused upward, our spirits bask in His unconditional love, our souls rest in His grace. And our life in Christ is more than wonderful–for a while.”
She goes on to ask how long did the peace, joy and love fill your life? A week? A month? A year? She asked a haunting question, “when did you become aware something was very wrong?” Struggling with your old self, your old habits and weaknesses and your new life with the Savior. She goes on to say at this point usually one of two things happen. Knowing something is wrong, that you have this conflict in your heart, you think you are different from everybody else, scared that people are going to see you have the conflict going on. So you put on the “mask”, start acting more spiritual than you are. You keep living in your old nature but you put on a good show at church and with your “church friends” that you are living in your new nature. Kinda like the Pharisee, his mask looked good from the outside, but behind that mask he had not changed. Then they will start to resent an authentic Christian whose life reveals their pretense and phoniness, again like the Pharisee’s. The second option is the one Paul took, to stop living in our sinful nature to become the authentic christian. It may not be easy and it will not be an overnight fix, but if we hold onto Christ with all we have. If we know we are nothing but sinners who deserve nothing, like the tax collector. Then hit our knees and humbly pray for God to help us down our new path, yes then we can become that christian we want to be!
