God Honors Humility

Hello everyone.

In my last post, I started sharing my exegesis of Luke 18.  We will continue that today, by looking at verses 9-14.  In this section of Scritpure, Jesus shares the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector:  Here is my translation:

9 To those who were convinced of their own righteousness while looking down on other people, Jesus told this parable. 10 “Two men went to the temple to pray.  One was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood off to himself and prayed, “Oh God, I thank you, because I am not like other people: Those who are greedy, dishonest, or adulterous, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week, and I tithe everything that I earn.” 

13 However, the tax collector, standing far off, and not wanting to lift his eyes toward the heavens, but instead, beating his chest, and saying quietly, “Oh God, make atonement for me, a sinner.” 14 I’m telling you, this tax collector went home, viewed as righteous before God, rather than the other man, because all of those who exalt themselves will be humbled, while those who are humble will be lifted up.

Luke makes a specific point that Jesus is addressing a certain group of people when he tells this parable.  He is telling this parable to those who are convinced of their own righteousness, while looking down on other people. This parable defines the righteousness that God is looking for.  Kenneth Bailey says this about the parable, “”Behind this parable is the rich heritage of God’s gracious gifts of saving acts (righteousness) and the call for a reflective response to that grace.” (Bailey, 345.)

In this parable, one is self-righteous and the other is humble.  Self-righteousness leads us toward despising others and being judgmental.  No one would say it this way, but self-righteousness assumes that our ‘righteous’ behavior earns us God’s grace. (Bailey makes a great point: We want to make sure that we are not taking the same attitude as the Pharisee, with a twist, praying, “I thank you that I am not like this Pharisee.” (Bailey, 343.)) 

Let's look at the Pharisee, who stands off to himself.  This is likely because he is distancing himself from others, ‘less righteous’ people.  He would not want to be defiled by those that he would consider unclean. 

Bailey makes notes that in 1st Century Judaism, prayer was considered to come in  three forms.  1) Confession of sin, 2) thanks for bounty received, and 3) petitions for oneself and others.  (Bailey, 347.) The Pharisee does none of these, merely thanking God that he is better than everyone else. Instead, the man lists off his accomplishments, as though he were making a commercial for himself:

• I am not like other people (sinners). 
• I am not greedy, dishonest or adulterous, or like that tax collector.
• I fast twice a week and tithe everything. 

His own self-perception was probably not true.  We have established that many Pharisees were greedy,and he was certainly dishonest with himself.

Now, lets' look at the tax collector. The tax collector also stands away from everyone else, but not because he believed himself to be clean, but because he recognizes his own defilement, and his own unworthiness to approach God. The tax collector approaches God in humility. 

Jesus' audience would automatically identify with a Pharisee.  They were considered the most righteous among the people, while the tax collectors were among the most despised. Those in the audience would have assumed that it was the Pharisee had God ear, and the tax collector did not.   

One man, the Pharisee, is convinced of own righteousness, basically letting it be known how lucky God is, to have a man like him. Whereas that the tax collector only acknowledged one thing about himself.  He was a sinner. 

Which of them was considered righteous before God?  Jesus spells it out.  The humble one (the tax collector), is the one that God views as righteous.   Jesus finishes, saying, “all of those who exalt themselves will be humbled, while those who are humble will be lifted up.” 

Remember, Jesus is talking to a group of self-righteous individuals, who were looking down on everyone else.  They saw themselves as righteous, but God did not.  Boasting did not enhance their standing. The one who recognized his own unrighteousness was viewed as righteous. God honors our humility, not our own perceived righteous behavior.

     Kenneth Bailey, Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes, Downers Grove, Ill. Intervarsity Press Academic, 2008. 

A Prayer for Justice

Hello everyone.

Today, I will start my exegesis of Luke 18.  Here is my translation of the verses 1-8:

1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable about how they should always pray and never give up. 2 He said, “There was a judge in a certain city that did not fear God or care about people. 3 But there was also a widow in that city that came to him and said, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ 
4 For some time, he was unwilling to help her, but eventually he said to himself, ‘Even though, I do not fear God or care about people, 5 since this widow continues to annoy me, I will give her justice, so that she doesn’t completely exhaust me by constantly coming to me with her problem.’”
6 Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge is saying. 7 Would God not work to bring justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him, day and night? Would He continually delay their justice? 
8 I tell you, He will bring justice for them quickly.  However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the Earth?

Jesus tells another parable on prayer, with the emphasis on persistence.  Luke says that the parable is about how they “should always pray and never give up.” God is powerful and has the ability to do things that we would consider impossible.  He can rectify any situation.  Jesus is asking us to keep putting the situation before God and never giving up on it. 

The parable involves a judge, who is not concerned about justice. There is much in this short parable about justice, initially denied, but eventually granted. The judge does not fear God, nor he care about people. Jesus even refers to him as ‘the unjust judge.’

The parable's other character is a widow. This widow makes a request for justice. For a long time the judge was content in not giving it to her, bur finally relents because he was so annoyed by her persistence. 

   

The widow has an adversary.  It is not made clear exactly what the situation is, so all we could do is speculate, but what is clear is that she has an unjust situation going on with another person and she seeks justice, and she was not afraid to be a nuisance for her cause.  Ultimately the judge says, “since this widow continues to annoy me, I will give her justice, so that she doesn’t completely exhaust me.” 

The Greek word ἤρχετο (ērcheto) which means ‘she was coming’, is iterative in this context.  That means that her coming to the judge was a repeated constant action.  She was wearing him out. 

The judge refuses to grant her request for a long time, but eventually relents so that she will just leave him alone. 

Luke uses the phrase Παρέχειν μοι κόπον (parechein moi kopon) to describe how the unjust judge feels about the bothersome widow.  It means something like ‘she gives me trouble.' As the widow has been quite a nuisance to the judge, I translated it as “she continues to annoy me.”   So to avoid the constant hassle, he relents and gives her what she wants.

Now the comparison turns to God.  If the widow, through persistence, can change the mind of someone in power, who really doesn’t care, how much more would God, our Father, take up our cause, since He does care.  Through persistence, the widow received justice.  How do God’s chosen ones get justice? By crying out to Him day and night. Like the widow, when we are powerless, we make our appeals to someone with the power and authority to bring us justice. 

Take note that this is a prayer for justice.  God cares about justice, and He will bring it.  Luke says that He will bring justice quickly.  Sometimes, it feels like God’s justice comes very slowly.  It is hard to know what quickly means to God.  But, does tell us that he will bring justice to those who cry out to Him, day and night. God does vindicate His people. 

This passage closes, at the end of verse 8, with the question, “However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the Earth?” What do we do when God’s justice does not come as quickly as we would like?  Do we continue to have faith?  Do we continue to pray?  Jesus wants to find us faithful, never giving up and always trusting in God’s provision and protection.

Tom