What Is Jesus Doing With Sinners?

KJV - Luke 19:1-10 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. (2) And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. (3) And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. (4) And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. (5) And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. (6) And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. (7) And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. (8) And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. (9) And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. (10) For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

NIV - Luke 19:1-10 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. (2) A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. (3) He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. (4) So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. (5)  When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”(6) So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. (7)  All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’” (8)  But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” (9)  Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. (10) For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

In our text today, we find Jesus interacting with a different kind of person. So often in the four gospels, when we see Jesus making a one-on-one connection with an individual, that person is usually desperate and at the end of their rope.  They are in need of some kind of life changing assistance, like healing, for themselves or for a family member in order to function in life.  

Zacchaeus, on the other hand is much different.  Zacchaeus, we are told, is the chief among the publicans.  The publicans of that day were THE tax collectors for the Roman government...the Roman IRS if you will.  The Romans would recruit the locals of their conquered lands and have them collect taxes from their own people on behalf of the Romans.  While it was often profitable for those that chose to do it, they would be viewed as traitors by their own people.  Not only was Zacchaeus a publican, he was a chief among the publicans.  Therefore he was both very successful and very disliked.

Neither of those qualities: success and/or being a social pariah were enough to cause Jesus to immediately dismiss Zacchaeus as a candidate for following him.  When Jesus arrived to town, Zacchaeus was up in a tree trying to catch a glimpse of Jesus walking by.  Jesus also did not consider Zacchaeus a lost cause or too evil to save. Neither did he make assumptions that “a guy like that” won’t have anything to do with me, Jesus tells Zacchaeus that he is coming to his house to stay.  When that happens, the crowd began to murmur:  Oh...Jesus is hanging out with “sinners”.

There are three very important lessons we must learn from this text:

1.  We Cannot Judge a Book by its Cover.

On the surface, most people would have written off Zacchaeus as someone that would NEVER be a follower of Jesus.  He is too successful.  He would never give up his money.  He clearly doesn’t care what others think.  We could go on and on.  The fact is that Zacchaeus broke all of the rules.  And, if Zacchaeus does, so can others.  We must not dismiss others based upon ANY superficial information.  There are a lot of people hurting in this world that look like they have it all together.  Don’t dismiss anyone

2.  Jesus Came to Save Sinners

We must never miss the true mission of Jesus:  To save that which is lost.  The Bible is clear that the lost are all those that sin.  That includes all of mankind.  You, me and Adolf Hitler.  That means that all people are in need of Jesus’ gift of salvation.  It also means that no one is automatically disqualified because they are too far gone.

1 Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

We must never write off any individual because we think they are too sinful.  There is no such thing as too sinful for Jesus!

3.  Jesus Did NOT Condone Sin!

While Jesus was willing to associate with those that were perceived to be vile sinners by society, Jesus never condoned sin.  This is one of several passages that I have seen others use to attempt to argue that Jesus condones sin.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  One of the foundational principles of the New Testament is to repent of past sins and to live the life that Jesus prescribes.

2 Peter 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 

We are challenged by Jesus to be as much like him as we possibly can, both in thinking and in action.  Let us examine ourselves to react to those around us, like Jesus did Zacchaeus.

Reflecting His SON,  

Dennis Hogan

Minister, North Hardin Church of Christ

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

1804 Sam Stewart Dr.

Radcliff, KY  40160

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward 

their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.

What Do You Want?

KJV - Luke 18:35-43 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: (36) And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. (37) And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. (38) And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. (39) And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. (40) And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, (41) Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. (42) And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. (43) And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God. 

NIV - Luke 18:35-43  As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. (36) When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. (37) They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” (38)  He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (39)  Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” (40)  Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, (41) “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to see,” he replied. (42)  Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” (43) Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God. 

In our last installment of Reflecting the SON, we looked at this same passage.  We focused our attention on how the beggar got what he was seeking because he was determined, regardless of the the crowd pressuring him to be quiet.  Today, I want to look at this passage from a different perspective.

Jesus after being informed that the man was in need, requested that the Beggar be brought to him.  Remember now that Jesus has the supernatural ability to know men’s hearts and thoughts so Jesus surely was able to know this man’s circumstances. With that understood, Jesus asks a bazaar question:  What do you want me to do for you?  Really?  The guy is blind...isn’t it obvious?  Not necessarily!

Does EVERYBODY that is hungry want food?  Again it would seem obviously yes, but not necessarily.  Some people that are hungry are drug addicts and would rather score another hit of drugs instead of a meal.  Others might have gambled their food money away and would rather spend five dollars on a chance to get even rather than a meal.  The point is, the answer may SEEM obvious but isn’t.  The guy may have been blind so long that he had given up on seeing and may have just asked for food or money.  He could have heard of Jesus, but may not have believed that Jesus could have made him to see.

Jesus asks us all:  “What do you want me to do for you?”  What is your answer?  The Blind Beggar KNEW what he wanted.  He knew what he needed to have a better life.  I think too often, people do not know what they need to have a better life than the one they currently have.  The fact is, what the world needs is to deal with the problem of sin.  But sadly, most do not realize that fact.

So with that concept understood, Does everyone that is lost want to be saved?  Again the answer is NO!  There are a host of reasons why people may not want to be saved.  They may not believe they have a need to be saved.  They may rather live in their established life of sin.  They may not be willing to pay the price.  Some may belieive that a worldly solution has already solved their problem.  The list is too long to list them all.  However, we need to ask ourselves.  Jesus is asking.  What do you want?  Do you want to be relieved from the burden of sin?  Do you want Jesus to pay for them for you.  If so, then we have to be willing to be a true follower of him. We must be willing to change our life to be like him.  We must deny ourselves.  (Matthew 16:24)

What is it that you really want?

Reflecting His SON,  

Dennis Hogan

Minister, North Hardin Church of Christ

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

1804 Sam Stewart Dr.

Radcliff, KY  40160

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward 

their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.

Ignore the World to Focus on God!

KJV - Luke 18:35 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: (36) And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. (37) And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. (38) And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. (39) And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. (40) And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, (41) Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. (42) And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. (43) And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God. 

NIV - Luke 18:35-43  As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. (36) When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. (37) They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” (38)  He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (39)  Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” (40)  Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, (41) “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to see,” he replied. (42)  Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” (43) Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God. 

There is a famous line in the movie “The Wizard of Oz”.  Dorthy and the gang have made it to the Emerald City to find the Wizard.  They make it to the room where the Wizard is speaking to them, when Toto the dog pulls the curtain open.  To further disguise himself and to perpetuate the con, the man at the microphone projecting himself as the the Great Wizard states “Don’t pay attention to the man behind the curtain”.  There are times in which the world encourages us to ignore the the obvious. The obvious that they want us to ignore is not the man behind the curtain but the one who created the universe. The events in this passage remind me of that statement: “Don’t pay attention to the man behind the curtain”.  

A blind man is begging along the roadside.  Due to his handicap, he is really unable to take care of himself and so begging or panhandling is all he can do to scratch out an existence.  As he is begging by the roadside, there came by him a crowd of people creating a commotion.  As he inquired about the crowd, he was told that Jesus of Nazareth was going by that way.  Apparently, this blind beggar had heard of Jesus.  In fact, he knew exactly who Jesus was because he began yelling for Jesus to have mercy on him.

As Jesus approached, the Beggar’s publicity stunt created ire among Jesus’ entourage.  In fact, the Bible says they rebuked him for it.  In other words, the crowd was trying to hide the beggar from Jesus.  It’s as if they wanted to say: “Don’t pay attention to that beggar on the side of the road”.  But it was not in Jesus’ nature to disregard a person in need.  Jesus never saw anyone as being beneath him or undeserving of his time.

Even though this man got pressure to stop calling for Jesus, He didn’t.  Instead it inspired him to call out all the more and even louder.  The Beggar had a goal in mind and he was not going to let others distract him.  The beauty is that it worked.  Jesus heard him and and responded to his request.  Because this man so diligently sought after Jesus, he received the reward that he was seeking. 

Likewise, if we seek the right thing, we too are promised to find it.

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

So often, the problem with us not reaching our spiritual goals is that we do not DILIGENTLY seek.  We may think that we seek,  We may go through some motions of seeking.  But we allow the world to stop the process.

Luke 8:14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

What if that beggar had quieted himself when those in the crowd told him to?  There is a good chance that Jesus would not have heard him nor asserted himself to find the Beggar.  We have lots of pressure in this world to not seek God as we should and therefore we are quieted by the world and quit seeking.  We are distracted by the world and quit seeking.  When we quit seeking before we find, we will not gain what we hope for.  It is only when we are like this beggar that we keep on, in spite of the world, will we find the healing that we need.

1 Corinthians 15:58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 

Reflecting His SON,  

Dennis Hogan

Minister, North Hardin Church of Christ

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

1804 Sam Stewart Dr.

Radcliff, KY  40160

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward 

their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.

Rich, Young and Still Needs to Be Saved!

KJV - Luke 18:18-25 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? (19) And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. (20) Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. (21) And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. (22) Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. (23) And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. (24) And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! (25) For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

NIV - Luke 18:18-25  A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  (19)  “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. (20) You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’’ (21)  “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.  (22)  When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”  (23)  When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. (24) Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! (25) Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Salvation is NOT of our doing!

One thing that the world must realize is that we are unable to save ourselves!  We cannot refrain from sin enough to deserve salvation.  We cannot do enough good to earn salvation.  We cannot have enough money for God to feel inclined to save us.  We cannot be born into the right kind of family that will cause God to feel compelled to let be saved on our own.

So is the situation with this Rich Young Ruler.  This young man comes to Jesus inquiring about how to obtain eternal life.  I cannot help but wonder, by his ultimate reaction, if he didn’t come to Jesus with the expectation of being validated for his self-perceived stellar life.

As we continue this discussion, we must make this clarification.  Jesus of course, has not died as of yet and so both Jesus and this Rich Young Ruler is living under the Old Law of Moses.  Jesus was asked a specific question about a specific individual’s circumstances and so Jesus gives his answer based upon those circumstances at that time.  We must not assume that the answer he gave in this rich young ruler’s context specifically applies to us as we are now under the Law of Christ.  With that said some real principles apply.

When asking what must I do to inherit eternal life, Jesus gives him an answer that would apply to a Jew under the Law of Moses:  Keep the Commandments.  I feel certain that at this point the young man feels pretty good about himself.  The young man tells Jesus that he has kept all of them from his youth.  At this point, Jesus throws him a curveball.  While the young man is ready to be given his stamped ticket into heaven, Jesus simply sees him as a candidate for being a follower.  

The young man wasn’t done because he had kept the law of Moses, instead, he had just begun.  Jesus tells him to do 4 additional things.  Things that he was unwilling to do.

1.  Sell All that he has.

2.  Distribute those monies to the Poor.

3.  Come to Jesus.

4.  Follow Jesus.

The first two items throws off a lot of people.  Some tend to think that everyone has to do this in order to be a Christian.  But those two things are not told to anyone else anywhere else in the Bible.  Remember, Jesus had the ability to read the hearts and minds of people and so I think it is clear that Jesus taking a principle that he tells to everyone and specifying it to this particular individual.  

Matthew 16:24  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Jesus knew that this man’s riches was the most important thing in his life, so instead of generalizing the command of deny thyself,  he made it very specific to him.  However, this principle still applies to us.  We must deny ourselves of whatever will get in the way of us serving our savior with our all.

One of the things that we must see in Jesus’ instruction is that when asked: What must I do?  Jesus did not chastise him because there was nothing to do.  Jesus requires the PROPER response to his sacrifice and ultimate gift.  We cannot save ourselves by our own actions...good or bad.  But we must not think that it eliminates our responsibility to serve him in whatever manner he requests from us

Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (22) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? (23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Every person that desires to come to Jesus MUST come to him.   So what does it mean to “Come to Jesus”?  That is a long detailed series of lessons so I will generalize.  By its very nature, to “Come” to Jesus, we must first leave where you are and go to where he is.  We CANNOT become followers by remaining in the sinful life that we have previously lived.  We must be willing to forsake that old life.  In short, in order to come to Jesus, we MUST:

1.  Believe (John 3:16)

2.  Repent  (Luke 13:3)

3.  Confess Jesus  (Matt 10:32-33)

4.  Be Baptized  (Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16)

Lastly, we must FOLLOW Jesus.  When I read this, I cannot help but think of the children’s game “Follow the Leader”.  In that game, the followers are to mimic EVERY movement, gesture, direction and destination of the Leader.  Jesus is our leader and we must be willing to conform our lives to match EVERY characteristics of our Savior.

The Rich young ruler was unwilling to be the follower of Jesus.  Let us not fall into that same trap!

Reflecting His SON,  

Dennis Hogan

Minister, North Hardin Church of Christ

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

1804 Sam Stewart Dr.

Radcliff, KY  40160

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward 

their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.

Allow the Little Children!

KJV - Luke 18:15-17  And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. (16) But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.  (17) Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.

NIV - Luke 18:15-17  People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. (16) But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  (17) I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

I have always been amused at the point in a toddler’s life that they do not want to be called a baby.  Children, from the time that they are able to have a grasp of the concept, wants to be older than they actually are.  Until they get to about the age of 30 then we want to live in the world of denial in the opposite way...but that is a whole other subject.  The concept of being a child or thinking like a child is a great insult to most adults.  But Jesus says that, in at least one way, we ought to be more childlike.

So what are the characteristics of a child that we need to emulate?

1.  BELIEF:  A child is so open to new concepts, they can be convinced of almost anything. Unfortunately, as we get older, we grow increasingly more skeptical.  That is not to say that belief in God requires that we forfeit the use of knowledge or facts.  On the contrary.

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 

The difference is that many adults today, seem to require so many facts that faith is no longer required.  We certainly need approach God with a similar childlike faith.

2.  TRUST:  A child cannot help but be trusting.  It is really all they know from their very first day after birth.  A child cannot “provide” for themselves from a survival standpoint until probably into their teenage years.  Therefore their parents truly supplies all of their needs and a child cannot help but let it happen.  If we are going to be like a child when approaching God, we need to learn to be more trusting.  Trust is hard for a “logically” thinking adult.  We want to fend for ourselves.  But we must ALWAYS realize that ONLY God can truly supply all our needs.

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 

3.  LOVE:  There is simply nothing like a child’s love.  It is so warm.  It is so giving.  It is so pure.  It is deep.  One of my greatest and most cherished memories is that of coming home from work and having my daughter, after hearing me enter the house, scream at the top of her lungs “Daddyyyyyyyyy”!  I would hear the pitter-patter of her little feet running as fast as she could to make her way to me.  When she would arrive to me, she would give me a hug that would use every muscle in her little body.  She loved her daddy completely.  That is manner that we need to love our father in heaven.

Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

1John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us. 

4.  OBEDIENCE:  While every child tries to push the limits set by their parents, they need the structure of those rules.  The rules and laws established by loving parents are in place to benefit and protect the children from harm.  Obedience to our heavenly Father is not any different.  God establishes laws and guidelines for our to follow for our own protection.  

1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 

If we are going to be the people that God wants us to be, we need to give up our worldly pride of being independent and and self determining, and be willing to submit ourselves to our loving father as little children

Reflecting His SON,  

Dennis Hogan

Minister, North Hardin Church of Christ

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

1804 Sam Stewart Dr.

Radcliff, KY  40160

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward 

their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.

The Danger of Self!

KJV - Luke 18:9-14  And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: (10) Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. (11) The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. (12) I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. (13) And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. (14) I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

NIV - Luke 18:9-14  To 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.  (11) The 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.  (12) I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’  (13) “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ (14) “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

There was a show on television when I was growing up called the “Flip Wilson Show”.  It was a variety show comprised of various skits.  One of the skits featured a character named Geraldine.  When Geraldine got caught doing something wrong, she used the famous line:  “The Devil Made Me Do it”.  When it comes to wrong doing, we like to cast blame to anyone but ourselves.  The hard truth is, that WE are our own worst enemies.  We have no one to blame but ‘ME’.  That is really the message of Jesus in our passage today.  We can be our own worst enemy.

At the foundation of “self” is PRIDE.  Pride, at least as the Bible uses it, is an exaggerated view of one’s self.  That exaggerated view of our own selves causes us to think we are better than others and/or that we know as much as God.  The interesting thing about pride is that it is difficult to recognize it in ourselves.  If asked, no one would claim to know more than God, but actions speak louder than words.  If God says that a particular action is a sin, for instance, if we rationalize that it is not, then we have concluded our way is better than God’s way.  In conclusion, we think that we know better than God.

This attitude also finds its way effecting how we treat others.  Racism is pride manifested.  Again, it is hard to see in ourselves.  A person may not say openly that they are better than that “other” group, but we might think that “other group” is some how beneath us.

That is the picture that Jesus is describing in the comparison of the two men praying.  One man, a religious leader, sees himself in a manner that he is better than others.  He feels he is better than extortioners, the unjust, adulterers, and tax collectors.  In his own mind, his sins are less offensive.  In his mind, “THEIR” sins are much more disgusting.  His sins, I’m sure, are only minor “mistakes”.  They are not as bad as those “other people”.  What we must all realize that all sin is offensive.  All sin separates us from God.

Isaiah 59:1 Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: (2) But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. 

The pharisee goes on to highlight his good deeds.  As if, somehow those deeds in and of themselves makes a person righteous.

On the other hand, the tax collector had the proper perspective of himself.  He saw himself as a sinner.  He saw himself as someone unworthy to present himself before God.  There was no justification that his sins were not as bad as some other guy.  Instead he realized that his sin, regardless of how big or small, regardless of few or many was offensive to God.  Furthermore he felt that because of his sin, he was unable to look unto heaven. In fact he asked, even pleaded for God’s mercy.

Do we still plead for God’s mercy?  Or do we have the attitude that we have already earned it? 

Then Jesus brings the conclusion.  The latter man, the “sinner”, will go home justified because of this heart and attitude!  That state of mind and condition of heart will allow him to submit to the will of God.  On the other hand, the other man’s attitude will prevent him from submitting to the will of God because he will think he doesn’t need to

Luke 18:14  ...for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Reflecting His SON,  

Dennis Hogan

Minister, North Hardin Church of Christ

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

1804 Sam Steward Dr.

Radcliff, KY  40160

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward 

their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.

Pray Without Ceasing!

KJV - Luke 18:-1-7 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; (2) Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: (3) And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. (4) And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; (5) Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. (6) And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. (7) And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

NIV - Luke 18:1  Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. (2) He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. (3) And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ (4)  “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, (5) yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’”  (6)  And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says.  (7) And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?.

When I was young, my first job was cutting yards. In a week’s time, I would cut 7-10 yards to make money.  The one thing that I really hated about my little business was having to collect money.  I always felt like that if I took it upon myself to cut the grass, as agreed upon, the they ought to likewise take it upon themselves to pay me what we had agreed on.  I hated to ask.  I always felt like I was begging.

In a similar way, I think a lot of us are hesitant about pestering God.   We hate to ask for the same thing over and over again.  If you have ever had that reservation.  This passage is for you.

The whole purpose of this teaching of Jesus is to encourage us “always to pray and not faint”.  Jesus knows our tendencies and so he aims to put us at ease.  He tells in a parable of a woman who comes to a judges house repeatedly and often, asking for the judges help in a matter.  At first the judge declines, but do to her perception he finally grants her wish.

Jesus concludes this parable by asking a rhetorical question:  If a godless judge will do what is asked in such a situation, Won’t God the father also answer when pleaded with?  The answer of course is obvious.  Of course!

God loves his children and wants the best for them and wants to assist them in their burdens.

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Reflecting His SON,  

Dennis Hogan

Minister, North Hardin Church of Christ

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

1804 Sam Steward Dr.

Radcliff, KY  40160

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward 

their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.