9 And he spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray: one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not as other men are: extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice in the week. I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven, but smote upon his chest, 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 everyone who exalts himself shall be abased, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14

Are you justified in God’s eyes? Does God count you just and righteous and holy in His sight? Or, are you guilty and condemned, headed for eternal damnation because of your sins? The Bible tells us in Romans 3:19-20: “Now we know that whatever things the law says, it says to those who are under the law so that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law, no flesh shall be justified in his sight, for by the law comes the knowledge of sin.” And, in verse 23, it says, “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

So, how can we be justified before God and acceptable in His sight? Look at the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. Who went to his house justified?

Was it the Pharisee who counted himself righteous before God because of his outward obedience to the commandments of God? Did God count him righteous because he gave alms to the poor? Was he really justified because he fasted twice a week and gave tithes of all he possessed? No, but he shall be abased, brought low, condemned, because even his best works do not measure up to God’s standards (cf. Isa. 64:6).

How about the tax collector? He collected taxes for the Roman government. And, to make a living, he had to charge even more than what the Romans demanded. He was viewed as both a traitor and a thief. Certainly, he did not deserve to be justified by God and counted righteous.

But, how did he pray? In verse 13, we read, “And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven, but smote upon his chest, saying, ‘God be merciful to me a sinner.’”

And what does Jesus say? “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself shall be abased, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted” (v. 14).

Note that the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican was told by Jesus “to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others” (v. 14). And, from this parable, we can learn much.

When we feel that God will accept us, hear and answer our prayers, regard our worship, or receive us into His everlasting kingdom because of who we are and what we have done — because we have been faithful Christians and are not unfaithful sinners as so many others are, we are praying in a similar fashion as the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable. The pharisee may have counted himself as just, but he was not counted just and righteous in the sight of God!

Rather, we should come to God as did the humble tax collector who knew of his own sinfulness and unworthiness before God. When we come before God, we should come humbly, acknowledging our sin and looking to Him for mercy and forgiveness. With the tax collector, we join in praying, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”

Again, Jesus said, “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself shall be abased, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted” (v. 14).

We are all unworthy sinners according to God’s holy commandments. We have no grounds to view ourselves as just or righteous in God’s eyes. Thus, if we exalt ourselves and count ourselves righteous and worthy before God based on our own works or merits, we will be abased and find ourselves cast into the eternal fires of hell.

But if, on the other hand, we humble ourselves and acknowledge our utter sinfulness and look not to our own righteousness but to the perfect righteousness of Christ and to His innocent sufferings and death on the cross for the sins of the world, we shall be justified before God and given the eternal joys of heaven! Cf. Romans 3:21ff.

In Psalm 34:18, we read: “The LORD is near to those who are of a broken heart and saves those who are of a contrite spirit.”

And, we have it spelled out for us in 1 John 1 and 2 (1:8-9; 2:1-2): “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. … My little children, these things I write to you so that you do not sin. And if any man sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

Since Christ died for our sins and rose again (cf. 1 Cor. 15:3ff.), we can come before God in faith and with the assurance that He will forgive our sins and hear and answer all our proper prayers (cf. 1 John 5:11-15). One might even say that we come to the LORD God in humble boldness — humble because we are unworthy sinners, but in boldness because Christ died for us and redeemed us (cf. Heb. 10:19ff.).

And, when our last hour comes, we can have the assurance that we are counted just and righteous and have eternal salvation entirely of God’s grace and mercy in Jesus Christ.

It is as we read in Ephesians 2 (1,4-10). We “were dead in trespasses and sins. … But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, has made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are saved), and has raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. It is not by works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Before Thee, God, who knowest all, with grief and shame I prostrate fall. I see my sins against Thee, Lord, the sins of thought, of deed, and word. They press me sore; I cry to Thee: O God, be merciful to me! O Jesus, let Thy precious blood be to my soul a cleansing flood. Turn not, O Lord, Thy guest away, but grant that justified I may go to my house at peace with Thee. O God, be merciful to me! Amen. (“Before Thee, God, Who Knowest All,” The Lutheran Hymnal, Hymn # 318, Verses 1,3. By Magnus B. Landstad, 1861; Tr. Carl Doving, 1909.)

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version.]

And he [Jesus] said, “That which comes out of the man, that defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts: adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile the man.” Mark 7:20-23 (Read v. 14-23)

It is not enough to be cleansed on the outside. And, certainly, cleansing one’s hands before eating will not make a person clean before God. Our real problem is not the dirt on the outside but the uncleanness and sinfulness on the inside — in our hearts.

Jesus explains in Matthew 15:17-20: “Do you not yet understand, that whatever enters in at the mouth goes into the belly and is cast out into the latrine? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and they defile the man. For out of the heart evil thoughts proceed: murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

Our sinful nature, inherited from Adam, is the cause of our uncleanness before God and it moves us to commit all sorts of sinful acts.

St. Paul, quoting the Old Testament Scriptures, further explains man’s sinfulness in Romans 3:10ff.: “As it is written, ‘There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God. They have all gone out of the way. They have together become unprofitable. There is no one who does good, not even one. Their throat is an open sepulcher. With their tongues they have used deceit. The poison of asps is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways. And the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.’”

In Jeremiah 17:9, God’s Word says: “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?” Or, as David wrote in Psalm 51:5, “Behold, I was shaped in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.”

That is why we need to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus which was shed on the cross to atone for the sins of the world (cf. Hebrews 9:22). Because of our sin-infected hearts, we cannot be clean of ourselves and we cannot cleanse ourselves. The only way to be counted clean before God is to have our sins washed away in Jesus’ blood.

Again, God’s Word says in 1 John 1:8-9: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” And how can this be? How can a just and holy God pardon us and forgive our sins? God’s Word provides the answer in 1 John 2:1-2: “If any man sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

It truly is as the 1876 hymn of Robert Lowry states in its opening verse, “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus; What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

O dearest Jesus, grant that I not attempt to be clean by my own outward works but rather acknowledge the sinfulness of my heart and trust in You and Your shed blood for pardon, forgiveness and cleansing. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version.]

“I know, O LORD, that your judgments are right and that you in faithfulness have afflicted me. Let, I pray you, your merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to your word to your servant.” Psalm 119:75-76

Are you suffering? Are you facing hardships and difficulties in your life? Do you know pain and heartache all too well?

As Christians, we learn from God’s Word that His judgments are always right — God makes no mistakes in His dealings with us. When He afflicts us and chastens us, He is being faithful to us, as a loving Father.

You need not feel that God has forgotten about you, or that you are suffering wrongfully. God has a purpose and a plan, and He is working for your good (cf. Rom. 8:28; Heb. 12:3-11).

Peter writes: “Therefore, let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls in well-doing to a faithful Creator” (1 Pet. 4:19).

In our suffering, we can also find comfort! That comfort lies in the “merciful kindness” of our God. Even in our suffering, God has not dealt with us as we deserve. As the Scripture says, “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so is his mercy great toward those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:10-12; cf. Lam. 3:21-23).

Instead of punishing us for our sins, God laid them upon His own Son, Jesus Christ, and punished Him in our stead. Our sins were punished upon Jesus’ cross, and Jesus’ resurrection on the third day proves that atonement was made and that we may find forgiveness for all our sins and life everlasting through faith in Jesus’ name (cf. Isa. 53:6; Rom. 4:23 — 5:2).

So, dear Christian, take comfort! God is being merciful and kind to you even in your suffering!

O faithful and merciful Father, grant us forgiveness and life through faith in Your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ, and comfort us in our afflictions with the knowledge that You are doing what is good and right for us and will lead us safely through this life to yourself in heaven. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version.]

“Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I have kept your word. … It is good for me that I have been afflicted so that I might learn your statutes.” Psalm 119:67,71 (Read Psalm 119:65-72)

Have you ever considered that your troubles may be good for you? If you are sick, if you are suffering financial hardship, if your life has fallen apart, could this be for your good? The psalmist tells us of the benefits of affliction: “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I have kept your word. … It is good for me that I have been afflicted so that I might learn your statutes.”

Sometimes we need to be afflicted with sickness, disease or trouble before we will wake up and see that we have been going the wrong way in our lives. Sometimes we need to feel the consequences of our own sin and indiscretion before we come to our senses and turn back to the LORD God and His ways.

But not all affliction and suffering are the direct result of some particular sin in our lives. Yet God still deals with us for our good. Though our outward body may be withering away from disease; yet, through this affliction, we may be drawn deeper into God’s Word and be growing stronger in the inner man (that new spiritual life created in us by the Holy Spirit through the promises of God’s Word). We may lose everything we have in this world and yet gain and possess, through faith in Jesus Christ, forgiveness for all our sins and the everlasting riches of heaven.

O almighty and everlasting God, thank You for the afflictions in my life, for bringing me to see the error of my ways and the goodness of You and of Your Word, for drawing me into the Scriptures and granting me forgiveness for all my sins and the everlasting joys of heaven through faith in Jesus Christ and His innocent sufferings and death in my stead. In His name, I pray. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version.]

And when he had come near, he beheld the city and wept over it, saying, “If you, even you, had only known in this day the things which belong to your peace! But now they are hid from your eyes. For the days shall come upon you, that your enemies shall build a barricade about you, encompass you, keep you in on every side, and shall lay you and your children within you even with the ground. And they shall not leave in you one stone upon another because you did not know the time of your visitation.” Luke 19:41-44

Luke’s gospel tells us that Jesus, when He drew near to the city of Jerusalem, wept over it because its people did not recognize Him as their Messiah and Savior — they did not know and recognize the things which make for peace between God and man; they were hidden from their eyes. Jesus loved them and shed His blood in death upon a cross to redeem them, but they didn’t know and didn’t see and didn’t repent and turn to Him in faith!

As a result of their unbelief, God’s judgment would come upon them. The words of Jesus were fulfilled when the Roman armies besieged and destroyed the city and the temple in 70 A.D. The people were killed and taken away captive.

In Luke 21:20-24, Jesus had said, “And when you see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are in the midst of it depart from it, and do not let those who are in the countries enter into it. For these are the days of vengeance so that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse infants in those days! For there shall be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword and shall be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”

But does Jesus also weep over you? Does He weep because He willingly went to the cross and paid in full for all your sins and yet you do not recognize Him and His sacrifice and you continue on in impenitence and unbelief?

The Bible says of Jesus in Matthew 9:36: “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them because they fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd.”

And people today are no different than people of Jesus’ day. They wander to and fro like sheep without a shepherd. They do not recognize their own utter sinfulness, nor do they recognize Jesus as God’s Son in human flesh and their Savior from sin and eternal death.

We see it in family members and friends, coworkers and acquaintances. They are lost and headed for the fires of hell and don’t even know it. They may know of Jesus, but they do not know Him and trust in Him for pardon and peace, forgiveness and life everlasting!

Yes, Jesus weeps, and we weep with Him in sorrow as we see people living their lives in ignorance of Jesus and what He in love has done for them — in ignorance of the judgment which is soon coming upon them.

Does Jesus weep over you? Does He weep because He loves you and went to the cross and paid in full for all your sins and yet you do not recognize Him and His sacrifice for you and you continue on in impenitence and unbelief?

The Bible tells us in Isaiah 53:6: “We have all like sheep gone astray. We have each turned to his own way, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

We’ve all sinned and gone astray! We were all headed toward eternal condemnation! But God the Father sent His Son, Christ Jesus, and charged Him with our sin. Christ died in our stead. He bore the punishment for your sins and mine and rose again from the dead on the third day that we might repent and look to Him in faith and receive God’s pardon and forgiveness! God desires our salvation! He sent His Son to redeem us, and He sends His Word and the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sins and to move us to look to Jesus our Savior in faith!

There is sorrow when we do not repent and look to Jesus, but there is joy when we, by the grace of God, trust in Jesus and are saved!

O dearest Jesus, eternal Son of God and son of man, open my eyes to Your love and mercy, cleanse me from all my sins and give me life in fellowship with You, the Father and the Holy Spirit through faith in Your sacrifice for my sins. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version.]