To show the importance of humility, Jesus juxtaposes the “righteous” Pharisee against the “sinful” tax collector. Since the tax collector was humble and the Pharisee was not, God exalted the tax collector. As much wrongdoing as it is believed a tax collector participated in on a regular basis, his humility took precedence.
By: Undre Griggs, Jr. Have you ever noticed that Jesus likes to challenge social norms in His parables? For many during that time, if you say the name tax collector and Pharisee in the same sentence, you automatically think something positive is going to be said about the Pharisee and negative about the tax collector. Luke 18:10-14 (ESV): “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” In this situation, Jesus is trying to teach the crowd to look for the humble person. If someone has a prestigious position, but he or she is not humble, God will not exalt them and we should not either. God is not pleased with someone who thinks they are the sole result of all their blessings. God wants us to glorify His name when we succeed. To show the importance of humility, Jesus juxtaposes the “righteous” Pharisee against the “sinful” tax collector. Since the tax collector was humble and the Pharisee was not, God exalted the tax collector. As much wrongdoing as it is believed a tax collector participated in on a regular basis, his humility took precedence. James 4:6 (ESV): But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” It is vital to remember we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. To look at our sin and feel justified when comparing them to another’s is unwise. If you are humble, you will be like Paul and see yourself as the chief sinner. Paul’s humility is one of the reasons God exalted him. The sin of killing and persecuting Christians would disqualify him from being an apostle in most of our views, but not God’s. God saw a person who was wrong and misguided, but that is what He has seen in all of us at some point. Which person will you be? The humble will accept the reality they cannot earn their salvation, and they will seek God’s assistance. The proud will believe they are a good person, living the best they can; and you cannot expect perfection. The choice is clear, neither are perfect, but only one God exalts to the status of “sons of the Most High God”. Choose wisely.
By: Undre Griggs, Jr. In Luke 6, we find Jesus has chosen his twelve disciples (Luke 6:13-16). After Jesus chose His twelve, he started to heal the sick and remove the unclean spirits. He then moved onto what is generally referred to as the Beatitudes and the Woes. In them, Jesus tells us what is required to be blessed; as well as what is required to be of sorrow and woe. It is a blessing to be hated, excluded, and reviled in the name of the Lord (Luke 6:22). It is woeful to be liked by everyone and to be satisfied with the joys of the world. Jesus wants us to know we can find blessings in our suffering if we are not concerned with earthly satisfaction. Understanding this, Jesus then felt it important to explain how we should treat those who hate, exclude, and revile us. Luke 6:27-31 (NKJV): “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. Jesus expects His followers to treat everyone with love and forgiveness. By describing them as “enemies”, one can conclude they have not shown any remorse for their mistreatment of us. At a young we were taught to apologize for our misdeeds, which indeed we should. However, if someone does not apologize, we are not entitled to treat him or her any differently. Luke 6:32-36 (NKJV): “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. To be a resident of the world, you only have to love those who love you. If you want to be a child of the Most High God, you have to behave like the Most High God. God shows mercy and kindness to the “unthankful and evil” (Luke 6:35). Christians are held to a higher standard and are expected to be benevolent to those who wrong us. We need to consider, (1) what benefit is it to only treat those who honor us with honor; (2) what level of appreciation is it for us to only love those who shower us with kindness and affection; and (3) how forgiving is someone who requires remorse from the person before they can forgive them? Jesus makes it clear our actions are to be merciful and full of love, independent of their behavior.
By: Undre Griggs, Jr. After Jesus found out John the Baptizer had been murdered, He was concerned. Not in the way most of us would be concerned, but He was concerned about the void John’s death left. John had been preparing the world for His coming, and he had been baptizing those who believed. His teachings were the inspired word of God, and Jesus was focused on saving souls. Mark 6:30-34 (ESV): The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. Immediately seeing a need, Jesus began to teach the lost people the word of God. In Matthew’s account (Matthew 14:14), he highlights the fact Jesus began to heal the people who were there. Jesus was worried about their physical and spiritual body. He taught the word of God to deal with the soul, and he healed their body to handle the physical. Mark 6:35-37 (ESV): And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” His disciples were not filled with the same amount of compassion and mercy for the lost. They understood they were not obligated to help anyone more than they already had. As a result, the disciples were ready to send the people on their way to fend for themselves. Can we find ourselves in similar situations where we teach someone the word, and if they do not come to Jesus, we send them on their way? The word for compassion in Scripture is defined as mercy. To show compassion requires us to go beyond the call of duty. The disciplines felt they met the requirement of teaching the word of God to the people, so they did not see the need to go any further. Jesus showed us the effort He put in was more than what anyone would expect. No one would expect someone to feed five thousand people, yet Jesus fed them. The amount of time it took Jesus to heal each sick person was likely exhausting and cumbersome, yet He did it. Jesus showed mercy to the lost because He was focused on savings souls and He wants us to do the same thing. Be patient, show compassion, and forgive those who sin against you; because God affords the same mercy to you.
By: Undre Griggs, Jr. Identical to us, Jesus Christ had the freedom to live a life of His choosing. Jesus could have lived a life seeking peace and prosperity, but instead, He chose to live a life of service. He focused on spreading the Gospel and making sure His disciples were prepared for a life without Him. His goal was to make sure each of us had the opportunity to join Him in heaven one day. Jesus endured suffering, ridicule, and torture because our sin. He lived a life of humility as a pattern for us to understand how we should live. John 13:12-17 (ESV): When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. Jesus withstood anguish because He wanted us to know how we ought to handle ourselves in similar situations. He wanted us to know how to interact with people we do not like, even those who wish ill on us. Jesus wanted to make certain we lived a life appreciating others more than ourselves. This sometimes requires us to be more patient than we would prefer, or it may require us being more forgiving than justified. Jesus asked Jehovah to forgive those who put Him on the cross, while He was hanging on the cross (Luke 24:14). Jesus was not concerned with being right or justified; He was concerned about the well-being of others. Galatians 5:13 (ESV): For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Through His actions, we lose the ability to mistakenly live a self-centered life. Through His life, we are able to understand what it means to serve each other in love. Our service should be honest, patient, kind, and of a gentle heart. Our actions should be thoughtful, forgiving, and understanding of each other’s differences. We do not have to sacrifice our life on a cross, but we do have to sacrifice our time in service to each other. The most precious item we have at our disposal is our time. It cannot be replenished once it is exhausted, and how we use it speaks volumes about who we are. Let us be mindful our time on this earth is not promised, and live each day in service to each other.
By: Undre Griggs, Jr. Jesus warns His disciples of a time when they will be worried, anxious, and in fear of their life. He tells them their fear will be triggered by his departure. While they do not completely understand what Jesus is saying at the beginning, they eventually come to the correct understanding. Like a bird having to learn to fly by being pushed out of a nest, Jesus’ disciples were about to be pushed out of the nest. John 16:16-17 (ESV): “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” They would be fearful as they witnessed the death of their Savior on Calvary’s cross. So fearful, Peter would deny he knew Jesus and Judas would commit suicide at the thought of Christ’s death. The disciples would worship in private, for they feared what would happen if they were caught acknowledging Christ as the son of God in public. Those three days would have likely been the worst three days of the disciple’s life. They had no guide, no direction, and they did not know what to do next. John 16:22-24 (ESV): So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. After the third day, Jesus raised from the grave and rejoined His disciples; turning the worst three days of their lives into the best. Could you imagine the moment they realized Jesus conquered death? When Jesus returned, the disciples had new direction, new confidence, and a new zeal to share the Gospel. Though they would endure much suffering from that day forward, as Christ prophesied, they would never allow their joy to be stolen. The resurrection of Jesus Christ should instill an everlasting belief; we can overcome all the world has to offer because our Savior accomplished it first.
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Dean Road
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