The Pharisee and the publican

 

LIMAVADY INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH

TUESDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2023 

LUKE 18 VERSES 9 – 14

In the church and in the work of God everything hinges and falls on prayer.  While crossing the Atlantic on one occasion F B Meyer was asked to address people on the subject of prayer.  An agnostic was asked what he thought of what he had heard.  He replied “I don’t believe a word of it.”  The agnostic later that day was on his way to another service just to hear what the “babbler had to say”.  He put 2 oranges into his pocket and as he walked to the meeting he saw an elderly woman sleeping.  He reached for the 2 oranges and placed them into her outstretched hands.  He saw the woman after the meeting happily eating the oranges.  He asked her “you seem to be enjoying the orange.”  “Oh yes, my father is really good to me.”  “Your father?” he asked “surely your father couldn’t be alive.”  “Praise God he is very much alive.”  She went on to explain that she had been sick for days and was asking God to somehow send her an orange to help ease the sickness.  Somehow she fell asleep while she was praying and found when she woke not only one but 2 oranges.  The agnostic was confused but later became a believer on the basis that God answered prayer.  We see here in this passage a proud Pharisee and a penitent publican.

 

A proud Pharisee.  The reason why Jesus was teaching this parable was to point out those who were righteous in their own eyes so that they despised others.  Jesus had a wonderful way of putting his teaching across in his day.  The most common way was by parables – an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.  Verse 9 “And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others.”  In this passage we see that “two men were going up to the temple to pray.”  But even though there was a difference in the attitude of these 2 individuals, both were going to the temple and both were going to pray.  We are certain of one thing – they were not going together nor was it a united time of prayer.  A Pharisee is a Hebrew term meaning separation.  Separated in beliefs and practices.  The reason why these 2 men went up to the temple separate was because they had separate motives.  One was going up as a proud Pharisee the other as a penitent publican.  Picture the scene in your mind of the Pharisee walking up into the temple.  Perhaps the outside world was thinking and saying “what a devout man of prayer.”  This Pharisee was going to the place of prayer with the wrong motive.  Not interested from the purpose of communing with God.  He was not interested in bringing the needs of his family and friends to God.  He had one motive – to inform God about how good he was, what he has done and where.  We are not told what motivated this Pharisee to go to the temple and pray himself.  When we think of this Pharisee we need to seriously ask the question “what motivates us to come to the place of prayer?”  There have been cases where people have been attending the place of prayer to hear about everyone’s problems and then go out and gossip outside of what was said in prayer meting and prayed in the prayer meeting.  What is your motivation in coming to the place of prayer?  To pray for different needs laid on your heart or could it be for some other motive than true prayer?  A brief examination of his prayer shows something of the motive he had – verse 11 “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself”.  He was not only alone physically but alone spiritually.  The Saviour could not make intercession on behalf of this Pharisee because of what he was praying and the condition of his heart.  A good question to ask “is the Lord able to make intercession on behalf of my prayer?  Can the Lord answer this prayer?”  Or would we end up like the Pharisee who prayed on his own with no intercession being made.  As the Pharisee stood praying he started comparing himself to other men.  Extortioners can be interpreted smugglers.  Unjust can be interpreted as having never wronged anyone.  Adulterers includes womanisers or fornicators.  “Lord I am not a smuggler, I have not wronged anyone or am even as this publican.”  By now the Pharisee and Publican were both in the temple.  They could see each other.  Verse 12.  There is something about this man’s prayer.  He used the personal pronoun “I” 5 times in one breath.  Everything he said in his prayer may have been correct but it was all centred around himself as to who he was and what he was doing.  He was abusing the public place of prayer to gain public recognition and not to glorify God.  The public place of prayer is to glorify God not to receive public recognition.  Matthew 23 verse 14

 

The penitent publican.  Verse 13.  The publican had not tried to glorify himself.  He knew he had nothing to offer God.  There was no pride or attempt to justify himself.  He stood at a distance.  He did not look up.  He beat his breast.  It is worth pointing out the significance as to why he smote himself on his breast.  He knew where the problem lay.  The heart.  That is why he smote himself on his breast.  This all took place while crying out to God for mercy.  Nothing he could do to win God’s favour only look to the mercy of God.  Asking God to look on him in such a way he didn’t deserve it.  Everyone needs to come to God and receive mercy through what Christ has done for us on the cross of Calvary.  God’s redeemed ones need to come to God asking for forgiveness.  John in his first epistle chapter 1 verse 9”if we confess our sins … cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Remember he was speaking to believers.  A close examination of the prayers by men like Daniel, Nehemiah and Elijah all reveal to us a confession of sin personally first of all and then nationally.  When the publican prayed and sought mercy of God boasted not of his good works.  He went down to his house justified.  Verse 14.  An individual cannot be saved by good works but only by the mercy of God.  The penitent publican was justified in the sight of God.  The Lord made that clear.  He wanted his hearers to understand it.  “rather than the other”.  The Lord will not reject or despise those who are broken, humble and penitent before him.  Psalm 51 verse 17 “a broken and contrite heart thou wilt not despise.”  But there is one last lesson to note and it sums up the whole teaching of this parable. God will exalt those who are humble .  William McDonald the commentator said “God exalts the humble but he humbles those who exalt themselves.”  May it never be said of us we are a people who are proud and full of our importance.  May we be a people who are penitent before God, people who are humble.  “For everyone that exalts himself shall be abased and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”