I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.                       

                                                                                                     Luke 18:14 

Today: Read Luke 18

At the beginning of this passage we are given the reason for Jesus telling this parable. At the conclusion, we are provided with a biblical principle crucial for any believer to follow. And what is the reason for the telling of the parable? Consider the following:

And He (Jesus) also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt… 

                                                                                                           Luke 18:9 

Spiritual arrogance is not uncommon. It will always exist when mankind lives somewhere between the gospel of Jesus and religious works. While good works should be a byproduct of authentic Christian living, it is easy to be persuaded that it is actually our works that are playing a role in our salvation. It’s only natural that we want to have something for which to boast even though scripture clearly teaches us to boast about nothing except that we know the Lord (Jeremiah 9:24). Spiritual arrogance can surface in the life of any unsuspecting believer. But the characteristics of this misguided attitude cannot be denied.

Our passage reveals two distinct features of spiritual arrogance: (1) A reliance on one’s own behavior as a means for justification and (2) An overactive focus on the behavior of others. Declaring ourselves righteous because of what we do and because of what we have avoided is a dangerous game to play. When we reach the point in which we are willing to place ourselves above others solely because of our morality, we place ourselves at the front of the line to fall into spiritual arrogance.

Two men both go to church. Both are sinners and both are going to pray. One is described as a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. I love the way that Jesus describes these men. He is drawing a contrast between two social extremes. The Pharisee represents religious people, the churchgoers, and the ones in whom we would look at as righteous. The tax collector represents the worst of the worst. He is a cheat, a manipulator, and one in whom others are taken advantage of for the sake of material gain. Could these two men be any different from one another? Yet they had something in common; they were both seeking God in prayer. The way people pray says a great deal about their beliefs and the attitude of their hearts. Consider the Pharisee’s prayer:

“God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.”

                                                                                                                 Luke 18:11-12  

First, he thanks God that he is not like other people. Wow! It doesn’t get much more arrogant than that. The Pharisee is proud of the fact that he has avoided certain sins in which others have fallen. When we begin to think that we are more accepted by God because of our avoidance of certain sin, we deceive ourselves. The Pharisee expresses condescension toward the tax collector and continues his prayer of thanksgiving by listing the great things in which he has participated (fasting, giving, and of course praying). Contrast that with the prayer of the tax collector:

But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 

                                                                                                                       Luke 18:13

By distancing himself, not looking up, and beating his chest, this man was physically demonstrating an attitude of humility. No mention of the sin he had avoided because he hadn’t. Also no mention of the religious things in which he had participated, he hadn’t done that either. He was a sinner and he knew it. He needed God’s mercy and that is exactly his request.

Only one man goes home justified before God and it isn’t the religious man. The tax collector was shown mercy from God simply by humbling himself and asking for it. The Pharisee couldn’t see past his own religious experience to recognize his need for justification. Consequently, he missed it. And what about that biblical principle? Consider the following:

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

                                                                                                                 Luke 18:14b 

When we rely on our own morality as a means of being accepted by God, we deceive ourselves and place ourselves in the dangerous position of being spiritually arrogant. Like the Pharisee, this spiritual condition often surfaces in viewing others with contempt. But when we humble ourselves and ask for God’s mercy, we receive.

If you are not a Christian, you need to humble yourself and ask for God’s mercy, the kind of mercy that leads to salvation and all of the other spiritual blessings that accompany grace. As believers, we have already received God’s saving mercy but we still to guard ourselves against religious legalism and the spiritual arrogance that can so easily follow. May we realize that we are all in need of justification and that “going home justified” requires humility but is ours for the asking!