Unworthy before God

Background Scripture: Luke 18
Lesson Scripture: Luke 18:10-14; 17:5-10

Introduction

Jesus reproved religious pretense; his strongest words were spoken against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. He did not condone the actions of the publicans and prostitutes either. He came to save them all. But the latter, being acknowledged sinners, found it easier to humble themselves before Christ.

People with these attitudes still exist today, and Jesus came to save us all.

Key Verse

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost (Titus 3:5).

Lesson Scripture

Studying the Lesson

There was a time after the Babylonian captivity when the Jews who had returned to their homeland began to blend into the culture of the day. The Pharisaic sect may have formed to counter this drift away from God’s law. They preached that the Jews should be strictly obedient to the law, obeying it to the minutest detail, including new rules they made which they thought amplified the law.

The Pharisees accepted the Old Testament but gave almost equal weight to their additions. These external rites included fasting, long prayers, distributing alms, and avoiding social contact with gentiles. They became the religious elite. Though there was some soundness in their creed, the whole system was a form and little more by the time Jesus came. They were often denounced by Jesus because their outward religious rites had become a cover-up for their pride and self-righteousness. At the first mention of them in the New Testament, John the Baptist calls them a “generation of vipers.”

In contrast to these deeply religious people, at the opposite end of the social scale, were the despised publicans. They were local Jews who had contracted with the Romans to collect taxes from their own people. The publican had promised to collect a certain amount of money in one year and pay it to the Romans. Whatever he could collect more was his profit. It was a system set up for dishonesty and extortion, resulting in intense hatred for the publicans. Matthew and Zacchaeus were publicans who became followers of Jesus.

Two men, a Pharisee and a publican, entered the temple. Each addressed God in prayer. The Pharisee’s words, however, can hardly be called a prayer. He addressed God, but his words did not have the essential elements of prayer: adoration, supplication, confession, and true thanksgiving. He felt no need; rather, he tried to elevate himself by putting others down, especially the publican. He fasted twice a week, although Moses required only one fast a year on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:29-30). He tithed more than the law required. According to Pharisaical standards, he was considered righteous.

The publican, by contrast, stood away by himself. He felt unworthy to stand close to people who were righteous. He “smote his breast,” thus expressing his grief. He saw himself as the worst of sinners. The publican’s prayer showed an attitude of humility, confession, and sincerity. Confessing his guilt, he threw himself on the mercy of God.

The first man, having felt no need of God, left without God. The second, having implored God’s mercy, walked away with God in his heart.

Practical Truths for Today

If we follow our human nature, we become exalted. Even like the Pharisee, we like to be noticed, raised above others, as well as have control of our situation. Sometimes adverse circumstances or harsh criticism makes us feel worthless. The healthy-minded person sees himself neither as towering over others nor cowering beneath them. Paul instructs every believer to not “think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Rom. 12:3).

If the Pharisee had understood the command “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart” (Deut. 6:5), he would have realized that prayer is part of a love relationship with God; he who loves God is obedient to his will. To be conscientiously obedient is a response of loving the Lord because He first loved me and saved my soul and not a qualification I bring to God for his blessing.

The Pharisee obviously did not understand the writings of David, who for an Old Testament believer had a good understanding of the gospel. Consider Psalm 51. David’s plea for mercy (v. 1) indicates a consciousness of his own sin and therefore his unworthiness before God. He begs for forgiveness (vv. 7-10); then he praises God with a contrite heart, acknowledging his need to sacrifice (vv. 15-19). This concept seemingly was foreign to the Pharisee. The publican came and begged for God’s mercy. He realized his sinfulness, truly humbled himself, fell on the Rock, and was broken. He went home justified.

We can check ourselves. If I entered church next Sunday and saw Jesus standing there, how would I respond to Him? Would I breathe a sigh of relief that I had done relatively well compared to the brother beside me? Or would I be thankful that Jesus had made it possible for me to be reconciled to God despite my depravity?

When we approach God, we must realize our sinfulness and our need for his mercy. We must pray as the publican, “God, be merciful to me a sinner.” This prayer, spoken from the heart, will always be answered. The new birth is the gift of God to those who humbly repent. Then we thank God for his mercies. True humility and a sense of unworthiness are the fruit of this life-changing transformation. A man on death row was interviewed. He said, “My parents were good Christians, but I went wrong.” He repented and met God. Neither his good works nor his parents’ could save him. Despite his evil works, including murder, the Lord saved him when he repented.

Humility is evidenced in many ways. When the Mennonites migrated to Canada, they were given special privileges, such as military exemption and loans, to get started. They appreciated these concessions, and because of their sense of unworthiness, they fully repaid all the original loans made to them in their poverty. Humility bears fruit in reverence for God, respect for elders, and good manners in our social interactions. Although the Scriptures point us to the humility of a little child, parents need to teach their children to be polite, even in details such as it being rude to walk between two adults who are speaking together.

When the Lord spoke to Abraham, “Get thee out of thy country,” the patriarch did not say much; rather, the Bible declares, “He believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness” (Gen. 15:6). When God spoke to Moses, “Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh” (Exod. 3:10). Moses felt so inadequate he needed encouragement to go, after which he went in God’s strength. God asked Isaiah, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah replied, “Here am I; send me” (Isa. 6:8).

Christians who obey the call of God help maintain the true faith. In one sense God does not need us; however, we need Him and owe our service to Him. Let us thank Him for his tender mercies toward us and do what we know in our heart is God’s will.

Questions

1. What are ways to maintain the sense of unworthiness that Jesus requires of his disciples?
2. What is the difference between feeling worthless and unworthy?
3. God wants us to labor in love together with Him. How do we keep the vision of our utmost need of God?
4. Zacchaeus was a publican. What profound change do you think happened to him between Jesus’s announcement that He would visit him and Jesus’s entry into his house? (Luke 19:1-10).
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Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).