Bible Studies

---

The Gospels

Luke 18:9-14 - The Few; The Proud; The Self-righteous
Key Verses: (NLT)

• 9: "Then Jesus told this story to some who had great self-confidence and scorned everyone else:" - It is important to visualize to whom Jesus is telling this story. Picture the faces in this crowd of the proud, indignant, and self-righteous. Are you among them?
  
  
• 10: "Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a dishonest tax collector." - Once again, Jesus pits the revered religious leader against the scorned, outcast, and lowly of society.
  
  
• 11-12: "The proud Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: `I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else, especially like that tax collector over there! For I never cheat, I don't sin, I don't commit adultery, ¹²I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income." - Pride interferes with our relationship with God and prevents Him from transforming us into the disciples we were created to be.
  
  
• 13: "But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, 'O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.'" - Recognizing who we are and how far we are from the perfection of Christ is the first step towards glory.
  
  
• 14: "I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For the proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored." - Pride elevates our thoughts and actions above God. We become God in our own mind. When this happens, there is little God can do to reach us.
  

Points to Contemplate:

• Are you proud? Do you feel good about your Christian ethics and morals? Do you judge the world around you? Do you point fingers of condescension and scorn? Do you feel if others acted the way you act or if they adopt the morals you have adopted that the world would be a better place? Do you think that you should be able to subject your Christian ethics onto others? Does forcing the world to live according to the moral standards or codes you feel are right solve anything? When you choose to lift yourself above others and criticize their actions are you creating barriers between you and God? Worse yet, are you creating barriers that keep others from knowing God?
  
  
• Are you righteous? How have you become righteous? Is it because you are a good person and you generally follow Jesus' teachings in your life? Do you give to the poor and yet, shun contact with them? Are you friendly and hospitable to those less fortunate than you in a condescending way? Do you go out of your way to show that you love your neighbor, no matter how unappealing it feels? Do you tithe on Sunday and yet, lose your anger on Monday? If you are righteous, should there not be real change in the way you live your life? Do you recognize that you have become righteous or justified only through the love of Jesus Christ? Do you accept that you can only be molded into Christ-like perfection when you are able to completely set yourself aside and allow God full control of your life? When you do this will your actions define who you are or will Christ's love define what you do?
  
  
• Are you humble? Do you cry to God: 'O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner?' When you do this what happens? Does it make you feel like a door mat, worthless and tread upon? Or do you suddenly experience the magnitude of God's love? Do you see that through this process of humbling yourself that God reaches into your life and exalts you before the entire world? Will you willingly set aside your pride and self-esteem today so that God can begin to fully transform you into the disciple He originally created you to be?
  

Promises of the Gospel:

In many ways we tend to look upon the Pharisee in this story with scorn. What religious leader would act that way? It is obvious from his words and actions that he has elevated himself above God. No one would do this. However, we must be mindful that Jesus was speaking to those "who had great self-confidence and scorned everyone else." It is very likely that if we look closely we will find ourselves in this crowd. We must come to realize the danger involved around the issues of pride and self-righteousness. Our world is filled with it. Christians everywhere face the temptation to exhort platitudes of self-righteousness and condemnation. We feel we hold all the answers to life. We read the Bible and then reach out to change the world, justified by what we have read and scorning those who think differently. Issues of life, be it politics, religion, faith, or ethics, are God's domain. When we stand and criticize the actions of others and hold up templates of holy living for them to follow, we have then taken over God's job. We do not have the right to judge others any more than the Pharisee had the right to judge the tax collector. When we choose to set ourselves up to higher standards forcing the world to be like us because we are good, we have completely blocked access to God. Not only do we stop hearing God through the din of our own self-righteousness but others will not be able to see Him through our actions, as well. All they will be able to see is us in our full and inflated glory. Becoming humble runs counter to who we are. Becoming humble opens our eyes and hearts to the fullness of God's love. When we become like the tax collector and recognize the truth that everyone else already sees about ourselves, then God can begin to really change us and the world around us.

FUMC Devotionals

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE