Luke 18- Andy's thoughts

O God, be merciful

This chapter opens with another argument from the lesser to the greater. Jesus tells the story of the unjust judge, not to focus our attention on the details of the judge but rather on the depth of the justice and mercy of God. In our world there is so much rampant injustice. We can’t turn on the news without hearing about some awful story of how people are committing evil against other people. If we don’t feel some deep inner pain over some of these stories then we are growing too callous.

It may be that we feel like God has grown too callous also. Within this story we see glimpses of the problem of evil. We wonder why a good and powerful God seems to allow so much evil to exist. Jesus does not answer the question in the format that philosophers prefer. He does not lay out a logical syllogism that answers the philosophical questions of our minds. Instead, he engages our emotions with a statement about God’s character that speaks to our hearts.

If even unjust judges can show mercy, how much more can the just God of the universe show mercy? Then Jesus follows up with a question for us- will we have faith in this God? Jared, you comment on how this last part is a bit confusing. I agree that it seems to be a break in the flow of thought. I think it is good for us to recognize the gross injustices in the world and that we should seek justice. “Search for peace, and work to maintain it.” (Psalm 34:14b)

I think that Jesus is calling us to have a faith that is beyond intellectual assent to propositional truths. He is calling us to have a faith that takes action to set the world to rights (N.T. Wright plagiarizing moment). Jesus is calling us to believe in a God who deeply cares about the suffering and the oppressed in the world. Jesus is calling us to join with him in working to change the world, to redeem the world.

The story of the Pharisee and tax collector and the interaction with the rich man tell us a lot about self-justification and mercy. In the first story the Pharisee audaciously claims to have not sinned. He comes to God, not to seek mercy but rather to seek approval for his self righteous attitude. I think even the most prideful of Pharisees would have scoffed at the idea of being totally without sin. If they were without sin, they wouldn’t keep bringing sacrifices.

No, the pride of the Pharisees is that though they knew theoretically that they had sin in their lives, they refused to become humbled and they continued to judge others. I see this type of pride in my own life. It is to my shame that I can read the Bible and still want to justify myself or see myself as someone who is better than others. I am the Pharisee of the story. Dang.

Yet, there is still hope. When Jesus tells us of the tax collector, we are given instruction on what we ought to do. We should cry out to God for mercy because we are sinners. The mercy of God is seen in that we don’t have to continue on the endless cycle of self-justification. How often and how difficult it is to constantly try to assert our worth and defend our actions and intentions. The freedom of mercy is that we can go on with living without trying to justify ourselves any more. We can do this because Jesus has already justified us.

In the story of the rich man, we see not a hypothetical self-righteous person but an actual one. There are lots of moral people in the world who are trying to do good. I know that theologically we are supposed to make disclaimers and say that even their good works are tainted with sin. I take that as a given. Still, there are good intentioned people who try to do what they think is good. I know a lot of non-Christians who have shown more mercy than Christians that I know.

What Jesus does so powerfully is to take a person like that and identify a staggering truth. That no matter how good we are and no matter how good we try to be, we will always be lacking in something. For this man, it was his attachment to material prosperity. For someone else it may be something different. Ultimately, Jesus tells us that it is impossible to be totally good and able to save ourselves.

Yet there is still hope. Because what is impossible for people is still possible for God. I love that he reassures the disciples with the words that he has seen what they have given up and that God will reward them. I also love that he doesn’t say that our reward is only in the next life. We can look forward to the blessings of God even in our lives today.

As I read through this chapter, I was also convicted of my sin- not in general but about something specific. In the account of Jesus blessing the children I was reminded of the tension that I sometimes feel during our Sunday services. As a non-parent, I find myself easily distracted and even annoyed at the kids running around, talking, and crying. I am a jerk. I am so glad that Christian reassures the parents that it is okay for the kids to be kids and for the parents to not feel guilty about that.

Jesus says that the Kingdom of God belongs to those who come to him like children. Jesus welcomes the children. My heart should then also be welcoming to them. It is good that kids are in our community and it is to my shame that I should be impatient with them. If you have kids and are reading this, please continue to bring your kids and please don’t feel bad when they act like kids. It is the responsibility of the adult community to give grace and love to your kids. I need to grow in this.

The chapter ends with another story of mercy. The Blind man shouts, Jesus… have mercy on me!” I think that this should be our prayer for the week or even for life. God have mercy on me, a sinner.

Application:
• What are the ways that we try to justify ourselves to others?
• Who are the people that we tend to look down on?
• What are we holding onto so dearly, that it is impeding our following of Jesus?