Tag Archives: Pharisee

Don’t you hate evaluations? October 28, 2019

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

I remember throughout my military career going through my calendars searching for those events that would help me remember things I had done that I could list as accomplishments for my efficiency reports. I was never very good at keeping diaries or journals then. I’m hit and miss now when it comes to what I’ve done. But I would go through my calendars of ToDo lists and try to figure out what might appeal to promotion boards or schools or other entities that used those reports for different considerations.

I hated the process then, and I hate the process now. I’m delighted to be mostly retired and not have to worry about those reports anymore. Except I do. Every time I travel to another installation to help in the training of a medical unit, which I do part-time, now, I end up searching through those ToDo lists finding the good and the bad to create the reports that go to the clients I serve and the men and women who hire me.

It seems we never get away from evaluations. All through life, we find ourselves evaluated on something. Someone has something to say about our performance, our behavior, our personality, our wealth, our mood, something. No one is left alone without some evaluation. We all face the music, and we all probably dislike it to some degree or another.

Evaluations can be useful, though. They help us learn our weaknesses and give us opportunities to improve in areas we might not see in ourselves. They help us understand better the desires and directions our boss wants us to go instead of traveling in our own sometimes misguided ways. Evaluations can inform us in many ways if we let them.

Jesus gave such an evaluation in a parable. A parable is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson. I sometimes wonder if Jesus’ simple stories were really stories or real events with unidentified people to protect the names of the guilty. Many of them are so true to life. I can visualize them happening then or today in our society.

Today, the one, in particular, I’m thinking of comes from the eyewitnesses Luke heard from recorded in chapter 18 of the gospel by his name. It goes like this:

18:9 He [Jesus] also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt:

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’

But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’

I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.” (NIV)

Jesus draws an interesting comparison between the two. He talks about both of their prayers. The Pharisee tells God, “I’ve kept most of the 612 laws we’ve put on the backs of your people.” If Jesus had told the story with the whole prayer, the Pharisee would probably list 600 of those 612 laws he had not broken. He was a ninety-eight percenter — top two percent of his class.

The prayer did not impress the Father according to his Son.

If I could paraphrase Jesus a little in debriefing the Pharisee after the long-winded prayer he probably gave, Jesus might have said something like, ” Hey, bud. You’re right. You’re a two-percenter, but you got the position wrong. The Father put you at the bottom two percent, not the top. I hope you enjoyed listening to that beautiful oration you gave yourself because it got no farther than your own ears, according to the Father. And I should know, we’re on pretty good speaking terms. Oh, and by the way, he gave me the grade book, and I say you just flunked the course. Sorry about that.”

The tax collector, on the other hand, couldn’t say he got anything right. He just knew he needed help if he had any chance at redeeming his filthy, sin-ridden soul. He recognized where he stood before God. The tax collector understood that no matter how good he tried to be, God was so much better, and we are so far from true righteousness that our only hope lies in his mercy. So he pleads for it.

Who gets the crown in the end? The guy the Pharisee never expected. The one who broke all the rules. The tax collector who couldn’t even lift his face off the floor because he felt so unworthy to even be in God’s temple.

But aren’t the rules important? When you’re a toddler and mom has to tell you to keep your hands away from the stove, or you’ll get burned, the rules are important. When dad says, “Don’t play in the street, you’ll get run over.” Rules are important. But Jesus summed up those 612 laws that crushed God’s people in two simple commands. He told us to listen to him. All authority rests in him, not in the Mosaic Law. So do the two things he said to do. What are his two rules? Love God and love others with everything you’ve got.

If we could just catch his message and do those two things as his followers, what a difference we could make in the world. Oh, and that love others part, that means everyone. He said to go into all the world. I think that covers all races, all nations, all religions, all political parties, all. We are to love all. Do we have to agree with them? No, Jesus didn’t, either. But he loved them. And as people saw the love in his heart and the love in his disciples, they wanted what they saw. It changed the world. What happened to us? We started hating this group or that group. We began demanding people follow our rules. We wanted everyone to act and talk and look like us instead of loving people and letting God handle the rest.

Sounds rather like that Pharisee’s prayer, doesn’t it? Maybe it’s about time we who call ourselves Christian look in the mirror and ask ourselves, “Do I love others the way Jesus loves me?” If not, I have some work to do – on my knees.

You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more Bible-based teaching. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day.

Scriptures marked NIV are taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV): Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™. Used by permission of Zondervan

God is God, and we are not (Luke 18:10-14) December 19, 2016

Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Deuteronomy 29-31

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Luke 18:10-14
Jesus: Imagine two men walking up a road, going to the temple to pray. One of them is a Pharisee and the other is a despised tax collector. Once inside the temple, the Pharisee stands up and prays this prayer in honor of himself: “God, how I thank You that I am not on the same level as other people—crooks, cheaters, the sexually immoral—like this tax collector over here. Just look at me! I fast not once but twice a week, and I faithfully pay my tithes on every penny of income.” Over in the corner, the tax collector begins to pray, but he won’t even lift his eyes to heaven. He pounds on his chest in sorrow and says, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”
Now imagine these two men walking back down the road to their homes. Listen, it’s the tax collector who walks home clean before God, and not the Pharisee, because whoever lifts himself up will be put down and whoever takes a humble place will be lifted up.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Jesus words are especially important for us in our society. We somehow miss the boat today on humility. We talk about it. We tell each other we are humble. We seem to think it’s important. But our actions to often say something very different when we get around those who are not like us. We tell ourselves we are not like the Pharisee. We know we are sinners and don’t measure up to God’s standard. But does it end there? Is God just interested in what we think about our spiritual welfare when we talk about humility?

As I look at all the different denominations and all the different religions that spring up around me, I wonder how humble we really are. We may think everyone in our congregation is on an equal footing, but how about those that attend that church down the street? Why can’t we get along with others? I’m equally guilty sometimes. I must pass fifty churches on my way to my own every Sunday morning. But I don’t stop at any of them. I don’t know who the pastor is at most of them. I’m not sure if I know anyone who attends most of them. I assume I know what some of them believe, and because of my pastoral studies, I think I know the differences between my denomination and theirs for the most part.

But I have to admit, except for the weekly food pantry that several community churches around my church participate in with us, it’s been a long time since I’ve set foot in one of those other churches around me. It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten an invitation to any of those churches around me. It’s been a long time since I’ve invited all those churches to join mine in a spiritual event that will pull us together as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Do I think my denomination is better than theirs? The doctrine in my church fits my personal beliefs better, but quite frankly, I think all of us are doing church wrong these days. As I read and re-read the New Testament and the writings of those early church leaders, those services don’t look anything like our services today. I think maybe the churches in China or Kenya or Iran or Pakistan come a lot closer to doing church right than we do in this country. Those churches don’t much care about denomination. They are born out of persecution and thrive because of their determination to live for Christ even in the face of death.

If ISIS showed up at my church’s doorstep this Sunday, I’m not sure how many of those in my congregation would stick around to lose their head for Christ. A lot say they would, but when the knives come out and blood starts flowing, I’m not so sure about those Christians in name only any more. I expect there would be some mass exodus out the back doors if the choice was denounce your faith or lose your life. I expect it’s the same in your church. You probably don’t want to hear that or admit that, but I’m afraid it’s true today. We like the sound of the words, but we don’t want to make the sacrifice necessary to really be like Jesus.

So now that I’ve bashed all of our churches, all our denominations, what do we do? Where should we go? If all the churches are full of hypocrites, should we stop going and start another church? No. Jesus didn’t stop going to the temple because there hypocrites and sinners there. He just worshiped the way He knew the Father wanted Him to worship. Like that man who prayed humbly and recognized his broken state. Our churches are full of sinners and hypocrites and that is a great thing. Where else can they hear the message that God loves them and has a better way of life for them? Go, worship, be an example to others of how to live like Jesus. But to do that, you must live like Him. And to do that, it takes a lot of soul searching and letting Him have complete control of your life. Something that’s not always easy in a world that tells us we are the number one and can do anything we set our mind on.

Well, let’s get real, I will never be number one and neither will you. God will always hold that place whether you give it to Him or not. And you can not do anything you set your mind to. Only God can do that because He is God and we are not. Now, any questions?

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Prayers to yourself (Luke 18:1-17), Jan 18, 2015

Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Devotional

Today’s background scripture comes from Luke 18.
I’ve told you I enjoy hearing from you in prayer. I like to hear your praise. I like your petitions also. I don’t have any problem with your cries of misunderstanding or doubt. I understand you even get angry at Me sometimes and hearing that in your prayer is okay, too. What I don’t like is a pretense of prayer like the Pharisee in the story Jesus told.

The description of the Pharisee’s prayer is quite accurate. ‘[He] prays this prayer in honor of himself.’ I paid no attention. The prayer wasn’t for Me, it was for others to hear. The Pharisee thought himself better than others. In reality, he fell far short of what I expect. Paul understood when he said, “We (that is all mankind) are all sinners and come short of the glory of God.” No one meets My standards. The law just points out how far away you are from Me without My help.

The Pharisee thought he could make it on his own. He thought living by his rules and giving money to the temple sufficed My standards of holiness. Only one man lived by My standards – Jesus, the God-Man. Me, wrapped in flesh. No one else comes close. All have sinned. Comparing himself to the tax-collector only showed Me how little he knows of My kingdom, My mercy, and My grace.

Take your lessons on prayer from the tax-collector. A repentant, contrite heart goes so much farther with Me than the boasting of those man might call righteous. If you want to compare, compare yourself to Me. That’s what the Isaiah did. He knew he would die when he glimpse My holiness. That’s what Moses did and his face glowed after meeting Me in the covenant tent. That’s what the tax-collector did and called himself a sinner, not worthy to lift his head from the floor.

I listen to your prayers to Me. You can tell Me anything. But remember to prayer to Me, not to yourself as the Pharisee did. Prayers to yourself, don’t go anywhere but to your head.

Today’s Scripture

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Luke 18:1-17
Set – Genesis 45; Luke 18
Go! – Genesis 44-46; Luke 18

Luke 18:1-17
¹He [Jesus] told them a parable, urging them to keep praying and never grow discouraged. The parable went like this:

Jesus: ² There was a judge living in a certain city. He showed no respect for God or humanity. ³ In that same city there was a widow. Again and again she kept coming to him seeking justice: “Clear my name from my adversary’s false accusations!” ⁴ He paid no attention to her request for a while, but then he said to himself, “I don’t care about what God thinks of me, much less what any mere human thinks. ⁵ But this widow is driving me crazy. She’s never going to quit coming to see me unless I hear her case and provide her legal protection.”

⁶ Did you catch what this self-assured judge said? ⁷ If he can be moved to act justly, won’t God bring justice for His chosen people when they cry to Him day and night? Will He be slow to bring them justice? ⁸ Mark My words: God will intervene fast with vindication. But here’s the question: when the Son of Man comes, will He find anyone who still has faith?

⁹ He told another parable—this one addressed to people who were confident in their self-righteousness and looked down on other people with disgust.

Jesus: ¹⁰ Imagine two men walking up a road, going to the temple to pray. One of them is a Pharisee and the other is a despised tax collector. ¹¹ Once inside the temple, the Pharisee stands up and prays this prayer in honor of himself: “God, how I thank You that I am not on the same level as other people—crooks, cheaters, the sexually immoral—like this tax collector over here. ¹² Just look at me! I fast not once but twice a week, and I faithfully pay my tithes on every penny of income.” ¹³ Over in the corner, the tax collector begins to pray, but he won’t even lift his eyes to heaven. He pounds on his chest in sorrow and says, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”

¹⁴ Now imagine these two men walking back down the road to their homes. Listen, it’s the tax collector who walks home clean before God, and not the Pharisee, because whoever lifts himself up will be put down and whoever takes a humble place will be lifted up.

¹⁵ Some people brought infants to Jesus, hoping He would touch them in blessing. The disciples rebuked them for doing so, ¹⁶ but Jesus called to the people.

Jesus: Let the little children come to Me. Never hinder them! Don’t you realize—the kingdom of God belongs to those who are like children? ¹⁷ You can depend on this: if you don’t receive the Kingdom as a child would, you won’t enter it at all.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
Music by the Booth Brothers from Room for More, “Faithful One” ©2008.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.