GOD’S PERFECTION
Imputed Righteousness: There is great joy in that phrase if you understand and live in the righteousness of God.
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector found in Luke 18:9-14 is a picture of two men, both coming before the throne of God to pray. One man is a Pharisee. Pharisees were considered the religious elite. They were very popular among the Jewish people, and over time, they began to add other rules to the Law of God. Internal righteousness was not in their vocabulary, but they were extremely good at looking righteous on the surface. Jesus referred to them as hypocrites in Matthew 23:15. These men always sat in the front seats at dinners and events. They were considered chosen by God and perfect in all their ways. Pride spilled out of them as they put rules on people that they had established and then judged those same people when they failed to follow them. This man’s prayer to God was to thank Him for not making him like the low-life, scumbag tax collector. He then boastfully shared his testimony with God of all he had accomplished.
Self-righteousness pours out of him as he compares his life to the other man — end of prayer.
The second man, a tax collector, was hated with a vengeance by the Jewish people. He was considered a traitor and worked for Rome. Tax collectors were known to rip off the Jews by double-dipping. They would add a lot to the actual tax and pocket the difference. You probably would never see a tax collector at the head of a dinner table or anywhere near a celebration with anyone. My opinion says they were filthy rich but isolated, and everyone hated them. This man’s prayer is far from God’s throne because of his shame and sorrow over what he had done. The Scripture says that this man could not even make eye contact with God. His posture was down. He didn’t compare himself with the Pharisee because he saw himself as the worst of the worst. He considered himself unworthy of even being before the throne of God, let alone comparing himself to someone else. He begged for mercy — end of prayer.
Two men, two prayers, and two very different approaches as they come before the King.
Jesus declares that the tax collector, and not the Pharisee, went home justified before God, and it has everything to do with the heart! Luke 6:45 tells us:
A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
The Pharisee spoke words of pride in his own works and accomplishments, and then he spoke judgment on the tax collector. He looked so good on the outside, but inside, he was prideful and judged others by the standard he had set to make himself look righteous.
The Tax Collector spoke words of humble repentance and begged for mercy before a righteous God, and he was heard and forgiven. His heart was broken and he believed and was saved.
The heart. What do your words, attitudes, and prayers to the Lord sound like from your heart? It is so easy to forget to check ourselves before we check someone else. I believe most of the sins we clearly see in others are the sins we secretly treasure in our own hearts. It is easy to be deceived into thinking we are more righteous or better than someone else. If you look at a homeless drug addict on the street, you can think you are a better human being. It can happen so quickly, unless we guard our hearts.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
If you walk in the righteousness of God, you are less likely to be pointing out the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye because you clearly see the plank in your own eye. The Pharisee obviously didn’t see the sin and hardness of his own heart because he was looking at someone else. The Tax Collector didn’t compare himself to the Pharisee because he saw how sinful he was. No comparisons needed. He was a sinner in trouble.
Walking in the righteousness of God brings joy because there is freedom in knowing that He paid for everything on the cross. I find great JOY in knowing that I don’t have to be better than anyone else because when the Lord looks into my heart, the righteousness of Christ lives there. Amen.
PRAYER
Father, search our hearts and minds and reveal any treasured sin we might have stored there. Thank You, Jesus.
Pam Clarke is the retired Founder of Enduring Faith Ministries, Inc., a nonprofit organization that helped transition men and women inside and outside of prisons through the teaching of God’s Word. This ministry took her and her husband, Ron, into prisons in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland for approximately 12 years.
Pan is currently President and Owner of PGC Practice Management, Inc., a 31-year-old Delaware Corporation that manages mental health practices and provides medical billing and bookkeeping services to a number of doctors' offices in Delaware.
Her favorite thing is being a wife to Ron for 42 years, a Mom to Doug and Michelle, and a Grandmom to eight beautiful grandchildren, with a ninth on the way.
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Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.