Becoming Like Jesus: Confession and RepentanceSample

A Despised Tax Collector

Yesterday, we spent some time reading about a blind beggar named Bartimaeus and how Jesus responded to His cries for mercy by restoring His sight. Today, we are going to look at a parable Jesus told that gets to the heart of what God is looking for in His people.

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Pray…

Heavenly Father, thank you for being so good and merciful. I admit that I’m a sinner and I need your forgiveness. Give me the humility I need to make confession and repentance a way of life. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Read…

Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector!I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ “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.’I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14 NLT

Consider….

Before we even get into the story, Luke wants us to know who Jesus was telling this story to: “some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else”. This is a very important piece of context that we’ll come back to.

Jesus tells a story about two different individuals. One of them was a Pharisee, a paragon of holiness, or so it seems. The other was a despised tax collector, a picture of wickedness. Each of them comes before God and prays.

The Pharisee thanks God that he isn’t like other sinful people. The tax collector, who wouldn’t even dare to lift his eyes, begs God for mercy because he knows he’s a sinner.

Who did God have favor on? Not the self-righteous pharisee. God had mercy on the self-aware sinner. It was the tax collector who went home justified before God.

“For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

What is God looking for in His people? Not those who elevate themselves by putting on a show of goodness. He’s looking for people who have the humility to admit they’re sinners and the courage to cry out to Him for mercy.

Practice…

Humble yourself before God.

How do you see yourself? Do you see yourself as better than others? Or do you see yourself as a sinner in need of God’s mercy?

Admit your sinfulness and beg God for mercy. Don’t try to pretend you’re something you’re not. We’ve all sinned and fallen short of God’s standard. That’s why we need His mercy. Thankfully, when we do ask Him for mercy, He gives it to us.

Listen…

Find a quiet place where you can continue to spend time with God. Maybe you have a favorite chair, a certain spot in your backyard, or a particularly cozy closet. Wherever you need to go to limit distractions, do it.

Set a timer for five minutes. Ask God to speak to you. When you get distracted, come back to God by praying this Scripture:

The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. Psalm 145:8 NLT

When the timer ends, thank God for the time you spent together and go into your day looking for opportunities to love Him and love others.