The Liberation of Forgiveness

^9-12Jesus told his next story to some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and looked down their noses at the common people: "Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax man. The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: 'Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man. I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income.'

¹³"Meanwhile the tax man, slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, 'God, give mercy. Forgive me, a sinner.'"

¹⁴Jesus commented, "This tax man, not the other, went home made right with God. If you walk around with your nose in the air, you're going to end up flat on your face, but if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself." (MSG)

In Jesus’ time, the Pharisee would have been considered the good guy–he wore the white hat. He was a synagogue leader in his town. All Pharisees were super-religious men who were extremely careful about obeying the Torah, which is basically the first five books of the Old Testament. They also followed the Mishnah, which explained how to obey the Torah. There might be several chapters in the Misnah devoted to one single verse in the Torah. In addition, they followed the Talmud, which was a commentary on the Mishnah. These guys lived by the book!

However, a tax collector was considered the scum of the earth, the very bottom of the religious food chain in Israel. Hired by the pagan Romans, he could charge exorbitant taxes and keep most of the money for himself. He was considered the villain–he wore the black hat. If you had been a good Jew listening to Jesus, when he mentioned the Pharisee, you would have cheered, “Yeah! Hurrah for the good guy!” When He mentioned the tax collector you would have cried, “Boo! Hiss! Boo!” But Jesus is always full of surprises. He introduced a good guy and a bad guy, and by the time He finished the parable, the good guy had become the bad guy and the bad guy has become the good guy!

Jesus said the bad guy, not the respectable, religious Pharisee went home justified–right with God. He entered church so burdened down by his sin he couldn’t even lift up his head. But when he cried out for the mercy of God, he experienced the liberation of forgiveness. He hadn’t done anything to deserve it, so he couldn’t brag about it. All he could do was to thank God for it!

You must approach God in humility if you want to receive His forgiveness. You can’t strut into His presence bragging about how nice you are. In Bethlehem, The Church of the Holy Nativity is built over the place believed to be Jesus’ birthplace. It is a huge stone complex, but it only has one tiny door through which people can enter. It’s called the door of humility and it is less than 48" high. Originally, there was a larger door, but when the Muslims first conquered Bethlehem, the soldiers rode their horses into the church to defile it. So the monks reduced the size of the door so only a person can enter. And every person must stoop and bow and enter alone. What a lesson! The doorway of salvation is open to you today, but it is a door of humility as well. You can’t approach God on the basis of your parents’ salvation–you must do it alone. And to receive His mercy and forgiveness you must humble yourself and bow down before Him.

Would you like to find God’s mercy and cleansing? Will you humble yourself and admit you are a sinner? 3,000 years ago, another man needed God’s cleansing and forgiveness. Even though he was a good, religious guy, he made a huge mistake. He was guilty of adultery and murder. If you need mercy, try praying the same prayer King David prayed in Psalm 51:1-2: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me.”

~Bits and Pieces of the sermon by David Dykes~