Welcome to day 20 of our 40 day challenge! Today, we are in Luke 15

(You can catch up on our Intro, Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18, Day 19 if you missed them)

Luke 18:9-14

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹ To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

¹⁴ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

 

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Do you ever think about what parables Jesus would tell if He had been born in our day? How would He challenge us? Who would He rebuke and who would He highlight? Which blind spots would He reveal, and how would He turn our world upside down? How can we, as His ambassadors, have His perspective and heart for others and for the world around us?

Jesus took the people who culturally, religiously, and politically were the “others” of their society and made them the heroes of His stories. He’d do the same with us today.

Jesus often highlighted the person they least expected, and called out those who thought they were safe from rebuke. The Pharisees were supposed to be righteous and on God’s side, and most were opposed to the tax collectors. Easy and obvious divisions. But as usual, Jesus turns these upside down.

Here we have a tax collector, seen as a traitor and enemy of the people, exalted above a Pharisee, a religious leader, who dedicates their life to being righteous. The tax collector humbled himself before the Lord and did not think himself better than anyone else. He was honest about his need and brought it to the Lord in expectation. The Pharisee, as we see in the parable, did the opposite. Jesus loves to turn our preconceived notions and especially our spiritual pride and our views of each other upside down.

As we consider the teachings of Jesus and what they mean for us today, what are the easy, obvious dividing lines we have that Jesus wants to turn upside down to make our hearts right and show us His heart for all people?

Who are the Pharisees, the tax collectors, the Roman soldiers whose faith surpasses ours, and the Samaritans of our day? Who would Jesus humble and who would He exalt that would be so scandalous for us today?

Lord, help us see our need for your mercy in our lives and help us have your heart in all situations and for all people. Help us have your perspective in all areas of our lives,

Options for further  journaling or discussion throughout the challenge:

• Choose a part of the passage to write out by hand. Writing by hand helps us slow down and focus on what the Lord might highlight for us in the passage. Our brains can focus and remember better by writing than just reading alone.
• Journal about what the passage brings to mind. Does the passage tell us anything about God? Does it tell us anything about our response to Him?
• Does your heart respond in gratitude to any part of the passage? Write or pray your gratitude to the Lord.

We’ll see you tomorrow for Day 21, and Mark 12

♥ Samantha