Luke 18:9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:

This is a justly famous parable, and it’s important to understand to whom Jesus told it and why. Actually, the NIV and the Japanese give a slight difference in our understanding here, because where the NIV says “to,” the Japanese says “about.” It’s probable that there were some self-righteous people present when Jesus told this parable, but He wanted other people to hear it as well. Some people are indeed like the tax collector in the parable, convinced they are totally unworthy to approach God. Jesus was telling them that their humility opened the way, and that God would receive them. That said, the primary target of the parable is indeed the self-righteous. Jesus has no problem with people who do the right thing, naturally enough, but His problem is with those who are so proud of themselves for doing the right thing that they look down on those who don’t meet their standards. It is clear from Jesus’ interactions with the Pharisees as a group that they paraded their “righteousness” every chance they got, and from Jesus’ standpoint, and God’s, that completely negated any “rightness” in their actions. God wants us to be obedient to His rules, but He wants us to understand that it is only by His grace that we are able to do so. Thinking or feeling you’ve done it by yourself puts God completely out of the picture, and that is the foundation for sin.

This is a temptation I certainly have to deal with. I live what many people would call a pretty straitlaced life, but the moment I start being proud of that, it becomes a liability. I am to live as a faithful steward of my body and my time, but I must remember that it is only by the grace and power of God that such a life is possible. When Paul said, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength,” (Philippians 4:13) he was echoing from the other side what Jesus told His disciples in the Upper Room: “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) I am to be as accurate a reflection of Christ as possible, but I must remember that it is only by His grace that it is possible.

Father, thank You for Your grace. I remember a deacon in a church I pastored years ago asking me if a holy life was actually possible, and he was a really good man. Help me be a demonstration that it is possible, not by human strength but by Your grace, so that those around me will be encouraged to walk in holiness by Your grace, instead of giving up in discouragement. Thank You. Praise God!