Humbled or Exalted?

10-26-25

Hoonah-Hadley

Luke 18:9-14

Call to Worship Psalm 84

Daily Verse Luke 18:14

Humbled or Exalted?

“I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” True story, an old-time preacher, spent 50 years in the pulpit, called, chosen by God, spoke 6 languages, gifted, with a touch of humor once said, “I’m humble and proud of it.” It was kind of like “The Rope Lady” in Hoonah, she had a sign out that said, “Free Advice, $5”. This maybe a lighthearted way to begin our study of God’s word, the red letters, serious business, but the thing our daily verse and our friend’s humor have in common is contrast. God’s word is full of contrast, the wise and foolish, the rich man and Lazarus, the wide and narrow, light and darkness, the spirit and the flesh, and here in the Gospel of Luke, the humbled and the exalted. Proverbs 16:8 says “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Exaltation itself can go either direction. To exalt on one hand is “to glorify: praise”, on the other hand Webster’s ll New Riverside University Dictionary uses the word “pride”. Pride itself can be relatively innocent from one perspective, but as this Proverb says, it can be destructive. “An overly high opinion of oneself, conceit…the first of seven cardinal sins”. Proverbs is full of “contrasting verses, listen to 15:33 “The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility.” Pr. 10 “A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is the grief of his mother.” Prov. 4:7 “The beginning of wisdom is this, get wisdom.” God is forever setting before us two roads, wisdom takes the one less traveled.

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Luke 18 begins with a parable about a judge, a persistent widow and prayer. “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart…” Our lesson begins in vs. 9 “Also He spoke this parable to some…” A parable is a simple story used to teach a moral or spiritual lesson. In Matt. 13:10-11 the disciples asked Jesus, “Why do You speak to them in parables? He answered and said to them, ‘Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.’” Parables are stories used to teach spiritual truths, but are also used to divide the audience, that some may get it, and others will not. God has put within the disposition of humanity, some that hear His word and some that do not. Jeremiah 5:21 “Hear this now, O foolish people…who have eyes and see not, and who have ears and hear not…”  Vs. 9 in our lesson, “Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted themselves that they were righteous, and despised others.” He spoke this parable to “some”. This is an individual thing, a personal thing, as they say, “if the shoe fits, wear it.” As most things this may be considered a generalization, from A to Z. There maybe a little of this in you, a lot, or on the rare occasion, none, we’ll leave you alone with it. See also Proverbs 3:5-6. Here’s the parable, “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.” We have here, 2 men, 2 prayers and 2 destinies. Remember, these are examples, and they are extreme. A Pharisee is simply a member of an ancient Jewish sect with a strict observance of the Mosaic law. Pharisaic is a hypocritical observance of the letter of the law without regard to the spirit, or what is referred to as sanctimonious. Generally, when we hear the word, it comes with an air of opposition and ushers in a negative response. In fact, in the gospels, the Pharisees are opposed to Christ, He is offensive to them.  

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This is not necessarily a sermon on Pharisees but Jesus is speaking directly, or indirectly to them, and rightfully so. They plotted against Him in Matt. 12:14, they tested Him in Matt. 19:3, and among other things, they sent temple guards to arrest Him in John 7:32. Jesus said in Matt. 16:11 “…but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees…the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Remember, He spoke this parable to “some” who trusted themselves to be righteous. The Pharisees and the Sadducees were the writers and keepers of the law, in essence, in their eyes they were the “religious”, the church without the Holy Spirit, and thus, without Christ. Religion is fertile soil for such behavior and has been a serious disease within the walls of the church for thousands of years, is alive and very active today. Take time alone in your prayer closet today and consider the “leaven”, the “doctrine” in your life. Jesus is showing us a major flaw in human nature, it’s sinful, evil, destructive and gives rise to the oft heard saying, “The church is full of hypocrites”. In all honesty, the world is full of flawed human beings, scripture says we all fall short of God’s glory, that there is not one righteous. Exam yourself daily, get rid of the pharisaical nature within you that the light of Christ might shine without. There are 7 churches in Revelations 2 through 3, listing their strengths and weaknesses. There is the loveless, persecuted, compromising, corrupt, dead, lukewarm and the faithful church. It starts within each of our hearts and manifests itself as we go out the door each day into a lost and broken world. It is found in the Old Testament in Joshua 1:8, in Psalm 1, in the Gospels, the Epistles and here in Revelation 3:8 “I know your works…you…have kept My word and have not denied My name.” Individually and corporately, we are the body of Christ, the church. The goal here is to be found faithful by Christ. 

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Vs. 11 in our lesson, “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.” Jesus tells this parables because there are “some” that are absolutely convinced that they are fine. That their works, their religious obedience saves them from any need at all. Notice he prayed “with himself”. To pray is to utter or address a petition to God. Prayer is an act of communion with God as a confession, praise, or thanksgiving. Prayer is used to address God, not ourselves. When it says, “The Pharisee stood…”, we could suggest he was making a “stand”, he was stating his case to God. This is not prayer, this is telling God the way it is, or should we say, the way it was. As they say, standing in a garage doesn’t make you a car, nor does sitting in a pew save you. The guy in this story is using negative, legalistic, comparative obedience, a strategy for self-justification. This is old news, Old Testament. 2 Cor. 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; the old has passed away; behold, the new has come!” The key here is “in Christ”. This guy is not “in” Christ, he is “in” the law, the old, and we are no longer “under the law, but under grace.” (Rom. 6:14) Like Brother James says, “The priest wears their collar to convince themselves they are holy.” This guy is trying to convince himself that he is righteous by his works, he is not, nor are we. In a way, he has gone up to the temple to feel good about himself, to exalt himself. Pride is unable to diagnose itself. Vs. 13 “And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’” Are we looking to self, or God? Self-righteous pride leads to spiritual blindness. One was justified, the other not. “For everyone who exalts themself will be humbled… those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Amen.