Matthew 21:31; Luke 18:9-14
KEY VERSE
“Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.”
Matthew 21:31, KJV
A preacher once described something that happened during his meetings in Khartoum. Among the thousands who attended were many Muslims. Blind Muslims began receiving healing, some of them in remarkable numbers. Many were eventually drawn to Christ because they could not ignore what Jesus had done.
Yet some Christian ministers came to him troubled because they had blind Christians who had not received their sight.
There is something surprising about that story.
How can people who do not yet believe in Christ sometimes appear to receive from God with a simplicity that seems to be missing in those who have walked with Him for years?
Jesus once confronted a similar contrast.
The publicans and harlots, He said, were entering the kingdom of God before the religious people standing in front of Him.
Why?
Luke 18 gives us a glimpse into the heart behind it.
A Pharisee stood before God and prayed about his fasting, his tithing, and his religious discipline. Then a tax collector stood far off, unable even to lift his eyes toward heaven, and cried:
“God be merciful to me a sinner.”
Luke 18:13, KJV
One man came with his record while the other came with his need.
One was conscious of what he had done.
The other was conscious of what he needed God to do.
And Jesus said that the second man went home justified.
This is where the matter becomes searching for those of us who have been Christians for a long time.
Religion can make us less dependent on God than we were when we first came to Him.
When we first came to Christ, we knew we had nothing to boast about. We needed mercy. We needed forgiveness. We needed grace. We knew we could not save ourselves.
But years can pass.
We pray more. We fast more. We read the Bible more. We give. We serve. We obey. We learn Christian language. We become familiar with spiritual things.
And without realizing it, our confidence can begin to shift.
We no longer come simply as needy people before a merciful God. We can begin to come with an invisible spiritual résumé.
Lord, look at my prayers.
Look at my fasting.
Look at how faithfully I have served.
Look at what I have sacrificed.
And underneath it all can be a subtle expectation:
“After all I have done, surely You should…”
That is dangerous.
Prayer is good. Fasting is good. Giving is good. Obedience is good. Service is good. None of these should be despised. But none of them is the reason we can confidently approach God.
The publican had no spiritual achievements to present. He simply knew his need.
And perhaps that is one of the reasons an unbeliever can sometimes ask God for something with greater simplicity than a believer. He has not yet accumulated years of religious activity that can tempt him to place confidence in himself.
The cross remains our only ground of confidence.
PRAYER
Father, keep me from becoming so familiar with religious things that I forget my dependence on You. Strip away every confidence I have placed in myself, my works, or my spiritual record. Teach me to come to You with the simplicity of a needy heart, trusting not in what I have done, but in what Christ has done for me. Amen.
TODAY’S CHALLENGE
Read Luke 18:9-14.
Notice what the Pharisee talks about when he prays, and notice what the publican asks God for. Then ask yourself honestly:
When I come before God, what gives me confidence: my record or His mercy?
And when you pray today, deliberately leave your spiritual résumé behind. Tell God where you need Him. Come without trying to impress Him.
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