Luke 18(09)–19(10)

Introduction

We’re going through Luke’s gospel at a brisk pace, taking large chunks at a time. Last week we studied the whole of chapter 17 and the first eight verses of chapter 18. And that passage included the parable of the unworthy servant, the healing of ten lepers, some teaching about Christ’s second coming, and the parable of the unjust judge and the persistent widow.

And I suggested that all of these different parts are connected to each other by the idea of faith. The point of the parable of the unworthy servant is that salvation is not something we deserve or earn, but it’s a gift from God which we receive by faith. The story of the healing of the lepers reminds us that since salvation is a gift from God which we receive by faith, then our proper response is to give thanks to God for his kindness to us in Christ. And Christ’s believing people are ready for his return, because, while unbelievers will be sent away to be punished for all that they have done wrong, believers will be taken into the presence of God to enjoy everlasting life. And like the persistent widow, Christ’s believing people should keep believing and they should keep praying to our Heavenly Father to do what’s right and to save us from our enemies.

Faith in Christ is vital. And so, when he comes again, will he find faith on the earth? Will he see that we believed in him and trusted in him for salvation and eternal life?

That’s what we were thinking about last week. Today’s passage is the rest of Luke 18 and the first 10 verses of chapter 19. It begins with the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector who both went up to the temple to pray. Then there’s the little story of how people were bringing their babies to the Lord Jesus to have him touch them. While the disciples tried to send them away, the Lord said: ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’ And he added: ‘I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’ That’s followed by the story of the rich ruler who claimed to have kept God’s commandments since he was a boy. Then the Lord once again spoke of his death and resurrection. And afterwards, there are the stories of the blind beggar who was healed and of Zacchaeus, who, after he met the Lord Jesus, promised to give away his wealth and to repay anyone he cheated. And the Lord declared that salvation has come to this man’s house.

What’s the connection between these parts? The Lord said that the kingdom of God belongs to ‘such as these’. That is to say, it is for those who are like little children. And he said that anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never it. In those days, children were lowly and unimportant. They were insignificant in society. They were humble, not proud. And they depended on their parents for everything. And so, eternal life in God’s kingdom is for the lowly and the humble and those who depend on God’s grace and mercy to us in Christ Jesus.

And so, it’s for people like the tax-collector in the first parable, who asked for mercy. And it’s not for the proud Pharisee in the same parable who boasted about his own goodness. It’s not for the rich ruler who thought he was able to get eternal life by the things he did. But it’s for people like the blind beggar who called out for mercy and it’s for people like Zacchaeus who received it when Christ found him.

And so, that’s what we’re thinking about this evening. The kingdom of God is not for the proud; it’s for the humble and lowly. It’s for those who know that they are as helpless as little children and they must therefore rely on God’s kindness to them in Christ Jesus.

18:9–14

And so, let’s turn to verses 9 to 14 and the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. And Luke explains for us in verse 9 that the Lord told the parable to some who were confident of their own righteousness and who looked down on everybody else.

The word ‘righteousness’ in the Bible is used in two ways. It can refer to being right in God’s sight. And the way to become right in God’s sight is by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ who gave up his life to pay for our sins and who shares his own perfect righteousness with us. Whoever is united with Christ by faith is declared to be right with God. Though we may have done everything wrong, God treats us as if we’ve done everything right because we’re united by faith with Christ. That’s being right with God.

But then the word ‘righteousness’ is also used in the Bible to refer to doing what’s right. Doing the right thing. Obeying God’s laws and commandments. And the people whom the Lord is addressing in this parable are people who were confident that they had done what was right. They were sure they had done all the right things and that God was pleased with them. But then, these became had become proud of their own achievements. And they therefore looked down on everybody else.

And in the parable, the Lord says that two men went up to the temple to pray. It’s likely that they were not going up for private prayer, but for public prayer. When the two daily offerings were being made to God, the people would gather in the temple to pray. And when the people prayed, they usually prayed out loud which is why we know what these two men prayed about. And who are these two men in the parable? One was a Pharisee and the other was a tax-collector. And it’s clear from what we read about the Pharisee that he was someone who was confident of his own righteousness and looked down on everyone else.

The Pharisee stood up to pray and began to pray about himself. It’s possible that this should be translated: ‘The Pharisee stood by himself to pray.’ That makes some sense, because the Pharisees were ‘the separated ones’. They tried to separate themselves from anything ceremonially unclean, because such uncleanness was catching and they didn’t want to catch it from others. And that meant, staying away from other people, because, as far as the Pharisees were concerned, other people were unclean sinners.

So, that’s one way to translate the words at the beginning of verse 11. But it’s also possible that we should translate the words as they are in the NIV. That is to say, he prayed ‘about himself’. And that makes sense, because his prayer is all about himself and his good deeds. Yes, he begins with thanksgiving. But what is he thankful for? That he’s not like other men: he’s not a robber like other men; he’s not an evildoer like other men; he’s not an adulterer like other men; and he’s not a tax collector like him over there. He regards all other men — including the tax collector — as sinners. But he regards himself as someone who only does what is right. And so, he mentions some of the things he does: he fasts twice a week and gives a tenth of all that he gets. The law required the people to fast only on the Day of Atonement each year. And so, by fasting twice a week, this Pharisee was doing more than the Lord required. And while the law required the people to tithe what their fields produced, this Pharisee tithed, not only what he produced, but also what he got or bought. So, he did more than was required.

The Lord then describes the tax collector. He stood at a distance. Why did he stand at a distance? Perhaps because he was a tax collector and tax collectors were hated by the people And so, the other people in the temple may not have wanted him around them. But perhaps it’s because he didn’t think he should be there. What does the psalmist say? Only those with clean hands and a pure heart may stand in God’s holy place. The tax collector knows his hands and heart are not clean, because he’s a sinner. And so, perhaps he stood at a distance because he thinks he shouldn’t be there. And as well as that, he didn’t look up to heaven, as most people did. Presumably then, he bowed his head in humility.

And he beat his breast. And he beat his breast, because it contained his heart. And our heart is a house of horrors, isn’t it? It’s full of all kinds of wicked thoughts and inclinations and desires. And so, he struck his sinful heart in sorrow over his own inner sinfulness.

And when he prayed, he said: ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ He confesses that he’s a sinner: that he’s done wrong instead of doing what’s right. He’s fallen short of doing God’s will and his disobeyed his commandments. And since he’s a sinner, then he has nothing to boast about before God. He knows he has no claim on God. He knows that God does not owe him anything. He knows he doesn’t deserve anything from God except his wrath and curse for all that he has done wrong. And since that’s the case, then he asks God to give him something which he knows he doesn’t deserve, which is mercy.

In fact, the Greek word translated ‘mercy’ is really a word which means ‘make atonement’. He’s asking God to make atonement for him. And do you remember what atonement means? It means God turns his wrath and curse away from us and he directs it elsewhere. So, the tax collector knows he’s a sinner who deserves God’s wrath and curse. He knows he deserves to be sent away from God’s presence and punished for ever for all that he has done wrong. And he humbly asks God to turn his wrath and curse away from him.

And where does God’s wrath and curse go when he has mercy on us and turns his wrath and curse away from us? Well, the two men went up to pray in the temple at the time of one of their daily offerings when an animal was put to death in place of the people. An animal was offered to God to make up for the sins of the people. God’s wrath and curse fell, not on the people, but on the animal which died in their place. But those Old Testament offerings were to make do until the time came for the Lord Jesus to die on the cross in place of his people. He offered himself to God to make up for the sins of his people. And so, God’s wrath and curse fell, not on us, but on him. Because he died for sinners, suffering the wrath and curse of God in our place, then all who trust in him receive mercy and forgiveness from God.

The tax collector asked God to turn away his wrath and curse from him. And God is able to turn it away from us, because Christ suffered the wrath and curse of God in place of his people who trust in him.

And so, which man was justified before God? Which one was forgiven and accepted by God? Not the Pharisee, but the tax collector. The tax collector was the one who was forgiven and accepted by God, because he relied on God’s mercy and on God’s willingness to forgive sinners. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled by God. But whoever humbles himself, confessing his guilt and asking for mercy, will be exalted by God. That is, God will deliver him from his sin and misery and give him eternal life in his presence.

But before we move on, what did the Pharisee do wrong? This is what he did wrong: he did what God had not commanded; and he didn’t do what God had commanded. Let me repeat that. He did what God had not commanded; and he didn’t do what God had commanded.

He did what God had not commanded. God did not command him to fast twice a week. God did not command him to tithe all he got. And so, he did what God had not commanded. And that’s what the Pharisees were known for, isn’t it? They were known for adding to God’s law and for burdening the people with all kinds of man-made rules.

But the Pharisee did not do what God commanded. What has God commanded? That we love our neighbour as ourselves. But this Pharisee despised his neighbours. He looked down on the people around him. He criticised them and thought the worst about them. And so, instead of loving them, he despised them in his heart. The Pharisee did not do what God commanded. And so, he should have bowed his head and beat his breast and asked God for mercy. If he had done that, God would have forgiven him, because our God is merciful and gracious and slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and he’s willing to pardon anyone for the sake of Christ who died for sinners.

18:15–17

Let’s move on to verses 15 to 17. People were bringing their babies to the Lord so that he could touch them. Perhaps their children were sick and they wanted the Lord to heal them. Or perhaps they wanted the Lord to bless them. In any case, the disciples rebuked them, but the Lord said: ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’ He’s not saying the kingdom of God belongs to babies and children. He means that the kingdom of God belongs to ‘such as these’. It’s for people who are like babies and children. And so, he added: ‘I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’ So, the kingdom of God is for those who are like little children.

As I said near the beginning, in those days, children were lowly and unimportant. They were insignificant in society. And they depended on their parents for all things. They relied on their parents for everything. And the kingdom of God is for people who are like that. It’s not for the proud and the arrogant. It’s not for proud Pharisees who boast about their own righteousness and all their good deeds. It’s for people who know that they have nothing to offer to God. It’s for people who know that they deserve nothing from God. It’s for people who depend on God’s mercy and his kindness to them in Christ Jesus.

Children have nothing of their own and everything they have, they have received from their parents and from others. And we have nothing to offer to God. We cannot earn the right to enter his kingdom. We do not deserve it. The only way we can get eternal life in God’s everlasting kingdom is by receiving it as a gift. The only people who enter the kingdom of God are people like the tax collector, who bow their heads before God and beat their breasts, and confess their guilt and unworthiness and ask him for mercy. Meanwhile, the door into God’s kingdom is shut tight to those who are like the proud Pharisee who was sure of his own righteousness and goodness.

And so, we’re to be like little children, because we have nothing to offer to God and we must always rely on his mercy towards us in Christ Jesus.

18:18–30

And so, we come to verses 18 to 30 and the story of the rich ruler.

Here’s this ruler who said to the Lord, ‘Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ The Lord replied by saying that no-one is good except God alone. No-one really knows what the Lord means by these words. One suggestion is that he’s trying to make the young ruler see that if God alone is good, then he’s the one who sets the standard for goodness. You and I might describe someone as good, but God may view that person differently. And the rich ruler may have considered himself good, but what did God think of him? That’s what matters most. That’s one way of understanding the Lord’s statement. But it’s not clear what he means.

And the ruler asked the Lord what he had to do to inherit eternal life. He thought that he could climb up to God and to eternal life by his good deeds. It’s clear that he believed that he already climbed pretty high, because, according to verse 21, he was confident that he had kept God’s commandments ever since he was a boy. So, every since he was a boy, he had done what was right. But now he wants to know what else can he do. What else can he do so that he can climb up even higher to God? He’s almost there. What more can he do?

And so, do you see the way that he’s thinking. Sometimes someone is trying to reach up high, but he can’t quite do it. Someone else offers to help, but he’s offended. It hurts his pride. He wants to do it himself. He insists on doing it himself. He doesn’t need any help. He thinks: Just you wait and see and if I try really hard, I’ll do it. And this ruler is like that.

And so, the Lord uncovers his inability. The Lord shows him the one thing he won’t do. The Lord tells him to sell his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor. Do that and you’ll have eternal life.

But the ruler is unwilling to do that, because he’s a wealthy man with many possessions and he doesn’t want to give them up. It turns out that he wants his wealth more than he wants eternal life in the presence of God. He loves his money more than he loves God.

And the Lord looked at him and said, ‘How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ And then he went on to say that it’s easier for a camel — which is really big — to get through the eye of a needle — which is really small — than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. In other words, it’s impossible. They cannot do it.

Those who heard the Lord were puzzled. ‘Who then can be saved?’ they asked. They were probably thinking that wealth was a sign of God’s blessing. They were probably thinking that God gives the rich their wealth because he’s pleased with them. And so, if those people who have been blessed by God can’t have eternal life in the kingdom of God, then who can be saved? If not the rich, then who?

And the Lord answered by saying, ‘What is impossible with men is possible with God.’ And what he means is we’re not able to save ourselves. Saving ourselves is impossible for the rich; but it’s also impossible for the poor. No-one can save himself. No one can earn the right to eternal life in the presence of God. No one can climb up to God by their own good deeds, because all of us fall short and our natural inclination to sin always weighs us down. And even our best deeds are spoiled by sin. And there’s nothing we can do for God or give to him to make up for our sins and shortcomings. No-one is able to climb up to God by their good deeds.

But what is impossible for us is possible for God. That is to say, he can do it. He can save us. He can save us, because he sent his Only Begotten Son into the world as one of us in order to give up his life on the cross to make up for all our sins and shortcomings. And then he sends his Spirit into our lives to unite us to Christ by faith. And whoever is united to Christ by faith receives the hope of eternal life in the kingdom of God. We cannot do anything to inherit eternal life, but we receive it from God through Christ. Just as little children receive everything they have from their parents, so we receive eternal life in the kingdom of God from God through Christ.

And take a look now at verses 28 to 30. Peter said to the Lord that they have left all they have to follow him. God enabled them to do what the rich man would not do. And what happens to anyone who follows Christ? What happens to anyone who believes in him? Well, just as little children receive good things from their parents, so God’s little children receive good things from him. He does not abandon his children to their own devices, but he gives and gives and gives and gives to us. He gives us what we need for this life; and he also gives us eternal life in the age to come.

18:31–34

And the story of the rich ruler is followed by verses 31 to 34 where Luke tells us that the Lord took the disciples aside and told them that they’re going up to Jerusalem, where everything written about him in the Old Testament prophets will be fulfilled, because he will be turned over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and who will insult him and who will spit on him and who will flog him and who will kill him. And by his death, he will pay for the sins of his people. And then he will rise from the dead to give them eternal life in the kingdom of God. And so, he’s the one who does what is necessary for us to receive eternal life.

I’ve used the image before of parents who go out to work; and they work hard; and often it’s difficult and frustrating and demanding. But they go out to work and earn their salary or their wage in order to afford all the things they need each day. And their children — who are sitting at home and who don’t have to work — share in the benefits of their parents’ hard work. So, the child is feeling hungry and goes to the cupboard; and there’s food for him to eat. He didn’t buy the food; his parents did. But he gets to share it. And Christ has done all the hard work to get us forgiveness and and to get eternal life in the kingdom of God. He’s done all the hard work by suffering at the hands of evil men and by dying on the cross. He’s done all the hard work. And like little children, we do nothing. We do nothing to get eternal life. But he gives it to us and we receive it by faith.

18:35–43

Ww come now to the story of the blind beggar, who is named in Mark’s gospel as Bartimaeus.

Luke tells us that the Lord was approaching Jericho on his way to Jerusalem. And a blind man was sitting on the side of the road, begging. He had to beg because there was no other way for him to get the money he needed to live in those days. And while he was sitting there, he heard a crowd going by. So he asked what was happening and someone explained to him that ‘Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.’

The blind beggar had presumably heard about the Lord Jesus and the miracles he was able to perform, because he immediately called out to get the Lord’s attention. Notice that he called the Lord, ‘Son of David’. Although he’s blind, he can see what many others could not see, that the Lord Jesus is God’s Spirit-Anointed and Conquering King. That’s who the Son of David is. And he called God’s Saviour–King and asked for mercy. That is, he wanted the Lord to show him mercy by healing him.

The people nearby rebuked him. They wanted him to be quiet. But he would not be silenced. Instead he shouted even more loudly and called on the Lord for mercy. And when the Lord heard him, he stopped and ordered someone to lead the blind man to him. And then the Lord asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ And when he replied and said that he wanted to see, the Lord told him to receive his sight. His faith had healed him. And immediately he received his sight and followed the Lord Jesus, praising God for sending the Lord Jesus to be our Great Saviour–King. And the people also praised God.

God sent his Only Begotten Son into the world as one of us to be God’s Spirit-Anointed and Conquering King and to proclaim and provide freedom for his people. He freed the blind beggar from his misery by healing him of his blindness. And what he did for this blind man, he will do for all his people when he comes again in glory and with power to renew the world and all his people and to set the world and his people free from all the things that make us groan. But that’s not all. He also came to free us from our sin by giving up his life on the cross to pay for our sins and by shedding his blood to cleanse us of our guilt. And through faith in him, we are pardoned by God for all that is wrong in our lives.

But the thing we need to notice especially about this miracle is that the blind beggar displayed the kind of child-like quality which we all need. Just as children are helpless and they need to go to their parents every day to ask for what they need, so this blind beggar was helpless and he needed to go to Christ to ask him for what he needed. He didn’t order the Lord to heal him. And the Lord was under no obligation to heal him. He didn’t bargain with the Lord. He didn’t offer him anything in return. He didn’t go up to the Lord to tell him why he deserved to be healed. He simply asked for mercy. And the Lord gave it to him.

19:1–10

Finally we come to the story of Zacchaeus. And I want to begin studying this story by looking at the end. What does it say at the end? The Lord is speaking and he said, ‘For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.’ That recalls the parables in chapter 15 of the lost sheep and the lost coin. The sheep was lost and the shepherd searched for it until he found it. The coin was lost and the women searched for it until he found it. And Zacchaeus was lost. And so, the reason the Lord came to Jericho was to find the blind man and to find Zacchaeus. He found the blind man. And now he found Zacchaeus.

Zacchaeus may have thought that he found the Lord Jesus. After all, Zacchaeus went out to see the Lord. And when he couldn’t see over the crowds, he climbed up the tree to get a better view. As far as Zacchaeus was concerned, he sought the Lord. But look: when the Lord reached the tree where Zacchaeus was sitting, the Lord looked right up at him. And the Lord already knew his name. It’s as if the Lord said to them: ‘There you are. I’ve been looking for you. Come on down and let’s go, because this is what I came for. I came for you.’

And then take a look at the Lord’s words in verse 9. He said, ‘Today salvation has come to this house.’ How had salvation come to Zacchaeus’s house? Salvation had come to Zacchaeus’s house because the Saviour had come to Zacchaeus’s house. The Lord Jesus is the Saviour. And he’d come all the way to Jericho and he’d found Zacchaeus and he’d gone home with him and he brought salvation with him. And he’s given it to Zacchaeus. Just as a parent comes home from the shops with a gift for her children, so the Lord has a gift for Zacchaeus. And it’s salvation. He was one of Abraham’s sons. That is, he was one of God’s people. But he got lost. He wandered away from God. But the Saviour found him and saved him.

What has the Lord saved him from? We distinguish between the penalty and power of sin. The penalty of sin is the punishment we deserve for our sins. The power of sin is the way sin enslaves us and makes us do what’s wrong instead of what’s right. For years, Zacchaeus had lived under the power of sin, because he was greedy with his money and he used to cheat people by collecting too much tax from them. But the Saviour came and saved him from the power of sin, so that Zacchaeus was now willing to give away half of his possessions to the poor and to repay anyone he had cheated. And Christ doesn’t save us from the power of sin without first saving us from the penalty of sin. First of all, he forgives us for what we have done wrong. And then he starts to change us by his Spirit who works in us. And so, when the Lord said that salvation had come to Zacchaeus’s house, he meant that Zacchaeus had been saved, not only from the power of sin, but also from its penalty.

Conclusion

And so, eternal life in the kingdom of God is not for the proud and the arrogant. It’s not for the ones who are confident of their own ability to climb up to God by their good deeds. Eternal life in the kingdom of God is for those who are like little children. Just as little children rely on their parents for everything, so we’re to rely on God’s mercy towards us in Christ for salvation. Just as little children receive what they own, so we receive salvation from God. And God is our loving heavenly Father, who gives and gives and gives and gives. He gives us all that we need through Christ who suffered and died for us before rising from the dead.