And
He (Jesus) also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they
were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:
“Two
men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax
collector.
The
Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself; ‘God I thank You that I am not
like other people: Swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax
collector.
‘I
fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’
“But
the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up
his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast saying, ‘God be merciful to me,
the sinner!’
I
tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for
everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be
exalted.”
Luke
18:9-14
The
message here is twofold. First, we
should not judge those who are trapped in sin and fighting to get free. Second, a humble sinner is highly regarded by
God.
We
cannot undo our sins, but we can confess them to God and be forgiven. None of us are without sin and we should remember
this when we devalue those who wrestle with what consider to be bigger sins
than ours.
God
does not judge the sin; God judges the man or woman’s repentant heart.
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