Humility is Possibility | November 30, 2025

Luke 18 offers two windows into the way we approach God: the Pharisee who brings his résumé, and the tax collector who brings his need. One rehearses spiritual achievements; the other beats his chest and whispers for mercy. Jesus declares the second man “justified,” and reminds us that whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted. I called this humility is possibility, because the more tightly we cling to self-importance and self-reliance, the smaller our world becomes—and the more we release our grip, the wider God’s possibilities open before us.

Pride blinds. It narrows our field of vision to ourselves so we can’t see the person next to us who is in pain, or even notice what God is trying to give. Isaiah’s call to true fasting confronts this: don’t hide from your own flesh. Our disciplines are not canceled; they’re re-aimed—toward mercy, justice, and a posture that actually notices people.

Jesus then gathers the little ones the disciples tried to keep away. The kingdom belongs to such as these—not because children are more deserving, but because they are more open. They don’t have much to bring, and they know it. They try; they hit a limit; they ask for help. That posture, not our status, grants us access.

The rich ruler shows how hard it is to release the weights we’re used to carrying—wealth, position, control. Jesus’ eye-of-the-needle image is humorous and sobering. But he doesn’t leave us with impossibility; he places us in God’s hands: what is impossible with people is possible with God. This is not just about rich people. We can be encumbered by respectable religious habits, by our need to be competent, by our carefully curated identity. Levi the tax collector shows the other way: “Come, follow me”—and he gets up and follows.

So here is the invitation: come as a child. Tell the truth about your limits. Ask for help sooner, not later. In his presence, possibilities multiply. Outside his presence, the same landscape looks like Everest. Lift your head, take God’s perspective, and step into the open space humility creates.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Humility makes room for mercy. Pride narrows the field of vision; humility tells the truth about our need and creates space for God’s mercy to meet us. The tax collector brings nothing but dependence and goes home justified, while the self-sufficient man leaves empty. God is not impressed by our lists; he’s moved by our honesty. [04:32]
• 2. True fasting faces our neighbor. Spiritual practices that serve the self miss God’s heart. Isaiah calls us to stop hiding from our own flesh—the real people right beside us. The measure of our disciplines is not our effort but their overflow into mercy and justice. [12:38]
• 3. Receive the kingdom like children. Children try, reach their limit, and ask for help; that is the doorway posture into the kingdom. Coming with status and self-importance keeps us outside because we’re full of ourselves. Empty hands are the ones God fills. [19:36]
• 4. Let go of encumbering attachments. The issue isn’t only money; it’s anything we won’t release—role, image, control—that makes us too “large” to pass through the narrow gate of trust. Jesus’ needle-and-camel picture exposes how small the opening feels when our arms are full. With God, even this surrender becomes possible. [33:52]
• 5. Seek God’s larger perspective daily. What looks like Everest at street level becomes a tiny ripple from God’s vantage point. Humility lifts our eyes, reducing obstacles and increasing possibilities. Prayer, counsel, and obedience re-train our vision to see as God sees. [17:51]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:33] - Two men praying at the temple
• [01:59] - The Pharisee’s self-congratulating prayer
• [03:34] - The tax collector’s plea for mercy
• [04:32] - Justified: humility over pride
• [07:23] - Fasting, tithing, and misplaced motives
• [12:38] - Isaiah 58: true fasting unmasked
• [14:25] - Perspective shift: God’s vast view
• [16:10] - The billiard ball analogy
• [18:45] - Disciples rebuke parents; Jesus welcomes children
• [19:36] - Entering the kingdom like a child
• [23:02] - When self-reliance breaks down
• [27:13] - “No one is good but God”
• [29:14] - One thing lacking: release and follow
• [32:45] - Camel, needle, and encumbered hearts
• [35:04] - What’s impossible with us is possible with God
• [36:35] - “Follow me” echoes: Levi’s response
• [39:14] - Prayerful response: approach as children

1. In the parable (Luke 18:9–14) what actions and words mark the Pharisee’s prayer, and what actions and words mark the tax collector’s? [01:59]
2. When Jesus welcomes the children (Luke 18:15–17), what reason does he give for doing so and how does that contrast with the disciples’ response? [19:36]
3. How does Jesus’ reply to the rich ruler (sell, give to the poor, follow) expose the ruler’s real obstacle to the kingdom? [29:14]
4. What does “hide yourself from your own flesh” mean in the context of fasting and looking after neighbors? [12:38]

1. What does the tax collector’s posture of “dependence and plea for mercy” reveal about how God measures righteousness in contrast to self-sufficiency? [04:32]
2. How does pride function as a narrowing of vision in people’s lives, and what are concrete signs that someone is experiencing this kind of spiritual blindness? [11:05]
3. In the rich ruler episode, what does the saying “with God all things are possible” mean for someone who is deeply encumbered by possessions, status, or identity? [35:04]
4. How does the command to “receive the kingdom like a child” reframe what it looks like to follow Jesus compared with relying on religious performance or competence? [19:36]

1. Identify one “résumé” you tend to bring before God (examples: a religious habit, a title, financial security, competence). How would you confess that to God this week and instead present dependence like the tax collector? [04:32]
2. Are there spiritual disciplines you practice that have become more about appearance or control than mercy and neighbor-care? Name one and describe one small way to re‑aim it toward serving someone in need. [12:38]
3. Name a current problem in your life that feels like “Everest.” What is one concrete step (a prayer, a person to ask for counsel, a small act of obedience) you can take in the next 48 hours to seek God’s perspective on it? [17:51]
4. What is an attachment you need to loosen (not only money — it could be role, reputation, or control)? What is a first, specific action you will take this week to begin letting it go and to “follow” Jesus in that area? [33:52]
5. When was the last time you asked for help sooner rather than later? Plan one moment this week to practice coming to God (or to a trusted brother/sister) like a child who needs help. What will you say? [25:30]
6. As a group: how can we help one another notice “our own flesh” (neighbors, family, coworkers) more faithfully? Name one simple weekly practice the group could try to pay attention and respond to people in need. [12:38]