Humbled and Exalted: The Parable of Pride's Undoing

The tax collector's prayer is striking in simplicity. Right? God, be merciful to me, the sinner. It's actually the definitive definite article there. It should be translated the sinner. He's not comparing. He's not explaining. He's not managing impressions. He's telling the truth. And here's the strange freedom of the gospel. The only posture God can work with is that honesty. The tax collector brings nothing to God but his need and that's enough. [01:08:17] (29 seconds)  #HumblePrayer

And here is the subtleness of pride and self righteousness. The the paradox of sin and pride, to do a good deed, to affect our reputation, to be seen and noticed, do good deed for your rep, reward has been given. And here's the kicker, the more progress we make oftentimes as Christians, the more virtue we attain, the more we have for others to notice and admire, and the more audience even, perhaps pride, then is the one sin of the good people. It's the vice most likely found here, Redeemer, to be be bred faithfully among the faithful. [01:00:34] (34 seconds)  #PrideOfTheFaithful

When we hear this story, most of us want to say, I'm the tax collector. Broken, humble, aware of need. But if we're honest, most of us live far more like the Pharisee. We we make lists, lists to reassure ourselves, to distinguish ourselves. We have little immortality symbols that confer glory upon us to prove we're not like those people. And even when we hear this parable, we're tempted to think, thank God I'm not like that Pharisee. [01:04:04] (37 seconds)  #PhariseeHabits

Right? Right? The first time down a hill, the snow is fresh and uneven and steering your little sled takes some effort. You have to work to stay upright in the sled. You probably go down the hill first and then you fall over. But after a few runs, grooves begin to form and the sled slides faster and smoother and more predictably each time. Eventually, you don't even have to steer. The the groove does the work for you. This is how vice works. Like, the first time it costs something, the hundredth time, it feels natural, almost inevitable. [00:43:07] (35 seconds)  #ViceGrooves

What finally undoes pride is not effort, discipline, trying harder to be humble. Pride cannot be defeated by our willpower because pride uses our willpower as fuel. What humbles us, what truly humbles us is a vision of who God is and what God has done. [01:06:32] (20 seconds)  #HumilityByVision

God's not merely omnipotent and omniscious. He's not simply high and lifted up. In Jesus, God becomes low. He stoops. He descends. He takes the lowest place. He washes feet. He touches lepers. He eats with tax collectors. He hangs on the curse of a cross. [01:07:01] (24 seconds)  #JesusStoops

This God Jesus reveals is not impressed by our resumes. He's not threatened by our failures. He is drawn to our need. And this is why Jesus can say something that sounds upside down but is actually the truest thing in the world. Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and the one who humbles himself will be exalted. [01:07:25] (18 seconds)  #HumbleGetsExalted

Pride trains us to build a life where we do not need anyone, especially God. It turns gifts into achievements and dependence into shame. It makes community feel like competition and vulnerability feel like failure. And that's what we see in Luke 18. The the Pharisee is spiritually autonomous. The tax collector is relationally dependent. [01:01:56] (18 seconds)  #ChooseDependence