Hard To Be Humble

Hard To Be Humble – Luke 18: 9 - 14

Intro: Oh Lord, it’s hard to be humble

When you’re perfect in every way

I can’t wait to look in the mirror

Cause I get better lookin’ each day

To know me is to love me

I must be a heck of a man

Oh Lord, it’s hard to be humble

But I’m doin’ the best that I can.

The preceding is the chorus of a song Written by Mac Davis in 1980. It has been performed by many others who may have even changed the lyrics a little.

I Vince Lombardi was the coach of the Green Bay Packers in the 60’s. The story is told that after a successful championship playoff Vince got in bed with his wife when she exclaimed, “God, your feet are cold.” --- Vince responded, “When we’re alone in bed, you can call me Vince.”

A The parables of Jesus in Luke frequently serve a moral purpose. The often have a “go and do likewise” quality and attitude.

B The difference between the 2 men is not so much about the words they used as about what was in their hearts and their attitudes toward God, each other, and other humans.

C To read this parable as simple a warning against pride, self-sufficiency, or a relationship with God is simplistic and incomplete. The Pharisee and the Tax Collector described themselves well and neither of them lied. As we heard in the song at the beginning of the sermon, sometimes it is really hard to be humble.

II Looking at the Pharisee, we can easily see he presumes he is righteous; but is not. He has enough religion to be virtuous, but not enough to be humble before God.

A In Greek Pharisee is Pharisaios / Fa??sa??? which is understood as Hebrew separatist or an exclusively religious person.

B VS. 11 “The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people robbers, evildoers, adulterers---or even like this tax collector.” The prayer of the Pharisee had nothing to do with gratitude to God; it was a self-congratulating prayer containing 5 “I’s”. It was an “all about me” prayer!

C An important word in the Greek here is people: anthropos / a????p??. That word is used in the N.T. for a sinful person, whose conduct, way, or nature is opposed to God. The Pharisee points out others he considers less than he is. Have you ever noticed that when you point at someone else, there are usually three fingers pointing back at you?

III Tor the tax collector to be an example of piety here would challenge everything the people at the time of Jesus believed about them.

A Tax-collectors were considered unclean b/c of their contact with Gentiles. The Jewish population considered them traitors b/c they worked for the hated Romans.

B The actual word that appears here in the Greek is Publican – telones / te????? They were called publican b/c they worked with the general public. They collected the public revenue or taxes for the Roman government. The issue was they were permitted to charge whatever they wished above what was owed to Rome. That amount they could keep.

C VS. 13 – But the tax collector (publican) stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’” He cries to God with a different attitude. (His prayer echoes Psalm 51 “Have mercy on me, O God.”) He calls himself a sinner – self-degradation. He was not there to be seen or be with others. He is in the temple to “be” with God.

Concl: The spirit of the Pharisee continues in our day as we ignore God and exalt ourselves and our values at the expense of those w/ whom we are different. God accepts the humble and the needy, not the proud and disdainful.

VS. 14b – For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Ronald Regan once said, “If you are wrapped up in yourself, you are overdressed.”