In recent years something new has appeared on many high streets: defibrillators. Defibrillators can be life-savers if someone suffers a heart attack. They aren’t only on high streets, of course. I like to do ‘Park Run’ (when it’s happening!) and lots of Park Runs have defibrillators. You often get them in sports centres too.
I read a story in a Devon newspaper about someone who needed a defibrillator. This was in November last year. A man called Andy Hannan collapsed. The article said, ‘He had played a couple of games when his heart and breathing suddenly stopped. Thanks to the heroic efforts of Sue Hutchings, a fellow Stroller who performed CPR and the use of a defibrillator at the sports centre, Andy's heart was restarted.’
This story illustrates what’s going on in today’s passage.
Andy Hannan’s heart and breathing had stopped. Medically, he would be considered dead. The defibrillator enabled his heart to be restarted. He was brought back to life.
We’re approaching Easter. We will remember the fact that Jesus died on the cross and that he rose again. Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection have the power to save us from death – forever!
Clearly, a defibrillator can’t save someone while it’s in its cabinet. It has to be taken down and operated.
In the same way, Jesus’ death and resurrection don’t save a person unless a person makes use of them. A person has to respond to them.
In the article I read, a lady called Sue Hutchings helped Andy Hannan after he’d had his heart attack. I don’t suppose that at that moment she was very interested in WHY Andy Hannan had had a heart attack. Nor do I suppose that she was very interested in HOW a defibrillator works. I’m sure all she wanted to know was WHAT SHE HAD TO DO to save Andy Hannan’s life.
Similarly, there are parts of the Bible which tell us WHY we need to be saved. There are parts of the Bible which tell us HOW Jesus’ death and resurrection save us. But at this point in Luke’s gospel, Luke’s focus is on WHAT A PERSON HAS TO DO to be saved.
When I say ‘at this point’ I mean these chapters in Luke, from about Luke 15 to 19. In these chapters Jesus is constantly talking about salvation. It wouldn’t be long before Jesus goes to the cross and takes on himself the punishment for our sins. HE would put the means of salvation in place. But it’s essential that people know what THEY have to do.
Typical operating instruction for a defibrillator are quite simple, but as you might expect, there are some dos and don’ts.
When it comes to responding to Jesus, there are also some dos and don’ts. They aren’t complicated to understand but they might well be difficult to do.
I imagine that all of us know the instructions for salvation and we’ve followed them. But these things are so important that a little refresher course is very worth doing.
So, let’s take a look. In today’s passage we meet four more people, two in a parable and two in real life. Each has something to teach us about the dos and don’ts to find salvation.
Our passage today starts with Jesus’ parable about a Pharisee and a tax collector.
THE PHARISEE
We’ll start by looking at the Pharisee. Carmen read the passage to us so we know how the parable ends. Look at verse 14. Jesus said, ‘I tell you, this man’ – the tax collector – ‘went down to his house justified, rather than the other’ – the Pharisee.
The Pharisee didn’t end up ‘justified.’ In today’s passage there are several terms for salvation. In this parable Jesus uses the word ‘justified’. In the passage about the child, Jesus talks about ‘entering the kingdom of God’. The rich ruler asks Jesus about inheriting eternal life. All these words and phrases mean finding salvation. But I think there’s a particular reason why Jesus uses the word ‘justification’ here. ‘Justification’ is quite a technical word. It means that GOD REGARDS US AS RIGHTEOUS. Some preachers say ‘justified’ means ‘JUST AS IF I’D’ never sinned. That’s correct. But the Pharisee wasn’t justified when he went home. God did not see him as righteous.
The defibrillator wasn’t used properly. He wasn’t saved.
Jesus presents us with the story of the Pharisee to warn us. It’s possible to get things wrong. Where had the Pharisee gone wrong? What was his mistake?
Look at how the Pharisee prayed. ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’
The Pharisee appears to be a good upright citizen. He doesn’t do lots of bad things and he does quite a few good things. Where did he go wrong?
Where he’s gone wrong is his attitude. HE thinks he’s OK. He assesses himself. His assessment is: ‘I’m not a bad person. I do many good things.’ He’s sure he’s a good person. He gives his good service badge a little rub. He pats himself on the back.
In short, he justifies himself. But it’s a non-starter. The reality is that none of us is good. So, Jesus’ first instruction in the operating manual for salvation is a ‘DON’T’. DON’T try to justify yourself. You simply can’t.
THE TAX COLLECTOR
The tax collector, as we already know, did end up justified. This is completely counterintuitive. The tax collector was the villain, the lowest of the low. Tax collectors helped the Romans. They were traitors!
Jesus presents us with the story of the tax collector to show us what we SHOULD be like. He’s saying DON’T be like the Pharisee; DO be like the tax collector! What had the tax collector got right?
Let’s look at how the tax collector prayed. He didn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
He asked God for mercy. He confessed that he was a sinner.
Salvation starts here and it starts nowhere else.
John the Baptist preached, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Jesus preached, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ The apostles preached the same.
Jesus’ second instruction in the operating manual for salvation is a ‘DO.’ Confess your sin. Ask God for mercy. Say sorry, in other words – and mean it.
Before we move on, let’s just note that if the tax collector, the lowest of the low, can be justified, anyone can. A drug addict, an alcoholic, a gang leader and a murderer can all find salvation. This defibrillator works for everyone – if they follow the instructions.
THE CHILD
Luke now moves on to a story about people bringing infants to Jesus. Jesus tells his disciples, ‘whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.’
We’ve had one example to avoid and one example to follow. Here’s another example to follow. We need to be like a child to enter the kingdom of God.
I think what Jesus means here is that we should receive the kingdom of God in the way a child receives something. Children don’t imagine they have to pay for something.
The hymn ‘Rock of Ages’ includes the line: ‘Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling.’ Toplady, who wrote the hymn, is right. We come to God empty-handed AND THAT’S HOW WE NEED TO COME.
Children are under no illusions about their dependence on their parents. As adults we like to think of ourselves as strong and independent. It’s embarrassing to have to admit that we’re dependent on God. There’s a common perception that Christianity is a crutch for the weak. We don’t like that phrase, but it’s fundamentally true. We ARE weak. We’re utterly dependent on God’s grace.
Jesus’ third instruction in the operating manual for salvation is another ‘DO.’ Come to God like a child. Just accept the fact that you’re weak and dependent.
THE RICH MAN
A man now comes up to Jesus and asks him, ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’
Luke tells us that the man was a ruler and that he was ‘extremely rich’. Matthew tells us he was young. People often refer to him as ‘the rich young ruler.’
This rich young ruler addresses Jesus as ‘Good teacher.’ Jesus challenges him a little on this. ‘Why do you call me good?’ he asks. ‘No one is good except God alone.’ Interesting! Is Jesus not good then?! But let’s think about the second part, ‘No one is good except God alone.’
What Jesus said is certainly what the Bible teaches. For example, David said: ‘there is none who does good, not even one’ [Psalm 14:3 and 53:3]
Let’s stop and think about this for a moment. If being good is the condition for entering the kingdom of God, and no one is good, then no one will enter the kingdom of God! There has to be some other way, and thankfully, Jesus provided it. Because of his sacrifice on the cross, we can be counted righteous – or ‘justified’, to use the technical word.
But there’s a further implication. We could be saved by being good, but no one is good. We’re saved by faith alone. So does that mean that our obedience to God’s law doesn’t matter, that it’s irrelevant? We might think that.
But Jesus now says to the rich young ruler, ‘You know the commandments…’ Why does Jesus ask this, if keeping God’s commandments is irrelevant?
The answer is that keeping God’s commandments is not irrelevant. The New Testament teaches that we’re saved by faith alone. But it also teaches that faith must be accompanied by deeds. James writes, ‘…faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.’ [James 2:17, 26] There are many similar verses. Salvation IS by faith alone. But faith is evident in what we do.
So Jesus asks the rich young ruler if he keeps the commandments. He lists the last five of the Ten Commandments. The man was doing really well on these.
But what about the other commandments? The first commandment is, ‘You shall have no other gods before me.’
For that rich young ruler, might money be a god? There was one way to find out. Jesus asked him to dispose of his wealth and follow him. It was a crossroads moment. The rich young ruler could go on as before. Or he could sell everything and follow Jesus. What would he do? He decided to put his trust in his wealth rather than put his trust in Jesus.
Jesus’ fourth instruction in the operating manual for salvation is both a ‘DO’ or a ‘DON’T.’ Broadly, it is DO follow God’s commandments. They are still important. Repentance is both a turning from and a turning to. Specifically, for the rich young man, God’s commandment was DON’T have any other gods before me.
So, we’ve looked at what Jesus has taught us in these four examples.
What are some key takeaways?
The story of the Pharisee warns us about smugness and pride. It reminds us that we cannot justify ourselves.
The story of the tax collector gives us the simple message that we have to confess our sin and ask God for mercy.
The story of the child tells us that we need to accept the fact that we’re weak and absolutely dependent on God. This story might make it seem as though it’s very easy to come to faith. In a sense, it is. But most of us are no longer children. We don’t like to admit our weakness and dependence.
The story of the rich young ruler reminds us that we do need to follow God’s commandments. The fact that salvation is by faith alone doesn’t make them irrelevant. Like the rich young ruler, we may need to let go of other gods we may have.
At Easter we remember Jesus’ death and resurrection. He paid the price for our sin; he’s made salvation possible. But we have to respond. Without our response, Jesus’ work is like a defibrillator in a cabinet on the wall. It won’t save us. We need to do these things when we come to Jesus for the first time and we need to do these things as we continue to follow him.
Some of these things are difficult. It’s difficult to change attitudes we may have had for most of our lives. But let’s remember how Jesus concluded today’s passage: ‘What is impossible with men is possible with God.’ With God’s help we can make those right choices, avoid the pitfalls, and obtain the salvation Jesus has made available to us.
