Luke 18:9-30 - Humility and Trust Demonstrated

Introduction:

What does it mean to trust someone or something? How do we demonstrate trust?

We depend on the person or thing in which we trust to provide or do something for us.

Example: We trust our spouses to be faithful to love us no matter the circumstances in life.

Example: We trust that our refrigerators are going to preserve the food that we buy at the grocery store.

We demonstrate that trust with our actions. We demonstrate trust in the refrigerator by putting food into it (a lack of trust in the refrigerator would be demonstrated by putting the food into a cooler of ice before putting it into the refrigerator).

Today, Jesus is going to teach us about the importance of humility and trusting Him rather than trusting anyone or anything else.

Literary Context

In Luke’s Gospel, we are still with Jesus and His disciples as they journey toward Jerusalem and the purpose for which Jesus is going there: to give His life. We began this journey back in Luke 9:51 where is says Jesus “set his face to go to Jerusalem.”

Throughout the journey, Jesus has repeatedly told his disciples that He is going to suffer and be put to death at the hands of the religious leaders (Luke 9:21-22, 44; 12:50; 13:31-33; 17:25; and He will tell them again after the passages we are looking at this morning).

As He approaches His foretold suffering and death, He is also teaching them about the nature of discipleship, what it means to be His follower, and the values of the Kingdom of God.

In today’s parable and two narrative accounts, Jesus teaches specifically about the importance of humbly trusting Him over against everything else one might trust.

Luke 18:9-30

Have three people read the three accounts.

Luke 18:9-14

Right off the bat we see a misplaced trust. What are the people whom Jesus is addressing trusting in?

They are trusting in themselves and their own righteousness.

What are some possible signs that we are trusting in ourselves and our own righteousness today?

An arrogance or pride when we are being faithful that causes us to look down upon others.

A despair when we fail that does not lead us to repentance, but leads us to envy others.

A general disdain for the culturally marginalized or those that we would consider “worse” sinners than ourselves.

This is exactly what we see in Luke’s description: these people who trusted in themselves “treated others with contempt.”

Who are the characters in Jesus’ parable and what do they do?

Pharisee - “a respected religious leader” -Bock

Tax collector - “viewed as a leech on society and a traitor for working with Rome.” -Bock

They both pray:

How does the Pharisee begin his prayer?

I thank you God… What would you expect to follow this opening line?

You would expect for praiseworthy declarations about God to follow this beginning, but instead the Pharisee follows with…reasons that he is better than others.

How is the approach and prayer of the tax collector different?

Stands far off

does not even look up to heaven. Head bowed in humility

Beat his breast - a sign of great mourning and grief over his sin

Have mercy on me, a sinner.

The tax collector does not identify anything about himself that is worthy of commendation. Rather, he humbly acknowledges his sin and requests the mercy of God to cover that sin and restore a right relationship with Him.

After completing the parable, how does Jesus evaluate the two prayers and what is the point that He is making through the parable?

God hears the prayer of the humble tax collector and responds by justifying him.

The contrast here is that the Pharisee trusted in his own righteousness before God, while the tax collector humbly acknowledged that trust in God’s mercy was his only hope.

Bock summarizes Jesus’ point this way:

“Bravado and appearance mean nothing. Resume and social status mean nothing. Self-reliance means nothing. What counts is a heart that appreciates what God can give. The tax-collector, therefore, is the one whom Jesus says goes home justified. In seeking God’s forgiveness, he receives it.”

We see this principle throughout Luke’s Gospel that God lifts up the humble and brings down the prideful.

Luke 18:15-17

This moves us into the next account, where we see Jesus’ continued instructions on the nature of humility and trust.

What is the conflict here that allows Jesus this teaching opportunity?

Parents are bringing their children to Jesus that He might touch them. The reason for this could be that He would offer a blessing for them:

Genesis 48:14-15 14 And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn). 15 And he blessed Joseph...

However, the disciples rebuke the parents for doing this. Why do you think this is?

Culturally, children did not have any social status. The disciples considered Jesus’ time too valuable to be spent offering blessings to these children.

Jesus responds by teaching the disciples first that children and infants are valuable to Him and should have access to Him, but also that there is something to be learned about the Kingdom of God from little children.

What is it about these children that Jesus is commending in vs. 17 when he says, “whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it”?

Total trust and dependence. A little child depends on his or her parents for protection, nourishment, love, everything.

In the same way, God’s children, the disciples of Jesus, ought to trust and rely completely on their heavenly Father.

In fact, this dependence is a necessary quality for entrance into the kingdom of God.

As the tax collector demonstrated through his humble prayer and dependence on God for forgiveness, the only way that one can be justified is through faith.

Notice here how justified and righteousness language in the parable are really equal to the language about entering the kingdom in Jesus’ teaching about little children. We see these same emphases in Paul’s writing later:

Galatians 2:15-17

Galatians 5:21

Luke 18:18-30

This point about entrance into the kingdom being dependent on childlike trust leads into the next narrative account where Jesus encounters a man seeking for what he must do to inherit eternal life.

We sometimes read the ruler’s question, “what must I do to inherit eternal life,” and think that the problem is that he is trying to earn his salvation by his works. But based on Jesus’ response, I don’t think that is the man’s problem.

In fact, in the book of Acts, when Paul and Silas are imprisoned in Philippi, the Philippian jailer addresses them with the question: “what must I do to be saved.” Paul and Silas don’t respond with something like: “you can’t earn your salvation, you are asking the wrong question.” Rather, they answer the question: believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.

So here, the ruler is asking a legitimate question about how he can be assured that he will receive eternal life.

Does Jesus’ response to his question surprise you?

It might because it sounds like salvation by works.

However, we need to go back to the initial question that we started the morning with: how do we demonstrate trust?

The obedience to the law is a demonstration of one’s trust in God.

Does the ruler think that he trusts God?

Yes. He says “All these I have kept from my youth.” Does he trust God?

No. His answer sounds like the prayer of the Pharisee. He is not trusting God, but is trusting in himself.

Jesus wisely brings this to light in vs. 22 when he commands him to sell all that he has to earn treasure in heaven and then follow Jesus.

Based on the way the ruler addressed Jesus in vs. 18, what would you expect him to do in response now?

He addressed him as a Good Teacher, meaning that he believed that he taught God’s truth. Thus, if he believes that Jesus accurately communicates God’s truth and is able to answer the question about inheriting eternal life, he should respond to Jesus and be willing to sell all and follow him.

But, what does he do?

He is sad because of his great wealth.

In verses 24-25, Jesus offers commentary on the event to teach his disciples further about the nature of trust and dependence. What is his point?

Those who have wealth have a difficult time entering the kingdom of God because wealth can bring self-focus and greed, rather than trust and generosity.

Jesus then makes it clear that it is IMPOSSIBLE for the rich to enter the kingdom of God on their own strength.

“The self-focused security of the wealthy is a padlock against kingdom entry. The remark is shocking to Jesus’ listeners.” -Bock

We can see the shock in the disciples reply, “then who can be saved?”

The reason for this is that wealth was often seen as a blessing from God. Their reasoning is this: “if those who are so blessed by God are excluded from the kingdom, then who can possibly be saved?”

What’s Jesus’ reply?

God is able to do what man cannot do.

How does this idea fit into the greater context of humility, dependence, and trust that Jesus has been focused on in these passages?

“Salvation is in the hands of a powerful God who is able to effect the needed change of perspective. In replying this way, Jesus gives the divine side of the picture of humility and faith, as he notes without details that God is able to change the human heart and its orientation toward life.” -Bock

God can break down any barrier that keeps a person from trusting Him.

Peter replies in vs. 28 that he and the other disciples have responded to Jesus’ call to discipleship. They have left their homes/possessions and are following Jesus. What is the implication of vs. 27-28 being placed side by side?

The response of the disciples required the work of God. The trust and dependence and humility with which the disciples responded to Jesus required the work of God in their hearts.

So, Peter acknowledges that they have responded to Jesus’ call, likely looking for assurance for himself and the disciples.

Jesus responds that all those who make sacrifices “for the sake of the kingdom of God” will not lack God’s blessing both in this life and then inherit eternal life in the kingdom of God.

In the context of giving up familial relationships to serve the kingdom of God, what is the “many times more” that disciples will receive?

The Christian community and family that one receives.

But ultimately, the reward for trusting God and humbly depending on Him such that we give up all that He requires of us to follow Him will lead to eternal life.

Application

In his books Radical and Radical Together, David Platt talks about us giving our lives to God as a blank check, allowing Him to write in whatever He would call us to to give and do. He asks then question in Radical Together, “Are you and I willing to put everything in our lives on the table for Christ to determine what needs to stay and what needs to go?”

Our application this morning is simple and yet complex. Do we trust God enough to do anything that He calls us to do? Our salvation and our eternal life is secure because we trust Him! That is such glorious grace on the part of God. And now that we trust Him, our lives should reflect that with a willingness to do whatever He calls us to do.