April 4 | Luke 18:1-14

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DAILY READING

Luke 18:1-14

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REFLECTION

Humility

by Ken Dillman

It’s been said that humility is one of those things you can't really brag about having.

Jesus had a deeply loving heart toward people, so much so that he often spoke in parables to make a point without directly shaming people.

Aren’t you grateful Jesus doesn’t give us what we deserve sometimes?

There were some people who were hanging around Jesus who were so self-righteous, that they totally missed the fact that they were treating others with contempt; frequently, it was the Jewish religious leaders, because they had the inability to assess their own pride.

In Jesus’ parable, a Pharisee and a tax collector go to the temple to pray; tax collectors were despised by most Jewish people at the time because they often extorted additional taxes that they kept for themselves.

The Pharisee, prays to God, saying that he’s thankful he’s not like other corrupt people, people like the tax collector standing in the same room with him. Then the Pharisee brags on himself.

Our human tendency makes it hard not to brag on ourselves; we want to be recognized for the good things we do, we want to be affirmed as being fine Christians, and we want to know that our efforts are just as admirable as anybody else’s.

There’s a valuable story found in Numbers chapter twelve; Miriam, who is the older sister of Moses, has contempt toward Moses for marrying an Ethiopian woman. Miriam seems to be upset for some reason and goes further, bitterly asking rhetorically, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses?” (Num. 12:2)

God afflicts Miriam with leprosy because she challenges Moses’ God-ordained leadership.

At first blush, the next sentence may seem confusing, it says, “Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.” (Num. 12:3) What may be confusing is that it’s generally accepted that Moses wrote the Book of Numbers. So, is Moses writing that he is the meekest person on earth? If so, that doesn’t sound very meek.

However, for a person who has a deep sense of their own sinfulness, which Moses had, true humility allows a person to speak of meekness, only because they have been through the refining fire that brings about meekness, as Moses had experienced.

The story teaches that meekness/humility occurs, when we have an acute awareness of our sin.

In Jesus’ parable, the tax collector stands in a remote part of the temple, ashamed, unable to lift his eyes to heaven, and asks God for mercy; he knew he was a sinner. Jesus acknowledged that the tax collector, not the Pharisee, left the temple justified.

We never know what’s going on in the heart and mind of those around us, do we?

True humility happens when we recognize that we are sinners, and that we can brag about nothing, except God’s amazing grace.

PRAYER

Father, thank you for your mercies and compassion that are new every day; your love allows us a fresh start each morning, leaving our failures and sin of yesterday behind. Help us by the power of your Spirit to be humble people; help us to recognize our own sin, before we recognize the sins of others. We need your mercy. Amen.

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My wife, Karen and I have been attending UALC for 6-7 years and enjoy God's presence in our gatherings. We live in Hilliard; our three adult children live in Central Ohio. I am a retired Chaplain and Pastor, and enjoy writing, walking, jogging, and listening to live music. I appreciate the opportunity to write for the church’s devotionals.