Glass houses…who would want to live in one? There’s nothing but windows…everyone can see what is going on…it’s like living in a fish bowl. Not to mention that when a storm comes…you live in fear of your windows being blown out. Boy…what a mess that would be for you to have to clean up…the broken shards of those windows that you just cleaned and polished. For me…I say…glass houses, who needs them? But there are so many of us that live in those glass houses and are in danger of someone coming by…with a brick…and have the whole house come tumbling down.
In the scripture from Luke…Jesus is telling a parable…a story to those around Him. It is told for not just the Pharisee…but…also for all Disciples and believers. We are all just as vulnerable to pride and self righteousness as the Pharisee. The parable ends with “ALL who exalt themselves will be humbled…and ALL who are humbled will be exalted.” The operative word here is ALL.
The Pharisee in the Luke Scripture…boy did he live in a glass house and how it came tumbling down upon him. Boy…was he just a little delusional. But in his eyes he was not. He did everything he thought he was called to do. He gave his tithe... he fasted bi-weekly…he did it all. But there was one thing he had wrong…he lived by the letter of the Law not the spirit of the Law.
Jesus came to teach about the spirit of the Law…to put on the love of God and to share that love…that understanding…with those around us. This is one thing that Pharisee failed to do. When Jesus taught the disciples to pray in Matthew…he told them to go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father in heaven, not like the hypocrites that do it out in the open in the Synagogues for all to see. This man…this Pharisee…had it wrong. Jesus taught that acts of righteousness should not be done before men to be seen by them. This Pharisee was all puffed up on himself because he was so righteous…he had it wrong…again. The Father, who sees what is done in secret, will…reward…you. If it is done before man, the reward is already been given unto you…but not a reward by God’s standard but the reward by the standard of man. Which would you rather have?
Now…you may ask “what about the tax collector…he was praying in public just like the Pharisee was.”? Well…I’m glad you asked that question…it means you were listening to the scripture. The tax collector…unlike the Pharisee…came humbly before the throne of God. He knew that he was unworthy…that he was a sinner. He just humbly asked for forgiveness…not that he thought it was something that he truly deserved. The tax collector received his reward…by God’s standard…he received forgiveness…he was made righteous before the Lord…whereas the Pharisee received his reward…his pat on the back…his ata boy…by the worlds standard. Who do you think received the better “prize”?
We don’t know why the Pharisee’s prayer was not heard…not accepted…by God. Did he presume he was righteous and was not? Is the fact that he separated himself from others a signal that, although he may not realize it, he has separated himself from God as well? We are not told why it was unacceptable only that…it…was. The Pharisee had enough religion to be virtuous, but not enough to be humble. As a result his religion drove him away from the tax collector rather than toward him.
This part of the Luke scripture reminds me of a poem that was written by my husband Ray. It talks about this tax collector…this sinner but…it also talks about us today. It is called “Humbling Himself”.
His head to the floor, his heart begging
for forgiveness, fully aware of his sin,
his need for God, because
he could not make himself holy
Of that much he was sure
his prayer was in abject supplication,
falling before God
Praying for mercy,
as he was a sinner
So must we pray,
knowing we too
need His grace
as we are sinners too
A renewing of the heart…of the mind…of our will…that is what we need to change our selfishness into Godliness.
OK…so how in the world are we to put our lives in perspective? How can we turn our thoughts from linear to vertical…from the world’s standards to God’s standards? We need to see our lives through the eyes of God. Everything we have is a gift from God. Our possessions…our talents…our salvation…is given to us by God’s grace…not by our own abilities but by the abilities given to us…shared with us…from and by God.
In the Psalm that we read together this morning…we are given a glimpse…shown a pattern…of how we can renew our minds. We need to see what we have n life as a gift…undeserved, unmerited…from God. The Psalm also shows us that by remembering…by taking stock of our lives…we can refocus our lives from self-centeredness to God-centeredness.
David knew who God was and what God had done…and still does…for mankind. David knew…beyond a shadow of doubt…that the Lord…answers…prayer. David talks about God’s goodness…God’s deliverance…God’s salvation. David remembered God’s mighty deeds…about how the Lord established the mountains and the seas…how God is the Creator of all things. David remembered God’s providence…how He waters the earth and blesses it with growth…with abundance…of how the earth sings with joy.
We too must bring to mind the blessings that are lavished upon us each moment of every day. Each new day is a gift given to us by God. We need to remember how God has provided in the past therefore…we have hope for the future.
Unfortunately…we are convinced that we either do have or should have everything in control. We are generally convinced that we have “earned” our prosperity. By thinking this way…we have a loss of wonder and an inability to sing songs of praise about the reliability of life. We loose our joy and forget who we are in Christ and why we are here on earth. We forget that we are here for God’s pleasure and that God bestows good things on those who call upon the name of the Lord and believe. What a sad, confused, stressed out way to live our lives.
Trusting in oneself…is obviously a posture of blindness to one’s position before God. Like the strong man who trusted in his armor in Luke 11:21-22, who lost his armor when he was over taken when someone stronger attacked, we too will lose when we rely on things of the world to keep us safe…to make us strong. The religious may trust in their righteousness but…just how righteous are they? Our willingness to admit our defeat and failure, and our willingness to call upon God to enter our struggles, are met with God’s abundant love and provision.
In life…in our walk with God…we have choices. God has given us free will. We are free to choose to be like the Pharisee…happy and content with ourselves. We can follow all the rituals that religion gives us…to follow the law…and still…miss…the …mark. Or…we can be like the tax collector. WE can come humbly before God…admit our brokenness…ask for forgiveness and come away from our encounter with our Risen Lord, renewed…revived…changed by the grace of God. We can realize we are nothing…we have nothing…unless it is by the loving grace of God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, our Rock, our Redeemer.
In closing I would like to share with you a poem by my favorite poet of this day. It is called “Naked in a Glass House”, it reminds me of people in society today who live in their own glass houses. It reads:
His false piety, summed up in his certainty
of his own standing, earning a ticket to joy
judging others in the temple, in the courts
by the letter of the law, a righteous man
by going through the motions
stepping the steps of the saints
missing the point in the acts themselves
forgetting the distance between man
and God, forgetting the history
of the people, the lessons of Job
the teachings of the master
walking around naked in the glass house
exposed as surely as Adam and Eve
after tasting the apple
but he was unaware,
blinded by the steps
taken for show
not for God’s glory
May we always remember that if we rely too heavily on what we think are our own abilities...our world just may come tumbling down around us like to walls of Jericho.
AMEN
All
of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004,
2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights
reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage.
See all 30,100+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com
Poetry Where You Live.
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