Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Luke 18:14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God."
WHO IS JUSTIFIED AND HOW
The Apostle Paul urges us to comfort others with the comfort we ourselves have received from God (2 Corinthians 1:4). There is no greater comfort for any human heart than the truth of the Gospel -- even if (or is that "just because") it knocks into a cocked hat the way to God we humans naturally favor. So Jesus' little story about the two men who went up to the temple to pray is one we need to re-hear again and again -- for our sakes and for the sake of those with whom we may have opportunity to share it.
Sometimes we say that in this parable Jesus shows there are but two religions in this world. True enough, but He also here shows that it's not just a matter of which religion we profess but how we use it. The two men went to the same temple, but one used the opportunity to think and talk about how good he was. He thanked God for all the good things he had done and reminded God of all the bad things He had not done.
The other man used the same opportunity to think and talk about how bad he was. He stood alone and said: God be merciful to me, The Sinner. Jesus then said: "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God."
To be justified is to be accepted as righteous and good by God Himself. The first fellow figured he was good enough for God and ignored his sins. The second man knew his sins separated him from God -- yet he was sincerely sorry that he had broken God's commands and he trusted in God's forgiveness.
So if you come to God with your hands full of your own perceived goodness, then you too will be sent away empty handed -- unforgiven. But if you come to God empty handed but repentant -- depending on His mercy in Christ -- into those hands God places the free gift of His forgiveness in Jesus Christ. You are justified! And how!
