February 20, 2020
When Weakness Becomes Our Strength
Luke 18:1-14
Caroline Brooks
Central Truth
To be humble is to admit weakness, that we are powerless over our lives. The Lord hears our cries and wants us to fall to our knees, remembering what He told Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
Key Verse | Luke 18:14b
"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
Luke 18:1-14
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed 1 18:11 Or standing, prayed to himself thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Dive Deeper | Luke 18:1-14
Merriam-Webster’s definition of the word humble is: "Not proud or haughty: not arrogant or assertive. Reflecting, expressing, or offered in a spirit of deference or submission." On the other end of the spectrum from humility is its ugly sibling rival—pride.
In the second parable, we see pride personified as a Pharisee and humility as a tax collector.
It may be helpful to consider who these Pharisees and tax collectors were at the time. Pharisees were devout religious leaders, known for their precise following of the oral laws and highly regarded by other Jews. Tax collectors were known to be thieves who preyed on the poor and were despised by their fellow Jews.
When the Pharisee says, "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," he uses the personal pronoun I five times. This self-focused comparison game shows his arrogance to boast in the things that he had done.
On the other side of the temple, the tax collector "would not even lift up his eyes to heaven," pleading, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" What a beautifully raw picture of humility.
Growing up in a Christian home, I was taught to make sure everything seemed put together on the outside. It created in me a sense of pride that carried into my adult years and made it hard for me to open up about my struggles. I just completed re:generation, Watermark's 12-step biblical recovery program, and have learned to admit that I am powerless over my sinful patterns. God calls us to be open and vulnerable so that we are reminded of our need for Him.
To be humble is to admit weakness, that we are powerless over our lives and circumstances. The Lord hears our cries and wants us to fall to our knees, hands open to Him, remembering what He told Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
Discussion Questions
1. What are some areas of your life that you feel you can become prideful about and are tempted to turn away from the Lord?
2. Does the thought of needing God and not being able to do life on your own make you feel weak or secure? Why?
3. Have you viewed others in the same way that the Pharisee did in this passage—with a puffed-up sense of pride? What are some practical ways that you can combat those self-righteous thoughts?