Lord, Let Me See Me

I. THE FOUNDATION OF CHRIST’S TEACHING (Luke 18:9)

A. The Style of Teaching Unveiled

1. The style stated—“he spake this parable”
2. The style defined
a. Generally speaking, a parable is a story presenting “dark sayings” (Psalm 49:4; Psalm 78:2). In one instance, Jesus defined “dark sayings” as “things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 13:35).
b. When asked why He spoke to the masses in parables, Christ confirmed that parables allowed His followers to understand and grasp truth while hiding it from to those who did not truly love and follow Him (Matthew 13:10-13).
c. In a sense, parables were used of the Lord to distinguish between His disciples and those who sought merely to trap Him in His words.
d. Perhaps this is why of the sixty-five uses of the word (plural or singular), forty-seven appear in the gospels and were implemented of the Lord Jesus during His earthly ministry.

B. The Intended Audience Identified

1. The narrowing of the audience—“certain”
2. The concern within the audience—they “trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:”
3. Note: To despise is to look down upon or to hold in low esteem.

II. THE CONTENT OF CHRIST’S TEACHING (Luke 18:10-13)

A. The Characters Described (Luke 18:10)

1. One a Pharisee
a. Of the major religious groups, this one seems to be the strictest and most scripturally accurate.
b. However, they were often rebuked by the Saviour for their hypocrisy.
2. The other a publican
a. At least in this sense, a publican was one who collected public revenue. Levi, for example, was a publican and sat “at the receipt of custom” (Luke 5:27).
b. These men would have been highly esteemed in the secular world, but were frowned upon by the religious leaders.

B. The Action Depicted (Luke 18:10-13)

1. The unity of the two—they “went up into the temple to pray;” (Luke 18:10)
2. The prayer of the Pharisee (Luke 18:11-12)
a. The self-absorption of his prayer (Luke 18:11-12)
1.) He prayed with himself (Luke 18:11).
2.) He exalted self (Luke 18:11-12).
i. The five “I”s (Luke 18:11-12)
1. I thank thee (Luke 18:11)
2. I am not as other men (Luke 18:11)
3. I fast twice in a week (Luke 18:12)
4. I give tithes of all (Luke 18:12)
5. I possess (Luke 18:12)
ii. The exaltation of what he was not (Luke 18:11)
iii. The exaltation of what he did (Luke 18:12)
b. The debasement of others in his prayer (Luke 18:11)
3. The prayer of the publican (Luke 18:13)
a. The posture of his prayer
1.) He stood “afar off”
2.) He “would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven,”
3.) He “smote upon his breast,”
b. The content of his prayer
1.) The exaltation of God—the giver of mercy
2.) The expectation of his condition
i. He asked for mercy.
ii. This suggests he deserved and expected God’s judgment.
3.) The experience of himself—“me a sinner”

III. THE POINT OF CHRIST’S TEACHING (Luke 18:14)

A. The Goal Established—Justification

B. The Surprise Presented

1. The publican went home justified.
2. The Pharisee did not.

C. The Truth Given

1. A man who seeks to exalt himself, demands an external abasing.
2. A man that humbles himself, returns an external exaltation.