Luke 18:13 Jesus said, “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!’”
What is your place? In the grand scheme of things, what is your place? King, ruler,
Jesus is talking to a group of people that Luke describes as being self-righteous and snobby. He sets up the story with a Pharisee, a prominent religious person, going into the temple and tooting his own horn, so to speak. He follows that up with the tax collector, the scum of the earth. And we read his prayer in verse 13. “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” Which man knew his place?
The Pharisee thought he knew his place. I do all the right things. I’m generally a nice guy. At least I’m not as bad as that jerk over there. Jesus tells the people listening that the Pharisee is setting himself up to be humbled. And rest assured, God will humble him. God has a way of humbling the proud of heart. Those who think they’re all that, God knocks down a few pegs. Those who don’t know their place, God will put them in it.
God has put me in my place more times than I care to count. It doesn’t feel to good. But it’s necessary. “For the moment, all discipline feels painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11.
The tax collector knew his place. He wouldn’t even be so bold as to look up to heaven. As a creature of the Creator, we are dust and to dust we shall return. “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he out to think…” Romans 12:3. Today is Ash Wednesday, when we are reminded of our place in the world. Sinners. We are the created beings, creatures of God. We are not the Creators. We are not gods. We are not the captain of our own ships, despite what the world would have you believe. Our place before God is dust. From the dust, we beg for mercy.
That mercy comes in the form of Jesus Christ, God wrapped in dust. God who took on, who assumed a dusty body. He did this to become one of us. To walk as one of us. To live as one of us. To die as one of us. And it is his death that makes Friday Good. He died so that God’s wrath, his just anger at sin is directed toward him. He allowed himself to be humbled, from the Side of God to the dust of the earth. Then from the dust of the earth to the darkness of death. That was for us.
Three days later, from the darkness of death to the light of the glory of God in the face of Christ. For you and for me, the dust of the earth, so that we could be called sons of God. And then, God does the lifting up. He takes the humble and lifts them up. You cannot raise your head to the heavens, but God can lift your chin from the dust.
Heavenly Father, be merciful to us, poor sinful creatures. Lift our chins from the dust, according to your will. Humble us when we get too proud. By your Spirit, remind us of our created-ness and our place. In Jesus’ name, amen.
