Luke 18:14

I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. I TELL YOU - authoritatively, THIS MAN WENT DOWN TO HIS HOUSE JUSTIFIED RATHER THAN THE OTHER. The meaning is, 'and not the other.' FOR EVERYONE THAT EXALTETH HIMSELF SHALL BE ABASED; AND HE THAT HUMBLETH HIMSELF SHALL BE EXALTED. This great law of the Kingdom of God is, in the teaching of Christ, inscribed over its entrance-gate as in letters of gold; but how vividly is it here depicted? Remarks: (1) The grand peculiarity of the religion of the Bible is salvation by grace; a salvation, however, unto holiness-not by, but unto, good works. It pervades the Old Testament (;...

14._This man went down justified. _The comparison is not exact; for Christ does not merely assign to _the publican _a certain degree of superiority, as if _righteousness _had belonged alike to both, but means that_the publican _was accepted by God, while _the Pharisee _was totally rejected. And this passage shows plainly what is the strict meaning of the word _justified: _it means, to stand before God as if we were righteous. For it is not said that _the publican _was justified, because he suddenly acquired some new quality, but that he obtained grace, because his guilt was blotted out, and his sins were washed away. Hence it follows, that _righteousness _consists in the forgiveness of sins. As the virtues of _the Pharisee _were defiled and polluted by unfounded confidence, so that his integrity, which deserved commendation before the world, was of no value in the sight of God; so _the p...

9-14 This parable was to convince some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others. God sees with what disposition and design we come to him in holy ordinances. What the Pharisee said, shows that he trusted to himself that he was righteous. We may suppose he was free from gross and scandalous sins. All this was very well and commendable. Miserable is the condition of those who come short of the righteousness of this Pharisee, yet he was not accepted; and why not? He went up to the temple to pray, but was full of himself and his own goodness; the favour and grace of God he did not think worth asking. Let us beware of presenting proud devotions to the Lord, and of despising others. The publican's address to God was full of humility, and of repentance for sin, and desire toward God. His prayer was short, but to the purpose; God be merciful to me a sinner. Blesse...

Verse Luke 18:14. _WENT DOOM TO HIS HOUSE JUSTIFIED_] His sin blotted out; and himself accepted. _RATHER THAN THE OTHER_] Η εκεινος: that is, the other was _not_ accepted, because he _exalted_ himself - he made use of the mercies which he acknowledged he owed to _God_, to make claims on the Divine approbation, and to monopolize the salvation of the Most High! _He_ _was abased_, because he _vainly trusted that he was righteous_, and depended on what he _had_ been _enabled_ to do, and looked not for a _change_ of heart, nor for _reconciliation_ to God. It is a strange perversion of the human mind, to attempt to make God our _debtor_ by the very blessings which his mere mercy has conferred upon us! It was a maxim among the Jews, that whoever brought a sacrifice to the temple returned justified. But our Lord sh

I TELL YOU - The Pharisees would have said that the first man here was approved. Jesus assures them that they judged erroneously. God judges of this differently from people. JUSTIFIED - Accepted or approved of God. The word “justify” means to declare or treat as righteous. In this case it means that in their prayers the one was approved and the other not; the one went down with the favor of God in answer to his petitions, the other not. FOR EVERY ONE ... - See the notes at Luke 14:11....

EXPOSITION LUKE 18:1 _The Lord speaks the two parables on prayer_—_the importunate widow, and the Pharisee and publican._ LUKE 18:1 AND HE SPAKE A PARABLE UNTO THEM TO THIS END, THAT MEN OUGHT ALWAYS TO PRAY, AND NOT TO FAINT. The formnla ἕλεγε δὲ καί, literally, "and he spake also," calls attention to the fact that the parable-teaching immediately to follow was a continuation of what had preceded. Indeed, the connection between the first of the two parables, which urges restless continued prayer, and the picture which the Lord had just drawn of men's state of utter forgetfulness of God, is obvious. "The Son of man has been rejected; he has gone from view; the masses are plunged in gross worldliness; men of God are

I TELL YOU THAT THIS MAN,.... The publican that so freely owned himself to be a sinner, and by his carriage acknowledged he was unworthy of any favour; and who was treated with so much contempt by the Pharisee: WENT DOWN TO HIS HOUSE; from the temple which was built on a mountain, JUSTIFIED, [RATHER] THAN THE OTHER: accounted as a righteous person in the sight of God; justified from all his sins, and accepted by him, when the other was abhorred and neglected. The Syriac and Persic versions, and so Beza's most ancient copy, read, "than the Pharisee", who had such an high opinion of himself, and despised others: not that the Pharisee was justified at all, when the publican really was; but the sense is, that if judgment had been to have been made, and sentence passed according to the then conduct and behaviour of both parties, the publican had greatly the advantage, in the sight of God; a...

Luke 18:1. _And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: and there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?_ He hears their prayer a long time because it does not weary him. It pleases him, he loves to hear their sighs and cries, but will he not yield to their entreaties? What think you? Shall not the good, gracious, loving God yield at length?...

CHAPTER 18 _ 1. The Unjust Judge and the Avenging of His Elect. (Luke 18:1)_ 2. The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican. (Luke 18:9) 3. The Little Children and the Required Lowliness. (Luke 18:15) 4. The Rich Young Ruler. (Luke 18:18) 5. Rewards Promised. (Luke 18:28) 6. The Renewed Prediction of His Suffering, Death and Resurrection. (Luke 18:31) 7. The Blind Man near Jericho Healed. ...

PARABLE OF THE PHARISEE AND THE PUBLICAN (Lk. only). In Luke 18:9 we should perhaps translate concerning those who trusted, etc. The parable, not necessarily spoken on the same occasion as the preceding one, also deals with Prayer, though with its spirit rather than its subject. When ye pray, think not so much of the sins of others as of your own. The Pharisee draws a rigid line between himself (and his class) and the rest of men; they are outside the pale. His prayer is the prototype of that of Burns's Holy Willie. Fasting, though only enjoined by the Law for the Day of Atonement, was regularly practised by many Jews; _cf._ Matthew 6:16 *. In the matter of tithes also they went beyond the farm crops suggested in Numbers 18:21