Luke 18:9-14

(Luke 18:9-14)

And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.  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.

This is a parable of one's own righteousness. Jesus spoke a lot in parables. The disciples asked Jesus why they were speaking in parables. In Matthew 13:9-11, ``Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 』

 

Comparing the Pharisee with the publican, the publican did not do anything to justify. Only, the publican, 『And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. The publican said, "I am a sinner." By the way, the Pharisees made a lot of effort to obtain righteousness: 『The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. ' By the way, the publican was justified.

The reason people live in this world is because the spirit wants to become like God in the kingdom of God, so they follow Satan, and they sin against God. God has trapped spirits in a dark place. That is the world. God created the material world and confined the spirit in the dirt. So, when humans were born, they became a soul. In Genesis 2:7, "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 』

To explain this, God created the Garden of Eden and put Adam born in the world into the Garden of Eden to eat the fruit of the tree of life, so that the spirit was revived so that we could communicate with God. However, because Eve, who was separated from Adam, was tempted by Satan (serpent) to eat the fruit of the tree of knowing good and evil, they were driven out of the Garden of Eden. They were tricked by Satan. The event in the Garden of Eden is an event that took place on this earth, but it metaphorically expresses that the same event occurred in the kingdom of God.

Being like God means that angels can achieve righteousness on their own like God, even without God. God allowed Satan to rule this world, and the spirits who followed Satan were born into this world, but they also sinned in the Garden of Eden, so they became servants of Satan. In John 8:44, ``Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 』

Satan continues to deceive his servants from returning to the kingdom of God. The spirits who came to this earth and were imprisoned in the flesh were members of Christ in the kingdom of God. That is why Christ came to this world to save them. Satan continues to deceive humans that they can become like God. God confined spirits in this world to become humans, realizes it, and hopes to return. Even in this world, God judges because he is putting forth his own righteousness through Satan's delusion. In Genesis 6:7『 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 』

The work of men to reveal their righteousness continued after that. Humans began to prosper again, and God chose a nation, gave them the law, and made them aware of those who fell into His righteousness. If they keep the law thoroughly, he will make them righteous. However, God's will is to keep the law and realize that they are sinners who cannot keep the law, and to repent and seek Christ. However, most of the Israelites are still saying that they will keep the law and become righteous.

The appearance of Israel shows the people of this world. That is all people do. So people think that they can become gods by working in various ways. All these thoughts are what Satan gives through thoughts.

 

God has promised a way for spirits to return. In Genesis 3:15, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 』
The descendant is Christ. And he chose Abraham, made the covenant of the seed, and made him circumcise. And Jesus came to this world as the Christ (Messiah). But the Israelites did not consider it the Messiah. The purpose of Jesus' coming to this world was to save the spirit.

 

In Romans 8:3-4, "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 』 Those who die on the cross with Jesus Christ will break away from the law and fulfill God's righteousness. But the Pharisees say that they will achieve righteousness by keeping the law, and the publican does not dare to lift up his eyes and look up at the sky, but he confesses with a beat on his chest, saying, "God, have pity, I am a sinner." Jesus Christ approaches those who confess in this way.

 

God imprisoned the Israelites in Egypt for 430 years. To cry out to God in a painful and distressed state. Confinement in Egypt is the same concept that the Israelites were confined to the law. It is to confess and cry out that it is impossible to keep it while trying to keep the law, and to seek Christ. So in Galatians 3:23-24, 『But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 』