There is a story of two men who went to the same
place of worship to pray. Both went,
both prayed, but only one was accepted
before God. Though they both went to the
same place before the same God with
similar activity, but only one went away right with God.
Why? Well, we learn in the story that though one was viewed
by many as this impressive spiritual leader and the other a despised and
wretched sinner, we are told that the impressive religious leader stood before
God and men and held his head up high and basically said, “God I thank you that
I am so Great—not like these other men—not like this despised and terrible,
ungodly sinner over here.” He
said, “I do all the right things spiritually—I meet all your requirements. I fast twice a week and give my money away to
the church and to the poor. Thank you God that I’m me, a spiritual giant for you.”
And we are told that in that same
place of worship the other man stood up and did not even lift up his eyes to
heaven, but looking down at the ground he beat on chest and said, “Oh God be merciful to me; for
I am a sinner.” And we are told that the
miserable sinner was the one who left the place of worship on that day right with
God.
This is a parable that our Lord Jesus told while he
was surrounded by a group of self-righteous Pharisees and in this parable we
learn that there is a right and wrong way to approach God. We learn here
that you could have two individuals going to the exact same place coming before
the exact same God with similar activity and one could be in the right and the
other in the wrong. We are told they both
went to the temple to pray and only one was accepted before God. The reason is because more than being
concerned with the actions of our hands and feet, God is concerned with the
condition of our hearts—and the motives behind our actions.
Though both men went to the temple to pray, the
Pharisee did so with a proud and arrogant heart. He was bragging to God about all the things
he had done instead of praising Him for His great mercy and grace. The tax collector, on the other hand, refused
to even lift up his eyes in God’s direction and with his head low he confessed his
sin and pleaded for mercy.
Two men…same place of worship…similar activity, and
only one was accepted and the other rejected.
Scripture is clear that though it is essential that we follow God, there
is a right and wrong way to approach Him.
The outward acts of our hands and feet (going to place of worship and
praying to God) means little to God if the one carry out those activities has
impure motives and an unchanged and calloused heart.
