Luke 18:9-19:10

Needing the impossible

Here Jesus is answering questions about God's verdict on you and me. He is answering where is the kingdom of God? And who is in it? Are you right with God?

Jesus is extremely clear: For us to be in this kingdom, we need the impossible.

The parable He told is a striking story with a fundamental question at it's heart: who will be accepted? The saint or the sinner?

The Pharisee is seen as morally good and he knows it. He believes that those things will help his case before God. It's an easy trap to fall into! We can be so inward looking and praise ourselves for what we do and at the same time point at those who don't live up to what we do.

Jesus moved on to the very one the Pharisee was looking down on. The tax collector knew that he was a mess. He knew that his only hope was God's mercy. And Jesus tells us that this was the one God accepted! God accepts sinners, not saints. This man is made righteous by God. How did that happen? It's nothing short of miraculous!

God wants us to come like children to Him - like those who have nothing. God accepts those with nothing, not those with everything. This can be seen in the next part here.

The man didn't see who Jesus really was. But Jesus knew who he was, to the depths of his character. He knew he was a "good" person - he kept the laws. But not all of them. That man did not love God with all his heart. He loved what he had, not what he could gain from God by sacrificing everything.

Jesus' statement about camels is a strange one. What He means is that it takes nothing short of a miracle to be a part of God's Kingdom. Noone can enter by their life's work.

Yet there was such a miracle! Jesus'death and resurrection acheives this impossible task. Yet the reason those who are rich cannot have this because coming to God to receive His grace and mercy requires humility. Humility requires letting go and sacrificing who we are and seeing we are sinners.