I Again Spoke in Parables

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

November 18, 2019

I Again Spoke in Parables

Page 194-195

Luke 18: 1-14

When Jesus tells parables, if they are taken out of context, they can be quite confusing. Remember, Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem. The closer he got to the city the more resistance he encountered. Jesus knew that in Jerusalem, through his death and resurrection, he would be vindicated as God’s Messiah. Jesus affirmed that God was at work bringing about the birth of His New Creation. He encouraged his flock to stay faithful; they could trust God to vindicate their faith in him.

To emphasize his point, Jesus presented the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee. Which one went away vindicated by God? This parable is an excellent illustration of justification by faith. The tax collector had little or no faith in himself, but he had great faith in a great God of mercy. Jesus wants his followers, then and now, to rest in their right-standing before God. Our right-standing comes not from our good works. Our right standing with God is based solely on our sure knowledge of God’s love for us. Brennan Manning understood this when he wrote, “God loves us unconditionally, just as we are, not as we should be. Because none of us are as we should be.”

My Takeaway: I see today’s reading as in invitation to meditate on my prayer life. Do I tend to hesitate to ask God for something because I don’t feel worthy?

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2019 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

• Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

• The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.