Tag Archives: Atonement

Forsaken – Sermon on Mark 15:33-35 for Good Friday

Mark 15:33-35

33 And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

On Good Friday, our Lord Jesus Christ suffered in three distinct ways. And it’s helpful to distinguish and contrast them. The three kinds of suffering are 1) physical suffering, 2) suffering the shame, and 3) the suffering of forsakenness.

We know what it is to have physical pain. We’ve all experienced it. Maybe not to the extent that Jesus did, but we’ve all had physical pain. You scrape your knee, get your finger caught in a door, or just sleep or sit wrong. Physical pain is something we naturally try to avoid. The physical pain of the cross was, without a doubt, excruciating for Jesus. But His physical pain was not what won your redemption and salvation. Physical pain was not the price that Jesus had to pay.

If Jesus’ physical pain won your salvation, then you and I have the same capacity to suffer physically as Jesus did. Plenty of people were beaten, whipped, and crucified in Jesus’ day, but their physical suffering didn’t save them.

We also know what it is to experience shame. The shame Jesus endures in His Passion is also horrible. He was spit on. The soldiers placed robes on Him, put a crown of thorns on Him, and bowed down to Him as they mocked, “Hail, King of the Jews.”

He was blindfolded and punched as people asked Him to prophesy, “Who was it that hit you?” People walked by the cross wagging their heads, saying, “You saved others. You don’t seem to be able to do anything now. You trusted in God, where is He now?” That’s the shame of the cross. And yet, the shame Jesus suffered is also not what wins your salvation. Other people have suffered similar shame.

But there’s that third suffering. It’s a hidden suffering, but it is the one that’s most profound of all. We get a glimpse of it in this fourth word of Jesus, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” That’s the greatest suffering of the cross.

In that moment, Jesus is suffering all the wrath of God over sin. He’s suffering all of God’s anger that you and I deserve. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says that Jesus, who knew no sin, was made to be sin for us, so that in Him we could become the righteousness of God.

In other words, all of the anger, all of the wrath, all of the punishment, and the separation from God that you and I deserve – it all falls on Jesus. He suffers all of that as our sins are laid on Him. In that moment, God is looking down at Jesus, and God does not see the Son whom He loves. Instead, God only sees sin and all the things that He hates and abhors.

In that moment, God the Father forsakes Jesus and pours out all of His wrath onto Christ. This why Isaiah says that Jesus is smitten, stricken by God, and afflicted (Is. 53:4). All of God’s righteous anger falls on Jesus. When Jesus says these words, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” that is what is taking place.

The most profound word of that prayer from Jesus’ lips is, “Why?”Christ doesn’t pray, “My God, My God, You have forsaken Me.” Instead, it’s, “Why? Why have You forsaken Me?” And this is a real, honest question. Several times throughout His life Jesus denies using His divine knowledge and omnipotence. This is one of those times. For those moments, even the purpose of Jesus’ suffering is hidden from Him.

This wasn’t always the case. When He was nailed to the cross, Jesus knew what He was doing there. That’s why He said, “Father, forgive them.” God can’t forgive without the cross. Jesus knew what He was doing on the cross when He told the thief, “Today you’ll be with Me in paradise.” And in just a few minutes Jesus shows that He knows again why He’s there when He says, “It is finished.”

But here, right in the middle of the crucifixion as Jesus cries out, “Why have You forsaken Me?” He temporarily denies His knowledge of what He is doing there. The point of it all is hidden from Him.

In that moment Jesus has nothing. Nothing to cling to. No hope. No comfort at all. He doesn’t have the comfort of knowing that He’ll be raised on the third day. He doesn’t have the comfort that this is happening for your salvation. In that moment, all Jesus knows is that He’s suffering all of God’s wrath against sin even though He’s done nothing wrong or sinful.

That is the suffering that wins your salvation. That suffering of being forsaken by God that Jesus is enduring here is beyond our comprehension.

We can see the beating and the whip. We can see the crown of thorns. We can see the shame and hear all the mockery. We can see the nails. But what you can’t see is the thing that matters most. The vengeance and wrath of God towards sinners is all poured out on Christ.

That’s the reason. That’s why Jesus goes to the cross. He goes there so that you will never see this wrath. So that you will never know this suffering under God’s righteous judgment. So that you will never know what it is to be forsaken by God. 

Jesus says, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” so that you never have to.

Dear saints, you will never have to say that because God will not forsake you. He has promised (Heb. 13:5-6). He will not leave you alone in your sin. He doesn’t let your sin and guilt remain because Jesus has taken it and has suffered for it in your place.

That’s the suffering that wins and accomplishes your salvation. It is a suffering that we can’t imagine. And, Christian, because of Jesus, you never will. Jesus is your substitute. He pushes you out of the way of God’s wrath so that wrath hits Him and not you.

“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” As He said that, Jesus didn’t know. But, dear saints, you do. You know the answer. He was forsaken by God so that you will be not only accepted, but also loved as God’s redeemed child for all eternity. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen. 

Christ’s Suffering as Payment & Sacrifice for Sin

The Scripture readings for tonight’s service are
Psalm 103:1-5, 8-14; Isaiah 53:10-12; Galatians 3:10-14; and John. 3:13-21.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

To a certain degree, everyone has the wrong belief that if they have done something wrong they can make up for it. Some believe that happens through Karma. If enough bad things happen to them, it will eventually be paid back in good things happening to them and will all balance out. Some believe they can make up for bad things through luck. If a black cat crosses your path, you spill salt, walk under a ladder, or break a mirror; you just have to find a four-leaf clover, a heads-up penny, or some other nonsense. Yes, even Christians fall into this wrong belief. When we feel the guilt of our sin, we think that if we do enough good works, pray the right prayers, redouble our efforts, or simply resolve to do better, then God will have no choice but wink, smile at us, and ignore our sins.

This type of thinking and belief is totally wrong! Across the board, it’s wrong. All of those false beliefs attempt to deal with the brokenness that sin brings to creation. And they all fail to bring relief. Because of sin, we are polluted and need cleansing. Because of our sin, we are out of step with creation. Because of our sin, we are banished from God’s holy presence. We can’t just climb a ladder up to heaven, no matter how well we think it’s constructed. We can’t wash away the defilement that clings to us. We can’t approach God in His holiness. We need something that those false beliefs can never give. What we actually need is atonement. 

Atonement is one of those $3 theological words, so we need to define it. The way I will often teach my Confirmation students its meaning is to break down how it is spelled and change how it is pronounced – at-one-ment. To atone something means to cleanse it from the pollution of sin. But atonement doesn’t stop there. Atonement makes a person holy. And with this cleansing and infusion of holiness, atonement gives a person beneficial access to God’s presence (Dr. Kleinig).

This is why Christianity is completely different from any other religion. Christianity teaches that God Himself, and God alone, atones for the sins of the world (1 Jn. 2:1-2) through Jesus’ suffering and death. A good way to understand Jn. 3:16 is, “For God loved the world so that He sacrificed His only-begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” We need this because at the end of Jn. 3, Scripture says, “Whoever believes in the Son has,” present tense, “has eternal life; whoever [rejects],” more literal understanding, “whoever rejects the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (Jn. 3:36). Because we are born sinners, we stand under God’s holy and righteous wrath.

Now, God’s holy presence is both life-giving and death-dealing. It sanctifies and blesses everything that is clean, but it annihilates everything that is unclean and unholy. Since human impurity is incompatible with God’s holiness, getting close to the holy God is dangerous.

Think of gasoline and fire. The two cannot exist together. As soon as the two come into contact, the gasoline is completely burned up and consumed. Think of God’s holiness as the fire and, because of our sin, we are more combustible than gasoline. This is why we need God Himself to atone us.

Scripture records several instances where unclean, polluted sinners are instantly consumed in God’s holy presence – Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, when they offered unauthorized fire before God (Lev. 10:1-2); the clan of Korah, when they thought they could change the worship practices that God had given (Num: 16:1-36); or Uzzah, when he reached out and touched the Ark of the Covenant which was forbidden (2 Sam. 6:6-7). 

So, to be in God’s holy presence, we need to be changed, and that change can only happen because of what Jesus has done as He suffered on the cross. He changes us. He doesn’t change God. Christ changes us so that we are cleansed from the pollution of sin, that we are granted forgiveness and mercy, and that we can safely enter God’s holy presence.

Each of our Scripture readings tonight talk about this change. Our Psalm tonight (Ps. 103) remembers that God forgives your iniquity, heals the pollution of your diseases, and redeems your life from the pit. But God doesn’t just stop there. Because you are cleansed and can come into God’s holy presence, He crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, and satisfies you with good so your youth is renewed like the eagle’s (Ps. 103:3-5).

Our Old Testament reading (Is. 53:10-12) says that it was God’s will to crush Jesus in your place. Jesus’ suffering and death makes an offering for guilt. Christ bears your iniquities and makes you accounted as righteous. And that text makes it clear that, even though Jesus will die in the place of sinners, He will have His days prolonged and see you whom He has made to be children of God.

The Epistle reading (Gal. 3:10-14) says that Jesus redeemed you from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for you as He suffered and hung on the tree of the cross. Christ did this so that the blessing God gave to Abraham might be given to you who are cleansed through faith in Christ like your father Abraham was (Ro. 4:16).

And our Gospel reading (Jn. 3:13-21) says that, in Jesus, God came into the world not to condemn you, but in order that you might be saved and atoned through Jesus’ work.

Jesus’ suffering has bought and purchased you so that you belong to God. He came, not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom price for you (Mk. 10:45). 

Dear saints, your price has been paid. On the cross, Jesus cried out, “It is finished” (Jn. 19:30). But Jesus continues grant you access to God. 1 Jn. 2:1-2 says, “If anyone does sin, [you] have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is,” present tense – meaning He is and remains, “the propitiation,” (i.e. the one who makes atonement), “for not just your sins but also for the sins of the whole world.”

All the benefits of His suffering and death are continually delivered to you because He is your advocate with your heavenly Father, now and forever. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Salvation unto Us Has Come – Sermon for Reformation Sunday (Observed) 2022

The Scripture readings for our service today were Revelation 14:6-7; Romans 3:19-28; and John 8:31-36.

A sheet with Scripture verses that were used to compose the hymn “Salvation unto Us Has Come” can be found here.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

We are all slaves – every one of us. Romans 3:23 says, “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” And here in v. 34, Jesus says, “Everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.” And don’t misunderstand the word ‘practice’ there. It is a fine translation, but we might get the wrong idea if we think the word ‘practice’ means someone who does something over and over to get better at it. I don’t think anyone here is actively trying to get better at lying, stealing, cheating, etc. The word Jesus uses here that gets translated as ‘practice’ is simply the word ‘do’ or ‘does.’ We will say that a doctor ‘practices’ medicine because medicine is simply what the doctor does. Literally, Jesus’ statement here could read, “All who do sin are slaves to sin.” And because “all have sinned,” (Ro. 3:23), we all are slaves to sin.

Slaves do not remain in the house. Only sons do. That is why you need Jesus – the eternal Son of God – to set you free. Christ sets you free through His Word because His Word delivers to you everything that He has done and accomplished on the cross. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, you are delivered from your slavery, you are freed, you become God’s child, and, as God’s children, you remain in the house forever with Jesus.

Now, that’s a full sermon right there, but we’ve still got some time. So, I want to bring in a guest preacher to teach us the same thing. The name of the preacher is Pastor Paul Speratus. Pastor Speratus wrote the hymn that you have in your Scripture insert. This hymn, “Salvation unto Us Has Come,” ends up being a complete summary of the theology of the Reformation, and since today is Reformation Sunday, we’re going to sing it and let it preach to us. I know some of you will find this boring, but please give me just a minute to set the stage for how this hymn came to be written.

Speratus was a Catholic priest in Salzburg, Austria. You probably know Salzburg because of the movie The Sound of Music. Well, Speratus had read Luther’s writings that came after the 95 Thesis, and Speratus recognized how far the church had wandered from the teaching of the Scriptures. So, Speratus starts preaching Law and Gospel in Salzburg. Luther got condemned for his writings in 1521, but Luther was protected from that sentence of death – basically, by being kidnapped and hidden in a castle where he spends 300 days translating the Bible into German. Well, Speratus also ends up being sentenced to death for heresy in 1523 and was sentenced to be burned at the stake. Like Luther, Speratus gets rescued from execution. But during his time in prison, Speratus writes this hymn.

You might think that sitting in prison and waiting for execution, Speratus would write a hymn about God’s protection and provision. But no. Speratus writes a hymn about the theology of salvation. Speratus wrote this hymn because Luther had just started conducting services in German and called on German-speakers to write hymns that taught the truths of Scripture in the German language so the people would have good songs to use in worship. This hymn is one of those. Apparently, when Luther first heard it, he offered the singer all the money he had in his pocket for the lyrics. And the hymn ended up being included in the first German hymnal which only had eight songs in it. The history lesson on the hymn is now over.

Personally, I love how clearly this hymn teaches what the Bible teaches, and according to Scripture, that is what Christian songs should do (Col. 3:16). The nice thing about this hymn is that Speratus included the Scripture passages he had in mind when he wrote the hymn. Those passages are included on the insert in your bulletin. This hymn would be a good addition to your devotional time. If you don’t have a regular devotional, my suggestion would be to read the passages for the first verse then sing it. The next day sing the first verse, then read the passages for the second verse and sing it. The third day, sing the first two verses, then read the Scriptures for the third and sing it. Do that for ten days adding a new verse each day.

By the time you finish, you will be a great theologian because this hymn so clearly teaches Law, Gospel, and holy living. It clearly teaches how our good works don’t help or save us, which is what the church of Rome was falsely teaching. Instead, faith produces the fruit of good works which are good because they serve our neighbor.

So, we’re going to let the hymn preach to us. Because it’s a long hymn, we won’t sing all ten verses at once. I’ll give your voices a break and make brief comments here and there. Feel free to sing it from the insert, but if you would like to have the music, it is #410 in your hymnal. Let’s start with the first verse.

1. Salvation unto us has come
by God’s free grace and favor;
Good works cannot avert our doom,
they help and save us never.
Faith looks to Jesus Christ alone,
Who did for all the world atone;
He is our one Redeemer.

This verse summarizes everything that will come after it. God, by His free grace and favor given through Jesus, has set you free. Through faith in Jesus, you are a child of God. The last two lines of that verse tell us what Jesus has done. He made the payment for you. He is the one and only Redeemer.

Now, because the hymn was written in German then translated into English, some of the wording is slightly changed from the original to make the poetry work in English. But those last two lines in German say that Jesus, “has done enough for us all. He has become our Mediator.” Jesus has done everything you needed to be saved, and now He sits at God’s right hand interceding for you and governing all things for your good.

Now, the hymn goes on to elaborate what Jesus needed to do. Let’s sing verses 2-3.

2. What God did in His Law demand
and none to Him could render
Caused wrath and woe on ev’ry hand
for man, the vile offender,
Our flesh has not those pure desires
The spirit of the Law requires,
and lost is our condition.

3. It was a false, misleading dream
that God His Law had given
That sinners could themselves redeem
and by their works gain heaven.
The Law is but a mirror bright
To bring the inbred sin to light
that lurks within our nature.

Because of our sinful nature, we don’t even begin to do what God requires of us through the Law. And even though we falsely think that we’re better than others, the Law is a bright mirror that shows our desperately lost and sinful condition. Let’s sing verse 4.

4. From sin our flesh could not abstain,
sin held its sway unceasing;
The task was useless and in vain,
our guilt was e’er increasing.
None can remove sin’s poisoned dart
Or purify our guileful heart—
so deep is our corruption.

Apart from Jesus, we have no hope of salvation. The poison of sin continues to slowly kill and destroy us. The Law leaves us dead in sin. But that does not mean that we are without hope. We’ll sing verse 5.

5. Yet as the Law must be fulfilled
or we must die despairing,
Christ came and hath God’s anger stilled,
our human nature sharing.
He hath for us the Law obeyed
And thus, the Father’s vengeance stayed
which over us impended.

Jesus has fulfilled the Law for you. He is your substitute. The eternal Son of God took on your flesh to do all this for you. He perfectly obeyed the Law for you. He suffered the punishment your sins deserved. And because of that, God sees Jesus’ perfection when He looks at you, believer. God has no anger left for your sins because Jesus has taken it all. Verse 6.

6. Since Christ hath full atonement made
and brought to us salvation,
Each Christian therefore may be glad
and build on this foundation.
Thy grace alone, dear Lord, I plead,
Thy death is now my life indeed,
for Thou hast paid my ransom.

There is nothing left for you to do to be saved. Everything is done; it is finished (Jn. 19:30). The hymn takes a turn in that verse and addresses God directly. We ask God to apply everything Jesus has done to us. His death is your life. He has fully paid the ransom for your soul. Verses 7-8.

7. Let me not doubt, but trust in Thee,
Thy Word cannot be broken;
Thy call rings out, “Come unto Me!”
no falsehood hast Thou spoken.
Baptized into Thy precious name,
My faith cannot be put to shame,
and I shall never perish.

8. The Law reveals the guilt of sin
and makes men conscience-stricken;
The Gospel then doth enter in
the sinful soul to quicken.
Come to the cross, trust Christ, and live;
The Law no peace can ever give,
no comfort and no blessing.

Jesus calls to you, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Trusting in that call, you will never ever be put to shame. Jesus has come so that you have eternal, abundant life. Verse 9.

9. Faith clings to Jesus’ cross alone
and rests in Him unceasing;
And by its fruits true faith is known.
with love and hope increasing.
Yet faith alone doth justify,
Works serve thy neighbor and supply
the proof that faith is living.

Faith in Jesus is the only thing that saves you, but faith is never alone. Christian, you do good works, but those works never save you. Those works are simply the fruit of the Spirit that serves your neighbor and shows that your faith is alive and well.

Now, the hymn closes with a doxology. We get swept up into the liturgy of heaven and join all the saints who have gone before us by praising God for what He has done for us in Christ. Let’s sing the final verse.

10. All blessing, honor, thanks, and praise
to Father, Son, and Spirit,
The God that saved us by His grace—
all glory to His merit!
O Triune God in heaven above,
Who hast revealed Thy saving love,
Thy blessed name be hallowed.

Amen.The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Falling Up – Sermon on Luke 18:9-14 for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity

Luke 18:9-14

9 [Jesus] also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Some portions of Scripture are familiar and important enough that all we need to hear is the book and chapter, and our mind recalls most of the content. For example, when you hear someone mention Psalm 23, you have all the sheep and shepherd imagery that the Psalm contains. Maybe you don’t have Psalm 23 completely memorized, but you know the general content. So, I have a pop quiz for you on this last Sunday of August, what comes to mind when you hear Genesis 3? Typically known as ‘The Fall [into Sin].’

It is somewhat unfortunate. Yes, that is when mankind and all creation became infected with sin. And because of that sin, we are born under God’s judgment and condemnation. So, yes, it is a fall. But when we label it ‘the Fall,’ we can easily forget how we fell. Mankind fell by trying to go up. Now, I’m not going to suggest that we rename that chapter in our minds, but I do want you to recognize the direction of the Fall.

God told Adam and Eve to not eat of the tree, but they decided to do it anyway. The devil asked the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” Eve responded mostly correctly by pointing out the big downside of eating, “If we eat from it God says we will die.” (Now, she also adds not touching the tree to God’s prohibition against eating from the tree, but that’s for another time), “God told us to not eat it or we would die.” But Satan poo-poos the downside. “You won’t die; instead, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God knowing good and evil.” The devil lies saying that the sin will only be beneficial to Adam and Eve.

The text goes on to say that the tree looked good for food, it was a delight to the eyes, and it was desired to make them wise and like God knowing good and evil. They both took and ate. They fell into sin, but they fell by trying to go upward. They rose up in pride. They exalted themselves. Believed in themselves. Trusted in themselves. They desired to rise high, up to godly and divine status. Ever since that moment, everyone who has ever been born has the same desire to exalt themselves.

Now, to the parable. Jesus tells this parable to individuals who continue in that line of thinking, they are falling up. They trusted (lit. they ‘persuaded’ or ‘convinced’ themselves) that they were righteous and treated others with contempt. That is why the two men in the parable are so different.

As the Pharisee prays, he is looking around at the lives of others – extortioners, unjust, adulterers, and tax collectors – and at his own life – his fasting and tithing. Now, all these works are, actually, good things. It is good and right to not be like the sinners that surround you, and it is good and right to do the good works that the Pharisee does. The Pharisee’s problem is not his good works. His problem is that everywhere he looks are places where he won’t find Jesus, the Righteous One, who makes sinners righteous. The Pharisee won’t find Christ by looking at his good life, and he won’t find Jesus by looking at the sins of his neighbor. All he sees is his goodness which leads him to pride. And his pride means that he goes home not justified. The Pharisee fell up. He went to the Temple of God, where God had promised to atone for sins, but the Pharisee receives no atonement.

The tax collector does go home justified. Think of all the things the tax collector could have prayed; he could have prayed, “God help me to be more like this Pharisee. Help me to live better, fast better, pray better, and tithe more.” But he doesn’t. The tax collector goes up to the Temple and sees only two things: the just demands of a holy God and his own sinfulness and depravity. He looks at himself where there is no hope and to God where the only hope lies. He sees the gap and cries out for mercy. Our translation records his prayer as, “God be merciful to me, a sinner!” This translation is weak on two points. First, it is not just ‘a sinner’; he prays, ‘the sinner.’ The only sins he sees are his own. Second, the translation of his prayer, ‘be merciful,’ falls short.

Throughout the Gospels, many people call to Jesus, “Lord, have mercy,” or in Greek, “Kyrie eleison.” They ask Jesus to do exactly what He has come to do, to be their Lord who has mercy. It’s a good prayer. But what the tax collector in this parable prays is something similar but importantly different. The tax collector prays to God (lit.), “Be propitiated to me, the sinner.”

To propitiate means to make an atoning sacrifice. And the tax collector prays that God would be made to be, that God would become the atoning sacrifice for him. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, this word was also used for the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant. The place where the high priest would sprinkle the blood on the Day of Atonement and where God promised to meet with His people (Ex. 25:22; Lev. 16) was called by the same word. Jesus is that place where God makes the atoning sacrifice. 1 John 2:2 says, “[Jesus] is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” Jesus is your Great High Priest who makes the propitiating sacrifice of Himself. 

Now, our problem is that we flip the parable upside down. We easily swap the Pharisees’ prayer with our own version, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men, self-righteous, pretentious, holier-than-thou types, or even like this Pharisee. I don’t take so much pride in my good works.” But when you do that, you are literally being the Pharisee. Repent.

The Pharisee’s problem was not his fasting or tithing, it isn’t even that he was glad that he wasn’t like the “really bad” sinners. His problem was that he trusted in those things and does not trust that Jesus will forgive him and be the propitiation for his sins. 

In the end, it is the tax collector who leaves the Temple with God having become the propitiation for his sins, so he goes down to his house justified. And that is an important point to keep in mind.

The tax collector goes home declared by God to be holy and just no matter how despicable he was. He goes home a changed man. He now goes down to his house to live out a holy life. God could have forgiven and propitiated him and swept him immediately up into heaven like Jesus did with the thief on the cross. But God doesn’t. And God hasn’t done that for you – not yet anyway. The tax collector goes home justified and that makes a difference for him, his family, his neighbors, and for the entire world. 

By God’s grace freely given through Jesus, the tax collector is exalted; he is lifted up. What Jesus says in Matthew 5 about Christians being the light of the world is fitting here. You aren’t the light of the world because you do all the good works of the Pharisee in this parable. Instead, you are forgiven and justified by Jesus who is the light of the world. That forgiveness and mercy joins you to Jesus who is the light of the world. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, you are given the gift of faith and enlightened. The Holy Spirit then places you on a lampstand so that you, the justified, give light to the whole house (Mt. 5:14-16).

Since the Fall, our thoughts have been upward, but God’s thoughts have been downward.  We sinners keep reaching for the heights, but Jesus has come down into the depths to raise you up and seat you with Him in the heavenly places (Col. 3:1-3).

Dear saints, don’t fall up. Don’t exalt your good works as though you are better than others. And don’t exalt your sinfulness as though you are better than the self-righteous because that isn’t humility either. Both of those are falling up. Instead, be exalted down. The most exalted you can be is to be one of the sinners for whom Jesus has come and given His life as a propitiation, an atoning sacrifice. And, dear saints, Christ has done this, and He has done this for you. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.