Let's talk about Luke 18.

As many of you know- Jo, Erika and I meet together as a group of 3 in an aim to keeping each other accountable to spending quiet time alone with Jesus each week. A few weeks ago our reading was Luke 18. As usual I invited Jesus to speak through his word and as I read through it, I started to get the feeling that he wasn't going to say much. Same old stories, different day. It seems I'm always wrong when I feel this way, but none-the-less the feeling comes often. As I got to the end, the story came up where Jesus gives sight to a blind beggar. (verses 35-43)

"As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. And hearing a crowd going by, he enquired what this meant. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God."

It was as I read this that I had an “Ah-hah” moment. I realized suddenly something about this man’s faith. It wasn’t misplaced. It wasn’t his faith that Jesus could make him well that did it, but more his faith that Jesus was the Son of God-or at the very least, sent by God. The beggar said, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” and “Lord, recover my sight!” By these 2 statements it’s clear he believed Jesus was sent by the one true God of David, and that he was putting Jesus into the status of his “Lord”. It was faith in Jesus’ identity over his faith in Jesus’ ability. Though he was blind, he saw Jesus for who he was, and because of that was able to see a different reality. He was able to see the Kingdom of God. A blind man recognized Jesus, and that was enough for his eyes to be opened.

After this “Ah-hah” moment, I re-read Luke 18 and Jesus pulled a veil off of it for me. I saw clearly how Jesus was illustrating this ‘Identity Reality’ over and over again. If our faith isn’t in Jesus’ true identity then we’re still blind to him. We’ll never see his Kingdom and much less ever be able to enter it.

As this thought has been congealing in my mind, I have been forced to examine my own faith in Jesus. Which often times boils down to an ugly truth, as it isn’t faith in Him at all, but faith in myself. Faith in who I think I am as a Christian.
So, let’s go back to verses 9-14. 

"He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 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. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’  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!’ 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.'"

Here we see two men praying: A “good guy” and a “bad guy”. The first is a man of great moral standing. He’s very obedient to God’s word and careful about the decisions he makes. The other man is of terrible moral character. He is a total mess and has done wrong by many people. Now let’s think about where their faith lies as revealed by their prayers. The "good guy" has faith in himself and what he’s doing right. That’s not hard to see. Therefore, his faith is nothing more than conceit and has nothing to do with God at all. So he’s essentially standing alone in a room talking to himself. But the "bad guy" has made himself a puddle on the floor with no regard for himself at all. “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” He is not standing alone at all, but at the feet of a savior. He’s regarding himself as nothing and desperately calling on God. To this, Jesus says, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” To this I ask, “Exalted how? Only Jesus himself is exalted right?" Then I remember Jesus' prayer in John 17, ”that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

Another thing I’m finding as I examine my faith is it’s much easier for me to have faith in Jesus’ ability, like a super-hero, than have faith in him being the God of the Universe and Creator of everything, alive and very very…sometimes painfully, real. He’s not just a nice story.
Let’s move on to verses 18-30.

"And a ruler asked him, 'Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?'And Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. (v20) You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour your father and mother.’' And he said, 'All these I have kept from my youth.' When Jesus heard this, he said to him, 'One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.' But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, 'How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.' Those who heard it said, 'Then who can be saved?' But he said, 'What is impossible with men is possible with God.' And Peter said, 'See, we have left our homes and followed you.' And he said to them, 'Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.'"

Like the Pharisee in the last story, I think the Rich Ruler is desperately hoping that his own actions can save him. His obedience, His own identity. It seems to me that he’s hoping desperately for this, even though he knows in his core that there’s something missing. It’s almost as though Jesus is pandering to him in verse 20. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but maybe it’s because I can identify, in part, with this poor man. Can you identify? Doing all you can, having very practical faith, obeying commands, but ignoring the heart. It’s in our heart, our core, that Jesus sees. That’s where our actual identity lies, our life or our impending death. This is where Jesus’ ‘Identity Reality’ gets a little more painfully real for me. Jesus “brings the sword” so to speak. He cuts through to this young man’s identity. Morality, hard work-perhaps? Sparkling and abundant, riches. Jesus shows this man his identity and calls him to give it up and allow Jesus to carve it out of him, completely and totally, only to replace it with “Follower of Jesus.” ((Have you ever read Voyage of the Dawn Treader? Where Eustace becomes a dragon and then goes through the absolute painful process of Aslan removing his dragon skin? This is kind of like that.))
But the Rich Ruler can’t let go of who he is, and it keeps him from seeing who Jesus truly is. His own identity, who he’s worked so hard to become and who he strives to be, blocks him from seeing Jesus. So he chooses to walk away from Jesus, thus walking away from the Kingdom of God. The Rich Ruler leaves sad, no, he leaves VERY sad because now he knows there’s something he lacks, but he believes that it requires too much for him to let go of. It requires losing his identity.

I read a few weeks ago about a famous study that proved a healthy baby’s cognitive development doesn’t reach the awareness of separation from its mother until about seven months. So, a tiny infant doesn’t even know that it is a separate person from its Mother! We're actually seeing the evidence of this with E at the moment. He has started, for the first time in his life, to get truly upset when I leave his sight. Now, with that in mind, let’s read verses 15-17. 

"Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, 'Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.'"

Jesus knows that a baby, in itself, has no identity except that of its mother. They are absolutely incapable of faith in their own ability because they are unaware of being “their own” so to speak. So what does this reality say about Jesus’ identity and our relation to him as his followers? Or In what way must we become like infants to enter His Kingdom?

Perhaps drawing on the beginning of this chapter will help us answer this question. Jesus is directing this parable to his disciples. Those who, unlike the rich ruler, have left their identities and everything that made them who they are behind to follow him. (Verses 2-8)

"And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, 'In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterwards he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’' And the Lord said, 'Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?'”

Identity seems of utmost importance in this parable. The main character is a widow. At the time this was spoken, a widow would have been of the lowest standing in the social order. She is someone without status or importance. He's making a clear point. Then there’s the Judge, a man who had no respect for God and couldn’t care less about any person especially a widow. Jesus then does a flippity-flop. He says, “Will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily.” In saying this, Jesus reveals to his disciples their identity as his followers. They are the elect of God. A stark contrast to the widow! (Not to mention God being of opposie character to the judge!) What does this say about me and you? I hope this challenges your misplaced faith like it has mine.

Ok, so let’s finish with the beginning of my ramble. Let’s go back to the blind man who’s faith gave him sight. The blind man had faith in Jesus’ identity. Others around him tried to quiet him as he proclaimed that faith, but he had nothing to lose and out of his mouth his heart spoke, no, yelled! Jesus saw his heart and that faithful heart unlocked the Kingdom of God. His healing only caused him to glorify God as he began following Jesus. A new creation. With his wholehearted faith in Jesus’ identity he was given a new identity and with that new identity, when “all the people saw it, [they too] gave praise to God.”

I am greatly encouraged by this. Not only are we given opportunity to truly see Jesus if we let go of ourselves, but in seeing him we’re given a new identity, his own status, thus allowing us to enter his Kingdom. The elite and exalted. The light and the salt. And as his light and salt, others will see him and recognize him and will be given opportunity to enter his kingdom. I am also greatly challenged by this as I must leave my identity behind every day. I must have faith in who Jesus truly is and follow him.