An Exposition

Luke 18:9-14: “Will the Real Prayer Please Stand Up?”

“Also, He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men – extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess. And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes toward heaven, but beat on his breast, saying, ‘God have mercy on me, a sinner!’ I tell you this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:8=9-14, NKJV).

This parable by the Lord Jesus was placed into the Scriptures by the guiding hand of the Holy Spirit to tell those who trusted in themselves and who despised others that they saw as less than worthy of God’s attention. They looked down on other people and had inner contempt for them, believing them less worthy of God’s attention because of what they believed were sins too great to be forgiven. That kind of attitude still rears its ugly head in both public and private settings, and God has never taken kindly to it or anything that people say or do to convince us otherwise.

Jesus illustrates His teaching by telling of two men who went into the temple in Jerusalem to pray. Prayer is essentially a conversation with God. We can approach Him and talk with Him on a personal level, but with an attitude of reverence and respect on our part. We can be honest with Him and pour out our feelings, questions, or praise and honor Him for just His presence and majesty alone (Exodus 3:5; Joshua 5:15; Nehemiah 8:5; Psalm 33:8, 89:7, 11:9; Daniel 8:17; Habakkuk 2:20; Hebrews 12:28).

The first person mentioned is a Pharisee. These were the religious leaders and teachers of Judea who laid great stress upon the observance of rites and ceremonies. They made a pretense of superior piety and separated themselves from the common people. They believed in the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the body, and the existence of angels and evil spirits. They could be considered the “conservatives” of that time due to their adherence to the Scriptures, but over time they had placed more emphasis on interpretation and commentary by the rabbinic scholars than over the purity of the Word of God.

When Jesus came on the scene and began to teach, it was with the authority of Scripture alone, and the people flocked to Him, hungry to hear what God had to say, not the rehashing of traditions and religious rituals. Jesus had words to say about the attitude of the Pharisees when they were in prayer (Matt. 6:1-5). Their public displays of prayer were nothing more than trying to look pious and holy when their lives and words said otherwise. The Lord Jesus labeled them and all religious frauds as hypocrites of the worst kind (Matt. 7:5, 15, 12:10,15:7, 16:3, 22:18, 23:13, 29; 24:51; Mark 7:6; Luke 6:42, 11:44, 12:56, 13:5; John 12:6).

The Pharisee in this parable presents a “prayer” that addresses God and supposedly gives Him thanks, but there is absolutely no sign whatsoever of any reverence, respect, love, or humbleness towards Him. Instead, the Pharisee begins checking off a list of deeds, behaviors, and self-centered attitudes that he believed would keep him in God’s good graces and impress Him. He was looking to have a “gold star” put on his religious report card as a reminder of how pious he has been in keeping the right set of rules, but does not give God thanks for His grace, mercy, and wisdom to guide him in the way of holiness. His laundry list prayer shows no real love for God nor for those around him. His cruel comment on the tax collector’s presence in the temple shows nothing but contempt, and everything he rattled off to God merely bounced off the walls. We see this today as well.

The other man in the temple, the tax collector, was a pariah in Jewish society. This individual was a Jew who had decided to assist the occupying Roman Empire in the collection of taxes and other income such as tolls, levies on goods, and assorted fees. By siding with the enemy in the eyes of the Jews, this person cut himself off from family and friends and was cast out of the local synagogues and establishments. He probably had hired hands to extort money from those who crossed him financially or were behind in debt payments. Just his presence in the temple was a shock and source of disgust from other worshippers, not just the self-righteous Pharisee.

He took a risk in showing up in the house of God and could have been thrown out and told never to come back. However, he was not there to cause a scene or any trouble. He was there because his soul was in agony over the obvious wickedness and sins that his life had produced, and the thought that he had thrown away everything precious to him for the sake of money. He did not raise his head or look up to heaven but took the posture of a man desperate to have his soul redeemed and made new before God. He beat his breast, a visible sign of sorrow for sin and the cry of repentance. He does not try to justify himself, or bargain with God, or make any sort of excuse. He cries out to God for mercy because he recognizes that he is a sinner in need of salvation. There was nowhere to go except to the throne of God, who heard this poor man’s cry and took away the stain of sin from him in an act of grace and the mercy for which he asked.

He knew he did not deserve any attention from the LORD, yet that is what he received, as He gives to anyone who comes to Him seeking to be delivered from sin and wickedness (Matthew 11:28-30; John 3:16, 10:28-30, 11:25-26, 14:6; Acts 4:12, 16:31; Romans 5:6-11, 8:31-39, 10:9-10). The LORD offers forgiveness from sin, as well as true peace and eternal life in Christ for all who come to Him in faith, trusting in Him alone for salvation. Jesus declared that it was the tax collector who really prayed, while the Pharisee just bragged and was not justified in the sight of God. The Pharisee thought a lot of himself, but that is all he received. The tax collector received a new life and the satisfaction of knowing that God heard him and answered his request.

After reading this, what would you honestly say about your own prayer life? Is it something like the Pharisee who rattled off a list of accomplishments that fed his ego but really gave no glory or honor to God? Are your prayers merely a wish list that you say in a hurry as you go to work, school, or another activity? How much time do you give to the LORD in prayer? Do you view prayer as something you have got to do, like a routine? Do you seek guidance and help from God when there is an emergency or troublesome situation that you cannot solve? Do you just take the time to thank Him for saving you from your sins and for His mercy and grace?

I encourage you to stop and consider that a lot of the troubles and scrapes in which we find ourselves and that of the world around us would diminish if we would but take the time to seek the LORD and His counsel. Approach His throne now, give Him honor, and trust Him to guide and direct you until the day He returns in glory to bring us home, where we will see Him face to face and have the ultimate conversation without any interruptions. To that I say, “Yes, and Amen.” Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

donaldwhitchard@gmail.com

www.donaldwhitchard.com

1 Samuel 17:54 – “David took the severed head of the Philistine, Goliath, and brought it to Jerusalem.”

Many have tried to convince the world that the place of the skull is a rock face that looks like a skull from a distance. But this is definitely not what scripture is saying when it speaks of the place called Golgotha.

Fun with Greek and Hebrew

Matthew 27:33 – “They came to the place that is called Golgotha, which means Place of the Skull.”

Mark 15:22 – “They brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull).”

Luke 23:33 – “When they came to the place called The Skull, they nailed him to a tree.”

John 19:17 – “They took Yeshua, bearing his own cross, to The Place of a Skull, called Golgotha.”

The Greek word, Golgatha [G1115], is the same as the Hebrew word gulgoleth [H1538]. Both mean skull. Gulgoleth is found in several Older Covenant verses: Judges 9:53, 2 Kings 9:35, 1 Chronicles 10:10, 1 Chronicles 23:3 & 24, and Numbers 1:2. Golgotha, then, is the final word one gets from Goliath of Gath! The transformation goes something like this: Goliath Gath to > GoliGath to > GolGath to > GolGatha.

Where’s the Place of the Skull?

Here is what we do know:

• Gulgoleth means a skull (as noted above).
• Gulgoleth is outside the city walls of Jerusalem. This location would have had to have been outside the walls of Jerusalem, in accordance with Jewish law which would not have permitted the Philistine Giant’s head to be buried inside the city walls (Hebrews 13:12).
• Gulgoleth is located near the city (Luke 23:26).
• Gulgoleth was located in a place that was well traveled (Matthew 27:39, Mark 15:29, Luke 23:35, and John 19:25).
• Gulgoleth contains a garden, olive press, and tomb (Matthew 26:36, Mark 14:32, and John 19:41).
• Finally, Gulgoleth was a widely known Jewish location with a proper name. Gulgoleth was the place that David buried the head of Goliath of Gath in Jerusalem. The location of the Philistine Giant’s buried head would have been known by all.

Where was Yeshua Crucified?

Many have given their opinion on where Yeshua was crucified. They range from Mount Scopus to the north of the Temple Mount, to the Church of the Sepulchre to the west of the Temple Mount, to the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem which is northwest of the Temple Mount, to various other locations in and around Jerusalem. Many are popular tourist destinations today.

Roman Crucifixion Factors

There were four determining factors regarding where a person was to be crucified, in order of precedence.

1. They were to be crucified at the scene of the crime.
2. They were to be crucified at the place where the person was arrested.
3. They were to be crucified at the place of the high ground.
4. They were to be crucified at the place of a busy crossroads so everyone would see.

Yeshua Factors

1. The Scene of Yeshua’s Crime: He was proclaimed a king by the crowds on the Mount of Olives before he descended from the mount into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:5-10, Luke 19:37-38, John 12:12-15).
2. The Place of Yeshua’s Arrest: Yeshua was arrested in a Garden with a grove of trees which contained a Gethsemane, or Olive Press, on the Mount of Olives (Matthew 26:36, Mark 14:32, Luke 22:47, John 18:1-26).
3. The High Ground: Mount Moriah’s altitude, where the Temple Mount stands, is 2,428 feet. Mount Zion’s altitude is 2,510 feet. The Mount of Olive’s altitude is 2,710 feet. Therefore, the Mount of Olives is the high ground.
4. The Busy Crossroads: The Mount of Olives was the place of a busy crossroads. The north/south road from Bethany and Bethpage crossed at the top of the mount. The east/west bridge from the Temple Mount to the Mount of Olives met the north/south road at this point (Mark 11:1-4, Mathew21:1, Luke 19:29).

Other Factors

Mathew 27:59 – “When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulcher, and departed.”

Luke 23:44-45 – “It was now about the sixth hour, and a darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, the sun’s light failing: and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.”

Luke 23:47-49 – “All the multitudes that came together to this sight, when they beheld the things that were done, returned smiting their breasts. And all his acquaintances, and the women that followed with him from Galilee, stood afar off, seeing these things.”

John 19:41-42 – “Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new tomb wherein was never man yet laid. So because it was Preparation Day for the Jews, and because the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.”

The Mount of Olives is where atonement was made and the Red Heifer was sacrificed. Yeshua fulfills the role of the Red Heifer and makes atonement for us (Numbers 19:1-10). The bridge to the Mount of Olives is also the road one would use to take the scapegoat out into the wilderness. Yeshua also fulfills the role of the scapegoat (Leviticus 16:8-10). The Passover Lamb was placed on the altar facing the Holy of Holies.

It is only from the Mount of Olives that Yeshua, our Passover Lamb, could look into the Temple and see the Veil in front of the Holy of Holies being rent! Remember, only the inside of the Temple was lit at that time by the light of the Menorah, as the entire area around Jerusalem was darkened (Luke 23:44-45).

The Mount of Olives is also a traditional place of burial for thousands of Jews. Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, and King David’s son Absalom are all said to be buried there. No doubt Joseph of Arimathea’s new tomb was in this location as well! (Matthew 27:57-60, Mark 15:42-46, Luke 23:50-53).

Conclusions

The Mount of Olives is the place of the crime, the place of arrest, the high ground, and the place where the busy crossroads met. According to Josephus, the Romans crucified all of the Jewish criminals on the Mount of Olives. Only from the Mount of Olives can one see the Veil being rent. Therefore, it is on the Mount of Olives that the cross was placed, not in some other location.

Website: https://raptureparty.net/

Email: jeff@raptureparty.net/