Sermon Notes

as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” 26 And the Lord said, “If I find
at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will forgive the whole place for their sake.” 27 Abraham answered, “Let me take
it upon myself to speak to my lord, I who am but dust and ashes. . . .” 30 Then he said, “Oh, do not let my lord be
angry if I speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” 31 He said, “Let
me take it upon myself to speak to my lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty
I will not destroy it.” 32 Then he said, “Oh, do not let my lord be angry if I speak just once more. Suppose ten are found
there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.”
Luke 18 9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others
with contempt: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The
Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues,
adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ 13 But the tax collector,
standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to
me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other, for all who exalt themselves
will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
1 John 5 14 And this is the boldness we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And
if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him.
(New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, NRSVue)
Genesis 18 25 I can’t believe you’d do that, kill off the good and the bad alike as if there were no difference between
them. Doesn’t the Judge of all the Earth judge with justice?” 26 God said, “If I find fifty decent people in the city of
Sodom, I’ll spare the place just for them.” 27 Abraham came back, “Do I, a mere mortal made from a handful of dirt,
dare open my mouth again to my Master? . . . 30 He said, “Master, don’t be irritated with me, but what if only thirty are
found?” “No, I won’t do it if I find thirty.” 31 He pushed on, “I know I’m trying your patience, Master, but how about for
twenty?” “I won’t destroy it for twenty.” 32 He wouldn’t quit, “Don’t get angry, Master—this is the last time. What if you
only come up with ten?” “For the sake of only ten, I won’t destroy the city.”
Luke 18 9-12 He told his next story to some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral
performance and looked down their noses at the common people: “Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a
Pharisee, the other a tax man. The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: ‘Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other
people—robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man. I fast twice a week and tithe on all my
income.’ 13 “Meanwhile the tax man, slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, ‘God,
give mercy. Forgive me, a sinner.’” 14 Jesus commented, “This tax man, not the other, went home made right with
God. If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face, but if you’re content to be
simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.”
1 John 5 14-15 And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that
he’s listening. And if we’re confident that he’s listening, we know that what we’ve asked for is as good as ours.
(The Message, MSG)

This week’s lesson continues our exploration of the quarter theme—Grace and Reconciliation—by examining the importance of believers having a prayer life that evidences humility before God. As arguably the most fundamental spiritual practice of a Christian, prayer provides a doorway through which Christians can discern Divine will, examine personal and collective motives, receive strength to overcome challenging circumstances, and discipline themselves to submit to God’s purpose. As we consider the nature of prayer from three different biblical passages and three different theological perspectives, we learn that when the posture of prayer is humility, believers have tremendous latitude in both the character and degree of their petitions. In the words of a contemporary psalmist, all three texts remind contemporary Christians that prayer indeed, “changes things.”
In Genesis 18, the writers/compilers of Genesis present a narrative that describes Abraham humbly interceding on behalf of his nephew Lot, and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which are in danger of destruction for a lack of hospitality towards strangers. In Luke 18, the Lukan writer present Jesus as instructing the Pharisees—and those who consider themselves to be “important”—on the importance of prayer as an outgrowth of a humble heart. In 1 John 5, the Johannine writer makes a bold statement: believers who humbly affirm that Jesus is the “Son of God” have found the key to bodacious prayers and bodacious answers from the heavenly Father. Although addressed to different audiences spread across thousands of years, each of the biblical passages have a common denominator: humility before God creates the environment where believers can expect God to sanction anything within Divine will if we take everything to God in prayer.

Genesis 18 25 I can’t believe you’d do that, kill off the good and the bad alike as if there were no difference between them. Doesn’t the Judge of all the Earth judge with justice?” 26 God said, “If I find fifty decent people in the city of Sodom, I’ll spare the place just for them.” 27 Abraham came back, “Do I, a mere mortal made from a handful of dirt, dare open my mouth again to my Master? . . . 30 He said, “Master, don’t be irritated with me, but what if only thirty are found?” “No, I won’t do it if I find thirty.” 31 He pushed on, “I know I’m trying your patience, Master, but how about for twenty?” “I won’t destroy it for twenty.” 32 He wouldn’t quit, “Don’t get angry, Master—this is the last time. What if you only come up with ten?” “For the sake of only ten, I won’t destroy the city.”
In the opening verses of the lesson text, we explore prayer from the perspective of the book of Genesis. In this pericope, Abraham wrestles with Divine will concerning the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. As one who understands God to be life-affirming and life-protecting, Abraham cannot fathom how God would destroy entire cities because of human error. Sounding more like a judicial advocate than a worshipper, Abraham boldly interrogates God’s forewarned actions because they do not seem to reflect God’s character of love, mercy and justice. Because Abraham has the divinely appointed role of being the “chosen” vessel through which God will bless the whole world, he is in the position to question God about Divine actions. Abraham has a problem with God’s actions because it just doesn’t seem right.
Recall, these biblical narratives are not written as eye-witness reports. They are written hundreds, if not thousands of years, after these events occur. By telling this story about two ancient cities being wiped off the face of the earth the writer/compilers of Genesis allow their contemporary hearers/readers to ponder the question: Would God kill good people along with bad people? In contemporary life, these type of theological questions arise repeatedly:
• Why would God allow all those people to die on 9-11?
• Why would God allow all those children to die in Uvalde, Texas?
• Why would God allow all those people to die in Hurricane Katrina? Was everybody bad or sinful in the “Big Easy?”
• Why would God allow Trayvon Martin to die in Florida at the hands of George Zimmerman, or Renee Goode to die in Minneapolis at the hands of ICE agents?
Abraham proceeds to raise very specific questions regarding God’s preliminary decision. He is blunt, persistent, and nontraditional. His questions (vv. 23-25) pull no punches he gets right to the point with- out preliminary niceties. The author stresses this confrontative approach by the “indeed?” (vv. 23-24 cf. 18:13 Job 34:17), as well as the repeated “far be it from you” (cf. 44:7, 17). Abraham understands his relation-ship with God to be such that direct questions are not only in order but welcome. God does not reprimand him for his questions or what appears to be insolence because they have a relationship.
Although Abraham is pushing the limits of this divine-human conversation, he does so with humility. He repeatedly says, “he knows he is pushing God,” even as he advocates for the cities. While Abraham’s concern for his nephew Lot may have been the initial reason for his prayer of intercession, he is also concerned for the fate of everyone in Sodom and Gomorrah. His concern for the “righteous” will save everyone—the good and the wicked. Further, his humble intercession is why God allows Abraham to be so blunt with his questions. He is not telling God what to do. Instead, like a judge advocate general officer in the military, Abraham is reminding God of the “uniform code of divine justice” that has already been displayed by God. In verse 32, when God says, “for the sake of,” this is a reference to how God has taken care of people for the sake of other vulnerable persons in the past. In Genesis 12, God took care of Abraham even though he lied about Sarah’s identity as his wife for Sarah’s sake. Abraham asks God pointed questions for the survival of everyone. But, he does so from a place of humility and intimate relationship.
Luke 18 9-12 He told his next story to some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and looked down their noses at the common people: “Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax man. The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: ‘Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man. I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income.’ 13 “Meanwhile the tax man, slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, ‘God, give mercy. Forgive me, a sinner.’” 14 Jesus commented, “This tax man, not the other, went home made right with God. If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face, but if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.”
In the Lukan text, the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector extends Jesus’ teaching on the theme of prayer which began with the earlier parable on the widow and the unjust judge. When readers/hearers interpret these two parable together, Luke provides two complementary object lessons, the “promise of persistent prayer” and the “peril of presumptuous prayer.” The first parable emphasizes the importance of persistence in the pursuit of justice, while the second parable emphasizes the destructive nature of presumption in the pursuit of Divine favor.
As Jesus taught those listening, he centered his remarks on the character of the two men’s hearts. Humility—or the lack thereof—plays a crucial role in how Jesus would evaluate their prayers, and how God would evaluate their motives, in the conclusion of the parable. When Jesus describes the Pharisee as a presumptuous and arrogant person, the tax collector’s humility takes center stage as the primary point of this parable. Jesus makes it clear that the “righteous” are those who have enough sense to recognize their own failures and frailty with repentance and humility.
Previously in the Gospel of Luke, the Lukan writer has already instructed his hearers/readers on how we should evaluate the Pharisee and tax collector who go up to the Temple to pray. In Luke 5, Jesus boldly declares his purpose in coming was to call sinners to repentance, not the righteous. He said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick; I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance,” (Luke 5:31-32, NRSVue). In Eugene Peterson’s translation, Jesus says, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I’m here inviting outsiders, not insiders—an invitation to a changed life, changed inside and out (Luke 5:31-32, MSG). Further, in Luke 15:7, Jesus taught listeners, “Count on it—there’s more joy in heaven over one sinner’s rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue” (MSG), as he tells the parables of the lost coin, lost sheep, and lost son.
1 John 5 14-15 And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he’s listening. And if we’re confident that he’s listening, we know that what we’ve asked for is as good as ours.
In the verses of the final lesson text, the “elder” makes it clear that he wants people to understand that Jesus is the Son of God. In the epilogue of 1 John, the “elder,” writes to bolster his readers’ faith and to leave them reassured of their standing with God through Jesus Christ. In verses 14 and 15 he says the certainty of knowing our special place with God is an outgrowth of the faith community’s prayer life. He says believers are able to approach God with a forthright, honest, and even blunt requests because they are in relationship with God, and because they have a humble disposition before God. Further, they know that their requests are heard by God, and answered by God, when those requests reflect the will of God. Because believers are in relationship with God, the very act of praying is the equivalent to an answered prayer. Humility ensures that God will hear and answer. When we are in alignment with God’s will, Christians are reassured that our prayers will be answered in the affirmative.

i. R. Alan Culpepper’s article “The Gospel of Luke: Introduction, Commentary and Reflections,” in The New Interpreter’s Bible: A Commentary in Twelve Volumes, Volume VII (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015), 340.