6 Words That Will Change Your LifeSample

Have you heard the one about the pastor, the Boy Scout, and the brilliant Wall Street manager who were flying together on a small plane?  

In flight, the plane developed mechanical trouble, so the pilot announced that the plane was going down and added, “There are only three parachutes for the four of us. I should have one because I have a wife and three children.” He promptly took one and jumped. 

The Wall Street manager said, “I should have a parachute because I’m one of the smartest men in the world.”  So he took one and jumped.  

The pastor and Boy Scout looked at each other. Then the pastor volunteered, “I know the Lord. I’m not afraid to die. You take the remaining parachute.”  

The Boy Scout smiled and said, “No worries, Pastor, one of the smartest men in the world just put on my backpack and jumped out!”  

The moral of the story? Pride goeth before the fall. 

There’s a sense in which Jesus is making a similar point in the parable He tells in Luke 18 about the prideful prayer. 

God doesn’t care about our outward façade of going through the motions of “being religious.” He looks into our hearts. 

Let’s take a closer look at the respective prayers of these two contrasting characters. 

The proud Pharisee:

• Looked at sinners with contempt, rather than compassion 
• Drew attention to his outward acts of righteousness 
• Compared himself to others, rather than to God’s standard of pure holiness 
• Was grateful only for his own accomplishments 
• Failed to seek God’s mercy. He was so busy being self-righteous that he failed to realize he needed it. 

In contrast, the tax collector: 

• Approached God humbly, not even daring to look up to heaven 
• Measured himself against the perfect standard of the law, not others 
• Was distraught about his sin and truly repentant 
• Was honest and authentic before God 
• Genuinely sought God’s mercy and grace. 

Jesus’ parable beautifully illustrates the sharp contrast between proud, puffed-up, religious folks who are confident they can earn their way to heaven through their own efforts, and the humble, repentant, sinner who realizes he desperately needs a Savior. Sins cannot be removed by good deeds. They can only be removed by God’s grace. 

Whether you’re a pastor, a Boy Scout, a nice little old lady, or you just got out of prison for murder, all of us are just beggars together at the foot of the cross.  

We must all fall on God’s mercy and grace, available through Jesus’ atoning death and resurrection. It’s our parachute. It’s our only hope.  

Spend some time right now approaching God like the humble sinner in Jesus’ story.