“l say unto you, This man went down to his
house justified.” Luke 18:14
At most the publican
could only plead for forgiveness. God heard his prayer, but gave him much more
than he had asked for, since Jesus said that he returned home “justified.”
Do you see how far
this exceeded the sinners expectations? He asked for mercy; he could never
think of justification. But God said that he was justified. This means that it
was as if he had never sinned. Not only was he no longer sinful: now he was
actually righteous.
The salvation which
God accomplishes is not according to our limited measure but to his infinite
grace. Man has his small ideas of how God will act on his behalf, but God likes
to hear his cry and answer his prayers. But what he brings to pass accords with
his own disposition as the lavish dispenser of unmerited favor. Let us praise
him!
