Today’s devotional comes to us from Maya Wilson! Maya joined the staff of Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) at TCU as a Character Coach in November 2024. She is a former basketball player at Rice University where she majored in Sociology, and she graduated as the all-time leader in three-point field goals and fourth in career assists. Maya is passionate about foster care, community involvement, and mentoring college students on their faith journey, and we are so thrilled to have her as a part of our TCU community! I hope you enjoy today’s devotional!
Luke 18:9-14
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Reflection:
Jesus had a way of teaching that shined a spotlight on things no one else could see because only He knows the heart. His parables didn’t just tell stories; they exposed spiritual realities. Some feel like gentle nudges, others like divine mirrors. This one? Definitely the latter.
In Luke 18, Jesus tells of two men who go to the temple to pray. One is a Pharisee, well-respected, religious, and seemingly righteous. The other is a tax collector, despised, corrupt, and considered a sinner. Yet in a surprising twist, Jesus says it’s the tax collector, not the Pharisee, who leaves the temple justified before God.
The Pharisee’s prayer is full of pride. He thanks God that he’s not like other people and he lists off his credentials. The tax collector, however, stands at a distance, unable to look up. He beats his chest and pleads, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Interestingly, the only other time this action of beating the chest appears in Scripture is at the crucifixion in Luke 23:48. After Jesus breathes His last, the crowd, overwhelmed by what they have witnessed, also beat their chests in grief. That moment at the cross is not just historical, it’s deeply personal. It was there, as Christ took on the sins of the world, that God displayed the ultimate act of mercy.
If we place ourselves at the foot of the cross, standing in the crowd, realizing that Jesus died for our sin, we can’t help but respond like the tax collector: with contrite hearts, humbled spirits, and a desperate awareness of our need for grace.
This Lent, may we pause, reflect, and posture ourselves like the tax collector: hearts bowed, eyes lifted, wholly dependent on grace.
Let us pray.
Dear Heavenly Father, help us to come before You with humility. Strip away our pride, our comparisons, and our self-righteousness. Remind us that we are only justified by Your mercy and Your Son’s bloodshed on the cross, not by our own efforts. As we walk through this Lenten season, let us draw near to You with sincere hearts, knowing that Your grace is enough. Amen.