By the time we have read this far into the gospel of Luke we might have forgotten that this is a personal letter sent from Luke to his good friend Theophilus. His motive is to confirm for his dear friend those things his friend has been told.

Over the years this letter was elevated to the category of gospel because of so many truths contained within. It became a letter of confirmation for all of us. Here in chapter 19 we will discover some important truths which Luke addressed for us all.

Jesus and Zacchaeus is a tale of a sinner who did the right thing and was saved.

The Parable of the Ten Minas is a tale of a sinner that was afraid to commit and was lost.

The Triumphal Entry tells a tale of what Jesus did to fulfill the prophecies that spoke about Him and how He was received by those who rejoiced in His coming and those who resented His coming.

Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem is a tale of man’s vanity in building a monument to God that God never asked for and does not respect because it did not lead to peace for the people living there. Without the peace of God what man makes will never last.

Jesus Cleanses the Temple is a forerunner tale of how it is Jesus alone cleanses us.

It is important at this moment to admit that the titles of each section of Luke 19 were not a part of the letter written by Luke. They were added by the ESV revisionist to separate each tale as a way for us to focus on the importance of each tale separately.

Theophilus didn’t have those markers. That is not to say that he missed the point of each of those tales. That is not for us to judge. What is important is that Theophilus found it so moving that he had the letter copied and distributed among the churches of the day.

This is how the gospels get shared, when we find the words of them to be so compelling that we just have to share them with everyone we meet. How those gospels will be received is identified in the tale entitled “The Triumphal Entry” where some will rejoice and some will reject which is beyond our ability to control.

It is not our responsibility to predict results but our hope is to hear this; Luke 19:17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’

Please note the wording, “faithful in a very little”, not much or everything, but very little. This too applies to all of us.

Luke 18:9-14 English Standard Version

9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Which of the two, Pharisee or Tax Collector had an ego?

Dictionary – EGO

Definitions from Oxford Languages 

E·go – noun

a person’s sense of self-esteem or self-importance.

Psychoanalysis
the part of the mind that mediates between the conscious and the unconscious and is responsible for reality testing and a sense of personal identity.

Both had ego’s and both met dictionary definitions. The Pharisee’s ego provided him with a sense of self worth. The Tax Collector’s ego performed a reality check and saw the truth about himself.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 English Standard Version

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
10 “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

Consider this to be a valid truth. Only God knows the heart of each and every one of us and we need an honest mediator to sort out the true condition of our hearts and minds. Using the psychological definition of ego, a sick mind cannot be a mediator of reality. Only He who is true can reveal the truth about the condition of our heart.

1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

If in your mind you believe that Jesus Christ is on your side in this mediation, you do not know His role in all this. He isn’t here to support one side of the other but only to determine what the truth is in our hearts. He is our reality check restoring balance between the conscious mind and the subconscious mind. Pride is an ego that refuses mediation.