<p>18:13 <i>But the tax collector, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven, but struck his breast, saying: God, be merciful to me, the sinner</i>- Ps. 51:1 &ldquo;Have mercy on me, O God&hellip;&rdquo; is quoted by the publican in Lk. 18:13. He felt that David&rsquo;s prayer and situation was to be his. And he is held up as the example for each of us. In Romans 4, Paul quotes David's sin with Bathsheba as our pattern. We along with all the righteous ought to &ldquo;shout for joy&rdquo; that David really was forgiven (Ps. 32:11)- for there is such hope for <i>us</i> now. David is our example, and yet therefore the intensity of David&rsquo;s repentance must be ours. He hung his head as one in whose mouth there were no more arguments, hoping only in the Lord&rsquo;s grace (Ps. 38:14 RVmg.). Paul alludes here and sees this man as himself (1 Tim. 1:15,16). See on Lk. 23:48.</p><p>Usually men prayed with hands crossed over their chest. But men even at funerals don't usually beat upon their breast: &quot;The remarkable feature of this particular gesture is the fact that it is characteristic of women, not men&quot;. The man was quite exceptionally upset and in grief- because of his sins. Beating his breast suggested a blow to his heart, as if confessing himself worthy of death. And personal recognition of private sin wasn't a big feature of first century life. The Lord's initial audience would've been amazed at the contrition and grief which this man had because of his secret sins; and this is the lesson for us. The times of prayer in the temple coincided with the offering of the daily sacrifices. The man asks for God to 'have mercy on me' (Lk. 18:13). But he uses a different word to that in Lk. 18:38, where the same translation commonly occurs. <i>Hilastheti moi</i>, he says; and the noun occurs only in Rom. 3:25; Heb. 9:5; 1 Jn. 2:2; 4:10 to describe the atonement sacrifice. It seems the man was so extraordinarily moved by his own sin and the sacrifice offered. No wonder the same phrase occurs in Lk. 23:48 about people likewise beating their breasts in repentance when they saw the actual sacrifice of Christ on the cross.</p><p>The humble man &ldquo;smote his breast, saying, God, be <i>merciful</i> to me a sinner&quot;. &ldquo;Be merciful&quot; translates the word elsewhere translated &ldquo;make propitiation&quot;, in describing the atoning death of Jesus on the cross (Heb. 2:17). The man&rsquo;s sinfulness drove him to plead for the cross: &lsquo;Please God, make a propitiation for me&rsquo; was his plea. He realized his need for the cross. And we should look back at the cross and feel and know the same need&hellip; According to the Lord's own teaching, there are in some ways only two types of believer: either we are the self-righteous Pharisee, or the publican who beats his breast in self-loathing, hating his corrupt heart, begging for &ldquo;mercy&rdquo; Gk. propitiation, confessing that he is <i>the</i> sinner (Lk. 18:13 Gk.). Paul, in one of his many allusions to the Gospels, reached the same height of contrition when he said, in total honesty, that he was &ldquo;the chief of sinners&quot; (1 Tim. 1:15,16).&nbsp; James 4:9 tells some believers in the Jerusalem ecclesia that their joy ought to be turned to heaviness, implying the downcast look of the publican who could not so much as lift up his eyes to God. This man is held up by the Lord and James as some kind of hero and example to us.</p><p>The man who &lsquo;humbled himself&rsquo; smote upon his breast in knowledge of his own sin and his Lord&rsquo;s grace. The Greek phrase occurs elsewhere only once, again in Luke&rsquo;s thought, in describing how those humbled by the vision of the cross beat upon their breasts (Lk. 23:48)- surely in recognition of their sin and contrition before the grace of God outpoured. In the cross, we see self-humbling that we might be exalted. And we respond by likewise humbling ourselves, that others may be exalted.</p>