Luke 18:10-14 says, Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. Maybe you needed mercy when you were pulled over for speeding but hoped... Every resource on our site was made possible through the financial support of people like you. The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector – Luke 18:9-14 – Inductive Bible Study Luke 18:9-14 9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray , one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector . I can choose to repent of my arrogance and pride, to fast from comparisons, and to give grace to anyone who rouses the hackles of that inner Pharisee. I expect you have. The Pharisee's prayer "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. Tommy Lane. He was declared righteous in God’s sight. The account has two main characters: the tax collector (the Publican, in some versions); and the Pharisee. This would have been a real issue because Jesus had a heart for sinners, prostitutes and tax collectors. In the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, why was God not pleased with the Pharisee’s prayer? Where are you living with the burden of pride? 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. It is never too late to posture your heart to receive the depths of love and mercy your heavenly Father longs to give you. And help me to kick that Pharisee to the curb, releasing my need to compare myself to anyone other than your son, Jesus, the one who came to show us the way to becoming more than ourselves and in whose name we pray. So, imagine the shock of Jesus’ listeners when he says that the tax collector, the most hated of all Jews, went home justified before the Lord as the result of his humility. Imagine the shock and anger of the Pharisees in learning that all they had worked for, all the rules and regulations they had lived by, actually placed them lower in stature than any other Jew in the sight of God. One of the best examples of Jesus shifting paradigms comes in his parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. There is a journey we all have to make, a pilgrimage we are all called to undertake, and that is the journey from pride to humility. In chapters 5 through 7, we heard Jesus teaching about the kingdom of heaven coming to earth. Luke 18:10-14 says. After concluding his parable about prayer in Luke 18:1-8, the story of the persistent widow, Jesus dives into this, another parable on prayer.It’s not clear if this story is told to his disciples separately, or to a larger … 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. Jesus commented, “This tax man, not the other, went home made right with God. The tax collector, on the other hand, looks only at his own wretched heart, begs God for mercy, and calls himself exactly what he is: a sinner, longing for forgiveness. Cry out to God for his help in your life. Two men, saying their prayers in a public space, but only one goes home “made right with God.” A Pharisee and a tax collector, opposite ends of the social spectrum in ancient Palestine—one of them full of himself, the other, hungry for God. Many of them entered the kingdom … I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 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!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. The meaning of the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector can be found in the point Jesus makes at the end. All the works of the Pharisees were birthed out of their own pride. Published by The High Calling, February 25, 2013. Mercy is God’s chief attribute. “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. “The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.” Proverbs 22:4, “Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.” Proverbs 18:12, “As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man.” Proverbs 27:19. But when you examine their actions and attitudes, you discover they went for two different reasons. Reading this small but powerful story is a bit like looking in the mirror or looking at two sides of the same very tarnished coin. The parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14) is the most theological of all Jesus’ parables. The parable stresses the difference between the attitude of the tax collector and the Pharisee. The parable of the Pharisee and the tax-collector Luke 18:9-14. The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14) contrasts two different attitudes: self-righteousness and humility.The two men who go to the Temple to pray contrast in character, belief, and self-examination, representing opposite sides of the law. It is the most theological because it deals with the subject that is of most importance to the life of the Christian–namely, how a man or woman, boy or girl is accepted before God. Help me during these Lenten days to take time to look within, to admit my need for you, to ask forgiveness. Why did we come today? In the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, which one’s prayer pleased God? The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity–greedy, dishonest, adulterous–or even like this tax collector. The tax collector had empty hands. Are you going through the motions of religion in order to earn your way into relationship with God, or are you living in response to the wealth of love you’ve freely received in Christ? Unlike the Pharisee, who stands boldly in the temple reciting his prayers of self-congratulation, the tax collector stood “afar off” or “at a distance,” perhaps in an outer room, but certainly far from the Pharisee who would have been offended by the nearness of this man. This message explores why the parable is so important, and how it can help us live closer to God. 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