Sermon: Wednesday August 26, 2015 - Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Gospel reading and sermon by Pastor Duncan McLellan

The parable we are going to look at this evening is the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. In it we will see the imperative invitation Jesus gives his disciples to ask God to forgive them, and gives them the assurance that their prayers will be heard and answered. And, just for fun, we’ll take a look at the greater context of this parable (specifically, the Parable of the Persistent Widow) that came before it and see that we have one who advocates on our behalf to our heavenly father without fail.

The Reading: Luke 18:9-14
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 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. 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. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

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