Joel M Bradshaw

9[Jesus] 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. 11The 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. 12I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 

13But 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!’ 14I 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.” (Luke 18)

1. Think of the Pharisee as Mr. Righteous, the one guy in your life that God might just listen to. Families in Jesus’ time wanted their sons to grow up to be Pharisees and their daughters to marry them.
2. Ok, Mr. Righteous was a little cocky with his prayer, but did he have a point? Jesus’ audience would have thought so!
3. Think of the tax collector as Mr. Traitor, the one guy in your life that everyone hates and who therefore has no hope with prayer! Tax collectors were seen as traitors and scum by people in Jesus’ day.
4. What was different about Mr. Traitor’s attitude before God?
5. The truth is that Mr. Righteous was just as much a sinner in need of forgiveness as Mr. Traitor. Sin is sin.
6. The difference was that Mr. Traitor was humble and broken before God.
7. Be like Mr. Traitor. He’s one of my heroes.–JMB