Thank God I'm Not Like That Pharisee!
"The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican" by James I. Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon. “[Jesus] also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt” (Luke 18:9). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! “The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector” is one of the simplest of Jesus’ parables. Two men go to the temple to pray. One brings before the Lord his own good works. The other has nothing to bring but a cry for mercy. Only one goes home justified. But this parable is perhaps so familiar that its edge is dull and it has lost the shock of God’s grace and the surprise of the Gospel. Our minds think of the characters differently than those to whom Jesus first spoke it. So, I’d like to change it just a little to see if we can’t recover some of its original bite. Instead of having the two guys go to the temple, let’s have them come to your house to pi...