Jesus’ Parable of The Pharisee and The Tax Collector 1
Preacher: Gary Hunt | Series: Jesus’ Parable of The Pharisee and The Tax Collector, The Parables of Jesus
At the same time He told a parable about a persistent oppressed widow, Jesus also told another parable relating to prayer and how we are to approach God and live before Him. In this parable, he tells about two men who went to the temple to pray. One, a Pharisee, boasted before God about his perceived perfect obedience even going beyond what was required in the Law of Moses. He saw no need for God’s mercy and thanked God he was not like the hopeless sinner nearby, the tax collector. On the other hand, the tax collector humbly pleaded for God’s mercy acknowledging his utter sinfulness before God. Jesus said this second man was justified before God and not the other. This teaches us much about depending on God’s grace to save us and not our perceived perfect obedience. Does this mean we are not to try to obey the will of God at all since we are saved by grace. Let us look at this parable and its lesson for us today.
