Show Notes
Parable of the Qualified Sinner
Luke 18:9-14
Pastor Jon Morales
Preached at Woodside Bible Church - Royal Oak on July 5, 2020
Today we’re looking at a powerful story that distinguishes two very different ways of approaching God. Before I read the story, however, I want to give you a little context for the two main characters. The first character Jesus refers to as a Pharisee. If you’ve read the Gospels, then you’re likely familiar with this group of Jews known as the Pharisees. They were well known for being strict adherents to the commands of God in the Old Testament, and within the parable the Pharisee is going to mention several aspects of his religious devotion.
The other main character Jesus refers to as a tax collector. Again, if you’ve read the Gospels, then you’ve probably heard of this group before. One of the Gospel writers, Matthew, in fact, was formerly a tax collector before he started following Jesus. Tax collectors were Jews who were employed by the Roman empire to collect taxes from the Jews, and then send the money back to Rome. So tax collectors were even less popular than the IRS is in our own day. At least when we send our taxes to the IRS, they’re giving our taxes to our government. But when the Jews gave their money to tax collectors, the money was sent far away to the Roman emperor. So tax collectors were despised for their willingness to work for Israel’s foreign occupiers.