Updated: May 2
April 28, 2025 | Read and Think About Luke 18:9-14
Jesus once told a parable where he described a stark contrast between two very different people. One was a Pharisee, a religious legalist. The other was a tax collector, meaning a cheat and a sinful traitor in that time.
They were in the same Temple, but far apart. Their posture was different. The prayers they said were different. The Pharisee compared himself to other people, feeling superior. The tax collector compared himself to God’s standard, knowing he needed mercy.
This was the biggest difference, the one that stands out above all others. The tax collector was aware of his sinful ways and his need for forgiveness. The Pharisee was blind to it.
The tax collector went home different than he had been before. The Pharisee was no different.
In “A Call to Repent” (week 1), we read that tax collectors were among those who came out to John the Baptist and heard his message of repentance. This man in Jesus’ parable represents every person, including tax collectors, who turned from their sinful ways to seek forgiveness and follow Jesus – like Matthew the Apostle and later Zaccheus, both of them tax collectors.
Tax collectors and prostitutes were among those who welcomed the Lord into their hearts. Their humility and desire to change were the major difference.