day 85

⁹ To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ ¹⁴ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Pray for God to show you something to use from the passage

Read the Passage

Who is in the passage?

What action verbs do you see?

What other words stick out in your mind

Questions

What does this parable have to do with prayer and approaching God?

What causes spiritual pride? How can you avoid it?

Notes

vs 9 - the assumption would be that the prideful people would have been the Pharisees but it doesn't mean that it includes all Pharisees or that others, maybe even a disciple or two, were not included. Jesus is still trying to get them to see they need Him, that they do not have it figured out.

vs 10- the temple was the holiest place in the world. There were four courtyards each getting closer to the Holy of Holies (place God presence resided on earth) . First was the courtyard for Gentiles, then Jewish women, then Jewish males, then priest. These two would have been in the courtyard for the Jewish males. The two represent the extreme differences in Jewish religious views. The Pharisee would be considered a holy man. The tax collector a sinner (see Day 74 Luke 15 for information on tax collectors) . Remember the extreme difference in the last parable as well.

vs 11-12 On the outside it seems the Pharisee is truly holy. He fast twice a week, (Required only once a year during Day of atonement) and gives a tenth of what he owns. But remember what Jesus has said (11:39-44). Outside may look great but inside is terrible. Notice it is about being righteous in his own eyes, not God's. He uses the wrong standard to judge righteousness. He is the servant he is waiting to be thanked and honored by his master for doing what he is suppose to do (17:9) It is literally all about him, not God.

vs 13- The tax collector takes on the correct character of Luke 17:10. He asks forgiveness and is truly humble. He measures righteousness from God's standard and when he finds himself not measuring up he pleads for God's mercy.

vs 14 Jesus sums up this section about approaching God and prayer by telling the point of the parable. Being in good relationship with God is about your heart and motives, not just about the outside. You do not earn your way to God it is about building a relationship. It is about realizing your place before Him!

This saying not unlike 13:30.