Brookfield Church of Christ
Oct 18, 2026 Sun a.m. Luke 18:9-14
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
      • Bible Trivia
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      • Luke 18:9-10ESV

      • Luke 18:11-12ESV

      • Luke 18:13-14ESV

  • Central Idea
    God rejects people who trust in their own righteousness and justifies people who humbly admit they are sinners and ask for His mercy.
    INTRODUCTION
    Two men stood in the same temple and said prayers to the same God, but with opposite spirits.
    One had a proud, self-satisfied spirit. The other had a broken, humble spirit.
    God was looking at their hearts, not their words (1 Samuel 16:7).
    To Jesus' listeners, the Pharisee was the model of religious devotion. He studied the Law and kept it strictly (Philippians 3:5-6).
    The tax collector was seen as a traitor who worked for Rome and often cheated his own people (Luke 3:12-13; 19:8).
    Everyone expected the Pharisee to go home right with God. Jesus turned that expectation upside down.
    The parable shows us two prayers and one verdict.

    I. The Prayer of Pride

    Luke 18:9–12 ESV
    He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’
    His prayer uses "I" over and over, but he never asks God for anything, never confesses sin, and never praises God's goodness.
    His "thanks" was really bragging. He was pleased with himself.
    Note the standard of comparison: I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
    2 Corinthians 10:12 ESV
    Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.
    He trusted his religious record
    "I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get" (v. 12).
    He did more than the Law required. Moses commanded only one yearly fast, on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29-31).
    His actions were good, but he trusted in them instead of God.
    Matthew 23:23 ESV
    “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
    Isaiah 64:6 ESV
    We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
    Titus 3:5 ESV
    he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
    Matthew 6:1 ESV
    “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
    Practical Action Item: Each time this week you catch yourself thinking, "At least I'm not like them," stop and pray for that person by name. Then pray, "Search me, O God, and know my heart!" (Psalm 139:23-24).

    II. The Prayer of Humility

    Luke 18:13 ESV
    But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
    Psalm 51:17 ESV
    The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
    He made no excuses, did not compare himself to anyone, and did not list his good deeds.
    1 John 1:8–9 ESV
    If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
    1 John 2:2 ESV
    He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
    Hebrews 2:17 ESV
    Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

    III. The Verdict of God

    Luke 18:14 ESV
    I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

    Justified = counted or declared righteous

    Romans 3:10 ESV
    as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;
    Baptism is where justification is applied.
    On the basis of Christ's blood, sins are washed away at baptism, not before (Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; Romans 6:3–4, where baptism unites us with Christ's death).

      • Luke 18:9–12ESV

      • 2 Corinthians 10:12ESV

      • Matthew 23:23ESV

      • Isaiah 64:6ESV

      • Titus 3:5ESV

      • Matthew 6:1ESV

      • Luke 18:13ESV

      • Psalm 51:17ESV

      • 1 John 1:8–9ESV

      • 1 John 2:2ESV

      • Hebrews 2:17ESV

      • Luke 18:14ESV

      • Romans 3:10ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 11:23–24ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 11:25–26ESV

      • 2 Corinthians 9:7NIV2011

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Brookfield Church of Christ
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https://brookfieldcoc.faithlifesites.com
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