Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost October 28, 2007
Scripture	Luke 18:9-14 9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: 10“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Devotional	The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector extends the theme of prayer found in the previous parable. By reading these two parables together, the reader is instructed to pray with the determination of the widow and the humility of the tax collector. 1 Believers are just as vulnerable to self-righteousness as the Pharisee. The challenge of this scripture is to read it until you are confronted with the attitude of the Pharisee in your heart. Regardless of how reluctant we are to confront this inner Pharisee, this attitude is part of our inner self. The tax collector could only pray, “God, be merciful to me a sinner.” This is a model for prayer. It seems too simple and short to be effective prayer. But Jesus said, “I tell you this man went down to his home justified rather than the other.” These two parables provide us with a model of prayer given by two persons of low social rank, the widow and the tax collector. The Pharisee feels so sure of his salvation that he praises God for not making him like other people. “Unlike the Pharisee, whose god is busy counting our offences, the tax collector appeals to a God who is not as interested in perfection, but repentance. 2 Does Luke show us a God who is not impressed by perfection and even less impressed with those who think of themselves as being perfect? Is the God in Luke not impressed by the church structure that defines people as those who are in and those who are out? Pray with the tax collector: Lord, Jesus Christ Son of God have mercy on me a sinner. Can the prayer of the tax collector be enough to justify him but not enough to satisfy our personal ego? Who is it that we are attempting to impress God or Self? Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ Son of God have mercy on me a sinner. 1 R. Alan Culpepper, The New Interpreter’s Bible. Vol.IX. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995. p. 340 2 Michaela Bruzzese,sojo.net/index/cfm?action=resources.sermon_prep&tem=LT_041049B_CP.