A man attended a church on Sunday, like he has his whole life. That morning after the sermon on “Five Keys to an Abundant Life” he gave his offering and went to the altar.
There he prayed “Father, thank you that I walk in the favor of God, you give me health, wealth and even a great parking spot at the mall, thank you that I am not like my friends who sin, you know I’m special and favored above others”
Another man pulled his truck into the parking lot of a church for the first time in decades. Feeling nervous about going in he laid his head on the steering wheel, clinched his fist and whispered “God have mercy on me, I’ve fallen short in every way, I need you Jesus, I’m in desperate need of your grace, change my heart.” He started his truck and pulled away without even going in the building.
One man left justified before God…
Questions To Consider
1. What does this parable say to you?
2. Is this a fair interpretation of the parable found in Luke 18?
3. What can you learn from both men represented in this story?
Based on Luke 18:9-14
Written by Tom Wise. © Finding Wonder 2013
This is going to have to take me to my knees! I know the “proper answers” from listening for the last 55+ years to “structured preaching”. Now, you come along and show me other practical, live-action shots of which I have never thought out for myself. I’m thinking of the little boy in Sunday school who said, “I know the answer ought to be Jesus, but…” How many of us, as adults, still have a commitment no deeper than, “now i lay me down to sleep.”?
Barbara, I think that’s what the Publican and the Sinner parable does to us. I really tried to capture that idea. It definitely makes us think. Now whether this modern version is fair to the original is up to each persons interpretation. The more I see God at work in the world, the more I see our need for a church family. Not so much to tell us what to think but to help us discern what God is already doing in our lives. Thanks for responding.