The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Wednesday, February 6th & Sunday, February 10th

Key Passage: Luke 18:9-17

Basic Truth: Righteousness comes only from God.

Memory Verse: "(This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,) and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Romans 3:22-24

Think About it:

A little child struggled repeatedly to climb up to the seat of a chair.  After bumps and tears he attained his goal, and stood there with a big smile.  When asked why, he replied, “Cause now I’m closer to God!”

As adults we laugh at such naive efforts.  Then we turn back to our own attempts to be “closer to God” through our personal “good works”, deceived into thinking there is something we can do to earn or deserve God’s favor.

Pray that God will use our very slips and failures to lead us to put all our trust in Jesus, our Sacrificial Lamb, to bring us “closer to God”.

“Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.  Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.”  (Psalm 32:1-2).

Ask It:

All Levels

Q: What does it mean to be righteous?

A: To be righteous means that you have fulfilled all of God's requirements.

Grade 1-2

Q: How can sinners be righteous?

A: To be righteous means that we meet God's requirements. We can't do everything His Law requires but we can meet His requirement to repent and trust Jesus to forgive our sins.

Q: In the parable, why did God declare the the tax collector met God's requirements, even though he didn't obey all of God's laws?

A: The tax collector didn't claim to be righteous because of good thing she did. Instead, he admitted that he was a sinner-- that he had disobeyed God. He asked God for help! He believed that God would make him righteous by forgiving his sin.

Q: Read Luke 18:16. What are two things that children do that God requires us to do?

A: Children know when they need help, and they ask for it! Just like we need to ask God for help because He is the only one who can declare us righteous. Children also believe something, even when they can't figure out why or how; they just believe it! That's called faith. We don't have to figure out why or how God makes us righteous, we just have to believe it!

Grade 3-4

Q: How can no one be saved by obeying the Law?

A: God sets the standard for what is required and no one meets His standard for perfect obedience. Without God's grace, no one could be saved. 

Q: Who sets the requirements for our lives? And why does He have the right to do that?

A: God does because He is sovereign; he is Creator and Owner of all things.

Q: What does it mean to be justified? Which of the two men in the parable were justified, the pharisee or tax collector? Why?

A: Justified: declared righteous. The tax collector was declared righteous by God because he knew he was not righteous. He wasn't proud of his life. he didn't claim to deserve God's favor, instead he asked for God's mercy. 

Grade 5-6

Q: How does pride keep us from God?

A: Pride convinces us that we are good so we won't see that we are sinners and need a Savior.

Q: Why is it important to know that I am a sinner?

A: so I'll see God and ask for mercy

Q: Why was the tax collector declared righteous and not the Pharisee?

A: The tax collector didn't declare to be righteous according to the Law, he was only righteous by God's grace and because he asked for God's mercy. The Pharisee claimed to be righteous based on the works he had done and the rules he kept. He thought he was good enough to be acceptable to God because he was better than others by human comparison. 

Family Activities:

1) Listen carefully to your thoughts and words as you do a simple family project (house-cleaning, dinner, a puzzle etc.) How often does a prideful attitude show up in your mind? (A critical attitude indicates pride)

2) When wrong attitudes or behavior surface, encourage each other to ask for forgiveness from others, as well as from God.