August 19, 2026
Forgiven - Part 3
Luke 18:10-12
08/19/2026
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a
Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 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.
12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I
get.'' (ESV)
This we our prayer acknowledges God's grace even as we
confess our unworthiness.
Almighty and everlasting God, always more ready to hear
than we to pray and to give more than we either desire
or deserve, pour down upon us the abundance of Your
mercy, forgiving those things of which our conscience
is afraid and giving us those good things that we are
not worthy to ask, except through the merits and
mediation of Christ, our Lord.
``Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee
and the other a tax collector.'' As people looked on, they saw a
man who was highly regarded as a religious leader hurrying into
the Temple at the time of the sacrifice. They also were
disgusted at the other man, someone who worked for the Roman
government, one who made his living at the expense of others.
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.''
This is a prayer, for prayer is talking to God. But this
prayer neither asks God for a blessing, nor is it a prayer which
confesses a sin. The Pharisee exalts himself above others,
claiming religious superiority. In the eyes of society, he is
correct. No one can match his civil goodness, his meticulous
keeping of the law.
His prayer is one of pride and arrogance, born out of
experience. He was, after all, one to whom others respected as a
pillar of the community. Did his prayer please God? Did his
good works earn him the assurance of eternal life? May our Lord
grant us humility, that we may be willing to serve Him by serving
our neighbors. Amen.