COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH
SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 20 SEPTEMBER 2026 – MR DAVID ANDERSON
LUKE 18 VERSES 9 TO 14
To set the context we need to look at Luke 17. Jesus has begun to make his way to the city of Jerusalem for the last time before coming to the cross. In verse 12 Jesus had entered into a village. We see 10 lepers coming out to meet him and calling out for mercy and Jesus healed them. Following after that he is met by some Pharisees – verse 20. They are constantly looking for fault in Jesus, for ways to trip him up. They asked a question “when shall the kingdom of God come?” He answered them – not by observation. Then he turns and talks to his disciples. He talks of the coming kingdom. A kingdom that was future for them. Some people take this passage to talk about the rapture of the church. Verses 34 to 36 "I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed. The one shall be taken, the other left. Two women grinding together, the one taken, the other left. Two men in the field, the one taken and the other left." Those verses are speaking of judgment. You can see the context of that in verses 26 to 29. It is all about coming judgment not those taken by the rapture. who are left are those who will not be part of the kingdom. It is actually beyond the rapture. Looking to the return of the Lord to the earth. Some people say they don’t want to talk about prophecy Well, Jesus talked about it. It is not a secondary subject. The Lord talked extensively about the fact that he would come again. I hope you believe that Jesus is coming again. We know that because he is coming again. A principle set for all of us to pray. In this passage immediately after this when we read verse 1 of chapter 18 it is easy to take it out of context. Many say it is talking about being prayerful people but rather we should be focused on the fact that Jesus is coming again. We should desire his coming again. That goes against the grain. We have a desire to preach the gospel, to see people saved. The greatest desire of the Christian is that we see Jesus our Saviour. Jesus continues on that theme with 2 parables. First the unjust judge contrasted with the judge of all the earth. That parable finishes in verse 8. "When the son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth." Then he goes into the parable we read in verses 9 to 14. The second parable is not directed at the disciples. It's directed at those who were gathered around. We see that in verse 9 because he it says he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others. Some had gathered. Jesus had been sharing with his followers, with his disciples. Within that crowd of people as they've gathered together, there are some there who are sceptical about who he is, are sceptical about his teaching, and who are thinking themselves to be better than others. And perhaps it's the case that some of those who had gathered were Pharisees. He tells the parable of 2 men who went up to the temple to pray. A clear contrast between them. That is the contrast Jesus is emphasizing – those who enter the kingdom will be those of faith. Those who will not will be depending on themselves. The contrast between 2 men.
First of all notice their contrasting reputations. Verse 10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray. The one a Pharisee and the other a publican." The one a Pharisee and the other a publican. So let's begin with the first description, the Pharisee. Jesus is telling this parable. The people he is speaking to may not have grasped that Jesus is speaking to them. They thought of the Pharisees in their own community and in the place of worship. They were considered to be those most upright of all the religious people. They kept the law in every aspect. They held everyone accountable to their interpretations. It was their own opinions that mattered. It put a sense of fear into the people. They determined if the people made the right sacrifices and whether they could enter into the temple. If you remember, Jesus went into the temple and he whipped the place and he overturned the tables and he put out the money changers. And what was going on there was that people were coming to the temple with their sacrifices. And the people, the Pharisees and the religious people were looking at them and saying, "They're not good enough, but we have sheep or we have lambs or we have doves here and you can purchase one of them." They would buy the sacrifice or the offering that the people had bought from them for a nominal value and they would sell them their own and they were making money. It was a money-making racket and that's what Jesus was condemning in the temple. The Pharisees were considered by the people of the community to be on a higher spiritual level. Many of the Pharisees thought that of themselves too. Jesus talks in this parable about a Pharisee and a Publican – what did he mean? What does the word Publican mean? Who does he represent in this parable? The title is used in a negative sense. In the King James Version it often means tax collector. The tax collectors took employment of the occupying Roman government. They betrayed their own kinsmen. No-one liked them. They were the lowest in society as far as the Jewish people were concerned. The word that's translated as publican is only used in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And there are at least two occasions where publicans are actually directly associated with sinners. In Matthew chapter 9 and verse 10, it says, "Many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples." The publicans and the sinners are grouped together. In that same chapter, it's the Pharisees who question why Jesus is eating with publicans and sinners. the Pharisees and the publicans, they're almost the complete opposite as far as the people are concerned. In Matthew chapter 21 verse 31, Jesus himself is making this point about what type of people the publicans were considered to be and he associates the publicans with the harlots. So we can see what people think about the publicans and we can see what the people think about the Pharisees. 2 men went up to the temple to pray – one a Pharisee and the other a Publican. The people would not have imagined that the publican would be in the temple because the Pharisees would not let them in. We see a really strange contrast being made. 2 very different types of people. The Pharisees are proud of who they are. The Publicans betrayed their heritage. The Pharisees tried to obey all the laws, pleasing God by their own efforts. The Publicans had no problem breaking laws in order to fill their pockets. They were godless, greedy for money. That is what caused them to betray their own people in the first place. 2 different type of people in view. Jesus knew who he was speaking to. Some of those in the crowd were in the heart a Pharisee. Perhaps as Jesus set the contrast there were those in the crowd who would have assumed that Jesus was about to praise the Pharisee and criticize or condemn the Publican. What does Jesus do? He contrasts their reputations.
Secondly we see contrasting prayers – verses 11 to 13. Notice how the Pharisee prayed “with himself”. It means within himself. "God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week. I give tithes of all that I possess." His heart was not turned toward God. It was a prayer to be seen and heard. It was all for show. One bible commentator said this prayer never got beyond the ceiling. He was the only important one in this whole exercise as far as he was concerned. Notice how 5 times he praises himself: “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.” In his prayer here, as Jesus tells us about it, he believes that his religion is enough. He says, "I fast twice in the week. I give tithes of all that I possess. I'm not like others because of who I am. I'm a Pharisee. I have religion. He believes his character is enough. He isn't a sinner like everyone else. He prays and he lists off the sins and the characteristic of others. It is almost like he has a list and he is checking it off. A checklist in his head checking himself off against everyone else. So full of pride and upright character. He believes his works are enough. He goes above and beyond. Prideful works based religion. Thinks he is better than anyone else. Then he hears the prayer of the Publican. He is standing afar off. There is no pride in this man’s prayer. It is as if he is standing at the back out of the way. Not worthy to be there. The temple is a holy place. He felt there was nothing in him to allow him to be there. He knew his own worth. He wouldn’t lift up his eyes unto heaven. A contrast with the Pharisee. He was clearly full of pride. His head was lifted up. He was so self-righteous. The Publican smote his breast. Someone in anguish of soul. If you read this story the Publican is demonstrating his remorse because of sin. Jesus telling the parable created in minds this man doing something unusual. This would be considered unacceptable in the temple. It is a story of contrasts. “God be merciful to me a sinner.” 7 words. A sinner’s prayer. A recognition of his need, unworthiness before a holy God. Some of those listening to Jesus would have thought they were still good enough. They didn’t do the awful things this man did. They kept the moral laws. A contrast is being presented. People are falling on both sides of the line. Jesus brings home the real point of the story.
Their contrasting eternity – verse 14 "I tell you, this man, the publican, went down to his house justified rather than the other. For everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." Many of the people gathered didn’t expect this ending. The Pharisee is relying upon himself. His own efforts. His own self righteousness. It was never enough. We are all as an unclean thing. All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. If they are not dwelt with they will take us away from God. The Publican, the outcast, the one who no-one wanted to associate themselves with yet he knew what needed to be done. The evidence in his prayer. He acknowledged he was a sinner, that his sin had offended God and needed God’s mercy. Jesus says the Publican was justified, the Pharisee is condemned. One saved and one is not and it wasn’t the way people assumed it to be. The way of salvation is still the same. The way of salvation is for all who believe. Maybe you could be like the Pharisee and are depending our your own righteousness and efforts. Or maybe you are like the Publican. Someone living in open rebellion and everyone knows that. Whether you are like the Pharisee or the Publican the way of salvation is still the same – through Jesus and his work at the cross. Jesus came into the world to die for the unjust that he might bring us to God. We were born as sinners. If we never come and confess our sin to God we are heading on the broad road, to separation and hell. You need to come and acknowledge you are lost in your sin. Maybe you might be an upright individual who attends church. You don’t know Jesus as Saviour. Your are currently heading for a lost eternity. The best you can do is not enough. “There was no other good enough, to pay the price of sin. He only could unlock the gate of heaven and let us in.” Pray the Publican’s prayer tonight – “God be merciful to me a sinner”, confess your sin, accept him as your Saviour. One day Christ will come again and take his church to be with him in heaven – are you ready for that day?
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