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Luke 18:9-14
Proper 25C
A Pharisee and a tax collector walk into the temple to pray… It sounds like it could be the start of a bad joke. And in some ways, it is—especially as you read Eugene Peterson’s version in The Message: “The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: ‘Oh, God, I thank you that I am not…
Luke 18:1-18
Proper 24C
The way this parable needs to be interpreted is given to us right at the beginning. Luke says that “Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.” To keep doing something that doesn’t seem to be working—yet—and to not be discouraged to the point of giving up,…
Luke 18:9-14
Proper 25C
In our passage this week, the great reversals continue in the Gospel of Luke. One of the challenges we have as modern readers is that we know what to expect. For instance, those of us who have encountered these stories many times know that it is likely that the Pharisee is going to be revealed…
Luke 18:1-8
Proper 24C
The “unjust judge” is the key comparison in this parable: it is the judge from whom we are meant learn something about God. This is made clear by the fact that this is a parable of comparison. If this judge, who is at the other end of the spectrum of what we know God’s character…
Luke 18:9-14
Proper 25C
“I am so glad that Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me, Jesus loves ME!” “How vast the benefits divine which WE in Christ possess!” “Blessed assurance, Jesus is MINE!” We sing such sentiments in church all the time. So before we get all squinty-eyed in regarding the Pharisee in Luke 18 as the quintessential spiritual…
Luke 18:1-8
Proper 24C
Most of us know the opening to the various iterations of the “Law & Order” TV series that has been running for years and is now streaming on various channels. We hear a two-note musical beat, the screen fades from black to reveal . . . a dead body on the floor, someone’s discovering a…
Luke 18:9-14
Proper 25C
“I am so glad that Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me, Jesus loves ME!” “How vast the benefits divine which WE in Christ possess!” “Blessed assurance, Jesus is MINE!” We sing such sentiments in church all the time. So before we get all squinty-eyed in regarding the Pharisee in Luke 18 as the quintessential spiritual…
Luke 18:1-8
Proper 24C
Most of us know the opening to the various iterations of the “Law & Order” TV series that has been running for years and now in reruns. We hear a two-note musical beat, the screen fades from black to reveal . . . a dead body on the floor, someone’s discovering a corpse in a…
Seen and Not Heard
Sermon on Luke 18 by Meg Jenista at Montello Park Christian Reformed Church in Holland, Mich., on January 14, 2008. Used by permission of the author.
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