Suggestions for leading a study:

• Familiarize yourself with the passage in context, including the book itself.  Who wrote it to whom, and why?
• Read through the study guide a couple times to get the “big idea” as well as the flow of the argument
• Have the group read through the passage in it’s entirety before beginning the study.  One of the goals is to try to get your members to learn how to study Scripture methodically, and this is an important step.
• Be prayed up
• Have fun!

Mercy Me

⁹To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: ¹⁰"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ¹²I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'

 ¹³"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

 ¹⁴"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Discussion Questions

-“Self-righteousness” is usually considered a bad thing.  Do you think we shouldn’t be trying to become “confident of our own righteousness?”

-According to verse 9, what is the real issue in regards to those who were confident of their own righteousness?

            -How can we avoid this pitfall as we pursue righteous living?

-Read the prayer of the Pharisee in vv. 11 and 12. 

            -What was the Pharisee thankful for?  Is there a problem with any of that?

            -What comes through to you in regards to the attitude that the Pharisee had?  

            -When we’re doing pretty well spiritually, do we get tempted to condemn others who aren’t doing as well?  Should we avoid comparing ourselves to others in regards to our spiritual journeys?

-Contrast the prayer of the tax collector in verse 13.    

            -He stood at a distance and did not look up.  What does that say about how qualified he felt to approach God?

            -Do we feel that way when we falter spiritually?

            -Even though we know we’ve been forgiven, can it be valuable for us to pray the tax collector’s prayer?

-Read verse 14.  How did God decide which of these characters would go home justified (not guilty)?

-What are some ways we can make sure that we are humbling, rather than exalting ourselves? 

Leaders' Guide                            

Mercy Me

Luke 18:9-14

This lesson looks at the parable of the self-righteous Pharisee and the tax collector.  It gets to the heart of developing the humble attitude that God is looking for in people who understand their continuing need for his mercy. 

“Self-righteousness” is usually considered a bad thing.  Do you think we shouldn’t be trying to become “confident of our own righteousness?”

            This is a discussion starter.  Growth in righteousness is, of course, a key component of our spiritual lives and increasing confidence that we are growing in that shouldn’t be considered a negative thing.  The key is the addition of the term “self” to righteousness.  We have the righteousness of Christ (2 Cor. 5:21), and should be growing in how we experience that, but giving credit to ourselves is where the problem comes in.  The next question gets to that.

According to verse 9, what is the real issue in regards to those who were confident of their own righteousness?

            They looked down on others.  They knew they were behaving correctly, but it gave them an attitude of pride and feeling as if they were somehow elevated above others in God’s eyes because of it.

            -How can we avoid this pitfall as we pursue righteous living?

                        The text does not answer this, of course, and it is to throw out there for ideas to set the stage for looking at the rest of the passage. 

Read the prayer of the Pharisee in vv. 11 and 12. 

            -What was the Pharisee thankful for?  Is there a problem with any of that?

                        He was thankful that he wasn’t a robber, adulterer, evildoer, that he fasted and tithed.  Nothing wrong with any of that, of course.  The only thing that might be considered inappropriate to be thankful for was not being like the tax collector.  However, even that isn’t really wrong assuming that the tax collector was, in fact, a sinner as he confesses to be.  What the problem is comes through in the next couple questions.

            -What comes through to you in regards to the attitude that the Pharisee had?  

                        Obviously, he was full of pride and sense of his own righteousness.

            -When we’re doing pretty well spiritually, do we get tempted to condemn others who aren’t doing as well?  Should we avoid comparing ourselves to others in regards to our spiritual journeys?

            Here is the application question.  No doubt we all tend to feel pretty good about ourselves if we’re behaving pretty well and start comparing ourselves with those who aren’t.  Comparisons always lead to either arrogance or discouragement (depending on who you’re comparing yourself with), and the Bible never affirms any value in doing so. 

Contrast the prayer of the tax collector in verse 13.    

            -He stood at a distance and did not look up.  What does that say about how qualified he felt to approach God?

            Standing at a distance affirms that he did not even enter the temple area.  Not looking up works together with that to paint a picture of someone who feels as if they have no business addressing God at all.

            -Do we feel that way when we falter spiritually?

                        Many of us tend to shy away from approaching God when we know we have fallen short of his standards.  Move quickly to the next question as these work  together to get to the point.

            -Even though we know we’ve been forgiven, can it be valuable for us to pray the tax collector’s prayer?

            If we allow our failures to distance us from God, it will just lead to more failure as we fail to access his power for righteous living daily. We run the risk of getting into a downward spiral that will be difficult to extract ourselves from.  Assure your group that God in his grace is always ready to meet us with our confessions, and indeed it is critical that we do so regularly to stay on track.  At the very least it reminds us of how much we depend on his mercy every day.  That is why Jesus includes asking for forgiveness in his suggestion of how to pray in Matthew 5.  (see also 1 John 1:9)

Read verse 14.  How did God decide which of these characters would go home justified (not guilty)?

            The deciding factor here was clearly one of attitude.  God looks on the heart, and justifies a repentant sinner rather than someone who is going through the motions, but clearly does not understand their need for God’s mercy. 

What are some ways we can make sure that we are humbling, rather than exalting ourselves? 

            A wrap up question to try to put into place specific application.  Perhaps memorizing the tax collector’s prayer and then repeating it whenever we find ourselves feeling better than someone else.  Other ideas may come up, but clearly the importance of making sure that our hearts are always humble and in a place where they acknowledge their need for God’s mercy is a critical lesson.