“Whenever a parable seems this clear, this obvious, this straightforward, it most definitely is not,” says Rev. Mandy England Cole, in regard to the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector from Luke 18:9-14. While we tend to focus on the Pharisee and tax collector, Cole suggests that we focus on Jesus’ target audience instead, “some who trusted in themselves…were righteous and regarded others with contempt…the self-righteous.” We tend to think that Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees, but Cole puts us in the same category as the Pharisees, the self-righteous. What is the anecdote for self-righteousness? Listen as Cole invites us to explore the answer to this question.
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