Sermon Discussion Questions
READ Luke 18:9-17
1. In what ways would you say that you are a giving person? How has the gospel changed you in this regard?
2. We are beginning a new sermon series examining the biblical lifestyle of generosity. Reading this brief parable, what would you say it has to do with money?
3. Thinking through the passage, these two characters each have a lot to do with money. How would you compare and contrast their two approaches to God, and by implication, to money? Note: the Pharisees were the moral heroes of first century Jewish society and the Tax Collaborators were the villains.
4. Up until this moment, they have each found ways to separate the financial side of their lives from their relationship to God? How would you say that you have been tempted to do the same and make money a separate thing (either religiously or professionally) from your faith in God?
5. How does the tax collectors’ repentance affect the way he feels about the way he has conducted his whole life (including presumably his relationship with money)? How does the pharisee’s pride and judgment stop him from doing the same?
6. The most important comparison here is probably Jesus’s comparison with small children who are utterly dependent on a parent? How can your dependence upon God for His mercy and for His provision, make you a more giving person for His sake?
7. In Christ we have all that we need. Ask God to give you awareness of your own heart in these things, learning from the pharisee and the tax collector.