Jesus is the greatest preacher of all time. He told stories and preached sermons the whole world needs to hear. The genius of Jesus is that he often preached one message with two punchlines: If you were confident of your own righteousness, you got law, but if you were not, you got grace. Consider Jesus’ story of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9–14). Both men went to the temple to pray. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself. His prayer was a résumé. He thanked God that he was not like other men and bragged about his fasting and tithing. But the tax collector stood at a distance and prayed just seven words. “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Jesus ends the story with a bombshell. “The tax collector went home justified before God.” How do you read the words of Jesus? How does the parable make you feel? Does it fill you with joy or resentment? Your response to the story is your response to the gospel. If you identify with the sinful tax collector, then this story is good news. Really? He went home justified? That’s the scandal of grace right there. God justifies … Continue reading How Should We Read the Words of Jesus?