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So, thank you for that. Thank you to Mighty Muscadine for sponsoring this episode. Let's jump in. We compare ourselves to the weaknesses of others, why to make ourselves look better. But aren't you glad that God doesn't use our standard of measurement against us?
We're going to talk about that right now on the Clearview Today Show. You're listening to Clearview today with Dr. Abadanshah, the daily show that engages mind and heart for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm John Galantis, and we want to hear from you. Two five two four two nine six zero six nine.
We want you guys to text in, write to the show, let us know any questions that you might have for Dr. Shaw, any comments on the show, anything that God is using to show you a clearer picture of Himself in your life, and maybe some questions that you have for Dr. Shaw that maybe you want cleared up just a little bit more. Dr. Shah, welcome to the show.
It's good to be here. It's good to see you. It's good to see you. We've been talking through the parables, and today we're coming to a parable that I got to say, I think a lot of people have seen this one have have really related to this one. I wanted to ask you this: Have you ever done something that you had gotten onto someone else for doing in the past?
Because that happened to me. Today, oh really? Yeah.
Well, I I have. Do you want to talk about your story? You want to talk about? You go first. You go first.
I want to hear yours first.
So years ago, Nicole locked herself out of her car. You know, and.
So I was I was frustrated. I was like, I cannot believe you did that. Just one of them days. Yeah, one of the smartest people I know. I thought, why would you do that?
And she did it a couple times, you know.
So I gave her a long lecture about how she should check for her keys before she shuts a car door. Always do a key check, and you know, be like me. You know, always key check, wallet check. You know, you always do that. And then one day.
Not very long ago, actually, maybe I would say you know a few years ago, I was headed to the hospital to visit somebody as a you know as a pastor, sure, and Duke Hospital. Actually, I got there in the parking lot. Everything was going great. I got on my truck. And slam.
So you didn't even get to go in and see the guy yet. Oh no! I mean, I ended up going to see it, but at the moment, I was like, "This is going to be a problem." This is forty minutes away from home. I need to call somebody, but I'm not calling. I was going to say, did you see Nicole's face in your mind when that happened?
Oh yeah, I was like, oh, she's going to say something about this. Yeah, she's going to fuss at me, and you know.
So I'm like, oh!
So I call my daughter, oldest one, Rebecca, and I said, "Hey, can you bring the spare keys? And do not tell mom." Did she end up telling her? Yeah, yeah. That's that's how it goes. I had something similar where we we're meal prepping now.
We're getting really big into like making our meals for the week because we're getting a new house. You know, money money. You got you got.
Sometimes you got to pop tarts for dinner.
Sometimes even borrow money from your children. That's it, man. Yeah, Christmas money.
Now you know we can have pizza. Yeah, that's right. Hey, look. Do you want do you want that money Nana gave you? That's just paper.
Or do you want some pizza? Pizza. I'm like, give me the money. That's right. Uh huh.
And it'll be like a little microwave pizza. They don't know no different. Yay! But we we've been meal prepping a lot, and so there's there's food that constantly gets left out. And I'm like Ellie, that you know, back in the day when we had some money, that was all right.
We could throw that away. You need to put that in the fridge because that's that's gold right now. That's our meals for the week. And sure enough, she was like, "I'll put it in the fridge before I go to bed." And you know, women—they multitask. They're going to drop something.
It's always that. I'm like, Elliot, that can't sit out overnight. Doggone! I did it last night. I had a big.
We we made this big thing of like beef, and we seasoned it with like like milk and mustard. It was like stroganoff, but without the noodles and stuff. Because I was like, I'm I'm trying to cut these carbs. Sure enough, went right up to bed. Woke up this morning.
Went downstairs. I was like, Oh, I left this out all night. And then I was like, It's beef, so I don't. Know if I can just put some foil over it and play like a like it's good. I don't know if we're gonna get sick, so I just put some foil over it and put it in the fridge.
I didn't say a word.
Well, typically we compare ourselves to the weaknesses of others, yeah, in order to make ourselves look better than we really are. That's right. But God does not borrow our scales to measure us. I'm grateful for that. He has his some some days like oh boy, yeah.
He has his own standard of measurement, and he measures us individually. That's right. I cannot compare and say oh I'm better than you. No, God says no. Before me, all of you are equal.
Now, let's see what what we're gonna do here. That's right. And we've been going through the parables of Jesus, and today we're coming to this parable. It's the Pharisee and the tax collector. And I want to dive into this parable.
Before we do that, I want to take a quick break. Thank our sponsor, and then we're gonna come back and let's dive in. Today's episode is sponsored by WatchSafe. We've all been there before, right? You hand your kid a tablet.
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Now let's get back to the show, Doctor Shaw. The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector.
Now this is one I think that people know. I don't know if I remember that one this well. Yeah, it's it's a it's a very famous one. But before we read this parable, let's just set the stage as we've been doing throughout this series. Parables are like mirrors.
Jesus gave parables not to explain his point or his principle that he was teaching, but actually to obscure it. He gave the parables so that those who were rejecting him will become more and more distant, but those who were receiving him, it would become more and more clear who he was. Yeah, and then the parables—the only way that those who were rejecting Could snap back to reality and start seeing Jesus for who He was—the anointed King of God, the Messiah—was to see themselves in the story. Each of these parables had characters, and the question each the listeners or or those around Jesus had to ask was, "Who am I in that story?" And the moment they identified themselves as the guilty party. Because in each of these parables, there was a guilty party.
When they saw themselves as the guilty as the guilty party, at that very instant, they were not the guilty party. That's right. That's right. You see that that is the way God works. The moment you say, "God, have mercy on me.
I am a sinner. I need your grace in my life." At that moment, you're not a wicked, obstinate, unrepented sinner. You are actually. A child of God. Yeah, I think that's one of the things that people mistake about this.
Is when Jesus said, "You know, to those who understand, I'm going to make them understand even more, and to those who don't understand, I'm going to make it even more, you know, obscure." These aren't people who were just genuinely confused. And I love the way that you've clarified that. These are people who are rejecting. You know, they don't understand, as in they willingly don't understand. They don't want to understand.
That's right. So let's dive into this one. This is coming from Luke chapter 18, verses 9 through 14. Also, he spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others. That's very important to understand.
The Pharisees trusted in themselves, and they looked down on others.
Sounds like a lot of people today in church. Yeah, we did a whole episode on that about how the Pharisees, you know, they they thought that what you ate and who you ate with said a whole lot about you.
So they see, and I think that that sheds light on why they came into conflict with Jesus so much because he's eating with sinners and he's eating with tax collectors and prostitutes, and they're like, hey. Those are lower types of people. You can't do that, right? The Pharisees, for those of you who are listening to this show for the first time or this series on parables for the first time, the Pharisees practiced what is known as table fellowship, which means they were treating their dining tables as if it was an altar at the temple, and. Everything had to be properly purified and washed and cleansed, and the utensils had to be treated as if they were the utensils at the temple.
There were even tithing on the smallest ingredients in for the meals, like anise and and mint and cumin. And then, apart from that, it's not just just How you're preparing, but also who you're eating with. They believe that what goes inside is what makes one righteous.
So, if you're eating with sinners or people who are not part of God's people, then you are you're you're contaminating yourself.
So these were the kind of people who would look down on the tax collectors, look down on the Pharisees, on the on the prostitutes.
Now, the problem with these people were was that, just like today, if you try to create this persona of perfection, inevitably. You're going to play the hypocrite, and we do that in church so much. See, we I think as nice 2026 Southern church folk, we know that the Pharisees are the bad guys in the story.
So it's easy for us to say, "Oh man, look, look, they they despised other people, and they looked on themselves. They wanted to make themselves look prim and proper and good, not realizing that we do the exact same thing." Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're just like those Pharisees. We may not. Observe table fellowship and purify our meals, or be very cognizant of who we're eating with.
But we have our own way of judging people. That's right. And so these Pharisees would judge constantly, but they were also hypocrites. They were doing things that were. Very contrary to the intent and purpose of the law.
You think that ever happens in like Sunday school rooms? Oh, it happens in churches, pulpits, y'all just seminaries, y'all be in prayer, y'all be in prayer for sisters.
So and so, she's she's not living right with the Lord. Oh my goodness! Yeah.
Oh my God, are you serious? I'm serious. I can't talk about it right now. You already did by saying that. Yeah, but just just pray, just pray.
And that person that you're talking to is thinking, well, if you want. Talk about it! I know there's 50 other people in here who will, but they were not. But now they are. Yeah.
So Jesus gave this parable to expose those people who thought they were better than others, trusted in themselves, and were spiteful towards those who were so called less than them. That's right. And so here's the parable, Luke 18 verse 10. Two men went up to the temple to pray. One a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself. God, I thank you that I am not like other men. Oh man, come on! There's great reasons to thank God, but I don't know if that's one of them. Yeah, I mean he is, he is saying that loud enough for this.
Person next to him, around him, to hear, and then he gives a list of all these egregious sins that people have committed, just so everybody knows. The same me extortioners, unjust, adulterers. Or even as this tax collector, he brushes dust. He brings the guy in, brushes dust off his shoulders. You see this guy, Lord?
Thank you, thank you. That I am not like him, Lord. I'm not like him, and I'm so grateful to you for making me not like this guy. Yep, I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I possess.
I mean, he is. This dude's really building himself up, but it's all under the guise of gratefulness. I'm listen. I'm just. If it weren't for God, yep, I wouldn't be.
But I'm good. I wouldn't be this paragon of virtue that I am. I mean, it happens in churches today. It happens in Christian circles that we we feel like I am not as bad as so and so. Oh yeah, and it's it's tragic because.
We we negate the grace of God in our lives. That's right. You know, I we're we're sitting here on this couch and and we're laughing into microphones and and but I do the exact same thing. I've had the same exact thought. Like, man, I know I messed up, but I'm glad I'm not him.
I'm glad I'm not her, and. I think something that you said to me that has that I really do seriously try to keep in my mind is that I'm one wrong decision away from being that person. Yeah, I'm one wrong decision away from prison. Yeah, I'm one wrong decision away from ruin. But for the grace of God, absolutely.
And you, I remember you telling me that years and years ago. And there are things that you say like that that have just stuck in my mind, and I think will stick with me for the rest of my life. It's a scary, humbling thought, especially I think in the landscape that we're in now, where there are. You know, leaders, figureheads that seem to be dying off like flies. Yeah, some scandal or another.
Absolutely, and it's easy, I think, for for people who are listening to this show to be like, "Well, not me, and never me." Well, oh yeah, maybe don't say that. It could be.
Well, and the tax collector, this this other person in the story, the other character in the story, standing afar off.
So he's standing probably to the back of the this building, that maybe the synagogue or maybe here it's it says the temple.
So maybe the back of the the court of the men, and would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven. I mean, he just keeps his head down, but beat his breast, saying, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." Wow, you know, be be merciful to me, a sinner. Wow, what a stark difference between the Pharisee and the tax collector. And I think so many of us want to see ourselves as that tax collector because we know that we're sinners. We've grown up hearing that we're sinners.
But in those moments, I think it's really difficult to actually believe that truth about ourselves, right? Because again, we live in the a lot of us. If you are listening to this, we live in the Bible Belt. We make it a practice to go to church and to serve and to give, and so you see all of the good that you are doing, and you are like it has to count for something, right?
Well. Tax collectors. Let's talk about them for a moment. The Greek word for them was telones. From this, we get our word word toll collector, telones, toll collector.
The Romans had three different kinds of taxes. There was the land tax, personal tax, and the customs tax. That's annoying. Yeah, land, personal, custom.
Now, people hated taxes, but the last one, the custom tax. They hated the most because this was indirect taxation. It involved the collection of tolls and duties at ports and tax tables at the city gates.
So you could get charged two to five percent of your merchandise.
So it's just for coming and going, yeah. And the way the rulers handled this was by subcontracting it out to the highest bidder.
So they would pay a set amount in advance and say, "Okay, I'm going to give you—I'm just making this number up—ten thousand dollars for collecting taxes at the north end of our city, and then I can collect thirty thousand." The twenty thousand go to me. Ten thousand goes to the Romans, so they could get charged. You know, there's this extra money, and this is where the telonai, okay, telones is tax. Telonai are the tax collectors. Would come in.
They worked for a chief telones, Zacchaeus. Was a chief tellonist, the wee little man. Yep, he was a chief tax collector.
So he really unpopular. Yeah, and and and then of course we we've also heard of Matthew. You know, Matthew was sitting at his tax table, and something else. Galilee was not directly under Roman prefects.
So who was getting the taxes?
So the tax collectors were working for Herod's family. Oh, same Herod, King Herod. Yes, yeah. But Judea, where Jerusalem was, was directly under Roman prefects like Pontius Pilate. You know, at Jesus' trial, and they worked directly for the Romans.
The rabbis refer to them as robbers. If they ever entered a house, that house was deemed unclean. Imagine you walking to somebody's house and they're like, "We got a phimaged this place." Are the tax collectors Jewish people? Oh yeah, they're so they're their own. Zacchaeus, Matthew, the Levi.
I mean, he was Levi, you know. Matthew's referred to as Levi, so he was from the tribe of Levi.
So the the If if they ever came into your house, they were they were considered the house was considered unclean. They were frequently grouped with sinners and prostitutes.
So these aren't like just poor, unfortunate IRS workers. These are like Jewish people who are complicit in a system that is taking advantage of their own people. Absolutely, yeah. And and the Pharisees could not understand why Jesus would associate with these Telones. Even one of them, even one of them, was his disciples.
Oh yeah, I mean Zach, Matthew, and then Jesus went to Zacchaeus's home, and these people would, you know, associate with tax these prostitutes and and and these kind of people, drunkards, and the the Pharisees had a tough time with that. Do you think they saw it as Jesus like glossing over their sin? Do you think they saw it as like, hey, you're you're claiming to be the Messiah or whatever, but you're letting this tax collector get away with his sin? Probably, but if you remember what Jesus said about them, in Matthew five forty three, you have heard that it was said, you should love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, and then verse forty six: For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?
Now listen to the last line. Matthew five forty six, last line. Do not even the tax collectors do the same.
So he puts them in the category of the sinners. Yeah, puts them in the category of hey, these are wicked people. Talking about you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours. Don't the tax collectors do that?
So he was not saying, hey guys, let me tell you something. These Pharisees—they're calling tax collectors bad people, but I say they're good people.
Okay, Pharisees are the bad. He didn't do that, right? He called the Pharisees out. But he also called the tax collectors out. I mean, he does it right here, very clearly.
That's right. So, you know, something else here. Jesus, being God, also knew what the Pharisees were doing was no different than tax collectors. Let's take a quick break. Hey guys, John here with the Clearview Today show, and I want to just take a second and talk to you about today's sponsor, WatchSafe.
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Now let's get into the show. How do you how do you mean like like the the Pharisees putting themselves up as the the ideal citizen sort of thing? Yeah, and what Jesus is saying is, wait a minute, wait a minute, y'all do the same thing, but you but you cover it up really well. Yeah, with like religious pageantry and stuff. Yeah, so Matthew twenty three verse four, talking about the Pharisees, for they bind heavy burdens.
Hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders. I mean, who is that?
Sounds like the tax collectors. Oh no! But wait, Jesus is actually talking to the Pharisees. They like they. I see them in the back nodding in agreement.
Yeah, tell him Jesus, and he looks at him. He's like, I'm talking about you. Talking about you. They loved the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, because the tax collectors had money. Yeah, so wherever they went to eat or synagogues, they were they were like, Hey, I want the front of the line.
You know, and that's what the Pharisees were doing. Greetings in the marketplaces. Yep, I want to be respected. I'm a powerful man. Verse fourteen: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
Oh, for you devour widows' houses and, for a pretense, make long prayers.
Well, tax collectors were devouring widows' houses. Oh, wait, the Pharisees were also devouring widows' houses, and then. Verse sixteen, Matthew twenty three, verse sixteen. Woe to you, blind guides, who say, "Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing." But whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it. Means it was just a technicality.
They were getting through loopholes. How often did the tax collectors do that? Technicality, getting people.
Well, the Pharisees and the scribes were doing that. Verse twenty five. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you cleanse The outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.
So you're fussing at the at the tax collectors for being for extorting, but you're doing the same thing, same exact thing. And then in verse 31, therefore. You are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Man, I can these Pharisees, man, they are really, really getting the business. And I think I see, like we were talking about at the start of this episode, how this parable is easy for us to relate to because we might not admit it with our mouths, but inside we know, like, yeah, I'm guilty of doing the things I get onto my wife about.
I'm guilty about doing things I get onto my husband about. What do we do when we're Confronted with that truth, I mean, the only thing we can do is repent, and the quicker and the sooner you can say, "Yes, I'm guilty of that," the better, because Jesus says here, and going back here to Luke chapter eighteen and verse eleven, listen to what Jesus says here. I'll pick it up in verse thirteen, really.
Okay, and the tax collector standing afar would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven. But beat his breast, saying, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." I tell you, this is Jesus speaking. I tell you, this man, referring to the tax collector, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. That word justified is very clearly.
Intentional, right? He could have. Jesus could have said, "Listen, God showed favor to that guy because he was so humble." But no, it justified him. That's that's salvation language. What do you think is the relation here between a humble heart that does this and then coming to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?
Oh, absolutely. I mean, this this is exactly what what what we are called to do. Examine our hearts, because if you come before God and say, "God, I am, I am." A good person, I am not as bad as others. Then we are going to be—we're locked into our sin, right? Right.
We're not going to be justified. I want to show you the word here, which is in verse fourteen. It says right here: the word is "daddy." Dikaiomenos, okay, which is coming from dikaios. Dikaios is the word for righteous, okay.
So here that word is being used as a perfect passive participle, okay.
So it's a long word, dedikaiomenos, coming from dikaios for being justified. I heard someone say, "Justified means just as if I haven't sinned." Well, that's kind of cute, but it means God has put the righteousness of Christ on your account.
So when He sees you, He sees Christ. That tax collector went home looking like Christ because he humbled himself and looked for the grace of God. In the person of Jesus, and he was saved. Amen. The Pharisees did not.
You know, Doctor, shall I want to end the show the way that we always do? If there is someone listening to this right now, and maybe they're in the gym, maybe they're driving. Who knows where they are? But they're saying to themselves, you know, when I've made mistakes in my life or I've failed, I've always made a pass for myself because of some reason, some excuse. But I'm starting to think right now that maybe there is a God.
Maybe He sees my mistakes. Maybe these episodes you guys have been doing on forgiveness and humility. Maybe there's something to it. I think right now I want to make that step. And ask for God's forgiveness.
Absolutely, could you lead them through that? Absolutely, you know Romans three twenty seven says, "Where is boasting then? It is excluded by what law of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.
This is faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. That Jesus, God's Son, died on the cross for your sins. He took the penalty of your sins." Upon himself, he was buried. He rose again, as promised in the scripture. He was seen by many.
And you ask him, you pray right now, wherever you are, driving down the road, sitting at home, working, ask Jesus to be your savior and your and your king, which means God will will will put Christ's righteousness onto your account. That's right. And simply by faith, no works needed. No works needed. Simply by faith, receive Jesus as your Savior and as your King.
That's right. And if you prayed that prayer, we want to hear from you. Text us two five two four two nine six zero six nine. We've got lots of resources for you guys. We want to reach out.
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So you can text us and say, "I just prayed to receive Jesus as my Lord and Savior." And I promise you this: we're going to reach back out. We're going to give you some resources to get you started on your Christian life. We want to thank you for listening to the show today. If you want to, we also want to say a big thank you to all of our sponsors who help make this possible. And if you want to become a sponsor, you can always text us two five two four two nine six zero six nine, or you can email us info at clearviewbc.org.
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