Context

• What have the Pharisees been asking Jesus about? [ Luke 17:20 ]
• What will happen when Jesus returns? [ Luke 17:31-35 ]
• How did Jesus encourage his disciples to have faith? What practical steps could they take? [ Luke 18:1-8 ]
• Why did the children go to Jesus? [ Luke 18:16 ]

Characters

• What is wrong with the people that Jesus is addressing? [ Luke 18:9 ]
• What do they think that they do not need?
• What are they not afraid of? (Think about the context of the passage.)
• How does this affect their behaviour towards others?
• Who are the two men that Jesus uses in his illustration? [ Luke 18:10 ]
• What is significant about their professions?
• What might Jesus’ audience have expected would happen next?
• Who is the Pharisee focused on? [ Luke 18:11-12 ]
• What does he think is important?
• What does he think can be achieved through his works?
• Where is the tax collector far from? [ Luke 18:13 ]
• Why did he not look up towards heaven?
• Who is the tax collector focused on?
• What does he know he is? What does he fear? Why does he ask God for mercy?
• Why does God grant justification to the tax collector? [ Luke 18:14 ]
• What did the tax collector do before God?

Application

• What are we before God?
• What will happen to those that justify themselves with their “good” works?
• What must we be focused on?
• How can we be saved?

• What is God willing to do for those that repent of their sins and ask for mercy?
• How will he treat those that he has justified?