Sermons on Tax Collectors And Harlots:

Taxing Times

Contributed by Mark Armstrong on Jul 24, 2011

The tax collector as a model of saving faith

Count Leo Tolstoy was a man who unashamedly called himself ‘Christian’. He once penned these words into his diary: ‘I have not yet met a single man who was morally as good as I. ... I do not remember an instance in my life when I was not attracted to what is good And was not ready to sacrifice ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:9-14

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Taxes Of Sin

Contributed by Chad Taylor on Apr 19, 2010

Tax season is upon us....right now many of us are either celebrating or are discouraged due to the "tax" that has been put upon us. Taxes and sin are one in the same and Satan is the dirty "Uncle Satan" who dives into our spiritual pockets robbing us of G

A couple was strolling along an ocean side beach and noticed a bottle floating in the water. They waded out toward it and saw it contained a note. They eagerly opened the bottle and read the note. It said: "I’m marooned on a tropical island. There’s no pollution, traffic, noise, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:9-17

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Matthew: Tax Collector Lesson 7 Series

Contributed by Elmer Towns on Oct 6, 2023

The wisdom of Jesus in calling all types of people as disciples/apostles so His ministry could reach all types of people.

A. INTRODUCTION: THE MAN 1. Name: his original name Levi. Jesus saw Levi, son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office … “follow Me” (Mark 2:14). Later used name Matthew meaning “gift of Jehovah.” The names of the twelve apostles … Matthew, the tax collector” (Matthew 10:2-3). 2. Tax ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 10:2-3, Mark 2:14

Denomination: Baptist

Levi - Tax Collector Turned Disciple Series

Contributed by Chuck Gohn on Jul 13, 2022

This sermon focuses on Jesus' calling of Levi (Matthew) and the legalistic attitudes that people often adopt about who is worthy of God's forgiveness and who is not.

[Reading Mark 2:13-17] In today’s passage out of the book of Mark, we don’t find Jesus throwing a birthday party for a prostitute, but we do find him hanging out with some unsavory characters called tax collectors and other sinners because that is really what Jesus would do and that is what Jesus ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:9-13, 1 Timothy 1:15

Denomination: Christian Church

A Pharisee And Tax Collector Pray Together PRO Sermon

Contributed by Sermon Research Assistant on Oct 13, 2025

True acceptance with God comes not from self-righteousness or comparison, but from humble confession and receiving the mercy and love found in Jesus Christ.

Some of us walked in today with a smile on our face and a scoreboard in our heart. You know the scoreboard I mean—the quiet tally of how we’re doing compared to others, the inner itch to be seen as enough, the nervous need to be noticed and approved. We measure our worth by the week we had, the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:9-14

Topics: Humility, Exaltation, Self-Righteousness

Tax Collector And The Pharisee: Very Concise

Contributed by Paul Andrew on Oct 9, 2019

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time - 30th Sunday, Cycle C

Narada, the Indian sage, was a devotee of God, and thought that no one loved God more than he. His self-righteousness began to lead him towards pride and arrogance. The Lord read his heart and said, “Narada, go to this town on the banks of the Ganges for a devotee of mine dwells there. Living ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:9-14

Denomination: Catholic

The Wee Little Man Series

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Mar 5, 2001

What made Zacchaeus become a tax collector? Why did Jesus appeal to him so that he would embarrass himself by climbing a tree to see Him?

A man went for physical checkup and the nurse asked him how much he weighed. He held his stomach in and replied, "160 lbs." She got him on the scales, weighed him and said: "No, your weight is 166 lbs. The nurse then asked him how tall he was. Standing very straight he answered, "5 feet 10 ...read more

Scripture: Luke 19:1-10

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

God And The Harlot Series

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Aug 22, 2021

It's obvious God forgave Rahab her sin... but if He forgave her, how come the Bible repeatedly refers to her as "Rahab The Harlot"?

CHILDREN’S STORY - The story of Rahab protecting the Spies. SCRIPTURE and PRAYER SERMON: Years ago, when Logansport was a major railroad hub, the trains would stop at what we now call “Little Turtle Waterway.” And if you’ve ever noticed, there’s still a depot down by the tracks. That’s where ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:31

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

30th Sunday-- The Pharisee And The Tax Collector

Contributed by Paul Andrew on Sep 26, 2022

Dorotheos said that the Pharisee was doing the right thing when he thanked God for giving him the ability to do good—as should they (the monks) themselves. The Pharisee only did one thing wrong: he passed judgment on the tax collector.

Our Gospel today begins with some challenging words, “to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.” There’s an old joke about a psychiatrist who is seeing a new patient for the first time. The psychiatrist says, “I’m not aware of your issue, so maybe you ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:9-14

Denomination: Catholic

The Pharisee And The Tax Collector Or The Pastor And Irs Agent Series

Contributed by Joey Nelson on Feb 7, 2002

Jesus told a story in Luke’s Gospel to teach us about the irony of God’s righteousness and man’s sinfulness.

INTRODUCTION Sermonic Theme Opening Statement: There are many literary forms used in the Bible. There is poetry, proverb, legal document, dramatic narrative, hymn, sermon, theological treatise, personal letter, and apocalyptic vision. And sprinkled into all of these genres are figures of speech ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:9-14

The Pharisee & The Tax-Collector - A Sermon On Luke 18

Contributed by David Smith on Apr 21, 2005

Father Dave’s sermon on the parable of the tax collector and the Parisee. Father Dave challenges the conventional understanding of the Pharisee.

Luke 18 - Jesus told them another joke. I know your translation says ’parable’ rather than ’joke’, but ’joke’ is not a bad translation. We don’t tell parables nowadays, we tell jokes, and they’re pretty similar - both have punch lines, both can help you to see life in a different way, both can ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:9-14

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

A Prophet, An Adulterous, An Idolator, A Tax Collector And You"

Contributed by Bruce Hindenburg on Jun 15, 2002

How God blessed and continues to bless the not so ordinary, including You.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. It is always a blessing to be invited to preach in another church. I especially enjoy coming back to Peace Lutheran and seeing my friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, that I don’t get to see nearly ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:9-13, Romans 4:18-25

Denomination: Lutheran

Something We Are All Guilty Of

Contributed by Ken Sauer on Oct 21, 2025

A sermon about humbling ourselves.

Something We Are All Guilty Of Luke 18:9-14 “God, I thank you that I am not like other people. Really, thank you, God.” Wow, does this passage ever convict! And if we are not all found guilty in hearing this parable, we are deluding ourselves. We all pray this way too often. It starts ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:9-14

Denomination: United Methodist

"Prayers The God Hears:" The Pharisee And Tax Collector

Contributed by Dennis Lee on Sep 3, 2023

In the parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector, we’ll be looking at those prayers God hears. However, is all speech skyward prayer, and are they the prayers God hears and answers. In a study of contrast, Jesus’s looks at prayer and the type of prayers God hears.

Parables to Live By “Prayers the God Hears: The Pharisee and Tax Collector” Luke 18:9-14 Watch on YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlUjYOQFsro Over the years, I’ve seen and heard quite a few prayers, and what others consider being the type of prayers that God hears. Now, almost ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:9-14

Denomination: Foursquare

The Pharisee & The Tax-Collector (Luke 18:9-14 )

Contributed by David Smith on Nov 12, 2007

A Pharisee and a tax-collector bump into eachother at the temple. This looks like a sitcom! ...

“Jesus told them another joke”, we are told, “and He told this one to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and looked down on others.’ Now, I suspect that your translation probably says ‘parable’ rather than ‘joke’, but I think ‘joke’ is actually a very good translation. We ...read more

Scripture: Luke 19:9-14

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican