Redeeming The Time

The most beautiful message of the parable of the Publican and Pharisee is that the publican went back to his house justified. We examine what this word means. The world doesn’t understand this word. The Christian does, because he knows two things. He knows repentance and compunction, which he couples with action, and he also feels the hand of God telling them it’s going to be okay. We discuss these two things that the publican did, and also compare this parable with the former publican Zacchaeus, who made wonderful promises on the day His Lord received his repentance, but then tomorrow came. Since it is also the Sunday of the commemoration of the New Martyrs of Russia, we discuss very briefly events in the lives of three of these martyrs, and how they illustrate something that we must do along with asking the Lord for mercy if we are to really know that everything is going to be all right.