How does a person gain and maintain good standing with God? In the parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector, each of them chooses a different approach, both of which are still alive and well today. Some, like the Pharisee, try to gain and maintain that good standing with God out of their own sense of self-righteousness. They choose the way of self. Others, like the Tax Collector, take the way of grace. They know that all they have to bring to God is their sin, guilt, and shame. They know that apart from the grace of God, they don’t stand a chance of maintaining good standing with God. This weekend, Jesus will tell us which approach honors God, and which approach is bankrupt and toxic.