The Grove Church

This week on Cultivate, we explored Jesus’ Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector from Luke 18. Charlie Loften and Bagel Boone dove into the story’s surprising reversal: the seemingly moral Pharisee relies on his spiritual résumé, while the tax collector, aware of his own failures, humbly asks God for mercy. We examined how Jesus challenges common notions of righteousness—not just in first-century Israel, but in our own hearts today. What does it really mean to be “justified” before God? Can good behavior or rule-following make us right with Him, or is it about honest humility and dependence on His grace?

Along the way, we unraveled why this teaching would have been shocking in its original context, and considered its ongoing relevance for anyone striving to live a life of faith. Whether you’re wrestling with your own sense of spiritual adequacy or just curious about how grace works, this episode invites you to reflect on what it means to approach God in honesty and humility.