We need to exercise our sensitivity today as we encounter two old friends, the Pharisee and the Publican. When I first learned this story in my childhood from the Bible storybook and when I told this story in the early years of ministry, the issue was already cut-and-dried. The righteous Pharisee became the scoundrel whom one loves to hate, while the Publican became the hero.

Recently, however, in the tenor of the times, there has been a subtle shift of accent. The up-front Pharisee is getting better press. The lowly Publican is being more honestly appraised. The story has more depth than it was recognized, and I am less inclined to roller skate across it in my reading of Saint Luke, as though encountering these two old friends could be a casual meeting. Both of them, surprisingly, have t…