Luke Parables of Jesus: The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
Luke 18:9-14
“And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Luke 18:9-14 NASB1995
I have arrived at the final parable of Jesus from Luke that I will examine: The Pharisee and the Tax Collector, found just after the story of the persistent widow and unrighteous judge in Luke 18. There are other parables in Luke, but they are shared with the Gospels of Matthew and Mark and I hope to go through those additional parables in a future devotional series.
Jesus is speaking again to the arrogant Pharisees, who view themselves as utterly righteous and have so much contempt for others. He compares two persons who are praying at the temple. The Pharisee is boasting about his fidelity to God and thanking God for making him so wonderful. You will notice that there are five “I” statements in his prayer and only one mention of God. He compares himself to this tax collector, lumping in him with swindlers, the unjust, and adulterers. It’s likely that he spoke in flowery tones, loudly, so that others would see and appreciate his spirituality. David Guzik in Enduring Word quotes biblical scholar Adam Clarke (Methodist, 1762-1832), who has an example of just how prideful some of the Pharisees could be:
One ancient rabbi (Rabbi Simeon, the son of Jochai) was an example of this kind of Pharisaical pride when he said: “If there were only thirty righteous persons in the world, I and my son would make two of them; but if there were but twenty, I and my son would be of the number; and if there were but ten, I and my son would be of the number; and if there were but five, I and my son would be of the five; and if there were but two, I and my son would be those two; and if there were but one, myself should be that one.” (Clarke)
The tax collector, on the other hand, cannot even raise his eyes to heaven and is beating his breast, pleading for God to be merciful to him, the sinner. Jesus tells His listeners that this man went to his house justified and the Pharisee was not. A recurring theme in the teachings of Jesus is that the everyone who exalts themselves in this life will be humbled, but those who humble themselves will be exalted (the first shall be last and the last first). Here is additional Commentary by David Guzik on the justification of the tax collector for his humble and heartfelt prayer:
e. This man went down to his house justified rather than the other: The justification of the tax collector was immediate. He humbly came to God on the basis of His atoning sacrifice and was justified. He didn’t earn his justification, and he didn’t have a probationary period; he was simply justified.
i. He was justified because as a sinner, he humbly prayed for mercy, and mercy in the sense of atoning sacrifice. He prayed, “O God, be satisfied with the atoning sacrifice, and forgive me.”
· He didn’t say, “God, be merciful to me, I’m not a Pharisee.”
· He didn’t say, “God, be merciful to me, a repentant sinner.”
· He didn’t say, “God, be merciful to me, a praying sinner.”
· He didn’t say, “God, be merciful to me – I’m only human.”
· He didn’t say, “God, be merciful to me, I’ll try to do better.”
· He simply prayed, praying body, soul, and spirit, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!”
f. Everyone who exalts himself will be abased, and he who humbles himself will be exalted: Essentially, the Pharisee saw prayer and his spiritual life as a way to be exalted, but the tax collector approached God in humility.
i. True humbleness is simply seeing things the way they are. The Pharisee saw himself as something great when he wasn’t, and the tax collector saw himself as a sinner needing God’s mercy, which he was.
ii. We gain nothing by coming to God in the lie of pride. The principle God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble is so important God repeated it three times (Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5).
Once again, Jesus uses an example of someone who was hated in that society as an example of how to do good (the tax collector, like the Good Samaritan). Humility and true repentance are the hallmarks of a believer who loves and fears God. Jesus repeats this lesson over and over and over again in the Gospels, but the stubborn, PROUD hearts and deaf ears of the Pharisees lead them from idle curiosity to anger to murderous rage against the Son of God. As I stated in a previous devotional, your reward and exaltation (or humbling, if you are full of pride now) will be presented to you in the next life. In this life, follow the Precept of Theologian John Wesley:
Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.
My next devotional summarizes the lessons from the Parables of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. Following that devotional, I will share a personal testimony.
David Guzik and his commentaries in Enduring Word are used with written permission.
John Wesley quotation is from Brainy Quotes.