“The Pharisee and the Tax Collector”

Monday, June 19, 2017

According to Luke 18:9, Jesus spoke this parable to the self-righteous (that’s always someone else, but not me, right?). And while, in the parable, both men went into the temple to pray, it is really not about prayer. The primary lesson of this parable is pride versus humility. Prayer is simply the example Jesus uses to teach us that important lesson.

The Pharisees were the strictest sect of the Jews and they sought to be righteous in all aspects of their lives. There is, of course, nothing wrong with that. As a matter of fact, we all ought to seek righteousness in our lives. That pleases God. It was their self-righteousness that the Lord condemns and their tendency to look down on others.

The tax collectors (publican, KJV) were considered traitors by most Jews, since they worked for the Roman government. They were often dishonest and often pocketed any extra money they could extort from citizens.

The Pharisee, therefore, was well respected in society and probably considered to be a religious leader. The tax collector would have hated by almost everyone (everybody, that is, except Christ).

The Pharisee’s prayer is found in verses 11-12. But, it was not really a prayer. It was a list of accomplishments reminding God of how good he was, especially when compared with others. He wanted to make certain God knew how fortunate He was to have this Pharisee on His side.

The tax collector’s prayer (verse 13) was a humble plea for forgiveness. He acknowledged his guilt before God and simply asked for pardon. He even “stood afar off,” symbolizing his separation from God because of his own disobedience. He knew he was a sinner.

The tax collector went home forgiven, because that was what he had asked for. The Pharisee did not, because he had not asked for forgiveness and, in reality, didn’t think he needed forgiveness.

This should teach us that God approves of humility and despises arrogance and pride.

You are not the center of the universe; it does not revolve around you and your happiness. The sooner we all realize that we are utterly dependent on God, the better off we will be.

Sometimes we all need to be brought back down to earth, don’t we? We can get pretty full of ourselves. “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

So, the choices are humility and pride. Which one would you say more characterizes your life? Be honest, because God know the truth.

--Roger Hillis

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