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Response
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in the Temple (Luke 18:9-14) is abundant in spiritual truth. It encapsulates the core of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Verse 9 reveals that Jesus shared this parable with those who “trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others” (NKJV). Jesus frequently addressed the concept of righteousness, urging His listeners to recognize their complete inability to achieve the righteousness required to enter the kingdom of heaven. Understanding this was crucial for comprehending His purpose on earth, which was to redeem sinners—those who acknowledged their inability to save themselves.
Conversely, the Pharisees believed their own righteousness was so remarkable that it guaranteed acceptance by God. They strictly adhered to the rituals and customs of the law, displaying their religious devotion publicly to gain approval from others, even though they looked down on many of them. The Pharisee in the parable epitomizes self-justification. His prayer notably lacks any confession. He does not seek forgiveness for his sins, likely because he believes he has nothing to confess. There is also no expression of gratitude or praise to God. His prayer revolves entirely around himself. Even the gratitude he expresses aims to elevate himself and place him above those he regards with contempt. With the state of his heart as it was when he went to the temple to pray, he might as well have stayed home. Such a self-centered “prayer” does not reach God.
In contrast to the Pharisee, who confidently stands in the temple boasting in his self-righteous prayers, the tax collector stands “afar off” or “at a distance,” possibly in an outer chamber, far from the Pharisee who would have been offended by his proximity. Tax collectors, due to their association with the hatThe tax collectors, considered traitors to Israel, were despised and shunned. This man’s demeanor reflected his unworthiness before God. Unable to raise his eyes to heaven, the weight of his guilt and shame burdened him, and the load he bore had become overwhelming. Consumed by his wrongdoings, he beats his chest in sorrow and repentance, entreating God for mercy. The prayer he utters is precisely what God is eager to hear, and his attitude is precisely what God desires from all who approach Him.
The tax collector exemplifies precisely what Jesus discussed in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” « Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. », (Matthew 5:3). Being poor in spirit entails acknowledging that we have nothing to offer God to make amends for our sins. We come to God as empty, impoverished, despised, bankrupt, pitiful, desperate beggars. The tax collector acknowledges his sinful state and seeks the only thing that can close the divide between himself and God. “Have mercy on me,” he pleads, and we learn from the conclusion of the parable that God heard his plea for mercy and responded. Jesus informs us in verse 14 that the tax collector departed justified (made righteous) because he had humbled himself before God, admitting that no amount of deeds could rescue him from his sin and that only God’s mercy could.
If we are genuinely contrite about our sins, we can be confident in God’s limitless love and forgiveness in Christ. He has pledged in His word to receive us, cherish us, and revive us through His Son «And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; », (Colossians 2:13). No quantity of good deeds, church attendance, tithesS, community service, loving our neighbor, or any other action we take is not enough to remove the stain of sin and allow us to stand before a holy God based on our own merits. This is why God sent Jesus to be crucified. His sacrifice is the only “work” capable of purifying us and rendering us pleasing to God.
Furthermore, we should avoid the error of measuring ourselves against others and deriving confidence from such comparisons. Jesus explicitly cautions against this mindset at the start of the parable. When we seek to vindicate ourselves by contrasting our actions with those of others, we inevitably look down on them. Our benchmark for comparison should be God Himself, and we all fall short of His glory “for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”, (Romans 3:23).
