Parables #36 Pharisee And The Tax Collector
Parable #36–Luke 18:9-14-The Pharisee and the Tax Collector?”Luke 18:9-14
9 Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: 10 “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer[a]: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ 14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Jesus Christ often spoke in parables or stories using familiar settings, and He often spoke about various segments of the population.
The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collectoris such a story.
9 Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else:
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in the Temple is rich with spiritual truth.
In fact, it contains the very essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
As verse 9 He tells this parable tothose who “had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: ” If you think that looking down on others was exclusively a First Century phenomenon, think again.
This parable speaks loud and clear to Twenty-First Century churches. Listen for what Jesus says.Luke leads us into the parable by naming its intended target. The first characteristic is “confident of their own righteousness.” The word translated “confident” (NIV) or “trusting in” (KJV) is Greek peitho,has various meanings“convince, persuade, depend on, trust in, be convinced, certain.”“Righteousness”in Greek is dikaios, “pertaining to being in accordance with high standards of righteousness, ‘upright, just, fair.’ “Jesus spoke often of the issue of righteousness, pleading with His hearers to understand their utter inability to be righteous enough to attain the kingdom of heaven. This knowledge was essential if they were to understand His mission on earth, which was to save sinners—those who knew they could not save themselves. Our churches are filled with people who are scrupulous in their observance of moral standards.In all the church denominations there are sincere, God-fearing people who are careful to obey God as they understand his laws.
Tax collectors were considered immoral men.
They often grossly overcharged people as they collected taxes for the Roman government. They were not viewed favourably and were often treated with contempt.It was their job to collect taxes for the Romans. They worked on a tax farming system. Chief tax collectors bid on the contract for collecting taxes for a certain district. If they won the contract they would be responsible for delivering to the Romans the amount of money agreed upon. Then these chief tax collectors would employ others who lived in the various villages and sections of town to collect the tolls, taxes, and tariffs.
Tax collectors weren’t just hated because they were considered friends of the enemy and traitors. They were also considered cheaters. They would sometimes assess more taxes than was legal. If a farmer or businessman or caravaner couldn’t or wouldn’t pay, they would turn him over to the soldiers. Obtaining something such as money or information from somebody by using force, threats, or other unacceptable methods were part of this system. Tax collectors were considered the scum of the earth.
It isn’t hard to see the contrast between them — the righteous Pharisee and the morally bankrupt, double agent tax collector.
The Pharisees, on the other hand, thought their own goodness was so impressive that it could not fail to make them acceptable to God. A Pharisee was very religious. He belonged to a sect of the Jews that went to unnecessary extremes in trying to obey the laws. He was very strict in his lifestyle and was often self-righteous and critical of others.The Pharisees held rigorously to the ceremonies and traditions of the law, making a public show of their religiosity, all to be seen by other men, many of whom they despised as being beneath them. The Pharisees were the strict Jews. They believed. They were disciplined. They took the Law seriously — so seriously, in fact, that they created a “hedge” around the law, the Oral Law, with the idea that if they kept the rules of the Oral Law (the tradition of the elders), then they wouldn’t break the Mosaic Law.
We too, have our “hedge” around the law. At various times and in various churches there have been rules against open-toed shoes, sleeveless dresses, slacks for women, abstaining from wine and hard liquor, beards, smoking, drugs (but not herbs and pharmaceuticals), lack of beards, lack of head coverings, eating pork, eating any meat, have I forgotten any important ones? 🙂 You get the idea. None of these is stipulated clearly in the scripture, but each comes from a desire to please God and avoid godless ways.
And there’s nothing wrong with rules. Each family has to have family rules. Each church needs to have rules, too. It’s a requirement of any human organization. We just need to keep our rules in perspective, and realize that they are not necessarily God’s rules, but derivatives of God’s rules.A problem arises, however, when we are “confident in our own righteousness” or “trust in” our own righteousness to save us and justify us before God. When we move from righteous living — which is right — to trusting in that righteous living to give us a standing before God, then we commit a fatal error. In that case it becomes self-righteousness.But when we begin to take pride in our own righteous behaviour, it’s very easy to look down on those who don’t behave this way and consider them as morally inferior to us.The phrase “looked down on” is Greek exoutheneo,“to show by one’s attitude or manner of treatment that an entity has no merit or worth, ‘disdain.’ “
Let’s consider who we as faithful, righteous Christians tend to look down on just a few examples:
Jesus told this parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector2000 years ago, but it is intended for our ears today as well
Each person’s prayer is different from the other, and it is instructive for us to consider. Jews often stood as they prayed, looking up to heaven, often with hands raised. The Pharisee’s prayer is mentioned first:(verses 11-12).
11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer[a]: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’Look at the telling statement about the Pharisee he“stood by himself.” It could mean that he prayed silently, though the normal practice was to pray aloud, but quietly. But his entire prayer is about himself. He thanks God — not for blessings — but that he isn’t a sinner like others. He first lists those who were known to be evil: For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery.Then he compares himself to the nearby tax collector.I’m certainly not like that tax collector!
He also reminds God of how religious he is — fasting and tithing. Pharisees developed the practice of fasting on Mondays and Thursdays to intercede for the nation as a whole.Pharisees far exceeded the requirements of the law in this regard. They scrupulously tithed or gave one tenth (Greekapodektaoo) on everything they acquired, even down to the herbs in their garden (11:23). As Jesus tells the story, I can almost hear a ripple of laughter sweep over the crowd. They all recognize the type of Pharisee Jesus is describing, and are amused. Jesus’ description might have been a slight caricature of the Pharisees, but not far off.
Remember the reason Jesus presented the parable.. was for “9 ….. some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: The Pharisee’s prayer was exactly just that—a self-serving attempt to tell God how righteous he was. It reeked of vanity and ego.The epitome of one who is self-justifying. Notice that his prayer has no elements of confession. He does not ask forgiveness for his sins, perhaps because he believes he has nothing to confess. Nor is there any word of praise or thanksgiving to God.His prayer is all about him. Even the thanks he does offer is designed to exalt himself and place himself above others whom he despise. Going to the temple to pray with the condition of his heart as it was, he might as well have stayed home. Such a “prayer” is not heard by God. But notice the difference in the prayer of the tax collector: verse 13 “13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.Unlike the Pharisee, who stands boldly in the temple reciting his prayers of self-congratulation, continuously mentioning his personal achievements while the tax collector stood “afar off” or “at a distance,” perhaps in an outer room, but certainly far from the Pharisee who would have been offended by the nearness of this man.Tax collectors, because of their association with the hated Romans, were seen as traitors to Israel and were loathed and treated as outcasts.
This man’s posture spoke of his unworthiness before God.
Unable to even lift his eyes to heaven, the burden of his guilt and shame weighed heavily upon him, and the load he carried had become unbearable. Overcome by his transgressions, he beats his chest in sorrow and repentance and appeals to God for mercy.
Here was an obvious situation where the man recognized his guilt, and he stood alone far off.
Notice the tax collector’s posture. Jesus describes three kinds of body language before he voices the tax collector’s prayer:
Standing at a distance. He doesn’t feel worthy to draw close to God or the temple.
Not raising his eyes to heaven, but standing with head level or bowed, as a sign of his sense of guilt.
Beating his breast. Though we don’t see many instances of this in scripture is a sign of mourning,Josephus, a Pharisee who lived a few decades after Jesus, described David’s mourning for his son Absalom inthis way: “David … wept for his son, and beat his breast, tearing [the hair of] his head, tormenting himself all manner of ways….”
The tax collector’s prayer is remarkable and short. First, he addresses God, just as the Pharisee had done.
Next, instead of telling God all the good things about himself, he describes himself as a sinner, Notice that he makes no excuses for his behaviour, offers no justifying circumstances. He is confessing his sinfulness before God and taking full responsibility for it.
Finally,he acknowledged his sins and asked for God’s mercy. He was asking God to forgive him..For the tax collector to ask for forgiveness and restoration of his relationship with God is a bold and faith-filled act for a man so despised by his society?He is obviously humble and repentant of his sins, but his faith has made him bold to ask for something that he has no right to expect — forgiveness and restoration before God.Can you imagine the impact Jesus’ parable had on the Pharisees that were present? They must have been livid with anger. How about the crowd? They were amazed, wondering, pondering. But the prostitutes and tax collectors, thieves and adulterers in the audience may have been weeping, for Jesus had declared that it was possible for them to be saved, to be forgiven, to be cleansed, to be justified before God. Jesus had given them hope.
The prayer he utters is the very one God is waiting to hear, and his attitude is exactly what God wants from all who come to Him.The tax collector exhibits precisely what Jesus spoke about in the Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 5:3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,[a] for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs..
Being poor in spirit means admitting we have nothing to offer to God to atone for our sin.
We come to God as empty, impoverished, despised, bankrupt, pitiable, desperate beggars.
The tax collector recognizes his sinful condition and seeks the only thing that can bridge the gap between himself and God.
“Have mercy on me,” he cries, and we know from the end of the parable that God heard his prayer for mercy and answered it. Jesus then tells His audience what they needed to learn from this story:verse 14
14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
The lesson is that this tax collector went to his home justified (the Pharisee did not).The tax collector was humble and was in a repentant frame of mind. He was the one justified. The Pharisee was not humble, but was quite proud, and was not justified.The tax collector went away (made righteous with God) because he had humbled himself before God, confessing that no amount of works could save him from his sin and that only God’s mercy could. The tax collector was not justified by any of the deeds of the law, but by his repentant, humble approach before God, by his acknowledgment of sin, and by his faith in God demonstrated by calling upon His mercy for forgiveness.If we are truly broken-hearted over our sin, we can be assured of God’s boundless love and forgiveness in Christ. He has promised in His word to accept us, love us, and make us alive again through His SonColossians 2:1313 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.No amount of good works, church attendance, tithes, community service, loving our neighbor or anything else we do is sufficient to take away the blot of sin and enable us to stand before a holy God on our own.
That is why God sent Jesus to die on the cross.His death is the only “work” that is able to cleanse us and make us acceptable to God. The Bible often speaks of being justified, made free from guilt, by faith.Romans 3:28“28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.” Some people think they can be justified—made righteous… just ..and innocent in God’s sight—by doing good deeds specified in the law. That was the Pharisee’s attitude, but it was actually the tax collector who was justified by God’s mercy.
Why? What did the tax collector do that the religious Pharisee did not do? The answer is found inRomans 4:5-85 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. 6 David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it:7 “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven,whose sins are put out of sight.8 Yes, what joy for thosewhose record the Lord has cleared of sin.”(Greek version we find inPs 32:1-2)
1 Oh, what joy for thosewhose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!2 Yes, what joy for thosewhose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
The tax collector repented. He acknowledged he was a sinner and asked for God’s mercy, and he was justified.In the conclusion of the parable, Christ reminded the audienceverse 1414 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
In addition, we must not make the mistake of comparing ourselves with others and gaining confidence from what we see in that comparison.
The Bible often speaks of the need to avoid pride. Notice what Solomon wrote about how God views pride:Proverbs 8:13“13 All who fear the Lord will hate evil.Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance, corruption and perverse speech.”God hates pride.. Jesus highlights a paradox of the spiritual life — exalting oneself leads to humbling, while humbling leads to exaltation. But God does give grace to the humble.Jesus’ brother James carries on this theme when he says: James 4:6“6 And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”When we are proud, we make ourselves into God’s opponent, his enemy.And we read in James 4:1010 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honour.The apostle Peter reiterated the same thoughts:1 Peter 5:5-6“5 In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for“God opposes the proudbut gives grace to the humble.”6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honour.”
In fact, Jesus specifically warns us against this attitude at the beginning of the parable.
When we try to justify ourselves by comparing ourselves to others, we naturally end up despising them.
Our standard for comparison is God Himself, and we all fall short of His glory
Romans 3:23
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
The Pharisee and the tax collector were figurative of typical attitudes that are common even in our age today. One man was full of pride and was quite self-righteous. The other was humble; he recognized his sins and asked for God’s mercy and was justified. Which one will you be?
The lessons for us as Christians are obvious.
1.We are saved by God’s atonement and mercy, not by our righteous deeds.2.God hate the proud and arrogant, but welcomes the humble. We must guard against the sin of pride,because God hates it. Instead, we must humble ourselves and be thankful for the grace of God.3.We cannot, no.. we .not look down on others. While they may be sinners, they are certainly not beyond God’s forgiveness. In the final analysis the only thing that saves either of us will be God’s forgiveness, and not our pure lifestyle.
In this parable Jesus is telling us about the kind of people whom God accepts. Last week’sParable of the Widow and the Unjust Judge (18:1-8) teaches the importance of persistent faith, while this parable teaches the importance of humility before God.Faith and humility are marks of the men and women who follow Jesus. May they be earmarks of your character and of mine!
Let us pray
Father, we live in such a wicked world. It’s so easy for us to develop an ugly pride in our godliness and look down on others. I can see that tendency in me. Forgive me. Cleanse me. Please help me to humble myself before you that I may enjoy the comfort of your mercy rather than the sting of your judgment. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.