The Pharisee vs. the Tax Collector
Luke 18:10-14
Two men went up to the
temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a
tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I
thank You that I am not
like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax
collector. I fast twice a week; I
give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar
off, would not so much as
raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful
to me a sinner!’ I tell you,
this man went down to his house justified rather than the other…” (NKJV).
The purpose of this short parable of Jesus was to expose those who “trusted in themselves that they were righteous, but despised others” (Luke 18:9). The danger of self-righteousness is as much a sin as any other and by the comparison of these two prayers we see the earmarks of self-righteousness in…
...an eagerness to confess others’ sins. The Pharisee points out all of the men he considers worse sinners than himself, as if he is Mr. Perfect. In this scenario, it was not his intention to help those men by pointing out their sins. Instead, his goal is to make himself look better by exposing the faults of others. The tax collector simply confesses his own sin as is proper in prayer (1 John 1:9-2:1).
...his arrogant bragging about all of his good deeds. God knows all we do in His service and does not need us to tell Him in prayer. The self-righteous person often speaks more of his own works than the good work God has done in him! The tax collector, despite what good works he may have done, sees himself as an unprofitable servant in need of mercy.
...the Pharisee’s focus on himself. Notice how many times the Pharisee uses the word “I.” In contrast, the tax collector’s humility stands in contradistinction to the Pharisee’s self-centered boasting. The tax collector is not focused on what he has done for God, but what God can do for him—forgive!
May we be always watchful of the temptation of self-righteousness for “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
February 2008