Tax Collector or Pharisee

Tax Collector or Pharisee

In Luke 18, Jesus tells the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee:

Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: “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; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” – Luke 18:9-14

In Jesus’ time, tax collectors were shunned by Jewish society. They were men who had sold out their own people. They had become instruments of Roman oppression in order to enrich themselves. Often, they were dishonest, collecting more taxes than they were due. The Pharisees viewed them as the vilest of sinners, and this judgment was, for the most part, accurate.

The Pharisees, on the other hand, were viewed by society as the religious elite. If there was a question about the Law, the Pharisees were bound to know the answer. They scrupulously kept the law and the traditions of the elders. They tithed even to the most minute herbs in their gardens. They observed careful habits of cleansing to be sure they remained ceremonially clean. They prided themselves on their piety.

Jesus concluded that the tax collector, not the Pharisee, “went down to his house justified.” Why was the tax collector justified? He was justified because he recognized his sin and humbly begged God for mercy. The Pharisee was not justified because he trusted in himself that he was righteous. He did not humble himself before God or acknowledge any sin. Instead, he boasted in his “relative righteousness,” comparing himself to the sinful tax collector.

Some of us can identify with the tax collector. We lived very worldly lives before we accepted the gospel. There is no virtue in living the life of the tax collector. However, those who have lived this life know they are sinners and as such are not worthy to come before God. The tax collector stood “afar off” and would not even raise his eyes to heaven. The man was completely humbled by his sin and his only hope was to appeal to God for mercy and grace.

Many of us, reluctantly, can identify with the Pharisee. We have lived clean lives and have striven for holiness. We pursue good works. Because of this, we often feel good about ourselves. The danger of clean living is that we can begin to think too highly of ourselves, particularly when we look around at the worldly people around us. By looking at others, we can conveniently ignore the sins in our own lives. We may not be guilty of adultery, extortion, or theft, but are we guilty of foolish talk, gossip, unkindness, arrogance, or selfishness? Regardless of how clean our lives are, we will never be righteous before God on our own merits. We must all put our trust in Jesus Christ and in the grace of God. Further, we must never boast in our own good works. Our boasting must be in the cross of Christ. Nothing we have done is worth comparing to what He has done.

We may not be as sinful as the tax collector, but we need his attitude. “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

- Pat Gaughan

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Persistence

Most parents can relate to the following:

A father was putting his three-year-old son to bed. After reading a story, saying a prayer, a hug and the fourth or fifth “good-night”, the father slipped out of the room. It was nice and quiet for all of two minutes, then suddenly the boy called out, “Daddy, can I have a drink of water?”

The man was confident his son could not really be thirsty and was just trying to put off going to sleep, so he called back, “No, son, get quiet and go to sleep.”

It was silent for a couple of minutes, and then came the plea again, this time with great feeling, “Daddy, can I please have a drink?”

To which the father impatiently replied, “Son, if I hear one more word out of that room, I’m going to come in there and give you a spanking!”

You could hear a pin drop - the silence was thick.  But in just a few more minutes the young voice whined in desperation, “Daddy, when you come in here to spank me, would you bring me a drink of water?”  Now Dad knew he was really thirsty.

That boy’s determined persistence may make us smile, but it also reminds us of how Jesus taught us to always pray, and not lose heart (give up). - Luke 18:1.

- Leonard White

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Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times
they ought to pray and not to lose heart. - Luke 18:1

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