The Pharisee, The Tax Collector and Me! Luke 18:9-14

Kelly and I attend a small group meeting on Sunday evenings at our church (join us at 6:00!) It's a great group of folks and we've been able to relax with each other, share our hearts, learn a bit and laugh a bit as well. Last Sunday, we were in Luke 18, looking at the parable  about the Pharisee and the tax collector. 

This parable comes after a fairly long string of stories Jesus tells centering in pride and self-righteousness. In these stories, the Pharisees are typically the brunt of a scathing teaching on thinking too much of oneself, not enough about others and even less about God. This is invariably a stinging rebuke for a group of men who are supposed to be the religious elite of their day.

This particular parable, found in Luke 18:9-14, is a study in contrasts, pitting the self-righteousness of the Pharisee against the humility of the tax collector. Take a moment and read through the parable before moving on. Focus on the attitude and demeanor of the Pharisee as you read. Notice the contrasts:

• The Pharisee is highly regarded while the tax collector is despised.
• Both of them go up to the temple to pray. Only one of them comes down justified.
• The Pharisee makes a big show of his prayer. The tax collector won't even look upward. 
• We're told "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

The parable is a familiar one. The Pharisee brags while

praying. He arrogantly thanks God that he's "not like other men," not like the tax collector, who is apparently standing nearby. The tax collector is repentant, contrite and humble. 

In the end, Jesus points out that the tax collector is actually the just one while the Pharisee will be judged for his pride and arrogance. 

The main point of the parable is to be careful to avoid thinking that we are more spiritual or righteous than those around us. It tells us to be careful not to compare ourselves to others and, in our minds, come out on top. We should be careful not to judge those around us and feel like we are superior to them, closer to God, assuming our behavior is acceptable to God while theirs is not. 

We had some great discussion about the moral failure of the Pharisee and the humility of the tax gatherer. We talked about the irony of the tax gatherer being exalted and the Pharisee being shamed. It was a great evening. We all enjoyed diving deep into the word and mining some of the great truths in this passage. 

Then, just as we were beginning to close up, Bob said, "Here's another irony. I feel superior to the Pharisee!" It was a grenade thrown into the middle of the room. It exploded in each of our hearts. I immediately realized that I've never read this parable without judging the Pharisee and feeling above him. I might just as well stand up and declare, "Thank you God for not making me like that Pharisee!"

It's so easy to fall victim to a kernel of self-righteousness. Isn't it? When we think we're right, we're pretty sure others are wrong, particularly if they're not quite lining up with what we believe to be righteous. It's easy to compare ourselves to others and come out on top, spiritually. The Pharisee did it...and so did I. 

I'm amazed at the incredible wisdom of Jesus Christ. He took this simple story about a self-righteous, overly pious, arrogant leader, contrasted it with the humility of a repentant sinner and taught me about my own self-righteousness.

What about you? Did you read the parable the same way Bob and I did? Be honest! There's gold in here if we are willing to be as forthright about ourselves as we are about others. 

So, what do we do when we see the darkness of our own hearts? What do we do when the Holy Spirit exposes an area that needs attention? Do we beat ourselves up? That's certainly not the right answer. God is not in the guilt business! I don't think God shows us these things to burden us, but to set us free! These revelations about ourselves are little gifts of grace designed to unearth those things in our lives that are holding us back and impeding our sanctification. 

How do we deal with things like this? The answer is in the parable. The tax collector shows us the way. He says, "God be merciful to me, a sinner." Like him, we repent. We confess our sin. When we confess, He is faithful to forgive (1 Jn 1:9). Then the grace of God will comfort us. We will find peace. And, the Spirit will teach us and refine us. These are valuable lessons He is faithful to teach us, particularly when we find that we are more like the Pharisee than we thought.