The Pharisee And The Tax Collector

                                                                                                                 Pg.1
   Parables, 26 The Pharisee and the Tax collector
Scripture: Luke 18:9-14 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others: 10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, `God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortionists, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.' 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, `God, be merciful to me a sinner!' 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Why study this parable? Jesus says: "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." He proclaims His purpose is to call sinners to repentance. Repentance, meaning, to turn away from sin. At this calling, sinners then make a choice. They either recognize that they're living in sin, and then begin to follow Jesus Christ in order to learn how to repent, and change from a sinful to a righteous lif,e or they choose to reject Jesus and his teaching.
 In this parable the Pharisee is righteous in his opinion of himself. He justifies his righteousness by his own standards, even in his prayers. He by doing this has also psychologically elevated himself above this tax collector, whom he has judged to be less righteous and holy than he. Yet here is this tax collector who has realized his sins cannot be erased by  any amount of righteous living. He has humbled himself before God and asks for mercy And he has not formed an impression of the Pharisee, whom he could have judged to be a self righteous hypocrite. He has described only his own self worth, and by his humbling himself before God, he has been justified.  

What impression did the Pharisees, scribes, teachers of the law, and Sadducees  have of Jesus?

Mar 2:15-17  While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16  When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" 17  On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

What impression did Jesus have of the Scribes and the Pharisees?

 Mat_23:23  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Mat_23:25  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Mat_23:27  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
Mat_23:29  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous





                                                                                                                 Pg.2
10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
Q.1 Why did Jesus make this distinction of a Pharisee, and a tax collector?
Q.2 Could Jesus have mentioned a Jew and a Samaritan?
Q.3 What is the basis for making such comparisons?

11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, `God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortionists, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.'
Q.1 It would appear that this Pharisee is not doing to bad, he avoids the immoral sins that he knows about, he tithes and he fasts twice a week, on a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate his practicing his faith?
Q.2 Do you notice anything about him that would deserve Jesus’ criticism?
Q.3 In what way has he already given his position away?

13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, `God, be merciful to me a sinner!'
Q.1 Why would Jesus use the image of a tax collector for this comparison?
Q.2 Why was Jesus a friend to publicans and tax collectors?
Q.3 What is it about this tax collector that we recognize immediately?

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but
Q.1 Who do you think might be a good example of humbling oneself ?
Q.2 What gives man the urge to exalt himself ?
Q.3 What does Jesus mean by the phrase  he who humbles himself will be exalted.?

More Questions
1. What is your opinion of people who have differing opinions than you of faith and religion?
2. Why do we seem to always have a first impression of those we meet for the first time?
3. Do we have “Pharisees” in society today? Where do we find them? Are they in our churches?
4. How did the Pharisee view himself as described by Jesus?
5. How did this publican view himself as described byJesus?
6. What was the result of their personal approach to God?
7. What did Jesus’ calling of Matthew ( a publican) show. And what did Matthew do about it?


Lord, may your love control our thoughts and actions that we may do what is pleasing to you. Show us where we lack charity, mercy, and forgiveness toward our neighbor.  And help us to be generous in giving to others what you have so generously given to us. We pray now for those of our acquaintance who need your healing touch___________Please bring them confidence and strength to endure and bring mercy and healing to their lives, and ours as well. In Jesus name we pray AMEN."



                                                             Meditation
Humble men, who abase themselves, are subject to God, and they shall be exalted. God has preferment in store for those that will take it as a favor, not for those that demand it as a debt. See how the punishment answers the sin: He that exalts himself shall be abased. He that humbles himself shall be exalted. See the power of God's grace in bringing good out of evil; the publican had been a great sinner, and out of the greatness of his sin was brought the greatness of his repentance. See, on the contrary, the power of Satan's malice in bringing evil out of good. It was good that the Pharisee was not immoral, nor unjust; but the devil made him proud of this, to his ruin.
What best describes the Pharisee?  That he trusted to himself that he was righteous. A great many good things he said of himself, which we will suppose to be true. He was free from gross and scandalous sins; he did not practice extortion, he was not a usurer, not oppressive to debtors or tenants, but fair and kind to all that had dependence upon him. He was not unjust in any of his dealings; he did no man any wrong; He was no adulterer, and lived a life of sanctification and honor.
Yet this was not all; he fasted twice in the week, as an act partly of habit and learning, and of devotion. The Pharisees and their disciples fasted twice a week, Monday and Thursday. Thus he glorified God with his body: yet that was not all; he gave tithes of all that he possessed, according to the law, and so glorified God with his worldly estate. Now all this was very well and commendable. Miserable is the condition of those who come short of the righteousness of this Pharisee: yet he was not accepted; And why was he not? (1.) His giving God thanks for this, though in itself a good thing, yet seems to be a mere formality. He does not say, By the grace of God I am what I am. He makes his boast of this, and dwells with delight upon this subject, as if all his business to the temple was to tell God Almighty how very good he was. He trusted to it as a righteousness, and not only mentioned it, but pleaded it, as if hereby he had merited at the hands of God, and made him his debtor. There is not one word of prayer in all he spoke. He went up to the temple to pray, but forgot his errand, was so full of himself and his own goodness that he thought he had need of nothing, no, not of the favour and grace of God, which, it would seem, he did not think worth asking.
He even then introduces to God, the miserable Tax Collector, It merely exposes that he despised others, and judged meanly of all mankind but himself: I thank thee that I am not as other men are. He speaks indefinitely, as if he were better than any. We may have reason to thank God that we are not as some men are, that are notoriously wicked and vile. But to speak at random as if we only were good, and all besides us were reprobates, is to judge by wholesale. Could not he just say his prayers? Or was this a part of his God, I thank thee? And was he as much pleased with the publican's badness as with his own goodness? There could not be a plainer evidence, not only of the want of humility and charity, but of reigning pride and malice, than this was.
We are to be very careful of our life motives, careful that we do not exalt our place or our duty. Just as Adam was to be the caretaker of all God had created, and just as Eve was formed to be Adam’s helpmate, errors in judgment were made, self gratification became more important than Gods Word.  Satan convinces man of his own way, and we exalt ourselves above what God has planned for us, and at great consequence we suffer. It is not to serve ourselves, but to serve others that we exist, and God takes note of that. We are consequently judged by our own actions words thoughts and deeds. So just as the tax collector humbled himself by his prayer, so are we to do the same, and as well, we are to uplift those in our midst who need such.