By Dr. Marianne Furtado de Nazareth –
The most interesting part for me as a child and even now as an adult, are the parables told by Jesus, in the Bible. Parables perk one’s listening ears up, while being attentive to the gospel, being read on a Sunday morning. Parables also clearly enunciated the point Jesus was trying to make, situating it in everyday life of the time. His examples in parables, or stories using familiar settings, must have definitely got his flock concentrating on his every word, like it does with us today.
The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector which was a recent Gospel reading, is one such story and is found in Luke 18:9-14. Obviously Jesus was making a pointed reference to people who fronted a ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude in their dealing with others. People who believed firmly that they were righteous, and despised others whom they believed were inferior.
Luke 18:9-14
“Two people went up to the temple area to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity –
greedy, dishonest, adulterous – or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’
But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for whoever exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
The parable starts with –“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.” The Pharisee was very religious. He belonged to a sect of the Jews that went to enormous extremes in trying to obey the laws of the land. He was very strict in his lifestyle and was often self-righteous and critical of others.
Tax collectors, on the other hand, were considered immoral men. They often grossly and greedily, overcharged people as they collected taxes for the Roman government. They were obviously viewed with hatred and were often treated with disdain.
Each man’s prayer was different from the other, and viewing them separately gives us the meaning Jesus wants to convey. The Pharisee’s prayer is mentioned first: “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’” (verses 11-12).
The reason that Christ related the parable to his flock was for “those who believed only in themselves and were convinced that they were righteous, and despised others whom they felt were inferior.” The Pharisee’s prayer was exactly that—a self-serving attempt to tell God how righteous he was. It reeked of vanity, an inflated ego and self aggrandisement.
Jesus wants us to notice the difference in the prayer of the tax collector: “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!’” (verse 13).
Here was an obvious situation where the man recognized his guilt, and he stood far off from Jesus. He acknowledged his sins and asked for God’s mercy. He was asking God to forgive him for what he did.
So what was the lesson of the Pharisee and the Tax collector that Jesus is trying to teach us?Jesus explains : “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” (verse 14).
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 which he demonstrated by calling upon His mercy and forgiveness.
The Bible often speaks of being justified, made free from guilt, by faith. “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law”.
Some people think they can be justified, made righteous and 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 tax collector repented. He acknowledged that he was a sinner and asked for God’s mercy, and God heard his cry.
In conclusion, Christ reminded his followers, that “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (verse 14). The tax collector was humble and was repentant for what he had done. He was the one justified. The Pharisee was not humble, but was quite proud instead, and was not justified.
The Bible often speaks of the need to avoid pride. God often gives us specific personal convictions as we grow in our faith. But when we wear those convictions like a crown and openly criticize those who don’t share them, we are expressing a holier-than-thou attitude. Not in alignment with what Jesus expects of us his followers.
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.
The tax collector exhibits precisely what Jesus spoke about in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Being poor in spirit means admitting we have nothing to offer to God to atone for our sins. 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. Humility.
When we try to justify ourselves by comparing ourselves to others, we naturally end up despising them.
Dr. Marianne Furtado de Nazareth is former Assistant Editor for Deccan Herald, a freelance journalist for the Hindu and Adjunct faculty at St. Joseph’s College of Media Studies and Mount Carmel’s College for Women.