Pharisee or Tax Collector?

Most Christians and many non-Christians are familiar with the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14). I was looking at this one recently and I thought about it differently than I usually do.

For a quick summary, the parable talks about two men, one a highly esteemed Pharisee and the other a lowly and disrespected tax collector, both of whom went up to the temple to pray. The Pharisee thanked God that he was “not like other men–extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.” He congratulated himself for “fasting twice a week and giving tithes of all that he possesses”. On the other hand, the tax collector stood far off and “would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast, saying ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!'”.

As verse 9 says, “Jesus told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others”. Afterwards, in verse 14, he said that the tax collector was “justified” (basically, declared to be righteous) rather than the Pharisee “for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted”. It seems obvious to most that, in God’s eyes, the tax collector would be justified, the Pharisee condemned.

Since becoming a Christian I always looked at this parable and thought about myself as the tax collector. But now I think maybe the point Jesus was trying to make is that perhaps most (or even all) of us look at ourselves as the one who is “justified”. I was so smug in the assurance that I was not like the proud and arrogant Pharisee but merely a humble servant of God trying to do his best. After reading this parable again the other day, I suddenly realized how “proud” I was to be humble which, of course, is not being humble at all. I compared myself to people who I thought didn’t “get it” and I exhorted myself for “overcoming” my ignorance and becoming a “good person”. Wow, re-thinking this through this story brings me to a sobering realization.

Well, one good thing came out of it anyway. Unlike many people, at least I realized that I was no better than the Pharisee. Oops…there I go again.