What is the right religion? How can we be right with God? In what spirit must we approach God? These are all extremely important questions that Jesus gives answers to in His parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.
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The Good Man Lost and The Bad Man Saved
Luke 18:9-14
The overwhelming majority of people today believe that good people go to heaven, and bad people go to hell. Several years ago, a survey was conducted with 7,000 Protestant youth from many different denominations. More than 60% of these church going young people believed “The way to be accepted with God is to try sincerely to live a good life.” This morning we are going to hear a parable from the lips of Jesus Christ that will challenge that assumption.
In this parable one person ends up being justified, and the other is not justified. Now, to be “justified” is to be made right with God. It is to have all your sins forgiven, and the positive righteousness of Christ put to your account. Shockingly, the good man, the Pharisee, ends up not being justified while the bad man, the Tax Collector is justified. The good man is lost, and the bad man is saved!
Who is Jesus telling this parable to? Verse 9 says it was “some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt.” Now, what do we call it when someone trusts in himself that he is righteous? Self-righteousness. And, what will a self-righteous person do? He will view others that don’t measure up to his own supposed level of holiness with contempt. He views himself as superior, and all others as inferior to himself. So, Luke tells us, right up front, that Jesus told this parable because of the issue of self-righteousness that many of his hearers had embraced.
Now, as we look at this parable this morning, we are going to look first at how these two men were alike. Then we will look at how these two men were different. Finally, we will see some lessons that flow from this parable of Christ.
1. How Were These Two Men Alike?
1. Both Were Jews. Pharisees were a sect of the Jews. They were very strict in their obedience to the Law, and were very conservative in their theology. The word “Pharisee” means “separated one.” The Pharisees were the original Separatists. They were devoted to keeping the Law of Moses in the minutest detail. However, even though there was much that was sound in their belief system, their morality was very lax. Many did not take care of their aging parents. Jesus said in Mt. 23:3 that they say things and do not do them. He also said that they neglected justice, mercy, and faithfulness. In their hearts, they were full of robbery and self-indulgence. They were lovers of money, and devoured widow’s houses. Their religion was a shell, an outward form, but nothing more. They did all their deeds to be noticed by men. Thus, Jesus would say to them, “You serpents, brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?” Jesus had more conflict with the Pharisees than anyone else.
Tax Collectors were also Jews, although they were linked with sinners, Gentiles, and harlots in Scripture. In fact, Jesus said that when the church excommunicated someone they were to treat that person as a Gentile and a Tax Collector. The Jews had been subjugated by the Romans who taxed their subjects. The Romans hired local businessmen to collect taxes from their countrymen. The Tax Collectors made a profit by overcharging their own people because the tax rates were vague and indefinite. Most Tax Collectors were rich. The Bible says that Zacheus was very rich. These men were despised and hated by their Jewish brethren, and looked on as traitors and turncoats. They were by and large, unscrupulous, dishonest extortionists. In fact, the Jews considered their money unclean, and would not ask them for change, but would instead borrow money from a friend, so they had the exact amount of money to pay them. A Tax Collector could not tithe his money to the temple, and was not permitted to testify in court. A good Jew would not associate with them. To put this in perspective, this would be like ISIS invading and taking over America. Then some Americans volunteered to go around and collect taxes for ISIS, and deliberately overcharge their fellow Americans so as to line their own pockets.
The important thing to keep in mind is that both of these men had a religious heritage. Both of them grew up with the religion of Judaism. Both of them had heard the stories of Creation, the Fall, the Flood, and of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Both of them knew the Law. If Jesus were telling us a parable today, He might say that two men from Christian homes who were taught the Bible and attend church went up to the Church building to pray; one was a moral man and the other was a scoundrel.
2. Both Went Up To The Temple. The temple was the religious center of Israel. That’s where people went to offer sacrifices and pray. This would be like two men today who are both raised in Christian homes going to church to worship God and pray.
3. Both Believed in God. As Jews they believed in the one true and living God, the Creator of the world. They both addressed Him as “God” in prayer.
4. Both Prayed. Jesus gives us the prayers of both men. They believed in God, prayed to God, went up to the temple, and were Jews.
What does all this teach us? It shows that just because someone is raised in a Christian home, goes to Church, believes in God and prays doesn’t mean anything! The Pharisee did all of that, but he he was lost and condemned in the sight of God. We need to look for far more than someone who does these outward acts as a sign of regeneration. We need to look for evidence of a broken heart, confession of sin, repentance, and forsaking sin. These are the things we see in the Tax Collector who turns out to be saved.
2. How Were These 2 Men Different?
1. They Prayed To Different Persons. Who did the Pharisee pray to? Himself! Who did the Tax Collector pray to? God! The Pharisees prayers never got through the roof of the temple. They never got past his own mind. He wasn’t really addressing God. Oh sure, He used the name “God” as a religious token in prayer, but he was really speaking to himself. In the Pharisee’s prayer, the name of God appears once, but “I” appears five times!
In contrast, the Tax Collector was in blood earnest with God. He knew there was nothing in himself that he could trust. He knew that He needed God, and he sought Him with all his heart.
2. They Prayed in Different Postures. All the text says about the Pharisee is that he “stood”. Much more information is given us about the Tax Collector. We are told that he was “standing some distance away”. The Pharisee pressed as close to the altar as he could so that he would be in a prominent position for everyone around him to see and hear what he was doing. However, the Tax Collector felt unworthy to even be in the same company as this holy man or to come close to God. Furthermore, he was “unwilling to lift his eyes to heaven.” The Pharisee was probably lifting his hands to heaven in a prominent outward gesture to command attention. But the Tax Collector felt unworthy to even lift his eyes up. He kept them on the ground. Finally, we read that the Tax Collector was “beating his breasts.” He did not do this onece or twice, but over and over. It was as if to say that this heart was the source of all his problems. It was the fountain of poison that causes all his sins to stream forth. All of this shows his sense of shame, guilt, and hatred for what he had done.
3. They Prayed About Different Matters. The Pharisee’s prayer has been called a “monologue of self-praise” and “a soliloquy of self-congratulation.” In the end, his prayer was not really prayer at all, but simply a way to boast of his accomplishments. He said that he was not like other people. Oh really? Has he somehow found a way to escape the curse of sin and the Fall? The Bible says, “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom.3:23). Romans 3:10-12 says, “There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does God, there is not even one.” No, the sad truth, that this man didn’t have the honesty to admit, was that he was a sinner just like everyone else.
Really the Pharisee’s prayer was self-contradictory. He begins by thanking God, but then he spends the entire rest of his prayer telling God of all that he had done for Him. Unlike the Tax Collector, he doesn’t ask God for anything. There is not a single petition in this prayer. Why? Because he didn’t feel like he needed anything from God! He was doing just fine without God’s help. There is a spirit of pride, boasting, and independence that runs throughout the Pharisee’s prayer.
Now, let’s examine the prayer of the Tax Collector. It consists of seven brief words, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!” This Tax Collector is not putting on a show for others to watch. He’s not playing at prayer. He’s not playing church or acting out a part. He is in blood earnest about something – his immortal soul! His prayer is for mercy. Whereas the Pharisee didn’t ask God for anything, this Tax Collector asks God for the most important thing. He needs mercy above all things! Mercy is to not get what you deserve. This Tax Collector knew that he deserved eternal damnation. He wasn’t asking for justice. He would be the biggest fool ever to ask God to give him justice. No, he’s pleading for mercy. Why? Because he is “the sinner.” Notice, that he doesn’t say “a sinner.” No, he feels he is the greatest sinner of all. He didn’t try to hide or cover up his sins. He didn’t say, “Lord, I couldn’t help it. I was a public servant, just doing my job. I was really no worse than others. You have to understand the pressures I was under, Lord!” No, he didn’t justify himself before God, but rather condemned himself in His presence. Proverbs 28:13 says, “He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.”
Conclusion
This parable of Jesus teaches us some extremely important lessons.
- The Right Religion. In the final analysis, there are really only two religions. All other religions say “Do!” Christianity alone says “Done!” This Pharisee was operating under the religion of “Do!” That’s why he rehearsed all the things he had done for God. The Tax Collector was operating under the religion of “Done!” That’s why he asked for mercy based on a propitiatory sacrifice. Literally his prayer would have been, “God, be mercy-seated to me, the sinner!” The mercy seat was the place where the blood was shed and sprinkled so that God’s people would be shielded from His wrath. Either a religion will be based on your sacrifices or God’s. Either on His work or yours.
So, is your religion based on keeping the 10 Commandments, or praying five times a day in the direction of Mecca. Is it based on witnessing for Jehovah so many hours a week on people’s doorsteps, or being married in the Mormon temple? If so, it is based on doing, rather than what God has done in Christ for us.
- The Right Way To Approach God. The Pharisee shows us the wrong way. He sought to approach God on the basis of his deeds. What was Jesus’ verdict? Verse 14 says, “I tell you, this man (the Tax Collector) went to his house justified rather than the other.” Rather than the other! This means that the Pharisee did not go to his house justified. If he was not justified, what was he? He was condemned in the sight of God! He sought to approach God on the basis of his works, his deeds, his morality, and his goodness, but in the end he was lost!
The Tax Collector shows us the right way. Jesus say that he went down to his house justified. That means that he was forgiven of all his sins. He stood absolutely loved and accepted and pardoned by God. But, how did he get those blessings? What deeds did he perform? What good works did he do? None!!! On the contrary, the only thing he did was frankly admit that he was an unworthy sinner and then plead for mercy.
- The Right Way To Be Justified. The Pharisee justified himself and God condemned him. The Tax Collector condemned himself and God justified him. The Pharisee exalted himself, but Jesus said he would be humbled (which would include being brought low down to hell). The Tax Collector humbled himself, but Jesus said he will be exalted (raised up to heaven). The one who trusted in himself that he was righteous, was really unrighteous before God. The one who knew he was unrighteous was declared righteous by God. The one who went up to the temple full, came home empty, but the one who went up to the temple empty, came home full.
What is the right way to be justified by God? It is not to put your hope or confidence or trust in anything that you are, or have done, or will ever do! Instead, it is to put all your hope, confidence and trust in what Jesus Christ has already done. He died as a propitiation so that God would be merciful to us. He has already satisfied God’s wrath. He has already offered Himself as an acceptable sacrifice to God.
Listen to the words of Romans 3:21-24, “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.”
Or, hear the words of Romans 4:3-5, “For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.”
Or again Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Or Titus 3:5, “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.”
In all these passages, Scriptures emphasizes that our salvation is not the result of something we have done, our works, or deeds. Rather, it is based on what God has done in Christ, and the grace that comes to us when we simply receive it by faith.
What about you? Who do you identify with in this parable? Are you like the Pharisee or the Tax Collector? What kind of religion do you have? Is it based on “Do!” or “Done”? How are you seeking to approach God? Is it based on your own righteousness, or the righteousness of Christ? How are you seeking to be justified by God? Are you trusting in yourself that you are righteous and viewing others with contempt, or are you relying solely on God’s mercy that comes to those who trust Him? These are very sober questions that demand our complete attention. To make a mistake here is fatal. You must come to understand the Biblical gospel of God’s free grace, and then put all your trust in Him. To trust in yourself in any way will spell eternal destruction. I urge you to humble yourself, and confess your sin and guilt to God, and plead with Him for mercy. Every other way leads to everlasting death.
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