Message
Luke 18:9-14
The Pharisee and The Tax Collector
Let’s open our Bibles and turn to Luke 18:9-14 where we find the parable of the Pharisee
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Those who first heard this parable would have been shocked.
The tax-collector, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified.
To be justified means your sin has been forgiven.
The free grace of God has been applied to your life.
God Himself declares you as righteous.
Justified – that is how the tax-collector is identified. And, in this particular situation, the Pharisee is not justified. How is that possible?
The crowds would be asking this question because the Pharisees were highly regarded spiritual leaders in the Jewish community at the time.
To see why we need to go back to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 587BC. Up to that point all worship in Israel was focussed on the temple and the sacrificial system. In 587BC Nebuchadnezzar’s army comes and flattens the temple … and then for good measure they set fire to the rubble.
Now there is no temple.
But did the religion of Israel die?
Not at all.
When the temple was destroyed godly men developed a pattern of worship that centred on the book of the law – our Old Testament. The spiritual descendants of these godly men were the Pharisees.
The Pharisees built synagogues, taught the Scriptures, and tried to maintain a distinctive Biblical identity amongst their people. The Pharisee were the ones who strongly resisted the secular influence of Babylon, then Persia, then Greek, and then Rome. As each new world power gained position the Pharisees maintained the spiritual life of the nation. In the first century, when Jesus lived, the Jewish religion is thriving. Synagogues are found in most cities, not just in Israel but all over the Roman world. The Jews were still worshipping God, living a distinctive way of life and teaching the Scriptures to their own children.
Much credit for this spiritual situation goes to the Pharisees and they were highly honoured and respected as a result. The first century historian, Josephus, says
The cities give great attestations to (the Pharisees), on account of their entire virtuous conduct, both in the actions of their lives, and their discourses also.
Josephus Antiquities Book 18, Chapter 1, Paragraph 3
The community valued the Pharisees. That same community hated tax-collectors. To be a tax-collector in the Roman Empire you needed to be a citizen of the country which was occupied. So the tax-collectors in first century Israel were Jews. Jews who had made a bid for the contract to collect tax on behalf of the Roman government. In the eyes of the community tax-collectors were traitors … worse than traitors … because they were also corrupt.
When a tax-collector made an estimate on how much tax you owed … well that was law. If citizens didn’t like the tax estimate, or they wouldn’t pay, all the tax-collector had to do was ask the Roman military for help to get the money. Even when the estimate was much more than required by the Roman government. Everyone knew that tax-collectors were pocketing more money than they should have been – which is how they became rich and even influential.
Tax-collectors were lying and cheating traitors who work for the Roman enemy to rip off their fellow citizens in order to make a personal fortune. How is it possible that this tax-collector is justified … is declared righteous … rather than the Pharisee.
Let’s go back to the context of the parable.
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable
Luke 18:9
We could call this comparative righteousness.
… we compare our righteousness to others.
… we then congratulate ourselves because our righteousness is better than the righteousness of others.
I am not like others. I am a better spiritual example. I am a better Christian.
Salvation in not found in comparative righteousness. There are two reasons for this.
The first reason is found in Romans 3:10-12
There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.
All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.
Comparative righteousness forgets that God doesn’t compare us to each other, God compares us to Himself. By that standard – no-one has a righteousness of their own. By that standard no-one would be saved.
The other reason salvation is not found in comparative righteous is that there will always be people who have a great faithfulness than you.
I find it interesting that when non-believers, or people who don’t want to minimise the need for religion, what to show how good they are they will say things like:-
“I’m not as bad a Adolf Hitler.”
Or “I have never murdered anyone.”
How come these same people don’t say things like:-
I’m not as good as Nelson Mandela.
Or I’m couldn’t do anything like Mother Teresa.
Why do we always compare to that which we perceive is worse.
Even the Pharisee in the parable does this … “I am not like other people – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector.” I compare myself to the worst. Hey Pharisee, why don’t you compare yourself to other Pharisees?
Paul makes this point in Philippians 3:4-6
If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
You want to compare?
I know people – indeed I know hundreds of people – who have memorised the whole of the Old Testament. Not in English, but in the original Hebrew language.
That’s what 100’s, even 1000’s, of Jews today can do.
Do they have salvation and righteousness?
Salvation in not found in comparative righteousness.
Salvation is found in the grace of God as we come to him in faith.
That is why the tax-collector goes home justified.
He has come to the temple. A tax collector. A Roman-loving, money grubbing, skimming-from-the-top tax collector. He finds an out of the way place in the temple courts and He keeps his eyes to the ground.
He is prayer. The same prayer. Not just once. Multiple times. "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!"
Actually, we need to correct the English translation a bit. In Greek He doesn’t call himself a sinner … he calls himself the sinner.
No comparisons.
No excuses.
No looking around to justify his actions.
Just an admission of his offensive behaviour. The sinner.
And He has come to the right place to make such an admission … for He is in the temple. At the time the temple was the place God had provided so that sin could be dealt with.
The temple was open for sinners.
The ministry of forgiveness was conducted there.
God would accept the sacrifice of a lamb.
When understood correctly the temple was the OT expression of the Gospel … the good news that sin had been paid for.
Listen to these words from 2 Chronicles 6:29-30. They are spoken by Solomon on the day when the first temple was opened.
When a prayer or plea is made by anyone among your people Israel – being aware of their afflictions and pains, and spreading out their hands towards this temple – then hear from heaven, your dwelling-place. Forgive, and deal with everyone according to all they do, since you know their hearts (for you alone know the human heart),
There is no temple today … but the good news is just as real … and the sacrifice is just as significant.
The sacrifice has been made.
Jesus has paid the price.
The Son who was given because of the love of God.
The One who laid down His life.
The One who has known each of us from the foundation of the world.
No comparing with others. Just looking at each one of us because, Jesus alone knows the human heart. So when anybody, anybody from any background walks, into God’s presence and says “God have mercy on me, the sinner,” it is God alone who is able to determine if they leave having been justified.
And, in this case, the tax-collector rather than the Pharisee goes away justified.
It is a completely unexpected ending that is calling us to reflect and think about our attitudes. The first place we want to start is to ask ourselves, do we have a list? The list which we make that could cause us to be confident in our own eyes as we look down at others?
• The youth with the multiple body piercings, the foul language and the anti-authoritarian attitude.
• The person who has been on a job search for more than three years and never really gets a job.
• Illegal immigrants who come to this nation to take our jobs and infiltrate with their non-Christian religion.
• Pregnant teenagers and single mums who have three children with three different DNA.
• Gamblers, and alcoholics and junkies – wasting their money and wrecking their families.
• The boomer generation who have had everything handed to the on a platter and still get the greatest advantages.
• Those in the LGBTI community whose agenda is to destroy the biblical family.
• Those who live good lives but who want nothing to do with religion.
• And, since these messages get heard and read by people in the USA … those Republicans and those Democrats.
Any one of these people, in any one of these lists … and so many others on so many lists
Any one of them can come into the presence of Jesus and say “God have mercy on me the sinner”. And Jesus
Jesus who alone knows the human heart because He is Immanuel – God with us.
Jesus who understand human hearts because He is one of us – yet without sin
Jesus will have mercy and forgive … and show mercy … and sent them off having been justified.
So when we say … of any of these people or group.
When we have our own list … whoever we may put on the list.
When we have an attitude which says of any person … I am righteous because I am not like them.
Well, at that point, this parable is speaking to us as those who are confident of own righteousness and look down on somebody else. At this point we are in a situation where someone else is going home justified, but we are not.
Reflect on this – it is an important salvation reflection.
Because through this parable, Jesus is directly speaking to those who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable.
But also through this parable Jesus is speaking – less directly but still speaking – to those who are not confident of their own righteousness because they look up to everyone else.
Many in the days of Jesus looked to the Pharisees and felt they would never make grade. This parable is trying to get all of these people to realise the same core truth.
Salvation in not found in comparative righteousness.
So stop comparing yourself to others and coming to the conclusion that you are not good enough.
Anybody, from any background, with any sin can come into the presence of Jesus and leave having been justified.
So even when you may be tempted to write yourself off.
Even if you come into a place where you think I am too far gone.
That sin you keep holding onto.
That spiritual baggage you keep carrying.
That box which you put yourself into.
There is a place …
No matter what other people might say …
Even if you are on their list of comparison.
There is a place to stand in the presence of Jesus and seek His mercy.
Salvation is not found in comparative righteous.
You can’t compare yourself … by looking down on others and think you are justified.
You can’t compare yourself … by looking up to others and think you are not justified.
Salvation is found only in Jesus who sees you … not comparing you to others … who sees you … and graciously offers you eternal life.
Prayer
