Written by Jolene Chong
When I was studying overseas, I worshipped with the church of Christ in Wimbledon, London. Every few months, we would receive a visit from Raymond Fox, a preacher, brother-in-Christ and friend from the Salinas congregation in California.
I enjoyed his sermons, which presented messages from the Bible with this remarkable blend of philosophy and regard for human character. His lessons offered intelligent insight to passages I have read since young, and provided encouragement in a down-to-earth manner. My acknowledgements also go to him for this devotion, which includes what I learnt from his sermon about a well-known parable: the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18: 9-14).
In Luke 18, the passage is as follows:
9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 “Two men went up to 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 You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 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!’ 14 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.”
We see two men from different backgrounds being discussed in Luke; the Pharisee and the tax collector. To provide historical context, the Pharisees were members of a political and religious Jewish sect. These men followed and interpreted the traditional Law of Moses during Jesus’ era, and were held in great esteem by the Jewish community as exemplary leaders.
Alongside them in that era were tax collectors, men who went from door to door to collect unpaid taxes on behalf of the Roman empire under whom Israel was ruled by then. They were detested by the Jews, including the Pharisees, for many had turned to corruption and greed, taking more than owed and pocketing it for personal gain.
Knowing this, one crucial point to realise is that Jesus did not yield to the Jewish public’s societal views to “sell the story”. The Pharisee was not a hero, nor the tax collector a villain. Instead, He challenged the minds of those listening to Him, using characters who were not quite as expected to explain His message. We, the readers in this century, are also shown that it is a mistake to judge others so quickly by their reputations, as impressions can be proven wrong.
Likewise, Jesus used part of His lesson to highlight the body language and speech of these two men, which contrasted their historical stereotypes. The Pharisee, supposedly a holy, upright man, stood and offered a prayer that quickly shifted from gratitude to blowing his own trumpet and putting others down. The tax collector, a man with negative labels who had every avenue to be smug or boastful, would not even look up from his shame, and simply begged for God’s mercy while physically striking his own chest. From their conduct before God, we see their mindsets, clear as day.
These are men who lived in very different times, and had very different occupations from each other as well as us modern Christians. Yet, their natures, as old as time, are recognisable even now. We were not told in the Bible about what happened afterwards, but what we do take away is the main lesson that Jesus delivered to his listeners: no matter your standing in life, being humble is extremely important, both before God as well as before others.
During Raymond’s sermon about this parable, he brought up an interesting point. At first glance, the passage appears to discuss only two distinct characters, namely the Pharisee and tax collector. However, upon reading further, the final part of verse 14 in Luke 18 shows an extra two people to consider…
14 ”…for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
It is not enough to avoid turning into an extreme of pride as the Pharisee was. At the end of this parable, Jesus wisely tells us of the need to shun any level of arrogance altogether, focusing instead on kindness and humility. This is supported throughout the rest of the Bible: for example, James 4:6 states ‘But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble”, while Ephesians 4:2 says “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love”.
How amazing, that so much can be learnt from one short parable alone! Hopefully, this sharing was able to provide encouragement or insight regarding an often-quoted part of Jesus’ teachings.
Sources:
https://www.gotquestions.org/Sadducees-Pharisees.html
http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/pharisees/
Friedrichsen, Timothy A. (2005). “The Temple, a Pharisee, a Tax Collector, and the Kingdom of God: Rereading a Jesus Parable (Luke 18:10-14A)”. Journal of Biblical Literature. 124 (1): 89–119.
https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-tax-collectors.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_collector#cite_note-