Luke 18:9-12 9And to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and who looked down on others he also told this parable: 10“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying these things: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people, robbers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’
Jesus’ next teaching is in the form of a parable. The parable is connected to the previous teaching and defines what faithfulness from verse 8 looks like. The story was directed at a specific target audience who are not named but described. These people had two problems. First, they thought they were righteous because of all the religious things they were doing. They were self-confident that they were right with God because they outwardly looked good. They trusted in themselves and not in God’s grace. They had no humility. Second, they looked down on others. By elevating themselves in their own eyes, they lowered everyone else. Contempt is a poison that can infiltrate the life of the self-righteous and destroy any righteousness that might be there and replaces it with pride.
The parable has two characters. The mention of a Pharisee suggests that they are the target of the some (tinas) of verse 9. The story takes place in the temple precincts where people went to pray. The temple was on a hill in Jerusalem, which was built on a mountaintop, so everything was up to the temple. The two characters each were notorious for certain qualities. The focus is first on a Pharisee. Pharisees were known for being the religious elite. They stringently obeyed the law and observed various pious activities, like prayer and tithing. This Pharisee in this story fits this stereotype.
The first description of the Pharisee is him standing by himself and praying. Rather than mingling in the crowd of worshippers, he was out in the open and wanted everyone to notice him. It is possible to translate verse 11 as the Pharisee “praying to himself” as if his prayers never made it to God but only to his own mind. His prayer also revealed his wrong thinking. First, he compares himself by judging others. All the people listed were the “bad” sinners of the day: robbers, cheaters, wicked, sexually immoral, and, finally, tax collectors. The last person in the Pharisee’s prayer prepares for the second character of the story. The Pharisee had no humility but tried to make himself look good even by boasting to God.
Second, the Pharisee boasts in his religious piety of fasting and tithing. Religious Jews did both of these as part of their spiritual disciplines. There is nothing wrong with fasting or tithing. In fact, Scripture commands God’s people to do both, and Jesus modeled both. The problem was the Pharisee’s attitude of pride about what he did. This Pharisee fulfilled the law and even went over and above the typical Jew. From the outside, he was a model Jew in all ways. But inwardly, he had a very serious problem that would keep him from God’s kingdom. Pride, arrogance, and an attitude of superiority can creep into the lives of those who are sincere in their religious practices. Trusting in oneself can lead to spiritual bankruptcy.
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