Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

By Mary Vee
Luke 18

Peter

Photo by Mart Vee - The Wailing Wall, Jerusalem

My name is Peter. I am a disciple of Jesus.

Jesus used parables as a way to teach the crowds, or Pharisees, or even the disciples.

Today he told this parable to a specific group of people, the ones who felt confident of their own righteousness and as a result looked down on everybody else. 

This is the story of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector:

Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

The Pharisees are a group of highly learned men. They have studied and prepared for their very important role in the Temple for nearly their entire life. They have the sacred scrolls memorized, quote laws, and are the religious teachers for the people.

The tax collectors are Jews who were employed by the Roman government. They are told the amount to collect from each person. They also have the right to require the people to pay more than Rome demanded. This money the tax collectors could keep for themselves as their salary. Most people didn't like the tax collectors because they demanded so much from the people.

On this day when the Pharisee and the tax collector went up to the temple to pray, the Pharisee stood on the highest step and looked out at everyone standing in the court. He held out his arms calling attention to himself and said, "God, I thank you that I am not like other men. I'm not a robber, evildoer, adulterer, and thankfully I am nothing like this tax collector who is standing next to me."

He looked down at the tax collector standing on the bottom step then said, "Oh God, you know I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I receive." He said a few more words and ended his prayer.

The tax collector kept his distance from the lofty Pharisee. He kept his eyes toward the ground, not even looking up at heaven. The tax collector beat his breast and wept then said, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." That was all he managed to utter.

Jesus looked at the crowd and said, "This man, the humble tax collector, and not the arrogant Pharisee, went home justified before God. Everyone who praises himself will be humbled. He who humbles himself will be honored."

Come back to read the next story.

*Note from Mary Vee: If you have questions, please feel free to leave them in the comment section. I will see them and will answer as best I can or direct you to a source.


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sources: 
*A Harmony of the Gospels for Historical Study, An Analytical Synopsis of the Four Gospels by William Arnold Stevens and Ernest DeWitt Burton, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York 1932
*New International Version, New King James Version. 
*My Bible College training.
*My notes and walk through classes I've taught in Children's church. Answers to student questions, etc.
*Pastoral sermons on this time
*Matthew Henry Commentary
*F. LaGard Smith Commentary
*My notes from my trip to Israel.
*Photos from my trip to Israel.