The tax collector

Gospel

Luke 18:9-14

The tax collector, not the Pharisee, went home justified.

Jesus spoke the following parable to some people who prided themselves on being virtuous and despised everyone else: ‘Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to himself, “I thank you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like the rest of mankind, and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all I get.” The tax collector stood some distance away, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven; but he beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” This man, I tell you, went home again at rights with God; the other did not. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’

Reflection

This parable reveals the shocking truth that our justification before God comes not from a checklist of our good deeds, but from the posture of our heart. The Pharisee’s prayer was about self-congratulation and comparison, which created a barrier between him and God. The tax collector’s prayer was one of raw, honest dependence, which opened the door to mercy. God’s grace is a gift offered to those who are humble enough to acknowledge they need it.

Question for Reflection

In my own prayer life and attitude, do I more closely resemble the Pharisee, trusting in my own righteousness, or the tax collector, throwing myself entirely on God's mercy?

Short Prayer

Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Give me the humility to see my constant need for you

and a heart that relies on your grace,not my own merits.

Amen.

Comments

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