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The Parable Of The Pharisee And The Publican

by Chris Simmons

Jesus declared that the parable we read in Luke 18:10-14 was for those “people who trust in themselves that they are righteous.” When we reflect on Romans 3:23 and the fact that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” how can anyone ever conclude that we can trust in ourselves for our righteousness? Paul instead wrote in Philippians 3:8-9, “More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.” Beyond this primary lesson that all must learn, we need to learn that this parable is also about:

The danger of comparisons. The Pharisee in this parable chose to compare himself to the publican rather than to the Lord. When we establish our righteousness by comparing ourselves to other fallible human beings, we are in grave danger of simply finding others who we deem to have committed more egregious sins than we consider ourselves to have committed and reaching the conclusion that Pharisee reached. Paul wrote in II Corinthians 10:12, “For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves, and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding.” Rather, our “measure” for comparison should only be “the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).

The danger of focusing on the external rather than the internal. The Pharisee looked at things outwardly, not the true inward condition of his heart. Righteousness that is simply external when the inner man is governed by iniquity and lawlessness is described as hypocrisy (Matthew 23:27-28) and will condemn our souls. Our self perspective needs to begin in the “inner man” (II Corinthians 4:16) and our focus needs to be not focused on things “outwardly” but on that which is “within” (II Corinthians 10:7) – as God sees us (I Samuel 16:7).

The danger of false standards of righteousness. To many Pharisees, as long as they fasted, prayed, and tithed, they were righteous and pleasing to God. The standard of righteousness they created was not God’s. Their standard of righteousness was simply what was seen by other men (Matthew 6:1) to which Jesus said in Matthew 5:20, “unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.” There is no teacher, preacher, or elder today who can establish a standard of righteousness other than what we read in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The danger of not knowing, living, and teaching the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). It is not disputed that the Pharisee knew, lived, and taught some of the Law. But did he know, practice, and teach it all? The Pharisee in this parable addressed the fact in his prayer that he was not a swindler, adulterer, or unjust person and that he fasted and tithed – was that all that the Law required of him? Jesus spoke of their attention to tithing while they “neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness” (Matthew 23:23). There are many pulpits in the world today from which you can hear a portion of the divine truth but which fail to teach all that God chose to reveal to us. We are to be warned as Jeremiah the prophet was in Jeremiah 26:2 – “speak … all the words that I have commanded you to speak to them. Do not omit a word!”

The need for humility. The Pharisee displayed great pride and arrogance when he compared himself to the publican and exhibited a great air of superiority. The publican’s awareness of his sinful condition led him to humbly seek the mercy or compassion of God. First, in the sight of God (James 4:10; I Peter 5:6), and then before others (I Peter 3:8), God expects a heart of humility that recognizes our transgressions before Him and our dire need for forgiveness.

The need for acknowledgment of sin. Humility flows when we honestly confess our sins and acknowledge them and turn from them. The publican could say nothing of himself before God than “God be merciful to me, a sinner.” Solomon wrote in Proverbs 28:13, “He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.” This is exemplified by David in Psalms 51:3-4, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight so that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge.” Before, baptism, before repentance, before confession, we must begin with our acknowledgement of our lost and undone spiritual condition.

The need for anguish and remorse over sin. The publican displayed his remorse for his sins in that he “was unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven” and stood “beating his breast” – both signs of great remorse and regret. It’s one thing to recognize that we are “poor in spirit,” it’s a whole other thing to “mourn” over our sins against God (Matthew 5:3-4) which leads to true biblical repentance (II Corinthians 7:10-11).

The need for atonement. The publican recognized that he was without means of atoning for his own sins and sought the mercy of God. “God be merciful to me a sinner.” The publican desired that atonement be made for himself as one incapable of atoning for himself. Those Jews on the day of Pentecost realized the same thing when they asked, “brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:38). The Philippian jailor also realized his need for atonement when he asked of Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30).

Again, the key point of this parable is that the Pharisee saw his salvation in himself while the publican saw his salvation only through God’s mercy and grace. But we need to remember these other lessons taught in this parable.

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