Bible Verses of the Week

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹ Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: ¹⁰ “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! ¹² I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ ¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (NLT, Luke 18:9–14)

The Pharisees were a devout religious group who prayed three times daily and observed every detail of the Jewish Law. Tax collectors were the most despised people in Jewish society of Jesus' time. They collected taxes for the hated Roman Empire, often demanding more than was due and keeping the excess for themselves.

Surprisingly, it was the tax collector who found favor with God because he was sorrowful for his sins and begged God for mercy. The Pharisee did not really pray; he just informed God of how holy he was. He did not even realize he was committing the sin of self-righteousness!

Self-righteousness, or thinking we are better than those we consider "sinners," is one of the sins condemned most often in the New Testament (Matthew 7:1-5, 9:10-13, 23:25-28, 1 John 1:8-10, James 4:11-12).