⁹And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
¹⁰Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee and the other a publican.
¹¹The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
¹²I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
¹³And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
¹⁴I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

In verse nine we find the Lord addressing the self-righteous and the ones who despised those they thought were beneath them which are usually one in the same. Don't for a moment think that this Parable only applies to the people of Christ's day, for we have many today who still fit this description.

I recently read a story of a Pastor of a large old church who dressed up as a bum and sat by the front door of the church early one cold Sunday morning. He kept his head down, covered by an old hat while the congregation filed past going into service. Not a single person offered a kind word or asked him inside for the service and the warmth of the heated building. When time came for the service to start he got up and walked down the middle of the isle (much to the chagrin of the congregation) to the podium and took off the hat and old coat he had been wearing and began preaching on this very parable. Sadly I must tell you he is no longer the pastor of that church.

¹⁰Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee and the other a publican.

Pharisee's were held in high regard and I'm sure the people listening were prepared to hear the Lord extol the virtues of the Pharisee. The publicans (tax collectors) were known for being corrupt and held in low esteem, they were thought of as the worst of sinners. 11The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. The Pharisee stood in the most public place and prayed where others could hear him. In his prayers he exalted himself for his righteous living thanking God he was not as the publican. Lets just for a minute be completely honest! Have you ever had the thought "Lord I thank you that our church is not like the other churches I hear about?" Are we so much different today? I don't say these things to hurt anyone's feelings, I'm just trying to make the point that we all must constantly keep a guard on our hearts, after all wasn't pride the original sin? 12I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. This involves the "works" theology we all struggle with while missing the truth of the scriptures. Remember Abraham? By faith he was justified. The same holds true today, by faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross God justifies us, not by works. 13And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. The publican in his humility stood afar off, humbled by his sin. He could not lift his face to Heaven but could only beg for forgiveness and mercy. He knew he could never be justified; he knew he was lost in his sin and only the mercy of God could save him. 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. We find throughout scripture those who have a humble and contrite heart, those who are self-emptied or poor in spirit, those who earnestly hunger and thirst after righteousness such as we find with the Publican are the ones who are justified. Praise God for His mercy that in His plan for mankind he sent us a Saviour because He knew we would all miss the mark and be lost in our sin - God be merciful to me a sinner! Bob Goulding © 2006 Return To: