“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ (Luke 18:10-12)
Have you ever had a salesman approach you and, instantly, you could tell that they had selfish motives in mind? They had a smile on their face, but behind their smile they wanted something that would only benefit them. I’m not sure how you would answer that question, but I can confidently respond, “YES, and I can’t stand it!”. As seen in today’s verses, the Pharisee approaches God with a comparable type of self-centered mentality.
During biblical times, individuals would have to go up into the temple to pray. The temple stood on a mountain in Jerusalem. The tax collectors were restricted from going to pray, so it was mind-blowing to those listening when Jesus mentioned the Pharisee and Tax Collector praying together in the temple. This explains why the Pharisee “stood by himself”, so he could distance himself from the unclean, impure tax collector and give attention to his elite status.
Even though Pharisees were painted as the “bad guy”, they genuinely tried to uphold the Torah. You can see that the Pharisee is moral (v. 10-11), religiously devout (v.12), and believed his righteousness is a gift from God (v.11). Not only does he meet the Torah’s expectations, but he actually exceeds them. This is desirable and impressive, but there’s an issue with it.
His “I”-focused prayer does not contain adoration, supplication, or confession. He thanks God that he is not like other men, then lists out his performance for Him. The prayer reflects the attitude that he believes he has everything because he did not ask God for anything. The problem is: the Pharisee trusts in himself and his works, rather than God.
Based on what we know from this parable, the Pharisee is a lover of the sovereignty of God, but completely misses the point. When we go through verse fourteen, we will reveal the result of his mistake – and may I say… it is detrimental.
Our righteousness does not come from our works or deeds. We are called to “let [our] light shine before others, so that they may see [our] good works and give glory to [our] Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16), but we must not trust in them for our salvation. So, how should we then approach our Father in Heaven? We will answer that in tomorrow’s devotional as we study the prayer of the despairing tax collector.
Gracious and loving Father, forgive me of my sin of self-centeredness. How often I want to compare myself to others and see myself righteous because of my works. Grant me the strength to be morally upright, devout, and thankful for the gift of righteousness. But, remind me that I am not justified through those things. I desire to know you more and more each day. Transform my heart to be more like you. Amen.
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