Are You the Tax Collector or the Pharisee?

Daily Devotional – Sunday, May 1, 2022
… He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others.
Luke 18:9 (NKJV)

In the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, the former prayed, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.” (Luke 18:11-12).

What a performance! Is that not what God requires of us? Not so fast, though. Notice that the Pharisee appears righteous because he compares himself with an apparently ‘less righteous’ man, not with God.

God, be Merciful to Me a Sinner

In contrast, “…the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ (Verse 13). He feels worthless. He has no excuse or good work to cite. He just wants forgiveness.

This contrast plays out every day in our lives. Some of us feel we are closer to God than others because we subscribe to a ‘superior’ set of beliefs. We condemn or look down on those we consider inferior to us in terms religious rituals, giving and piety.

“God, I don’t need you. The other person does.”

A self-righteousness person compares himself with fellow sinners. Self-righteousness assumes the place of God. It breeds ‘holier-than-though’ Christians. It tells God, “I don’t need you. The other person does.”

Conversely, those who compare themselves with the Holy God realize how sinful they are. Like the tax collector, they bow in penitence and ask God for forgiveness. They know that in and of themselves, they cannot please God.

If those who interact closely with you were to judge you, would they say you represent the Pharisee or the tax collector?

Prayer
God, be merciful to me a sinner