An Opposite Picture of Two Men Praying - Ben Bailey

An Opposite Picture of Two Men Praying

                Jesus often spoke parables, or earthly stories with a heavenly meaning, to help us see and feel in a very vivid way a certain need or problem.  In Luke 18:9-14 Jesus spoke a parable to people who were putting trust in themselves and their own ability to be righteous.  Not only were these self-righteous people lacking in humility, but they were also looking down on other people who did not fit their paradigm for what righteousness should look like.  In a world where we place so much emphasis on the outer beauty and appearance of things, Jesus also teaches a powerful lesson in this parable about what God is really looking for in righteousness.

                Jesus begins by showing us two men on diametrically opposite paths in life.  Jesus said, “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector” (Luke 18:10).  The Pharisees of Jesus day were middle class businessmen who placed a heavy emphasis upon the first 5 Book of the Old Testament (The Torah) and all the oral traditions and commands handed down to the Jews through the centuries.  Many of the Pharisees were self-righteous and smug in their delusion that they were pleasing to God because of the strictness in keeping the letter of the Law.  Of the Pharisees Jesus pointed out that “They do not practice what they preach” (Mt. 23:3) and by focusing on the strictness of the Law they had neglected the weightier matter which included justice, mercy and faithfulness (Mt. 23:23).  The common word Jesus used for the Pharisees was “hypocrites” (Mt. 15:7ff).  The other man in the story, the tax collector, was looked at as the polar opposite of the Pharisees.  Tax collectors were often of the Jewish nation but were looked at as traitors because they worked for the Roman Government in the dirtiest job of all—collecting taxes for their captor Rome!  In short, think of the tax collectors as an IRS agent who is about to audit your taxes.  In the mind of the Pharisees, they were equated with filthy sinners (Mark 2:15-16). 

                These two religious minded men have two totally different mindsets as is recorded in their prayers.  Scripture records, “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even this tax collector” (Luke 18:11).  In contrast, the Tax collector wouldn’t even approach the temple but stood at a distance beat his breast and prayed, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!”  Have you ever noticed that a person’s prayer tells you a lot about the person praying?  We can clearly tell the prideful and self-righteous nature of the Pharisee by his prayer and the humble and unworthy nature of the tax collector by his prayer.  

                These men also stand in stark contrast to each other by “what” they ask for in prayer.  The Pharisee starts out on the right note of thankfulness to God but quickly goes off the rails.  He thanks God “that I am not like other men” and he reminds God of how good he is by saying, “I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess”.  In essence he says, “God thank you that I’m better than everybody else and aren’t you glad for all that I do for you!”  What a pious and religious hypocrite!  This man thinks God needs him!  In opposition to the Pharisee, the tax collector knows who he really is and knows what he really needs.  He’s honest with himself and God when he humbly says, “God be merciful to be a sinner” (Luke 18:13).  This man’s prayer is so amazing on so many different levels.  It’s a one sentence prayer containing just six words that echoed in the halls of Heaven and for all time in Scripture!  In fact, Jesus placed His approval on this tax collector by saying, “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:14). 

                What is it Jesus wants us to learn from these two men and their prayers?  Who you think you are, what you think you have done, your family religious history and others view of you, and your accomplishments is not what matters to God.  What matters to God is that we realize who we really are and how much we need God.  We are all sinners (Rom. 6:23).  We are all unworthy servants (Luke 17:10).  All the things we might like to put in the win column for our righteousness, are really like filthy rags to God (Isa. 64:6).  The whole point of Jesus' parable is this: Until we realize our own unworthiness and need for God and turn to Him in humility, we cannot be what God wants us to be.  It’s not about you; it’s about God and His grace!    This passage beautifully illustrates the words of James when He said, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:10).    May each of us have the prayer and attitude of the tax collector, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”-- Ben Bailey