Parable of Pharisee and Publican

Our current parable (Lk18:9-14) still staying with prayer is now not about the persistence, consistence of prayer but the attitude in prayer when we pray. We will see the parable gives two very distinct ways.

Insert (Lk18:9-14) -ask the general questions

Luke 18:9–14 NASB95

9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Background:

Our characters, Pharisee and Publican (tax collector) - both would be very well known to the people listening

To gain understanding, we need to understand some religious, social, and political conditions of that day.

Religious sects at the time, Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Herodians, and Zealots (varied on doctrinal beliefs) -each would have had influence with people.

Without a doubt they would have come in contact with Jesus.

Pharisees came to be sometime after the Babylonian captivity

Pharisees were very steeped in tradition, beliefs, or interpretations, of the Law. - aka the tradition of the Jews as you may read Jesus saying in the gospels.

Pharisees traditions like the others were passed down orally at the time, from generation to generation. it was in the early 2nd century they started to truly record them and gather them in what was to be called the “Talmud”

Pharisees raised traditions to equal scripture and Jesus rebuked them about that as you can read in the gospels.

Pharisees taught the right things, but did not necessarily do the right things (insert Mt23:2-3); Paul was a Pharisee, and still had it wrong (consider Act23:5-8; Php3:4-6)

Pharisees were very strict and very legalistic . This man, without a doubt was a religious, well scripture knowing man who help closely to the law of Moses and the prophets.

Our second character, the publican, the tax collector.

Despised by the Jews for they felt they were sell outs for Rome

Good description: “In Judea, under the [Roman] system, all circumstances combined to make the publican the object of bitter hatred. He represented and exercised in immediate contact, at a sore spot with individuals, the hated power of Rome. Th tax itself was looked upon as an inherent religious wrong, as well as civil imposition, and by many the payment of it was considered a sinful act of disloyalty to God. The tax-gatherer, if a Jew, was a renegade in the eyes of his patriotic fellows. He paid a fixed sum for the taxes, and received for himself what he could over the above amount.” (Louis Matthews Sweet- “Tax;” ISBE)

Look at how Jesus even referred about Tax collectors

Matthew 18:17 NASB95

17 “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

then

Matthew 21:17 NASB95

17 And He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.

Pharisees looked down on them (re: Lk5:30; and our passage today).

There we have our two characters, a legalist, and an extortioner, per se.

Jesus uses that as the starting point in the parable to teach on the heart, attitude in prayer.

Explaining the text:

Pharisee boastful, proud of personal accomplishments and deeds

Pharisee prayed about, well look again (Insert Lk18:10 again) - prayed to himself. - - - this should not be a time to exalt oneself, but to humble oneself.

Womack: “Prayer is never a time to exalt oneself; it is a deeply personal communion of a frail, finite human being with the eternal, infinite God of all creation. The publican, on the other hand, showed deep humility in His prayer.”

Look how Jesus addressed this (Insert Lk18:9, again) - some who trusted in themselves and their apparent righteousness, and contempt of others.

In the Greek the word confidence is defined as “put one’s confidence in himself.”

In the Greek the contempt of others (look down) is defined as “to consider or treat as nothing.”

The Pharisee spoke of his fasting, twice a week. That is not the law, the law requires once a year on Day of Atonement (see Lev16:29ff) But the Talmud as mentioned before gives direction for twice a week. But what did Jesus say about fasting? (Insert Mt6:16-17)

Matthew 6:16–17 NASB95

16 “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 17 “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face

The Pharisee spoke of his “giving aka: Tithing;” but that was not even when the law said ref: Lev27:30-32) it is give from what you have, not from what you get.

Purpose and application:

This parable is about humility in prayer.

This is addressed to some who were confident of their own self-righteousness.

Jesus uses this for a powerful lesson that we can all learn from when it comes to prayer.

First, learn humility is a key ingredient in prayer. It is being humble before God knowing that we need total dependence on Him. - if we do not know that, than we cannot know we need to pray in the first place. SO in the first place may we come humbly in full dependence on God through Jesus Christ

The reason the publican went home justified is that he knew of the spiritual bankruptcy of his life as Womack stated.

Second, the contrast in this parable shows the difference between the Pharisee’s prayer and the Publican’s prayer.

Pharisee’s prayer: No humility before God; Boasting sell, trying to sell self to God by His words and money

Pharisee’s prayer does not acknowledge the frailty of man, the sinfulness of man, and spoke of self-righteousness.

Pharisee’s prayer does not thank God, except in a boast that he is not like others; Prayer does not ask for anything from God since trusted his own self-righteousness. He parades himself, boasts of himself not of God who gave him all things.

Pharisee’s points to others sins, not acknowledging his own.

Publican’s prayer: Demonstrates total dependence and humility before God. So humble, he would not even look up.

Publican’s prayer: Confesses his own sinfulness.

Publican’s prayer: He begged for mercy, for forgiveness

Results:

The Pharisee asked for nothing, but only received a humbling by the Lord for was not walking away justified (ref: Lk18:14).

The Publican walked away justified before God (ref: Lk18:14) - God would exalt the publican and humble the Pharisee.

Jesus had already taught about prideful prayers (Insert Mt6:5-8)

Learning to live the parable

When we consider the majesty of God (Insert Ps8) then who are we that we can approach Him with anything, the only way we can truly come is humbly, like the Publican.

Psalm 8 NASB95

For the choir director; on the Gittith. A Psalm of David. 1 O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens! 2 From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength Because of Your adversaries, To make the enemy and the revengeful cease. 3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; 4 What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? 5 Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! 6 You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, 7 All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field, 8 The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas. 9 O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth!

Learning to live the parable, our take-away’s

First, as just mentioned we need to come before God in humility, with humility. - Jesus humbled Himself (Php2:3); even washing the disciples feet (Mt13:1ff). So come in humility, want to learn about humility, think of others more, first, and serve them. Remember if you do, then you are doing it unto the Lord (ref: Mt25:40-45)

Second, We must remember that a person’s prayer is answered on the basis of the state of his/her heart rather than on the number of legal codes obeyed.

Don’t be proud of your obeying, be obeying because the One you love.

He will answer in accordance to His will.

The Pharisee obeyed the rules, traditions of the Father, the oral law, but was not living in loving submission to God. May we remember when we pray.

(insert Mt6:6)

Matthew 6:6 NASB95

6 “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

this is a prayer that is pleasing to God, between you and him, not concerned about rules, traditions, but in your own dependence of God.. Pray to be heard by God, not seen by man!

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