Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity — greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Gospel Trivia:
It should be noted that the Pharisee and tax collector described in the passage are extremes. Not all Pharisees were cocky and self-righteous, many of them followed the requirements of the Law and were good examples to others.
Also, not all tax collectors were repentant. Many of them were extortionists, collecting money in behalf of the Roman empire and making fat commissions. So we should bear in mind that the ones described in the passage are not prototypes, but tendencies that were apparent among these groups at that time.
We should note the following gospel trivia:
- The setting in the story is a public worship service in the temple. In the parable, this is likely the atonement ritual. Many attend these services.
- The Pharisees believe that one must strictly follow all the requirements of the Law in order to be righteous before God. The tax collector, on the other hand, violated several of these laws, and many of them extorted from their fellow Jews. They were despised.
- Given his situation, there was no way the tax collector could ever become righteous because the Law required returning the money that he has stolen (when he over-collected taxes), and there was no way he could possibly find all the people that he stole from. He was doomed.
- Note that the tax collector “stood off at a distance” and the Pharisee was likely away from the rest of the crowd as well because he was grateful he was not like “the rest of humanity.”
This distance between the two characters provides a significant nuance in the story. They were very much apart from the crowd and from each other, and yet the Pharisee looked around and noticed the tax collector; enough for the former to compare himself with the latter. The Pharisee saw the tax collector and used him to further prop up himself.
The message of this passage is more than just humility versus self-righteousness. Jesus also deplores the self-righteousness based on comparing one’s self with others.
While we are generally conscious of our sinfulness before God, a genuine humble attitude requires we stand alone before God, and never beside someone else. When we say, “I know am not perfect, but at least I am not like him who has another woman,” or “I know I spend a lot on myself and I should think of others, but I don’t have as much jewelry as she does," are we not being like a Pharisee?
Reference:
- Nil Guillemette, SJ, Parables for Today (Makati: St. Paul Publications, 1987), p. 286-292.
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