God, be merciful to me a sinner!

How do you approach God? Do you feel a need for the justification only He can provide? Do you ever compare yourself to those around you and feel superior? In this post, I’ll take a look at a parable about two different ways we can approach God.

Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others
- Luke 18:9NKJV 

I guess I don’t need to study this passage, right? After all, Jesus told this parable to those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others. No one reading this ever trusted in their own discipline and work ethic and despised others for being weak, lacking focus, or just not as smart correct?

Even if you feel like it’s not for you, let’s dig into this parable and see what we can learn from it.

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
- Luke 18:10 NKJV

In this parable, Jesus draws a stark contrast between these two character types: a Pharisee, the paragon of righteousness in the community, respected by all for their morality, and the hated figure of the tax collector. (R. C. Sproul, A Walk with God: An Exposition of Luke (Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 1999), 334.) A tax collector may seem like a random person, like an accountant, but when we look at the other mentions of a tax collector in the gospels we get a feeling for how Jews felt about tax collectors. Tax collectors are often associated with sinners (Luke 5:30; 7:34; 15:1; cf. Matt 9:10–11; 11:19; Mark 2:15–16) and even “prostitutes” (Matt 21:31–32).

Tax Collector. In NT times the Romans collected a variety of taxes. Their own officers undertook some of this work, but also delegated it to private individuals, Jews and others, who were required to return to the authorities an agreed sum. Dishonest individuals collected far more than they were required to pay and became a hated group, especially the Jews among them. The Latin name publicanus gave rise to the name “publican.” Zacchaeus, a Jew, was a “chief tax collector” who amassed considerable wealth in the Jericho area (Lk 19:2–10). Such men were regarded as sinners and were often linked in the phrase “tax collectors and sinners” (Mt 9:10, 11; 11:19; Mk 2:15, 16; Lk 5:30; 19:2–10).
- Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, “Trades and Occupations,” Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 2092.

The Pharisee

The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘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 NKJV

The Pharisee in this story was a man who trusted in his acts of devotion for his redemption. He enjoys citing crimes for which he is not guilty. He judges his character, not by the holy character of God, but by the character of those around him. He has shifted his focus away from God and towards men and women and that is the secret to his pride. He is not seeking God, he is content to be religious, focusing on outward behavior and not seeking inward transformation. He does not value love or mercy, rather he judges himself based on others and others based on himself. Those who do less than him are deemed inferior, sinners. This spirit of accusation does not resemble God or His character, but rather Satan who loves to accuse others. Why does he even bother to up to the temple? Great question! Since he is not seeking God and does not feel the need for forgiveness or help in any way and he is not going to serve his reasons must be selfish.

“The Pharisee goes up to the temple to worship, not because he feels that he is a sinner in need of pardon, but because he thinks himself righteous and hopes to win commendation. His worship he regards as an act of merit that will recommend him to God. At the same time it will give the people a high opinion of his piety. He hopes to secure favor with both God and man. His worship is prompted by self-interest.”
- Christ’s Object Lessons (Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1900), 150.

The Tax Collector

And 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!’
- Luke 18:13 NKJV

The tax collector, on the other hand, was aware of his desperate need of God. He knew he had no merit to commend him to God. His desire was for forgiveness and peace, his only plea was the mercy of God. He stood afar off indicating that he sensed a personal unworthiness to stand close to the sanctuary. The beating of his breast was a sign of contrition or grief (cf. Luke 23:48).

God, have mercy on me, a sinner. The verb used here (hilasthēti) is found elsewhere in the NT only in Heb 2:17. It means to expiate or propitiate. The noun (hilastērion) is used in this sense in Rom 3:25 (cf. also 1 John 2:2; 4:10), and in Heb 9:5 it designates the place where such expiation/propitiation takes place. The publican in his prayer sought God’s mercy in order to have his sins covered and the divine wrath removed from him.
- Robert H. Stein, Luke, vol. 24, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 450.

Justified?

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 NKJV

Jesus gave a surprise ending to the parable. His audience would have expected the Pharisee to be a positive example of true piety and the tax collector to be a negative example. The pharisee was not wrong for fasting and for tithing. His mistake was thinking that it made him superior to others and trusting in his religious behavior to save him. All of our good works could never earn our salvation, we can never achieve a right standing with God based on what we do. The main difference highlighted in this parable is the sense of need, the recognition of our poverty and sin, demonstrated by the tax collector. A sense of need makes all the difference in receiving forgiveness from God.

The Pharisee’s prayer was concerned with telling God what a good man he was, for not only did he keep the Law by fasting and tithing (v. 12), but also he considered himself better than other people (v. 11). He was using other people as his standard for measuring righteousness.

On the other hand the tax collector used God as his standard for measuring righteousness. He realized that he had to throw himself on the mercy of God for forgiveness.
- John A. Martin, “Luke,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 250.

The tax collector was not just forgiven, he was also justified. That means by grace he was given a new standing before God. The tax collector stood before God after his prayer possessing a new relationship with God. He possessed a righteousness given him by grace (cf. Phil 3:8).

Takeaway

Our attitude when we approach God makes all the difference. God does not turn anyone away who comes to Him with a sincere and contrite heart. God does not turn anyone away because they are too sinful or because their sin is too terrible. The only way you walk away from God without justification is if you don’t feel the need for it. God will not force His salvation on someone who does not want it or does not feel like she needs it. But God’s salvation is available to all who humbly come to Him in need of the forgiveness only He can offer, desiring to live a new life in Him.