Day 18- The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
Read it: Luke 18:9-14
Live it:
Today’s parable is about the heart and not just the right actions. During Jesus’ time, the Pharisees were known as the religious leaders; they were well-versed in the laws (and even added a few), and they knew how to act, but for most of them, their hearts had not surrendered to God. For these Pharisees, they were all about following the laws and appearing righteous while doing so; they missed the true message of the Gospel. The Pharisees believed they could be justified—that is, declared righteous before God—based on their actions and their identity. However, we know from Samuel’s interaction with a redheaded shepherd boy named David that God looks at the heart.
When the Pharisee from our parable is in the temple, he is not praying to God; he is speaking highly of himself. He is telling God (like God needs to know) how good he is and all the things he does well. This Pharisee is giving himself a pat on the back for a job well done this week, instead of having devoted time to praying to the One True God.
Then, we turn our attention to the tax collector. He was, most likely, a Jewish man who was hired by the Romans to collect taxes from his fellow Jews. He was probably not an honest man either; many tax collectors collected more money than was required by Rome, and they kept the extra for themselves. The other Jews hated tax collectors because they felt betrayed by their own people. When our tax collector enters the temple, he declares he is a sinner and asks God for mercy. This man understands his sin, understands that he needs a savior, and understands that God is the only one who can save him. This tax collector has greater knowledge than the well-educated Pharisee.
God is looking at your heart and nothing more. Everyone is a sinner, and everyone needs a savior. Who you are, what you do, who your family is, how good you are…NONE of those things will save you. There needs to be a deep understanding in our hearts that each one of us is a sinner, and each one of us needs Jesus to justify us and then to sanctify us. We will never be good enough on our own. Jesus is after your heart and not your list of accomplishments. He wants you – not what you do. He LOVES you for who he has created you to be. Yes, God will use you to further his Kingdom, but that is not why he loves you or desires a relationship with you.
Becca