If you pay attention to the Luke Chapter 18 up to verse 14 you’ll notice it is one of the rare examples of where Luke places some sayings of Jesus to no particular time. The “anchor” of these sayings are who they are said to. This might seem like a curious thing to point out but when we consider that Luke says at the beginning of his Gospel that he has interviewed all the witnesses to get a timely order of events, his addition of some things that aren’t relegated to particular timeframe add greater weight of authenticity of his Gospel.
A notion known as the “Criterion of Embarrassment” is a historical critical method employed by scholars. This criterion suggests that if an event or saying in the Gospels would have been embarrassing or awkward for the early Christian community, it is less likely to have been invented and more likely to be historically authentic. Typically only addressed to “episodes” here we can use it for Luke’s implication that he doesn’t know when these sayings took place. Simply who they were said to. Since everything else about Luke’s Gospel is timeline focused this is of great importance, if he was lying he would have just said when this happened but he explicitly doesn’t.
9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others:
At some point during his ministry Jesus addressed a parable to prideful individuals. Parables are the perfect method of penetrating a persons heart. Like King David in the Old Testament, blind to his own pridefulness, was keenly aware of his own sinful activity when it was veiled in a parable by the Prophet Nathan. Our ability to notice sin in others is a two sided blade when parables are used on us, we just see characters and we easily notice who is being evil or good but then someone points the finger at you saying “You are the bad guy in this story”. Specifically this parable is addressed to those who are consider themselves righteous, that is just before God yet also despise others.
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
Two men go to the Temple to pray, this was typical for Jews who lived in the Holy City to pray at the hours made traditional by the Prophet Daniel back in the Exile. One of these individuals is a Pharisee, a legitimate teaching authority of God before the advent of the New Covenant and a tax-collector, a public servant of the foreign Roman empire, not only were tax-collectors likely to abuse their posts, and therefore steal from their fellow Jews but by working for the Romans they were infringing on many covenant Laws. So we are seeing, generally, a man perceived as great by the people (the world) and someone perceived as scum by the people (the world).
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.’
No one (in this timeframe) except our Lord and our Lady are exempt from Sin. All require repentance regardless of station because even the best of the Jew’s are far from where God wants them to be. St John the Baptist would preach this repentance to all during his ministry but many in the Jewish leadership because of their inherited status and covenant offices perceived themselves as essentially perfect. There idea of praying in the Temple is thanking God that they aren’t sinners, although the thanking is a good idea, the intention behind it is obviously wrong. He thinks he is perfect because he is not an extortioner, unjust, an adulterer or like the tax collector. He even fasts twice a week and gives a tenth of all his money away. We are called to be perfect like our heavenly father is perfect. If you consider these things side by side with what God is, the scale is vastly different. God isn’t just good because he isn’t any of these things, this is like a bare minimum of expectations of a human being from God’s perspective for a human being an even then it is still rather incomplete.
13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’
The tax collector has no rich words, he can’t even look up to heaven. He simply beats his breasts and says “God, be merciful to me a sinner!”. The Old Testament is littered with God’s preference of contrition (humility) over liturgical actions. Liturgical actions without humility are empty. The Pharisee can do all the legal requirements, he can tick all the boxes but does it with no humility, in fact it only puffs him up.
(Psalm 51:16-17)
“For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”
(Deuteronomy 10:16, 30:6)
“Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer.”
“The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.”
(Joel 2:12-13)
“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.”
(Isaiah 58:5-7)
“Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? No, this is the fast I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice…”
Just to name a few.
It does not mean to get rid of liturgical actions, Jesus himself set up the new passover meal which the Church offers as sacrifice every day, he definitely intends for us to have liturgy but liturgy without a contrite spirit is lesser, for ourselves that is. We get what we pour out as Jesus says. The parable highlights in strong contrast for easy understandability for those listening. One of these men is more just.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Jesus tells his audience that the tax collector, considered to be the worst of the worst in Jewish society, typically associating them with public sinners like prostitutes went home justified whereas the piously perceived Pharisee did not. The exaltation of an individual must be done by God, not by man. If man exalts himself, God will humble him. If man humbles himself, God will exalt him. This applies to all, not just tax collectors or Pharisees but the contrast helps Jesus’ messaging more obvious and no doubt perked up the ears of those who were Pharisees or supported them. Pharisees were the most dominant religious/political sect in Second Temple Judaism it is rather unlikely some of their number did not hear about this.
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