Neville Turley

“The Lord said, “These people claim to worship me, but their words are meaningless, and their hearts are somewhere else. Their religion is nothing but human rules and traditions, which they have simply memorized.”  Isaiah 29:13 (GNT)

Jesus has a parable for people who believe they are a cut above the rest.  The background to the parable is at the temple courts in Jerusalem and features a Pharisee and a tax collector who had gone to pray.

The word Pharisee means the “Separated Ones”.  They were the professional religious ones of their day.  In their zeal to attain holiness and righteousness, they had added some 248 ordinances and 345 prohibitions to the 10 commandments.

These affected every aspect of their life from the way they dressed to how they washed their hands. 

Tax collectors, on the other hand, were treated with contempt.  In the eyes of the Jews they were the scum of the earth.  They were regarded as dishonest and corrupt and hated for the heavy taxes they were authorised by Rome to collect.

When the Pharisee stood up to pray, his prayer was totally self-centred; “I am not greedy, dishonest, an adulterer like everyone else.  I am not like that tax collector.  I fast two days a week and I give you a tenth of my income.” 

The tax collectors prayer was totally centred on God.  So overcome with remorse, he stood at a distance; he would not even raise his face to heaven, but beat on his breast and said; “God have pity on me, a sinner.”

Jesus said, “I tell you, the tax collector, and not the Pharisee, was in the right with God when he went home.  For everyone that makes himself great will be humbled, and everyone who humbles himself will be made great.” (Luke 18:9-14)

Let us learn from our Master.  We are all sinners.  When we pray, we must humbly confess our sins, repent of them and crave forgiveness and pardon.

Prayer:  God of all mercy, grant us grace to see our failings and turn to you for forgiveness.  Anoint us with your Holy Spirit for Jesus sake.  Amen