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Have you ever uttered these phrases?
“Well, I’m not really that bad.”
“I’m not as bad as _________.”
“I’ve done ________ so I’m a pretty good person.”
We’ve probably all muttered these phrases to ourselves at one point or another. The Pharisees believed these statements wholeheartedly. They based their self-worth on the premise that they obeyed God and did what He said. They believed in their hearts that they were good enough. They had done enough good to outweigh the bad. This is really the philosophy that so many have in life today, isn’t it?
For the Pharisees, their prayers reflected the pinnacle of their accomplishments.
“The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’
Luke 18:11-12 NASB
First, note the posture of the Pharisee. He stands because he is worthy. He feels justified. Why would he cower or hide from the presence of God when he truly believes that he is worthy to be in the Lord’s presence. And it’s not just that he thought he was worthy, it’s that this worth was tied up in his own attitude and actions. He wasn’t thanking God for anything. He was thanking God that he, in his own power, had chosen to be righteous. You can almost hear the tone of self-righteousness in his voice.
“But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Luke 18:13-14 NASB
In the simplest of terms, the tax collector had two critical components that the Pharisee lacked. Humility and faith. His humility was found in his inability to even look up at God because of the filth of his sin. His faith was found in his profession that God would show him mercy.
It’s possible this is the best illustration in Scripture of the complete overhaul that is done when an individual repents from the heart. The instantaneous justification is accomplished with no questions asks. There is nothing else to prove and no strings attached. The repentant sinner is made right in the eyes of the Lord because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Let these familiar words sink in for you today.
Where are you acting like a Pharisee, and where do you need to be more like the tax collector? For those who are struggling, there is no better prayer to get started than the one uttered forth by the repentant tax collector. God be merciful to me, the sinner!