Home › Parables of Jesus › The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
The parables of Jesus
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
One boasted, one begged for mercy, and the humble one went home justified. (Luke 18:9-14, King James Version (public domain))
Two men pray in the temple. The Pharisee thanks God he is not like other sinners. The tax collector, unable to lift his eyes, beats his chest and prays, God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
What it means
God is drawn to honest humility, not to religious performance. The one who exalts himself is humbled; the one who admits his need goes home right with God. The prayer God answers is the one that stops pretending.
Read it and go deeper
Read The Pharisee and the Tax Collector in full in Luke 18:9-14 on The Living Bread, ask Simon anything you wonder about, and let it shape how you pray and live. You are welcome exactly as you are.