True Justification

We have come to one of the parables of Jesus that I've referenced many times in other sermons but have yet to preach on. It is a parable contrasting two men who acknowledge God. They come to the same Temple, claim to have the same faith, but pray 2 completely different prayers and leave their time in the Temple with two different people with two different outcomes. It is the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector found in Luke 18:9-14

Luke 18:9–14 ESV

9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you 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.’ 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!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

The Context

Like most of Jesus' parables, this one communicates a depth of understanding with just a few words and a powerful picture. It turns human convention and religion on its head, revealing truths about the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Context

We understand that the Kingdom is a spiritual kingdom, and He will also return one day to establish a physical kingdom on earth (the millennial Kingdom). After that, the 1,000-year Kingdom will establish the new heavens and the new earth, which is the eternal Kingdom. Those are woven throughout Jesus's parables. They were not placed there to teach us moral lessons; they were taught so we could understand the truths of the Kingdom of God.

Two Men, Two Faiths

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt:

Luke 18:9–10 ESV

9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

Two Men, Two Faiths

These two men went to pray in the Temple. The Pharisee was self-righteous and self-focused, and the tax collector was remorseful and repentant. The Pharisee was standing in the place of honor, and the tax collector stood off in the distance. The Pharisees were proud, and the tax collector was ashamed. The Pharisee measured himself against others—the tax collector against the holiness of God. The Pharisee left the same, and the tax collector left justified.

Two Men, Two Faiths

How could this be? How could the vilest of sinners in Jewish culture leave the Temple justified, and the most religious of people in all of Israel leave devoid of God? Remember that neither of these two men lived in the light of the cross. Neither knew the substitutionary atonement of the messiah Jesus. Yet they are answering for us the most compelling question every man must answer: "How can I be right with God?"

Genesis 15:6 ESV

6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

How Can I Be Right With God?

It's that simple. Every man-made religion attempts to insert man's devotion, righteousness, and religiousness into the equation. Every man-made religion is a system of human achievement. You get to God by being superiorly religious and moral. 

And Jesus said if that's the way you want to obtain eternity, then here's the standard for that:

"You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." That's the Divine standard.

Matthew 5:48 ESV

48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The Pharisee

The Pharisees were the great architects of a self-righteousness religious system that dominated life in Israel. People believed that trusting in yourself to become righteous was the way that you gained a place in the Kingdom of God.  This is the same demonic system that dominates the world today. If you ask people on the street how to get into heaven, most people who are not born-again will tell you in some fashion about making sure your good deeds outnumber your evil deeds.

The Pharisee

If you ask a Mormon how you get into heaven, they will say they believe salvation is through grace. Then they will say that to obtain that grace, first of all, you have to be baptized through the Mormon ritual, then you have to join the Mormon church, and then you would have to adhere to all their rules. None of that sounds like grace.

This sounds like what we studied in Romans. Justification, Sanctification, Propitiation, etc. All of these theological terms come into play here.

The Pharisee

If you were here the last few weeks, we talked about the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, and by looking at that parable without good context, you would conclude that this was a parable about justification by works. If you stuck with me through all the messages, you understood that what Jesus was talking about was the final judgment for the whole world. Jesus looked at the evidence of our faith through works.

The Pharisee

All false religions say your works earn you righteousness, your salvation the result, and eternity is your reward. Liberal Christianity says that everything is grace and works have no place in the Christian life. Biblical Judaism and Christianity say that faith in Christ imputes your righteousness, your works are a result of that faith, and the Kingdom of Heaven is your reward. In other words, salvation is by faith alone through grace alone, and the evidence of that faith is the works of the changed life resulting from that faith.

James 2:17 ESV

17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

The Pharisee

If you were a Jew in Jesus' day, you would view the Pharisee's self-righteousness as the epitome of the righteousness produced in the Jewish faith. But nothing could be further from the truth.

The Pharisees not only trusted in themselves, but they also viewed others who did not live up to their standards with contempt. The only other time the word contempt was used in Luke was in Luke 23:11, describing how Herod's soldiers treated Jesus - exoutheneō.  It comes from two words: Ek, out of, and ouden, not even anything. It means to view someone as if they didn't exist. Jesus was treated as if He was nothing.

Two Approaches

Luke 18:10–11 ESV

10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

Two Approaches

Two men went up to the Temple to pray.  That happened twice daily, basically, every day, 9 A.M. and 3 P.M. The sacrifices would be offered on the altar.  Following the sacrifices, because atonement had been made, incense would be burned, and prayers were offered. This would be at the Temple, as Jesus said in Matthew 23:13, quoting Isaiah 56:7

Isaiah 56:7 ESV

7 these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”

Two Approaches

So, Jesus first draws attention to the Pharisee's prayer. He is standing, which is a Biblical posture of prayer, as is kneeling and lying prostrate. But I think Jesus describes this Pharisee as standing to emphasize his lack of humility before God. Kneeling and lying are humble and submissive. Standing, while not adjectively meant to express pride, is the least humble of all praying positions.

Two Approaches

Being a Pharisee, he would stand in a place of prominence. He would stand close to the altar and in a place of visibility to display his piety. This wasn't a show for God but to demonstrate how good and moral he was before man. It was also to get as far away from those he considered untouchable as possible. Jesus condemned them in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:5 because they loved to take the place of prayer in public view and stand where everyone could see them, and that's precisely what he did.

Now look at his prayer:

Luke 18:11–12 ESV

11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you 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.’

Two Approaches

He starts his prayer by acknowledging God, but that is as far as his prayer gets. This isn't a prayer; this is a monologue of his piety. He gives God no praise or honor or even reverence. He asks nothing from God. He seeks no mercy or grace or forgiveness. The only reason he even says the word "God" is because you're supposed to begin that way. And then he moves right into exalting himself above everyone else around him, "I thank you that I'm not like other men."

Two Approaches

He compares himself to the worst of society to make sure that he elevates himself as high as he possibly can be.  So he says, "I'm not like other people, extortioners, the unjust, adulterers, immoral sexual sinners." Then, at the height of his pompousness, he singles out a man - this tax collector.

With precision, Jesus makes a fine point about what is appalling to God. This is the height of reprehensible self-righteousness. He's praying to himself, comparing himself to people he looks down upon, and putting on a demonstration for people around him to make himself look pious. But his prayer isn't over yet. Now, he makes his own list of things that make him righteous.

Two Approaches

Verse 12: "I fast twice a week." The Old Testament only prescribed one fast, which was on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:31). The Pharisees had developed a fasting system on Monday and Thursday. Because Monday and Thursday are equally distant from the Sabbath and as far from each other as possible, Jesus condemned their pious fasting in the Sermon on the Mount.

Two Approaches

Then he says, "I pay tithes of all that I get." The Pharisees even invented laws to appear righteous. Jesus said in Matthew 23:23, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness." Jesus also said when you give, you are not to let your left hand know what your right hand is doing (Matthew 6:3).

Two Approaches

Five times in two verses, he refers to himself. He invokes the name of God, but he does not talk to Jehovah. His God is himself. He serves himself and glorifies himself. He asks God for absolutely nothing because, in his view, there's not anything that he can think of that he needs from God. There is no sense of repentance or need for forgiveness. He is like the rich young ruler that he encounters in verses 18-30. But if you KNOW God and His holiness, you cannot stand before him with your own wretched righteousness.

Two Outcomes

Now, let's look at the Tax Collector.

Luke 18:13 ESV

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

First of all, look at his position. He's standing off in the distance. He has the self awareness of his human sinfulness, not his self-righteousness. Where the Pharisee is entitled to be close to the holy place where the presence of God resides, this man is far off. He doesn't feel worthy or welcome.

The Tax Collector

But also look at his posture. Contrary to the Pharisee, who assumed he was acceptable to God to look eyeball to eyeball with God, this man will not even lift his eyes to heaven. Instead of lifting his hands to heaven, he beats his chest with his fists. This man does something unusual. It is a gesture familiar in Middle Eastern culture even today. It is a gesture used to express extreme anguish.

The only other time we find it happening in the New Testament at the cross is in Luke 23:48

Luke 23:48 ESV

48 And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts.

The Tax Collector

Interestingly, this man unknowingly associated his actions with the grief of the cross.

Now, why beat your chest?

Mark 7:21 ESV

21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,

The Tax Collector

As he beats his chest, his words are raw and succinct. He's not comparing himself to other men. He sees himself in the light of God's holiness. "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." Only one man in this parable understood his fallen human state, his need for a savior, and his sinfulness.

1 Timothy 1:15 ESV

15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

The Tax Collector‌

The Greek is essential, "hilaskomai," which means to propitiate, to appease. So he said, "God, be propitious to me; be appeased toward me. God, apply your atonement to me."

The Tax Collector

John MacArthur said, "One can almost smell the pungent incense, hear the loud clash of ceremonial cymbals, see the great cloud of dense smoke rising from the burnt offering. And the tax collector is there, stands afar off, anxious not to be seen, sensing his unworthiness to stand with the participants. In brokenness, he longs to be a part of it all. He yearns that he might stand with the righteous. In deep remorse, he pounds his chest and cries out with repentance and hope, 'Oh God, let it be for me. Make an atonement for me, a sinner.'" There in the Temple, this humble man aware of his sin and unworthiness, with no merit of his own to commend him, longs that the tremendous dramatic atonement sacrifice might be applied to him."

The Tax Collector

Jesus said the Tax collector is the justified man, not the pious Pharisee. Don't you find it interesting that the context of this is in Old Testament theology? There is no Christ and no Cross. This is based on the sacrificial worship system of atonement.

Jesus ends this remarkable parable with a spiritual truth central to the gospel.

Luke 18:14 ESV

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Two Outcomes

'Exalted' is another word for salvation. Only God is truly exalted, and only God can exalt men. We cannot exalt ourselves to be like God. But through Christ, God bestows on us His righteousness, justification, salvation, and entry into the Kingdom. Our own efforts leave us in shame and face eternal judgment. Which one are you?