Two Men at Prayer (Luke 18:10-15)

The context of this parable indicates that Jesus had a focus on prayer at this time. Immediately before the description of this parable, Jesus told the story of the widow who pestered an unjust judge, and says that her behaviour is a precise illustration of how to pray. Jesus says some more things about prayer in this parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector.

Some similarities about prayer

We might imagine that there would not have been many similarities between a Pharisee and a tax collector. But here are some examples.

First, both men in the parable wanted to pray to God. So the mere fact of wanting to pray may not say very much to an onlooker. In this situation, both seemed to be men of prayer. We should not be surprised by that. Every religion involves prayers of some kind. All we need to do is think about the wide range of prayer that is offered in various ways day by day.

Second, both men addressed God and both of them acknowledged that the Lord was the source of what they needed. The Pharisee traced his lifestyle to God and thanked him for it. The tax collector knew that only God could show him mercy, at least the kind of mercy that he needed.

Third, the story of the two men indicates that when people pray to God they need to speak about themselves. The Pharisee spoke about himself and so did the tax collector. The Pharisee didn’t just speak about himself, but also commented on the tax collector, whereas the tax collector only mentioned himself. Jesus is not indicating here that we should not make intercession for other people, but he is stressing that in prayer we need to say something about ourselves.

Fourth, both men knew that it was good to find a spot to pray where they would not be interrupted by others. No doubt, the Pharisee chose a personal spot where others could see him, because that is what Pharisees did, whereas the tax collector chose a spot where he would not be normally noticed by others. Of course, the Pharisee noticed him, but he did not choose his spot in order to be noticed by anyone.

Fifth, the kind of people that we are will be revealed in our prayers. Jesus indicated that a self-righteous person shows contempt for other people, even when they are praying. What difference would it have made to the Pharisee’s prayer if he had omitted the derogatory comment about the tax collector? The Pharisee’s prayer reveals his pride in himself whereas the tax collector’s prayer reveals his humility.

Sixth, we can see that Jesus includes in his story a few references to posture. Both men stand as they pray, which would have been the usual way at the temple in contrast to kneeling or sitting, which would be more suitable for private prayer at home. But Jesus also comments on which of them could see the furthest as they prayed. As was customary, Jews prayed with their eyes looking up, indicating they were looking towards God’s throne. Ironically, the Pharisee who looked up did not see very far whereas the tax collector who looked down was looking to God. His bodily posture pointed to his distress and humility.

Some similarities between the men

We might be tempted to think that the men were very different from each other because of their external differences. Yet there are some matters in which they are the same. One similarity is that both of them by nature were in a state of condemnation as far as God was concerned. Nevertheless, even although both were condemned by the law, they both could pray.

A further similarity is that both of them were sinful individuals. We have already touched upon this aspect. Both men sinned daily in their work, in their homes and in their personal lives. There had never been a day in which that had not been the case. Each had been sinful from birth. Yet although both of them were sinful, both of them could pray.

Another similarity they had is that both of them had chosen the path on which they lived. At some stage, each had decided what they wanted to be. One decided to become a Pharisee and the other decided to become a tax collector. The reasons for their choice may have been different, but one aspect was similar – they chose their path of life.  

A fourth similarity between them was that they adhered to the same religion. There they were in the temple according to the rituals given in the Bible. Their hearts were different, but their religion was the same. Neither of them were pagans with no knowledge of the God of Israel.

The content of the Pharisee’s prayer

The first detail that we can note about his prayer is that it focussed on the external. He mentions what he does not do – he was not an extortioner, unjust, an adulterer, and he probably would have assumed that a tax collector was a thief, overcharging the taxes he demanded. He also mentions what he does do – he fasts twice a week and is very careful about his tithing. Of course, God had said that people should fast and pay tithes.

The second detail about the prayer of the Pharisee is that he is selective in what he chooses to mention. He clearly did want to highlight any negative features of his life. Perhaps his outlook was that he should only speak about the things that God had obviously provided. But the dark bits of his life, he tries to hide them by not mentioning them, even although he fails in his attempt because he cannot prevent the dark issue of contempt coming out in his prayer.

A third detail of the Pharisee’s prayer is his self-confidence that he was in the right with God. He assumed that his good works and the differences in his life from other people were sufficient. How unlike the tax collector he was! He based his acceptance on his own attainments. But self-confidence in this manner only reveals his self-blindness.

When we read the features of the Pharisee’s life, we are not surprised that Jesus addressed them as blind Pharisees. He thought he understood the way to please God, but he did not realise that he was wrong. All he had was a sinful life dressed up in a form of religion.

The content of the tax collector’s prayer

The first detail that we can note is that he confessed that he was a sinner. He realised that he had fallen short of God’s standards. But he did not only realise it, he also confessed it. He knew who he was in the sight of God and that is a good thing to know. Of course, a person who realises that he is a sinner has been taught by the Holy Spirit. He has convinced the man that he is a sinner, and when a person is convinced about this, he will pray in the manner of the tax-collector.

His words reveal that he realised what the problem between him and God was. What is the problem with being a sinner? In addition to realising that he had fallen short of God’s standard, he also would have known that he would yet be punished by God for his sins. And he also realised that he could not deliver himself from the fate that awaits him.

The word that is translate ‘merciful’ is not the usual word for mercy. Usually, when a person prayed for mercy, he was asking the Lord to show compassion and meet a need that the person had. The words that are used by the tax collector are ‘be propitious’. Propitiation is a sacrificial word, and it is connected to the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant. What does the usage tell us about the petition and the petitioner?

First, he was conscience that God was angry with sinners. Propitiation is the turning away of divine wrath. When we think of God’s wrath, we are not to imagine occasional episodes of fury, as if God was only angry some of the time. Rather, his wrath is settled opposition, his disapproval of what has taken place, and his determination to punish the guilty person.

As we think of God’s wrath, we can focus on a couple of verses. The first one is where Paul reminds the Ephesians that before their conversion they were children of God’s wrath, even as others. If we are Christians, how do we regard our pre-conversion lifestyle? I suspect sometimes that we tend to lower its awfulness because we have been forgiven. But we should not forget that the Lord was angry with us. Our response is summed up in the words of Isaiah 12:1: ‘I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me.’

The other verse that helps us understand God’s wrath is the verse in the Psalms that says that ‘God is angry with the wicked every day.’ It does not say that he is only angry with those who are very wicked, but that he is angry with all of them. That is a serious fact that we need to recognise.

Second, the tax collector was conscious of his need of an atonement for his sins. In the temple ritual, the sacrifice for sins was offered on the altar. It was not a permanent answer to the problem of sin. Instead, it pointed towards a greater sacrifice that would be made by the One telling this parable. He would become the place where the sacrifice was made. He would offer himself to God willingly and fully, and competently because he was able through the enabling of the Holy Spirit to offer himself without spot to God.

Third, there is now a permanent mercy-seat for sinners to come to regarding their sins. The mercy-seat was on the ark of the covenant, and the ark functioned as God’s throne. We can see that the symbolism here is very rich because it points to a Ruler who is interested in mercy. Jesus is now on the throne of God and that throne is like a mercy seat that sinners can approach and be forgiven all their sins. God is now faithful and just to forgive us all our sins because of what Jesus suffered on the cross.

The outcomes

Jesus then informs the disciples regarding the outcome of the two prayers. He only says what happened to the tax collector, because the Pharisee was not changed by his prayer. There were two changes for the tax collector – he was justified and exalted, whereas the Pharisee was not justified and therefore his prayers were offensive in the sight of God. The Pharisee tells us that there are some prayers that God does not answer, even when offered in a religious manner.

The tax collector’s prayer was answered, and he received the blessing that is given by God because propitiation has been made. What happened to the tax collector? He was a new man, justified in the sight of God. What does justification mean?

Justification means that the tax collector became right with God. Before he prayed, he was an unforgiven sinner, facing God’s wrath, as he recognised. But through his prayer, he was pardoned by God. Justification has two parts: first, we are forgiven all our sins because Jesus paid the penalty on the cross; second, we are regarded as righteous through the righteousness of Jesus being reckoned to our account. The righteousness of Jesus is his perfect life, and when we believe, God puts to our personal account the perfect obedience of his Son, and he never removes it. Since that is the case, we now have access to God’s presence.