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Luke 18:9-14, “He told his next story to some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and looked down their noses at the common people: “Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax man. The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: ‘Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man. I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income. ’“Meanwhile the tax man, slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, ‘God, give mercy. Forgive me, a sinner.’” Jesus commented, “This tax man, not the other, went home made right with God. If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face, but if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.”
This short parable contains a diminutive (‘extremely or unusually small’) prayer that produced a dynamic answer. But before we can fully appreciate the prayer, we need to understand the context.
1…THE AUDIENCE: Jesus, in the presence of His disciples, was specifically addressing: “…some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and looked down their noses at the common people…” These were probably the Pharisees, since one of the two characters in the story was a Pharisee. The Pharisees, a Jewish sect, were strict observers of the Mosaic law of the Old Testament. They loved the external, detailed aspects of the law and, when it was not specific enough, they added their own traditions – hundreds of them, in fact. Unfortunately, these overzealous rule-keepers valued the outward keeping of their rules above all else. As a group, because they had become exceedingly self-righteous, they looked down on anyone who was not in their sect.
2…THE SETTING: The two men Jesus told about in the little story had one similarity and many differences. Their similarity was that both: “…went up to the Temple to pray…” For a Jew living during the time of Jesus, the temple was the prime place of prayer. When Solomon dedicated the first temple, his prayer was that God’s eyes would be open to the temple day and night. It was to be the place where God would hear prayers and forgive: (2 Chronicles 6:20-21, “That Your eyes may be open upon this house day and night, toward the place in which You have said You would put Your Name [and the symbol of Your presence], to listen to and heed the prayer which Your servant prays facing this place. So listen to and heed the requests of Your servant and Your people Israel which they shall make facing this place. Hear from Your dwelling place, heaven; and when You hear, forgive.” (AMP). Jews still view the temple in Jerusalem as the supreme location for prayer. Today in modern Jerusalem you can see Jews gathered at the Western Wall of the remains of Solomon’s temple. This sacred place is often called the Wailing Wall and was believed to be the back wall of the Holy of Holies on the temple mount. Three times a day, for thousands of years, Jewish prayers from around the world have been directed toward the Western Wall. Jewish mystical tradition teaches that all prayers from around the world ascend to the Western Wall, and from there, to heaven. The Talmud says, “If someone is praying outside the Land of Israel, he should direct his heart in the direction of Israel. If the person is praying in Israel, he should direct his heart toward Jerusalem. Those in Jerusalem should direct their hearts to the Temple.”
3…THE MAIN CHARACTERS: In Jesus’ story, one man was a Pharisee and the other, a tax collector. Jesus, no doubt, used these two types of men because they represented the extremes of the culture. The Pharisees represented the superficially upright, externally moral, legalistic, self-righteous, ultra-right wing of Judaism. The tax collectors signified the bad boys. Because Israel was under Roman occupation, the Jews were saddled with a heavy tax burden. Tax collectors were Jews who collected taxes from their Jewish brothers and sisters for the Romans. This made them traitors in the eyes of their people. To make matters worse, often they were found to be guilty of extortion as well as associating with prostitutes and other “dregs (‘most worthless parts’) of society.” You have to love it!
4…THE INEFFECTIVE PRAYER OF THE PHARISEE: Luke 18:11-12, “The proud religious law-keeper stood and prayed to himself like this, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men. I am not like those who steal. I am not like those who do things that are wrong. I am not like those who do sex sins. I am not even like this tax-gatherer. I go without food two times a week so I can pray better. I give one-tenth part of the money I earn.’” (NLV).
Skillfully, Jesus shows us five reasons why God refused to respond to the Pharisee’s prayer.
1…HE PRAYED FROM A POSITION OF SELF-PROMOTION: When he prayed, he “…STOOD UP…” It was customary for men to stand when they prayed at the temple. But this Pharisee was standing with an attitude. An amplified study of the language reveals that he took his stand ostentatiously. “The Pharisee took his stand ostentatiously and began to pray…” (Luke 18:11 AMP). The word “ostentation” is defined as “a flamboyant display which is intended to impress.” It’s Latin Origin “ostendere” literally means “to stretch out to view.” The posture of the prayer may say much about the nature of the prayer and the one praying. Proud men stand in order to be noticed, especially when they pray. The Pharisee’s prayer was pretentious and showy – and God was not impressed! I love the definition of the word “pretentious”, it means “attempting to impress by affecting greater importance or merit than is actually possessed.” In other words, acting in “character” while possessing no character. Matthew 6:5-15, “And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people were making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?“ Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.“ The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and He knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this: Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are. Set the world right; Do what’s best—as above, so below. Keep us alive with three square meals. Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. You’re in charge! You can do anything you want! You’re ablaze in beauty! Yes. Yes. Yes. “In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part.” (MSG) NEVER BE SELF-PROMOTING IN PRAYER!
2…THE PHARISEE WAS SELF-CENTERED: He “…PRAYED ABOUT HIMSELF…”. The King James Version says that he “…PRAYED WITH HIMSELF…” The New American Standard Version states he “…PRAYED TO HIMSELF…”. His prayer was self-absorbed. It was to himself, with himself, and about himself. Self-centered people focus their conversations and prayers on themselves. However, God’s heart is all about selflessness. Philippians 2:1-4, “If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.” (MSG) NEVER BE SELF-CENTERED IN PRAYER!
3…THE PHARISEE WAS SELF-RIGHTEOUS: He prayed, “…God, I thank you that I AM NOT LIKE OTHER MEN – robbers, evil-doers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector.” He is telling God all the bad things he is too good to do. This Pharisee views himself as too righteous to rob, do evil, or commit adultery. He saw himself as above such lowly behavior. Self-righteous persons love to point out and criticize the shortcomings of others. However, God does not need our help in seeing others’ shortcomings. In fact, the Bible puts it like this, “…If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, SAVING YOUR CRITICAL COMMENTS FOR YOURSELF. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, YOU ARE BADLY DECEIVED.” (Galatians 6:1-3 MSG). NEVER BE SELF-RIGHTEOUS IN PRAYER!
4…THE PHARISEE WAS SELF-ABSORBED: He prayed, “…I FAST TWICE A WEEK AND GIVE A TENTH OF ALL I GET…” He not only told God what he wouldn’t do, but also what he did do that set him apart from ordinary sinful men. This man fit the description of Jesus’ hearers – those “…who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else.” (Luke 18:9). Self-absorbed men like to speak of the good they do. However, our awesome God is not awed by our deeds of righteousness. In fact the Bible states, “For we have all become like one who is unclean [ceremonially, like a leper], and all our righteousness (our best deeds of rightness and justice) is like filthy rags or a polluted garment; we all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away [far from God’s favor, hurrying us toward destruction].” (Isaiah 64:6 AMP). The Common English Bible says it like this: “We have all become like the unclean; all our righteous deeds are like a menstrual rag…” (CEB) Doesn’t sound to me like God cares two cents about our supposed “righteous deeds”, especially when His Word compares them to a used menstrual rag! NEVER BE SELF-ABSORBED IN PRAYER!
5…PRAYER IS OFTEN A WONDERFUL REVEALER OF THE HEART: The Pharisee had a proud, self-promoting, self-centered, self-righteous, self-absorbed heart. But the main cause of his inefficiency in prayer was his self-sufficiency! He did not feel the need to ask God for anything. He had it all together and under control. The biggest problem with legalistic religion is that it quickly digresses to the point where God is no longer needed. For the Pharisee, prayer had become little more than a chance to brag. 2 Corinthians 12:9, “but He has said to me, “MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU [MY LOVINGKINDNESS AND MY MERCY ARE MORE THAN ENOUGH – always available – regardless of the situation]; for [MY] POWER is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” Therefore, I will all the more gladly BOAST IN MY WEAKNESSES, SO THAT THE POWER OF CHRIST [MAY COMPLETELY ENFOLD ME AND] MAY DWELL IN ME.” (AMP). You see, you only get to brag about your weakness; it is God who gets to brag about His strength! Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things [which He has called me to do] THROUGH HIM WHO STRENGTHENS AND EMPOWERS ME [TO FULFILL HIS PURPOSE – I AM SELF-SUFFICIENT IN CHRIST’S SUFFICIENCY; I am ready for anything and equal to anything THROUGH HIM WHO INFUSES ME WITH INNER STRENGTH AND CONFIDENT PEACE].” (AMP) Again, it’s not about YOU, it’s about HIM! Philippians 4:19, “And my GOD WILL LIBERALLY SUPPLY (FILL UNTIL FULL) YOUR EVERY NEED ACCORDING TO HIS RICHES IN GLORY IN CHRIST JESUS.” (AMP) No matter how self-sufficient you think you are, it is GOD ALONE, THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, where your needs are supplied! NEVER BE SELF-SUFFICIENT IN PRAYER!
And NOW to THE EFFECTIVE PRAYER OF THE TAX COLLECTOR: Luke 18:13, “BUT the tax collector, [merely] standing at a distance, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but kept striking his breast, saying, O God, be favorable (be gracious, be merciful) to me, the especially wicked sinner that I am!” (AMP). Jesus began with the word “But,” signifying that in every way the tax collector was a contrast to the Pharisee. As a result, the tax collector’s prayer was highly effective.
There are several reasons why his prayer succeeded:
FIRST, THE TAX COLLECTOR WAS WITHOUT PRETENSE! “He stood at a distance….” He did not consider himself worthy of a front and center place at the temple. Instead of standing where he could be easily seen, he was entirely UNASSUMING (‘not pretentious or arrogant’). The tax collector was also HUMBLE (‘having or showing a modest or low estimate of one’s own importance.’ Latin in origin, ‘humilis’ literally means ‘lowly’, from ‘humus’ meaning ‘ground’). Instead of staring confidently into heaven, he prayed with a bowed head and heart, humble enough to be lowly enough, that the image would be that of prostrating on the ground. Modest people bow their heads in deference to those they consider above them. Proverbs 18:12, “Before disaster the heart of a man is haughty and filled with self-importance, BUT HUMILITY COMES BEFORE HONOR.” (AMP); Psalm 147:6, “THE LORD LIFTS UP THE HUMBLE; He casts the wicked down to the ground.” (AMP); James 4:10, “HUMBLE YOURSELVES [WITH AN ATTITUDE OF REPENTANCE AND INSIGNIFICANCE] IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD, AND HE WILL EXALT YOU [HE WILL LIFT YOU UP, HE WILL GIVE YOU PURPOSE]” (AMP). Further, HE DID NOT JUDGE OR CONDEMN. He did not tell God how much better he was than someone else. Instead of picking at the splinter in the eye of another, his vision was overwhelmed with the beam in HOW OWN EYE. Matthew 7:5, “You hypocrite (play-actor, pretender), FIRST GET THE LOG OUT OF YOUR OWN EYE, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” (AMP). Rather than tout his own righteousness, he simply called himself a SINNER. The tax collector knew better than to try and bluff God or deny the obvious. He knew what he was – A SINNER. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, “Don’t you realize that this is not the way to live? Unjust people who don’t care about God will not be joining in His kingdom. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex, use and abuse the earth and everything in it, don’t qualify as citizens in God’s kingdom. A NUMBER OF YOU KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT, FOR NOT SO LONG AGO YOU WERE ON THAT LIST. Since then, you’ve been cleaned up and given a fresh start by Jesus, our Master, our Messiah, and by our God present in us, the Spirit.” (MSG) Unlike the independent Pharisee, the tax collector was DEPENDENT. He did not think he had it all together or could handle it. He knew he was INSUFFICIENT. He knew his need and Who could meet it. So he asked GOD to supply! When someone approaches God with the humble, dependent, unpretentious attitude of the tax collector, his heart is attuned to real needs and right directions. 1 Samuel 16:7, “But God told Samuel, “Looks aren’t everything. Don’t be impressed with his looks and stature. I’ve already eliminated him. God JUDGES PERSONS DIFFERENTLY THAN HUMANS DO. Men and women look at the face; God LOOKS INTO THE HEART.” (MSG). The tax collector’s prayer was right on target. He not only asked for something, he asked for the right thing, the right way. James 4:2-3, “You are jealous and covet [what others have] and your lust goes unfulfilled; so you murder. You are envious and cannot obtain [the object of your envy]; so you fight and battle. You do not have because you do not ask [it of God]. You ask [God for something] and do not receive it, BECAUSE YOU ASK WITH WRONG MOTIVES [OUT OF SELFISHNESS OR WITH AN UNRIGHTEOUS AGENDA], so that [when you get what you want] you may spend it on your [hedonistic] desires.” (AMP) Always make sure you motives, intentions and Heart are in right standing with God as you enter prayer!
God wants to answer our prayers, but so often we ask for the wrong things. We pray about non-essentials and miss the real needs of our hearts. This tax collector nailed the request, just as Solomon did when he asked for wisdom, and the disciples when they wanted to be taught to pray. The tax collector asked God for mercy. He offered one of the most effective prayers found in the Bible. “Have mercy on me a sinner.” Our relationship with God is founded upon God’s Mercy. As Isaiah witnessed, God is absolutely holy, without sin in any way, shape, or form. His level of holiness is so intense that the seraphim literally called out the brilliance of His holiness. Isaiah 6:3, “And one called out to another, saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is filled with His glory.” (AMP) On the other hand, we are not holy in any way, shape, or form. We are sinners by nature, deed, attitude and act. The wages of sin is death, and we deserve severe punishment for our continued sin. The best our righteousness merits is total and eternal banishment from God’s presence and from blessing of any type.
YET, GOD IS MERCIFUL! Lamentations 3:22-25, “It is because of the Lord’s MERCY and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness. The Lord is my portion or share, says my living being (my inner self); therefore will I hope in Him and wait expectantly for Him. The Lord is good to those who wait hopefully and expectantly for Him, to those who seek Him [inquire of and for Him and require Him by right of necessity and on the authority of God’s Word]” (AMPC)
He can rightfully withhold our punishment because His Mercy drove Jesus to the cross in our place. The Father can spare us because He refused to spare Jesus. Jesus took our penalty. He died in our place. We can be saved. Living in this consumer-centered, commercial-filled world, we are constantly being told that we have a RIGHT for more and better. Such a message may make for an effective advertisement, but it spells poor theology. The tax collector knew what he deserved, and it was not more or better. It was eternal separation from God in outer darkness. So instead of telling God that He must give him the great riches that were his right, he asked God for mercy so he would not receive the judgment he truly did deserve.
The word used here for Mercy is “Hilaskomai”, which is actually the word for an atoning sacrifice. In the fullest sense, the tax collector is saying, “God, be merciful to me through Your atoning sacrifice for sins, because I am a sinner.” The tax collector understood what too many miss. He knew that he could not merit a relationship with God through his own righteousness or good works. Paul summarized this reality with the following words: “Now God has us where He wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all His idea, and all His work. All we do is trust Him enough to let Him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join Him in the work He does, the good work He has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 MSG).
NOW FOR MAKING IT PERSONAL: If you never have before, now is the time to say to God the words uttered by the tax collector, “God be merciful to me, a sinner.” If you mean it, this can be a soul-saving, life-changing prayer. It was for the tax collector and it has been for untold others. Praying this is our part in being justified or made right with God. “I tell you, this man went down to his home JUSTIFIED (FORGIVEN AND MADE UPRIGHT AND IN RIGHT STANDING WITH GOD), rather than the other man; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:14 AMP).
Learn to pray as the tax collector, NOT the Pharisee. Lose any trace of arrogance, pretense, self-righteousness, self-centeredness, and self-sufficiency as you approach life in general and prayer in particular. Live and pray with humility, honesty, and modesty. Come dependently to God in prayer. Learn to tell Him what you really need. And oftentimes it’s not Materials, but Mercy!
Tax Collectors Didn’t Have the Best of Reputations, But With Humility, At Least This One Knew How to Get the Right Response From God!
Remember This: Arrogant Prayers Go Unanswered! It’s Not About the Asking, But the Attitude That Accompanies It!
Lastly, the word ‘posture’ is defined as, ‘a particular position of the body.’ However, an additional definition reads, ‘an approach or attitude towards something.’
Make sure you approach God in prayer with the right motives and intentions in your heart and attitude. Yes, He still answers prayer, but He also examines the posture of that prayer First!
Blessings
J.P. Olson
www.thewordwithjpolson.org
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