Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Fr. Dr. Andria Saria

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. One God,

Amen.

Today’s Gospel parable about the Pharisee and the tax collector has a very

deep meaning for all of us. It clearly shows us what we should avoid and what we

should seek, so that our repentance may truly help our moral and spiritual life.

Jesus says: “Two men went up to the temple to pray: one was a Pharisee and the other a

tax collector” (Luke 18:10).

Before us are two people with completely different characters. One is a

Pharisee. He belongs to a group of people who were respected by society and were

seen as righteous. But very often, they were full of inner weaknesses and sins, and

their faith was mostly external. They showed holiness on the outside, but their

hearts were far from true humility. The other man is a tax collector. Tax collectors were considered great

sinners. People hated them, turned away from them, and looked at them with

disgust. Sometimes this hatred was unfair, but in general, they were rejected by

society. And yet, both of them “went up to the temple to pray.” This means they

entered one of the courts of the Temple in Jerusalem.

At the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry, the Temple of Jerusalem was very

large and magnificent. The whole Temple area was surrounded by a high and

strong wall, like a fortress. There were eight large gates leading into it.

When a person entered through one of the outer gates, he first came into the

Court of the Gentiles. This was a large open space where anyone could enter:

Gentiles, Jews, people considered unclean, and those separated from the religious

community.

This outer court was separated from the inner courts by a stone barrier and a

high wall. On this barrier, there were warning signs that said anyone who was not

allowed to enter further would face death if they crossed. Beyond this wall were

courts only for Jewish people.

From there, steps led to the Court of Women. Beyond it was the Court of

Israel, where only Jewish men could enter. Further inside was the Court of the

Priests, where the altar stood and sacrifices were offered.

Behind the altar was the most holy place, the Holy of Holies, the dwelling

place of God. It was separated by a great curtain. Inside the Holy Place were sacred

objects used for worship. Behind the curtain, the Holy of Holies was empty, except

for a stone, symbolizing God, on whom the whole world stands.

So both the Pharisee and the tax collector came to this holy place to pray.

But they came with very different hearts.

The Pharisee came to thank God that he lived a good and religious life. He

felt proud of himself and believed that he was better than others.

The tax collector came with repentance. He knew his sins. He did not justify

himself. He asked God for mercy and forgiveness.

It is a good and holy habit to pray to God in all things. But today’s Gospel

teaches us that God does not look only at our words or our actions. He looks at our

hearts.

It is interesting to note, as mentioned above, that the Church of Jerusalem

had its own rules, and people were never alone there, as in this parable. The temple

was always full of people. Everything happened in one place: sacrifice, prayer, and

the prayers of priestly forgiveness. When Jesus gives us the image of the Pharisee

and the tax collector, we should understand that He is speaking about all humanity,

everyone. This is true not only in the New Testament, but also in the Old

Testament. For example, Cain and Abel are two persons, yet they represent all

people. There is always something that Cain does not like about Abel, and he lives

in constant complaint against him. In the same way, the Pharisee and the tax

collector are not an exception.

The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector invites us to deep

reflection. It is not easy to reject what we have been told all our lives is right and

correct. The Pharisee is not an unbeliever. He clearly believes in God. More than

that, he goes to church and even teaches others. On the one hand, when people do

not come to church, our desire should be to pray that they may come. But on the

other hand, this parable shows us that simply coming to church is not enough.

In the early Church, a person who had just come to church was not allowed

to teach others during the first three to five years. This is because at the beginning

, people often become strict, harsh, and focused only on rules. This wisdom is not

found only in the Church. Even philosophers, such as the followers of Pythagoras,

taught silence for the first three years, during which a person was not allowed to

speak or instruct others. There is deep wisdom in this: before teaching others, one

must first learn how to listen.

So, who was the Pharisee?

The Pharisee did not insult only the tax collector. He judged everyone. He

said, “I am not like the rest of the people.” This way of thinking starts with judging

one person, then the whole community, and in the end, it can even rise against the

saints and against God Himself. The Pharisee had not reached that point yet, so he

still said, “God, I thank You that I am not like others.”

At that time, the Pharisee was psychologically and socially accepted as a

holy person. He prayed, dressed properly, always carried religious books, and

knew the laws well. On the other hand, the tax collector was seen as someone who

did not pray and lived only in sin. But today’s parable tells us something shocking:

Two sinners entered the temple. Jesus showed mercy to the tax collector, but He did

not accept the Pharisee. What society approved, Jesus did not approve.

In his prayer, the Pharisee separates himself from others, revealing a heart

filled with pride. Although he thanks God, his words do not come from true

humility but from self-satisfaction. He points to his fasting and his strict obedience

to the law, believing that these actions make him righteous. Because of this, he

feels no need to repent and sees no weakness in himself. Instead, he judges others,

especially the tax collector, and compares himself to them. He is blind to his own

sin but quick to notice the smallest fault in others. Such pride hides the truth, for

anyone who claims to be without sin deceives himself.

The Pharisee was not evil by nature. He faithfully followed religious rules

and lived a disciplined life. Yet he lacked the one thing that matters most: love for

other people. Laws can control behavior for a time and protect others from harm,

but they cannot change the human heart. Only love has the power to transform a

person. True love goes beyond rules and shows care even for those we see as

sinners. God does not seek perfect obedience to the law, but a humble heart filled

with repentance and mercy.

There are two things we must hold firmly if we want to be righteous before

God. When others do good to us, we must remember it. But when we do good to

others, we must forget it and never use it to accuse or remind either God or people.

I remember my childhood very well. I was always a very good student at

school. I had high grades and was one of the best in my class. I often received the

highest scores, even full marks. I do not say this with Pharisaic pride, but simply to

describe the situation clearly. During my school years, I believed that I had to be

better than others. I thought no one should know more than me, and that I had to be

first in the class. This made me happy, because God had given me good abilities,

and learning came easily to me.

What I did not understand at that time was something very important. My

parents and teachers loved me, but my classmates often looked at me with jealousy.

In my heart, I thought, “They can see that I study well and know more than they

do. Is it not natural that they should accept this and recognize me?” I had my own

way of looking at them, and they had their way of looking at me. They could not

accept my desire to be first, which I believed was natural and something everyone

should want. But in truth, was I any different? If someone did even a little better

than me, my heart would burn with jealousy. I felt anger rise inside me, and I could

not control myself.

At that time, I did not understand the Pharisaic root of this attitude. I

believed competition was normal and that people must always stand against one

another. But this is not a marketplace where we compete to attract more customers.

This is about the human soul. Throughout childhood, we hear stories where good

fights against evil and always wins. On one level, this sounds good and harmless.

But a child cannot always understand this correctly. The child begins to think that

evil is another person and that the person must be fought and defeated. The child

does not yet understand the deeper cause of evil.

Jesus did the opposite. He did not destroy people; He healed evil within

people. His ministry was not about defeating others, but about healing the human

heart. This is exactly what makes the Gospel different from heroic stories. Stories

can be good, but the Gospel goes deeper.

A friend of mine shared an interesting story last week. He received a school

report about his child, who is in the sixth grade. The report said that the child had

difficulty understanding the meaning of what he reads. The parents were worried

and tried to help. The mother took a book of stories and began to read to the child,

stories about good and evil. But the child could not understand the idea. She

repeated it again and again, but still the child did not grasp it. The reason was

simple and beautiful: the child could not imagine a person as evil. He saw

everyone as good. His mind could not accept the idea that someone might be bad.

Then the parents understood something important. They’re child was

innocent and pure. He did not need to be taught the harsh rules that society often

calls normal. He did not need Pharisaic laws, because love already lived naturally

in his heart. What the Church teaches, to love everyone, this child already lived

without being taught.

There are special children who do not fit into our human measures and

standards. They live beyond them.

The tax collector went home justified, while the Pharisee was condemned

by God. The Pharisee’s pride humbled him, but the tax collector was lifted up

is quiet and humble heart. Humility and modesty are more pleasing to God than

empty lists of good deeds, as the Chrysostom explains: “Virtue joined with pride is

weaker than humility joined with sin, for pride easily destroys virtue, but humility

overcomes the weight of sin.” As Scripture says, “Everyone who exalts himself

will be humbled” — just as the Pharisee was humbled and rejected by God — and

“whoever humbles himself will be exalted” — just as the humble tax collector was

lifted to divine grace and the Kingdom of Heaven.

St. Theophylact comments on this passage: “Whoever raises himself will be humbled by God, who will judge him. For sin with humility is better than sinlessness with pride.”

From this parable, we Christians receive deep guidance for our spiritual life.

First, we must avoid praising and glorifying ourselves, so that our true virtues are

not overshadowed or lose their proper value. When we follow the law or perform

good deeds, we must remember that we are only doing what we are supposed to

do. Our Lord Jesus teaches us this in Luke 17:10: “So you also, when you have

done all that is commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only

done what was our duty.’” Likewise, St. Paul reminds us, “For it is not the one who

commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends” (2

Corinthians 10:18). In other words, self-praise only diminishes true virtue. As

Metropolitan Philaret says: “Why delight in your own virtue, when you could first

behold God’s infinite perfection? Why exalt yourself when you could glorify God

first? If you take pleasure in yourself, God will not be close to you, and His grace

will not come to you fully.”

Second, we must not only avoid praising ourselves, but we must also avoid

belittling or judging others — as the Pharisee did when he called others greedy,

sinful, and unworthy, looking at the tax collector with hatred. It is dangerous to

judge others unnecessarily or to consider ourselves better than them. When we

mock the faults of others, we violate the commandment to love our neighbor,

disrespect God’s mercy, and soil our own hearts with impurity. This behavior

weakens the sincerity of our prayers and prevents us from attaining true

righteousness, for as Jesus said: “Do not judge, and you will not be judged” (Luke

6:37).

Finally, like the repentant tax collector in this parable, we must awaken

humility in ourselves and recognize our complete unworthiness before God. With

contrite hearts, we should pray to our Heavenly Father for mercy. This humility,

this awareness of our sinfulness, will bring God’s grace to our souls and open the

door to the Kingdom of Heaven. Nothing grants mercy and divine help more

swiftly and certainly than humility and spiritual poverty, as promised in the

Beatitudes. Likewise, nothing separates a sinner from God’s mercy more than

pride, which Scripture consistently regards as the greatest offense before God.