Jesus told a parable about two men who went to the temple to pray—one was a Pharisee, and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood confidently and prayed, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” Meanwhile, the tax collector stood at a distance, too ashamed to even look up. He simply prayed, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Jesus said that the tax collector, not the Pharisee, went home justified before God.
At first, the Pharisee doesn’t seem like a bad guy. He prays, fasts, and tithes—things that are generally good. But the problem wasn’t his actions; it was his attitude. He believed his religious efforts made him righteous. Instead of coming to God with humility, he came with a list of his good deeds, as if they earned him favour. The tax collector, on the other hand, knew he had nothing to offer God except a repentant heart. That’s why he was the one who left the temple right with God.
The Pharisee also had another issue—he compared himself to others. He looked at the tax collector and felt superior. But righteousness isn’t about being “better” than someone else; it’s about where we stand before God. The Bible says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” That includes the worst of sinners and the most religious of people. The Pharisee didn’t think he needed mercy, but the tax collector knew he did. That made all the difference.
It’s easy to fall into the same trap as the Pharisee. We might not say it out loud, but we sometimes think, “At least I’m not as bad as that person.” Or we rely on our good works—church attendance, tithing, serving—thinking that’s what makes us right with God. But Jesus makes it clear: humility and repentance matter more than religious performance. God isn’t looking for people who impress Him with their good deeds. He’s looking for people who recognise their need for Him.
This parable is a reminder that self-righteousness leads nowhere. We can do all the right things and still have the wrong heart. God doesn’t justify people because of what they do, but because they come to Him with humility. The tax collector wasn’t saved because he was perfect—he was saved because he admitted he wasn’t. The same is true for us. If we come to God thinking we’ve got it all together, we’ve already missed the point. But if we come knowing we need His grace, He is always ready to forgive.
Author
kay.alli@legalview.co.uk