Luke 18:9-17
Pharisee and the Tax Collector
Read the passage
9To some who trusted in their own righteousness and viewed others with contempt, He also told this parable:
10“Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.
12I fast twice a week and pay tithes of all that I acquire.’
13But the tax collector stood at a distance, unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’
14I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
15Now people were even bringing their babies to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them. And when the disciples saw this, they rebuked those who brought them.
16But Jesus called the children to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
17Truly I tell you, anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
Jesus tells a parable to people who trust in themselves that they are righteous and treat others with contempt. Two men go up to the temple to pray: a Pharisee and a tax collector.
The Pharisee stands by himself and thanks God that he is not like other men—extortioners, unjust people, adulterers, or even the tax collector. He fasts twice a week and gives tithes of all he gets.
The tax collector stands far off, will not lift his eyes to heaven, beats his breast, and asks God to be merciful to him, a sinner. Jesus says this man goes home justified rather than the other—accepted as right before God. The man who admits his sin receives mercy, while the one who relies on his record and despises his neighbor does not obtain the verdict he assumes.
People are also bringing babies to Jesus for his touch. The disciples rebuke them, but Jesus calls the children to himself and tells the disciples not to hinder them. God's kingdom belongs to such as these, and anyone who does not receive it like a little child will never enter. The tax collector and the children have no impressive record to present. Jesus directs his hearers to receive what God gives instead of claiming a place above others.
Questions
1 Why does Jesus tell this parable?
AnswerHe tells it to people who trust in their own righteousness and treat others with contempt.
2 What does the Pharisee pray about himself?
AnswerHe thanks God that he is not like other sinners, lists his religious practices, and uses the tax collector as a comparison that elevates himself.
3 What does the tax collector ask?
AnswerHe asks God to be merciful to him, a sinner. His prayer contains no claim that he has earned acceptance.
4 Who goes home justified?
AnswerJesus says the humble tax collector goes home justified rather than the Pharisee. He receives mercy from God rather than proving himself better than someone else.
What This Means for Us
The Pharisee's practices may be good, but his prayer turns them into evidence against another person. Families should be able to name faithful behavior without using it to create a class of people beneath them.
The tax collector's humility is not self-hatred. It is truthful dependence on mercy. Children and adults can learn to confess sin without being taught that shame is the same as repentance.
Prayer
God, be merciful to us and free us from comparison. Make our household honest about sin, grateful for grace, and humble enough to receive Your kingdom rather than claim it as an achievement. Amen.