He then addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. 10 “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ 13 But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ 14 I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Jesus tells this parable about people who were “convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else” (v. 9). Two men go up to the temple to pray: one a Pharisee, respected for his careful observance of the Law, and the other a tax collector, a profession widely viewed as sinful and corrupt in Jewish society (v. 10). Both men enter the same place of prayer, but they approach God in very different ways.
The Pharisee stands and prays. Standing was a normal posture for prayer in Jewish practice (Mt. 6:5; Mk. 11:25). His words begin with thanksgiving: “O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector” (v. 11). He continues by listing his religious practices: fasting twice a week and paying tithes on his whole income (v. 12).
These actions were not wrong. In fact, some of them went beyond what the Law required. The Torah required fasting only once a year on the Day of Atonement, yet the Pharisee fasts twice each week. Likewise, he tithes everything he possesses, exceeding the basic requirements of the law. The problem is not his religious observance but his attitude. Instead of recognizing these things as gifts of God’s grace, he treats them as personal accomplishments that distinguish him from others. In doing so, his prayer becomes focused on himself. He compares himself to other people and concludes that he is righteous because of what he has done.
The tax collector stands at a distance. He does not even raise his eyes to heaven but beats his breast, a gesture of sorrow and repentance (v. 13; cf. Lk. 23:48). His prayer is brief: “O God, be merciful to me a sinner” (v. 13).
Unlike the Pharisee, he offers no list of good deeds. He simply acknowledges his sin and entrusts himself to God’s mercy. Jesus concludes the parable with a surprising statement: “I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former” (v. 14).
To be “justified” here means to be accepted or acquitted before God’s judgment. The tax collector receives this grace because he approaches God with humility and repentance. The Pharisee, confident in his own righteousness, fails to recognize his need for God’s mercy. The parable therefore contrasts two ways of approaching God: reliance on one’s own achievements, and humble dependence on God’s mercy.
This passage is particularly appropriate during Lent. Lent is a season when the Church invites us to examine our hearts and turn again toward God through prayer, repentance, and humility. It is easy to focus on our religious practices—fasting, prayer, and works of charity—and forget that these practices are meant to lead us to a deeper awareness of our need for God’s mercy.
The tax collector reminds us that true prayer begins with humility. As St. Augustine once wrote, “Man is a beggar before God.” When we recognize our need for God’s mercy and approach Him with a humble and contrite heart, we open ourselves to the grace that He freely gives.
Jesus ends the parable with a principle that appears elsewhere in the Gospels: “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (v. 14; cf. Lk. 14:11; Mt. 23:12).
During Lent, the Church invites us to follow the example of the tax collector. With humility and repentance we turn to God and pray the same simple prayer:
“O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” Amen.
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Sources and References
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE), Lk. 18:9-14.
- Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, commentary on Lk. 18:11-13 (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010).
- José María Casciaro, gen. ed., The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition (Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008), commentary on Lk. 18:9-14.
- Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990), 710, para. 156.
- Donald Senior, John J. Collins, and Mary Ann Getty, eds., The Paulist Biblical Commentary (New York: Paulist Press, 2018), 1082-1083.
- John J. Collins, Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid, and Donald Senior, eds., The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century (London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2020), 1341.
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