Homily- The Pharisee and the Tax Collector: Jamie Palmer

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.” - Luke 18: 9-14

In Jeremiah 31:33-34, God says:

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more.

Here God is making a covenant that His people would be able to know Him because he would forgive their sins, and His law would be written on their hearts. In the case of the Pharisee and the tax collector, the tax collector was the one who knew God. 

Even though people in his line of work were often considered to be liars and thieves, the tax collector clearly knew of God’s forgiving and merciful nature, which gave him the confidence to plead and confess his sins before God. The Pharisee, meanwhile, spent most of his time studying God’s word. Yet his prayers did not justify him. 

The Pharisee outwardly obeyed God’s commandments, which made him feel like he was a morally justified person. But the problem is that it is not morality that justifies us, but the grace of God. Meanwhile, the tax collector confessed his sins, thereby opening himself up to God’s grace and forgiveness. 

We must not strive first for morality like the Pharisee. Instead, we should let God’s goodness pervade us, and make us into a better person than we were before. We will achieve morality only through the means of knowing God, because all other morality is empty. For instance, nonbelievers can be very “good people” if they so choose to be. But what difference does their goodness make besides making others temporarily happy? We as Christians should seek the Lord first, and then we will love Him and desire to obey His commandments. He will “put His law on our minds and write it on our hearts.” In growing closer to Him, we will trust that this is best for us. 

If you truly know God, you will be humbled by his majesty. Arrogance as seen in the Pharisee can only come from the flesh, because it blinds people to their own sins. The presence of God does the opposite of that. It makes us aware of our sins, as well as God’s love and forgiveness. That is why in prayer we must listen for His voice and attune our minds to his presence. 

A lot of our issues will be solved by prayer and trust. If we let God reveal the sins within us and trust that he is able and willing to forgive them, we can become justified before God.

Jamie is a sophomore at LA Tech and a member of this year’s Wesley Discipleship Team. With her servant’s heart and kind nature, she has been a breath of fresh air ever since becoming a part of our community. She is an extremely talented pianist and enjoys writing and drawing, as well. We’re very blessed to know her!