Benny Nalkara, CMI

The prayer of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Lk 18:9-14) is a unique parable to the Gospel of Luke. As the introductory words of the parable make it clear this parable was delivered by Jesus aiming at “some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others.” Traditionally this parable is regarded as “peril of the presumptuous prayer.” This parable is interpreted in many ways as a teaching on humility in prayer, warning against arrogance etc… But it is basically about the stance one should take towards God and the fellow human beings in prayer and in relationships.

What is highlighted all throughout the prayer is the self-righteous and self-justifying character of the Pharisees. But it is interesting to note that Jesus is not addressing the Pharisees. On the other hand it is a lesson and warning to His followers of all time. Disciples and believers are just vulnerable to pride and self-righteousness as the Pharisees. This emphasis of Jesus is highlighted with the concluding statement of Jesus in the session, “for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Pharisees were arch rivals of Jesus during His earthly ministry because they found his theology; ideals and praxis were contrary to their stance. By this time of the presentation of the parable as part of the Jerusalem journey of Jesus, we notice that already there is a strong position against the Pharisees in the Gospel of Luke. On the other hand the Pharisees and scribes had already begun to identify Jesus as the “friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Lk 7:34). The Pharisees considered themselves as the “separated” from others to maintain their purity before God and the posture of this Pharisee in the temple reflects that. We find the Pharisee standing in the house of God and separating himself from others and boasting of his virtues. In the prayer also he was away from his fellow brethren. His prayer was fully concerning himself and merely self-serving. He thanked God that he is not like the other people.” He further qualifies whom he meant by sinners, adding that “extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector” (Lk 18:11). This clearly affirms the characterization of the Pharisee that he regarded others with contempt. He moves on to describe his claims before God as the one fast twice a week and gives the tithe from everything that he possessed. The Pharisee was sure about his righteousness and his personal achievement of justification as a law abiding person even beyond its requrements.

The Pharisee was a praying person, but he was not prayerful. He frequented for prayer only to exhibit his worth as a law-keeper. Prayer became an occasion for him merely to exalt himself and contempt others. He made prayer a presentation of his credentials. He was having a competing attitude even in prayer by comparing himself with others. There were no elements of true thanksgiving or repentance in his prayer. He only measured his own goodness by a checklist of external acts performed. His criterion of holiness was not God but his better position in comparison with others. He prayed to God saying, “I am not like other men.” He was literally “separating” himself from others in sanctity. But in fact he should have prayed saying, “God, forgive me, I am not like you.”

The tax collector’s prayer was too short but very beautiful and really matter of fact. He didn’t “present’ himself before God or boasted of anything because he already knew who he was and who God was. He also knew that God knew him well. It was not self-boasting or self-assertion. He stood “far off” as a symbol of his confession of the unworthiness before God. Beating on the breast was a sign of remorse or grief and he did that before God. What he had to say, “God, be merciful to me a sinner.” That prayer reflected the image of God that Jesus presented before the world: God is not a slave holder but a gracious and forgiving father. His prayer reveals that he trusted in God for his justification. That made him a transformed and a prayerful person.

The question that the parable poses before us is whether our prayers are leading us to prayerfulness. Prayer must be an act of transformation resulting out of our awareness of our unworthiness and of our loss of the image of God. Prayerfulness demands a humble disposition. A humble and contrite heart fosters a great reliance on God and ultimately leads to holiness. We become prayerful only when our prayer becomes an occasion to establish the right relationship with God and with others. For that we need to get rid of our pharisaic attitude that separates us from others and eventually from God.