Parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector

Parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector

 

Luke 18:9-14『And he spoke this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tites of all that I possess. And the public, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house his justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be based; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.』

This word is a metaphor for one’s own righteousness. Comparing the Pharisees and tax collectors, the tax collectors did nothing for justification. Only, the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.』 However, the Pharisees made a lot of effort to obtain righteousness. The Pharisees say to God, “I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.” However, the tax collector was justified.

The reason people live in this world is because evil angels (spirits) in the kingdom of God wanted to be like God and sinned against God. God confined the spirits in a dark place. That is this world. God created the material world and trapped the spirit in the dust. So, when humans are born, they become soul.

Things continued where humans revealed their righteousness. After the first man, Adam, humans began to multiply, and God chose a people, gave them the law, and enlightened those who had fallen into their own righteousness. God says, “If they strictly follow the law, I will make them righteous.” However, God's will is for those who keep the law to realize that they are sinners who cannot keep the law, and to repent and seek Christ. However, most of the Israelites are still trying to become righteous people by keeping the law. The image of Israel shows the image of the people of this world. Everyone is like that. So, they think they can become gods through various efforts.

God promised a way for spirits to return. In Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.』The descendant is Christ. And God chose Abraham, made a covenant for his seed, and had Abraham circumcise. And Jesus came to this world as Christ (Messiah). However, the Israelites did not regard him as the Messiah. The purpose of Jesus coming to this world was to save dead spirits.

In Romans 8:3-4, “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.』 Those who die on the cross with Jesus Christ free themselves from the law and fulfill the righteousness of God.

However, the Pharisees said that they would achieve righteousness by keeping the law, but the tax collector stood at a distance and did not even dare to raise his eyes to heaven, and confessed, "He beat his chest and said, 'God, have mercy on me a sinner!'" Jesus Christ approaches those who confess like this. Jesus Christ, who approaches the tax collector, becomes for him the death and resurrection of the cross. The publican did not achieve his righteousness through his own abilities, but went only to Christ.

God imprisoned the Israelites in Egypt for 430 years. God wants the people to cry out to God in painful and distressed situations. Being imprisoned in Egypt is the same concept as the Israelites being imprisoned by the law. The people are trying to keep the law, but they must confess that they cannot keep it, cry out, and seek Christ. So in Galatians 3:23-24, “But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be.” justified by faith."

God's will is "to have the people abandon the idea that they can do it on their own, repent and return." He causes everyone who believes in his Son to return. Believing in the Son means becoming one with Jesus who died on the cross and one with the resurrected Christ. This means throwing away all thoughts of self-righteousness. That's why Jesus said to deny yourself and take up your cross. Then, Jesus says, resurrection life will be given to those who repent. Those who do not believe in the present resurrection are, like the Pharisees, immersed in the law.