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The Pharisee and the tax collector

Luke 18:9–14 · Journey to Jerusalem

Scripture

Luke 18:9–14

nd he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11The 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. 12I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13And 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. 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

King James Version · public domain

Lluka 18:9–14

dhe cave nga ata që besoneshinë mbë vetëhen’ e tyre, se janë të-drejtë, edhe nuk’ i zininë për gjë të-tjerëtë, u tha këtë paravoli. 10Dy njerës hipnë ndë hieroret, që të faleshinë; njeri ishte Farise edhe tjatëri kumerqar. 11Fariseu ndënji e falej me vetëhen’ e ti, dyke thënë, O Perëndi, të falem ndersë, se nukë jam posi njerëzit’ e-tjerë, rrëmbenjës, të-paudhë, kurvarë, a edhe posi ky kumerqar. 12Agjëronj dy herë ndë javët, ap të-dhjetënë nga gjithë ç’kam. 13Edhe kumerqari kishte ndënjurë së-largu e nukë donte as sytë të-ngrij përpjetë ndë qiellt, po rrihte krahërorin’ e ti dyke thënë, O Perëndi, përdëlle-më mua fajtorinë. 14Po u them juve, se ky sbriti ndë shtëpit të ti m’i drejtëruarë se ay, sepse kushdo që ngre lart vetëhen’ e ti, dotë përunjetë: edhe ay që përunj vetëhen’ e ti, dotë ngrihetë lart.

Kristoforidhi, Dhiata e Re Toskërisht 1879 · zotërim publik

Summary

The Pharisee's fasting and tithing are real virtues, yet they are unseed by self-exaltation and contempt for the publican; the Fathers note that he goes up to pray and ends by praising himself, turning the temple into a courtroom where he is his own judge and the accuser of his neighbor. He asks God for nothing, because a man who thinks he already possesses righteousness has nothing left to receive. The tax collector, who dares not lift his eyes, stands far off, beats his breast as though to strike the source of sin within, and prays only "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." On this prayer the tradition rests its teaching: he confesses what he is and asks for what he lacks, and so goes home justified.

The Fathers make humility the hinge of salvation. St. Cyril teaches that pride did not merely diminish the Pharisee's good works but cast them out, while the publican's lowliness draws down mercy. St. John Chrysostom presses the warning further: virtue joined to arrogance is more perilous than sin joined to repentance, for the one breeds a confidence that needs no God and the other a contrition that runs to Him. St. Ambrose hears in the parable the lesson that no one is justified by reckoning his own merits but by the gift of grace received in humility.

The point is summed up in the Lord's own seal: "everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." The publican's words have become the seed of the Orthodox "Jesus Prayer," the unceasing cry for mercy. For this reason the Church opens the Lenten Triodion with this parable, setting humility at the threshold of the Fast so that the labors to follow may not become a Pharisee's boast but a publican's plea.

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9–14)

Public-Domain Patristic Commentary

The Lord tells this parable, Luke says, "unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others." Two men go up to the temple to pray. The Pharisee stands and recites his own merits, thanking God that he is not like other men, "or even as this publican." The tax collector stands "afar off," will not so much as lift his eyes to heaven, and beats his breast: "God be merciful to me a sinner." And the Lord gives the verdict that overturns every expectation: "this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." The parable is found only in Luke.

Seven Fathers are gathered below, the greater number from the East, each quoted verbatim from a public-domain translation. Cyril's comes from his own homily on the passage and carries a sharp application against those who claimed to be pure; Gregory's from his Morals on Job, where he turns to this very Pharisee; the words of Chrysostom, Basil, Augustine, Theophylact and Bede are drawn from the Catena Aurea of St. Thomas Aquinas (trans. J. H. Newman, 1841). The Pharisee here is treated not as an outsider but as a warning to the devout, since pride is the temptation that grows precisely on real virtue.

St. Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376–444)

From his Commentary on Luke (Sermon 120 on Luke 18:9–14), trans. R. Payne Smith, 1859. Public domain.

On the impartiality of God, who weighs both men by the same measure:

Observe here, I pray, the impartiality and entire fairness of the unerring Nature: for He calls those who were praying men, since He looks not so much at wealth or power; but regarding their natural equality, He considers all those who dwell upon earth as men, and as in no respect different from one another.

On the first and root fault of the Pharisee, that he praises himself:

Many at once are the faults of the Pharisee: for first of all he is boastful, and without sense; for he praises himself, although the sacred Scripture cries aloud, "Let a neighbour praise you, and not your own mouth: a stranger and not your own lips."

On how being better than the wicked is no ground for boasting:

But how did it escape your notice, that a man's being better than the bad does not necessarily and of course prove him to be worthy of admiration: but that to vie with those who habitually excel, is a noble and honourable thing ... Our virtue therefore must not be contaminated with fault, but must be single-minded and blameless, and free from all that can bring reproach.

On the fast that pride renders worthless, dung mingled with perfume:

For what profit is there in fasting twice in the week, if your so doing serve only as a pretext for ignorance and vanity, and make you supercilious and haughty, and selfish? ... Although therefore you fast with puffed up mind, your so doing will not avail you: your labour will be unrewarded; for you have mingled dung with your perfume. Even according to the law of Moses a sacrifice that had a blemish was not capable of being offered to God.

On the publican, whose confession won what the Pharisee's merits could not:

But what of the publican? He stood, it says, "afar off," not even venturing, so to speak, to raise up his eyes on high ... he smites upon his breast, he confesses his offences, he shows his malady as to the Physician, he prays that he may have mercy. And what is the result? Let us hear what the Judge says, "This man, He says, went down to his house justified rather than the other."

On those who claim to be pure, and so take the Pharisee's side:

What answer then will those make to this, who embrace the new tenets of Novatus, and say of themselves that they are pure? Whose prayer do they praise? That of the Pharisee, who acquitted himself, or that of the Publican, who accused himself? ... Certainly God justifies those who know well their transgressions, and are willing to confess them: but these men will have the portion of the Pharisee.

St. John Chrysostom (c. 347–407)

As preserved in the Catena Aurea on Luke. Public domain.

On how the Pharisee, not content to despise all men, must yet wound the one beside him:

To despise the whole race of man was not enough for him; he must yet attack the Publican. He would have sinned, yet far less if he had spared the Publican, but now in one word he both assails the absent, and inflicts a wound on him who was present. To give thanks is not to heap reproaches on others. When you returns thanks to God, let Him be all in all to you. Turn not your thoughts to men, nor condemn your neighbor.

On the manifold harm done by him who reviles others:

He who rails at others does much harm both to himself and others. First, those who hear him are rendered worse, for if sinners they are made glad in finding one as guilty as themselves, if righteous, they are exalted, being led by the sins of others to think more highly of themselves. Secondly, the body of the Church suffers ... Thirdly, the glory of God is evil spoken of for as our well-doing makes the name of God to be glorified, so our sins cause it to be blasphemed.

On the publican, who when reproached sought not anger but a remedy:

He heard the words, that I am not as the Publican. He was not angry, but pricked to the heart. The one uncovered the wound, the other seeks for its remedy. Let no one then ever put forth so cold an excuse as, I dare not, I am ashamed, I cannot open my mouth. The devils have that kind of fear. The devil would fain close against you every door of access to God.

On the two chariots of righteousness with pride and of sin with humility:

This parable represents to us two chariots on the race course, each with two charioteers in it. In one of the chariots it places righteousness with pride, in the other sin and humility. You see the chariot of sin outstrip that of righteousness, not by its own strength but by the excellence of humility combined with it, but the other is defeated not by righteousness, but by the weight and swelling of pride. For as humility by its own elasticity rises above the weight of pride, and leaping up reaches to God, so pride by its great weight easily depresses righteousness.

On how humility raises from the depths while pride casts down from heaven:

This inflation of pride can cast down even from heaven the man that takes not warning, but humility can raise a man up from the lowest depth of guilt. The one saved the Publican before the Pharisee, and brought the thief into Paradise before the Apostles; the other entered even into the spiritual powers. But if humility though added to sin has made such rapid advances, as to pass by pride united to righteousness, how much swifter will be its course when you add to it righteousness?

St. Basil the Great (c. 330–379)

As preserved in the Catena Aurea on Luke. Public domain.

On the Pharisee who prayed with himself, not with God:

"He prayed with himself," that is, not with God, his sin of pride sent him back into himself.

On the loftiness of mind that is engendered not of pride but of virtue:

In like manner it is possible to be honorably elated when your thoughts indeed are not lowly, but your mind by greatness of soul is lifted up towards virtue. This loftiness of mind is seen in a cheerfulness amidst sorrow; or a kind of noble dauntlessness in trouble ... a contempt of earthly things, and a conversation in heaven. And this loftiness of mind seems to differ from that elevation which is engendered of pride, just as the stoutness of a well-regulated body differs from the swelling of the flesh which proceeds from dropsy.

Blessed Augustine of Hippo (354–430)

From the Catena Aurea on Luke 18 (trans. J. H. Newman, 1841), drawing on his exposition of the parable. Public domain.

On the Pharisee's prayer, which asked nothing because it praised himself:

If you look into his words, you will find that he asked nothing of God. He goes up indeed to pray, but instead of asking God, praises himself; and even insults him that asked. The Publican, on the other hand, driven by his stricken conscience afar off, is by his piety brought near.

On those who say they made themselves righteous, who are worse than the Pharisee:

His fault was not that he gave God thanks, but that he asked for nothing further. Because you are full and abound, you have no need to say, Forgive us our debts. What then must be his guilt who impiously fights against grace, when he is condemned who proudly gives thanks? Let those hear who say, "God has made me man, I made myself righteous." O worse and more hateful than the Pharisee, who proudly called himself righteous, yet gave thanks to God that he was so.

On the publican, who stood afar off yet drew near to God:

The Publican stood afar off, yet drew near to God. And the Lord was nigh to him, and heard him, for the Lord is on high, yet has he regard to the lowly. He lifted not so much as his eyes to heaven; that he might be looked upon, he looked not himself. Conscience weighed him down, hope raised him up, he smote his own breast, he exacted judgment upon himself. Therefore did the Lord spare the penitent.

On the verdict that reverses the proud and the humble:

You have heard the accusation of the proud, you have heard the humble confession of the accused: hear now the sentence of the Judge; Verily I say to you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other.

St. Gregory the Great (c. 540–604)

From his Morals on the Book of Job (Moralia), Book XIX, where he turns to the Pharisee of this parable (Library of the Fathers, Oxford). Public domain.

On how self-exaltation opens to the enemy the heart that fasting and almsgiving had shut:

See how he opened the city of his heart to plotting enemies through self-exalting, which city he fruitlessly shut close by fasting and almsgiving. Vainly is all the rest defended, when one spot by which an entrance lies open to the enemy is not defended.

Theophylact of Ohrid (c. 1055–1107)

From his Explanation of the Gospel of Luke, as compiled in the Catena Aurea on Luke 18 (trans. J. H. Newman, 1841). Public domain.

On why the Lord so often warns against pride:

Pride also beyond all other passions disturbs the mind of man. And hence the very frequent warnings against it.

On pride as a contempt of God, ascribing to oneself what is God's:

It is moreover a contempt of God; for when a man ascribes the good he does to himself and not to God, what else is this but to deny God? For the sake then of those that so trust in themselves, that they will not ascribe the whole to God, and therefore despise others, He puts forth a parable, to show that righteousness, although it may bring man up to God, yet if he is clothed with pride, casts him down to hell.

St. Bede the Venerable (c. 673–735)

As preserved in the Catena Aurea on Luke. Public domain.

On the Pharisee and the publican as figures of the Jews and the Gentiles:

Typically, the Pharisee is the Jewish people, who boast of their ornaments because of the righteousness of the law, but the Publican is the Gentiles, who being at a distance from God confess their sins. Of whom the one for His pride returned humbled, the other for his contrition was thought worthy to draw near and be exalted.

Note on sources and other Fathers

The Fathers read the parable as a warning aimed at the devout, not the lax. The Pharisee's fast and tithe are real, but pride spoils them: he "praises himself" (Cyril); his prayer, Augustine says, asked "nothing of God," for "instead of asking God" he "praises himself, and even insults him that asked"; and Theophylact warns that to ascribe the good one does "to himself and not to God" is nothing less than "to deny God." Chrysostom sharpens the point, for the Pharisee was not content "to despise the whole race of man" but must "yet attack the Publican," whereas the publican, when reproached, "was not angry, but pricked to the heart." Basil distinguishes the loftiness of mind "engendered of pride" from that which is "lifted up towards virtue," as "the swelling of the flesh which proceeds from dropsy" differs from the health of a well-ordered body. Gregory adds the striking image that self-exaltation "opened the city of his heart to plotting enemies," a city "fruitlessly shut close by fasting and almsgiving," for "vainly is all the rest defended, when one spot by which an entrance lies open to the enemy is not defended." Against all this stands the publican, who "confesses his offences" and so "went down to his house justified" (Cyril), and who "stood afar off, yet drew near to God" (Augustine). Bede adds the typological reading, in which the Pharisee figures "the Jewish people" and the publican "the Gentiles, who being at a distance from God confess their sins."

Cyril's application is the most pointed and historically specific: he turns the parable against the followers of Novatus, the third-century rigorists who claimed to be pure and refused restoration to the lapsed, and shows that to claim purity is to pray with the Pharisee. Chrysostom's two-chariot image, in which "sin and humility" outstrip "righteousness with pride," gives the parable its most memorable form. The passage drew further comment in the Catena from Jerome and an anonymous Greek expositor, not quoted here; this compilation keeps to the seven Fathers above, Gregory's words coming from his Morals on Job, where he himself turns to this Pharisee, and the rest from the Catena Aurea (St. Thomas Aquinas, trans. J. H. Newman, 1841) and the commentaries on Luke it gathers.

Patristic sources