Luke 18:9-14
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Matthew 9:9-13
The Calling of Matthew
9As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
10While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
12On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
The Pharisees seemed not to like tax collectors, as well as other sinners...Maybe it was not the dislike of them, they just did not want to be like them...But is there a difference?...The Pharisee even says in a prayer: "God, I thank you that I am not like other men -robbers -evildoers, and adulterers -even like this tax collector...Today, I am not sure that we even realize that we sin...But of course, we do (sin)...We have to realize that we are sinners, before we can receive Jesus...Jesus makes it clear that He came for tax collectors and sinners, and not for the self-righteous and the proud...
The Pharisees were good at judging others...While the Pharisees ate dinner with Jesus and His disciples, they noticed also the many tax collectors and "sinners" who were eating with them...The Pharisees asked Jesus disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and "sinners?"...
For some reason the Pharisees were critical of the tax collectors and "sinners" they were eating with...They were judging people these two groups...And they were and are sinners...They excluded Jesus' disciples and themselves in their criticism....I think two main points come out in the dinner with Jesus, the Pharisees, His disciples, the tax collectors, and the other guests -called "sinners."...The only group that is judging others that we are told are the Pharisees...But the most important point is the Pharisees do not realize that they sin...
The Pharisees in their judging are hypocritical...The Pharisees do not even realize that they are being self-righteous...The Pharisees seem to feel they are better than the tax collectors and the "sinners."...They do not seem to realize that they not being merciful...They do not seem to be able to forgive these two groups...They are sinning as they speak...
Ever since I have understood these verses, and I think that it is good not to be like this man or that man, I bite my tongue...Jesus teaches me that these "other" men are just as good as me, and we are all sinners...He teaches us that we are not better than others...He teaches us to be merciful...He teaches us to be careful when we think that we are more righteous than others...We are not to be self-righteous...When we think that we are self-righteous and are arrogant, we are not justified before God...We are to be humble, like our Master...He gives grace to the humble, and he who humbles himself will be exalted...Jesus resists the proud...The tax collectors and "sinners" were justified before our LORD...