The God-centered life places our spiritual focus where it belongs, upon the grandness of Christ Jesus.
When we humble ourselves, by taking our eyes off pridefully touting our own accomplishments, we are exalted. Jesus says, “This man went home justified, for everyone who humbles himself will be exalted” ( Luke 18:14). We don’t work our way into forgiveness or blessing. Jesus makes clear that it is the God-centered life that leads to justification and mercy. The tax collector recognizes that life with God is not about how well we perform. When the tax collector beats his breast and says, “Lord have mercy upon me a sinner” ( Luke 18:12), he recognizes his inability to secure his own spiritual life. Thus, he casts himself down and pleads for God’s mercy. The tax collector knows that he can bring nothing before God. In the parable, it is the tax collector who prays rightly, because he prays out of his need, and not out of his sense of personal righteousness. There was nothing redeemable about being a tax collector. Unlike the Pharisees, these were the epitome of the type of person you did not want to be like. Thus, many saw tax collectors as traitors. Not only did they steal from their own people, but they did so to benefit the nation that was oppressing them. Tax collectors were considered charlatans and swindlers because of how they lined their pockets with other people’s money.įurthermore, these were Jewish people who worked for the Roman oppressors. In the ancient world, tax collectors were looked down upon by the social and religious elite. This is what is shown in the person of the tax collector. This is because the God-centered life is founded upon a recognition of our own needs. It is a life of grace, spiritual nourishment, and divine love. This is the epitome of the self-centered life. While he attempts to laud his own efforts, the Pharisee is ultimately judged by them.
Thus, his righteousness only exists in comparison to others. There is no sense of divine relationship. The Pharisee in the parable has nothing to say beyond the shallow execution of religious action. This lack of loving connection with God is perhaps the saddest part of the self-centered life. His devotion to tithing and fasting is no longer an expression of worship but is a vain testimony to his own greatness. This self-focus robs the Pharisee of any heartfelt connection with the Lord. In fact, in one simple prayer, the Pharisee refers to himself five times! I thank you that I am not like other people!” he prays. There is no submission, no humility, no sense of awe before God. The Pharisee is so drunk on his own sense of importance that his prayer voices nothing but how great he is. Jesus describes a person whose prayer is solely focused on himself. In each rendering, the emphasis is clear. The words translated as “by himself” can also be rendered “for himself,” “to himself,’ or even “about himself.” Importantly, there is a certain ambiguity in the original Greek translation. Luke describes how the Pharisee “stood up and prayed by himself” ( Luke 18:11). The prayer of the Pharisee discloses his self-focus. Internally, this created a spirituality based on pride. Thus, Pharisees saw themselves as more deserving of God’s blessings than others. After all, it was the Pharisees who were concerned with the execution of the faith it was the Pharisees who strove to be perfect according to the Law.