The Pharisee and the Tax Collector: Is My Prayer Attitude Right?

Are you someone who always makes time to pray? Maybe not just once, but several times a day. At the very least when you wake up, before meals, and before going to bed. So it seems impossible that you do not know how to pray, right?

Until one day, you begin to wonder: 

“After all this time praying, why do I not feel close to God?” 

“Why does pr ayer not make my relationship with God grow?” 

“I am diligent in worship and service, but why do my prayers seem to go unheard?”

“Is the way I pray already in line with the will of God?”

You may find the answer in the parable in Luke 18:9-14:

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.” – Luke 18:9-10

Let us take a closer look at the two individuals Jesus used as examples of an attitude of prayer.

The Pharisee’s Prayer

The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: God, I thank You that I am not like other people, robbers, evildoers, adulterers, or even like this tax collector; I fast twice a week, and I give a tenth of all I get. – Luke 18:11

The Pharisee believed that by keeping all the religious requirements, he was better and more righteous than others. Why? The Pharisees were known for their obedience to the regulations and the Law of Moses in the Old Testament. They memorized the Scriptures and had a good reputation in the eyes of the people of that time. Their lives seemed blameless.

In other words, this Pharisee felt justified by his own efforts, not by God’s mercy and grace. 

Notice how in his prayer, he:

• did not confess sin
• did not praise God
• spoke badly of others and glorified his own greatness
• considered himself more worthy before God than others, deserving more attention from God
• felt no need for the help and mercy of God
• was not thankful for the goodness of God

Could it be that we, whether knowingly or not, often pray like this Pharisee? Are we, as Jesus says in verse 9, among ‘those who were confident in their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else?’ 

Prayer with the Wrong Attitude

As I write this, I remember an incident from when I was still a young Christian. At that time, a sister in Christ and I were both looking for work. For several days, we went around carrying folders with our personal information and sent out as many job applications as possible. Then one day, this sister received a call and was hired, while I was not.

As a result, I prayed and asked God: why have I not gotten a job yet? Am I not articulate, good at convincing people, and pleasant in appearance? I should have been the one more deserving of that job than that sister.

Now, I realize how little different I was from that Pharisee. I was jealous. proud, thinking myself better and higher than others. I was not even humble enough to ask for God’s help in my prayer !

It may be that when we read the parable above, we do not immediately identify ourselves with the Pharisee. How could we possibly be like him? Yet think again. Is it really true that we have never prayed like this Pharisee at all, justifying ourselves, condemning others, and forgetting the most important thing of all, drawing near to God?

The Tax Collector’s Prayer

But the tax collector stood at a distance, and he would not even look up to heaven, but he beat his breast and said: God, have mercy on me, a sinner . – Luke 18:13 

Why was this tax collector so full of remorse? Tax collectors were officials who collected taxes for the Roman government that occupied the Jewish land at that time. Not infrequently, they demanded more from the people to keep for themselves, and did so by unjust means. Because of this, tax collectors were hated and considered traitors to the nation.

See how in his prayer this tax collector:

• came with a heart that was broken
• felt unworthy before God 
• knew he was a sinner and grieved over his wrongdoing
• with humility asked for the mercy of God
• was honest before God

-

So why did Jesus emphasize the tax collector’s posture while praying? Standing at a distance and not looking up to heaven were expressions of remorse. A posture of repentance. An awareness that he was not worthy to come before God’s presence. Yet that was precisely why his prayer was pleasing to God.

“I tell you, this man went home justified before God, and not the other. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” – Luke 18:14 

The tax collector’s humility, honesty, and willingness to repent are in fact an expression of one of the Beatitudes Jesus delivered in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3).”

God Looks at the Heart

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. – Psalm 51:17 

When we pray, God does not care how beautiful our words are, or how much we have done for Him. What He sees is our humility He sees our soul and heart as they truly are, no matter how broken they may be. He sees our longing for His mercy and forgiveness, because without them, we would never be worthy before God

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,” and of whom I am the worst. – 1 Timothy 1:15

-

In His love, God does not discriminate based on our earthly status. The proof is that one of the fiercest Pharisees, who considered himself righteous and thought he was doing what was right, was also saved by His grace (Acts 9:1-19). Later on, that persecutor of Christians became the Apostle Paul. He wrote many books of the New Testament and proclaimed that salvation and forgiveness in Jesus Christ are for anyone.

Let us come to God with humility in our prayers. Come with grief and remorse because of our sins and transgressions. Come with a longing to receive His forgiveness and mercy, so that we may be justified in the Lord. Amen.

-

Related Articles:

• How to Pray When You Feel God Is Not Listening?
• Jesus’ Example of Prayer
• Build a Right Attitude in Prayer through the Example of Bible Figures
• 6 Benefits of Praying with Others (Part 1)
• 6 Benefits of Praying with Others (Part 2)

-