Luke 18:9-14 is Jesus’ parable of two men who pray in the temple, and it teaches that God accepts people who come before him humbly, admitting their need, rather than people who trust in their own goodness and look down on others. The story turns on who goes home right with God, and the answer surprises the listeners. Jesus tells it to people who were confident in their own righteousness and treated everyone else with contempt, so the parable is aimed at a specific kind of religious pride.
9 He spoke also this parable to certain people who were convinced of their own righteousness, and who despised all others. 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: ‘God, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortionists, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Luke 18:9-14 (WEB)
Luke 18:9-14 Summary
Two men go up to the temple at prayer time. One is a Pharisee, a respected religious teacher known for careful obedience. The other is a tax collector, a man who worked for the Roman system and was widely seen as a traitor and a cheat. The Pharisee stands and recites his record: he is not a robber, not unjust, not an adulterer, not like this tax collector, he fasts twice a week and gives a tenth of what he earns. His prayer is really a report on himself, with God as the audience for his good opinion of his own life.
The tax collector stands at a distance, will not even raise his eyes, and beats his chest as he says, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” Jesus then gives the verdict: this man went home justified, made right with God, and the other did not. The closing saying, that whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted, is the key that unlocks the whole story.
Context of Luke 18:9-14
Luke wrote his Gospel to an audience he addresses as Theophilus, and he pays close attention to prayer, to outsiders, and to the reversal of human status in God’s kingdom. This parable sits within a section on persistent prayer. Just before it, Jesus tells of a judge who finally grants a widow’s request because she keeps coming, and he asks whether God will not vindicate his own people who cry out to him day and night. The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector follows as a warning about the attitude that should accompany prayer.
Right after the parable, Luke records people bringing infants to Jesus, and the disciples try to stop them. Jesus welcomes the children and says the kingdom belongs to those who receive it like little children. The thread running through the section is that God’s favor comes to those who depend on him, not to those who have arranged their lives to need nothing from him.
Luke 18:9-14 Verse by Verse
James 4:6
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
(WEB)
James echoes the same pattern, reminding readers that God gives grace to the humble and opposes the proud. The verse expresses in one line the principle that Jesus illustrates through the two men at prayer.
Psalm 51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
(WEB)
David’s psalm of repentance names a broken and contrite heart as the sacrifice God will not despise. It shows that the posture of humility before God has deep roots in Israel’s prayer life.
A Prayer Based on Luke 18:9-14
Lord, I come to you as I am, not as I wish I were. I have been tempted to measure myself against others and to find some comfort in being better than the people around me. Forgive me for the quiet pride that hides in my good habits and my careful choices. Teach me to see my own need clearly, and to ask for your mercy without pretending I have earned it.
Help me to look at others with compassion rather than contempt, remembering that every person stands before you in need of grace. Keep my heart from trusting in my own record, and let my gratitude point to you alone. Thank you that you hear the honest prayer of the one who knows he is a sinner. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was the tax collector justified rather than the Pharisee?
Jesus says the tax collector went home justified because he humbly asked God for mercy and did not rely on his own record. The Pharisee’s prayer was about his own goodness and his comparison with others, which left no room for God’s grace to act.
Was the Pharisee really doing anything wrong?
The parable does not say that fasting and tithing were sinful in themselves. The problem lies in the attitude behind them: the Pharisee trusted his practices and despised others, and that is what Jesus exposes.
What does it mean to humble yourself before God?
It means admitting honestly that you depend on God’s mercy and cannot earn your standing before him. It involves setting aside comparison with others and coming to God as someone in need.
