The case of the Pharisee and the tax collector: justification and social location in Luke's Gospel

Currents in Theology and Mission, April, 2005 by Stephanie Harrison

This Pharisee's prayer has been compared to other prayers in the Torah and in early Rabbinic literature. Frederick Holmgren compares the Pharisee's prayer to one in Deut 26:1-5 that would have been used in a liturgical setting. Here, it would be an appropriate sign to "stand up and affirm a partnership with God that is expressed in a human lifestyle and in specific deeds." (25) Betty Tan and others liken this prayer to an exaggeration of a similar prayer in Rabbinic literature, (26) a prayer that emphasizes, acknowledges, and thanks God for the good fortune of the pray-er. In both cases, which-ever scenario Luke may have been calling to mind, the exaggeration of the prayer is the point. Rather than thanking God for the blessings God has bestowed, prayer can quickly turn into self-satisfaction, self-justification, or self-righteousness. The Pharisee in this story has made himself the center of his prayer, a prayer in which God should rightfully be the center.

It is also clear that he has moved into his rightful position in the temple, which would presumably be very near the center. (At a minimum, we ascertain from the use of "afar" in reference to the tax collector, the Pharisee would be much nearer to the center than the tax collector.) The Pharisee's physical placement nearer to the center and his physical posturing, then, both represent his own self-assessment of inclusion in the holy places of society and his distance from the sinners, like the tax collector.

Third, the cross-examination reveals that the Pharisee is the personal subject of most of his own prayer. There is much I-language in the prayer, with God functioning only as the object. (27) Moreover, the Pharisee asks nothing of God, (28) perhaps because in his own mind he needs nothing from God.

Finally, elsewhere Luke depicts the Pharisees negatively. By association, this Pharisee represents other Pharisees, and vice versa. By examining how Luke treats the Pharisees, it is possible to see the reasons why Jesus conflicts with them. Pharisees are portrayed as ones who refuse John's baptism and reject God's purpose for them (7:30). They are described as "full of greed and wickedness" (11:39), hypocritical (12:1), and "lovers of money" (16:14). In addition, they prove themselves highly concerned with matters of the law, including food laws (e.g., 5:33, 6:2, 11:38, 15:2) and Sabbath laws (e.g., 6:2, 13:10-16, 14:3-6), at the expense of demonstrating mercy to the lowly among them. Perhaps most pertinent to our discussion, Jesus accuses the Pharisees of justifying themselves in the eyes of other humans (16:15). Luke's portrayal of Pharisees is that they tended to align themselves more with worldly status and honor than with God's ways.

Jesus also sharply condemns a group of Pharisees for exactly what our Pharisee does in this parable: "But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and herbs of all kinds, and neglect justice and the love of God; it is these you ought to have practiced, without neglecting the others" (11:42). By this remark alone, it is obvious that Jesus does not have anything against people who are law-abiding and covenantally faithful. However, he does have a problem with ritual observance when it comes at the expense of the duty to show mercy to others. Similarly, in the very next verse (11:43), Jesus condemns the Pharisees for what they will wind up doing in 14:7-11: "Woe to you Pharisees! For you love to have the seat of honor in the synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces." This proves to be important, because both stories end with the same maxim: "All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted" (14:11; 18:14). The "woes" against the Pharisees are expanded and explained in these two stories of Jesus.