9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous , and viewed others with contempt : 10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray , one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector . 11 "The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself : 'God , I thank You that I am not like other people : swindlers , unjust , adulterers , or even like this tax collector . 12 'I fast twice a week ; I pay tithes of all that I get .' 13 "But the tax collector , standing some distance away , was even unwilling e to lift up his eyes to heaven , but was beating his breast , saying , 'God , be merciful to me, the sinner !'
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Luke 18:9-13
Commentary on Luke 18:9-14
(Read Luke 18:9-14)
This parable was to convince some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others. God sees with what disposition and design we come to him in holy ordinances. What the Pharisee said, shows that he trusted to himself that he was righteous. We may suppose he was free from gross and scandalous sins. All this was very well and commendable. Miserable is the condition of those who come short of the righteousness of this Pharisee, yet he was not accepted; and why not? He went up to the temple to pray, but was full of himself and his own goodness; the favour and grace of God he did not think worth asking. Let us beware of presenting proud devotions to the Lord, and of despising others. The publican's address to God was full of humility, and of repentance for sin, and desire toward God. His prayer was short, but to the purpose; God be merciful to me a sinner. Blessed be God, that we have this short prayer upon record, as an answered prayer; and that we are sure that he who prayed it, went to his house justified; for so shall we be, if we pray it, as he did, through Jesus Christ. He owned himself a sinner by nature, by practice, guilty before God. He had no dependence but upon the mercy of God; upon that alone he relied. And God's glory is to resist the proud, and give grace to the humble. Justification is of God in Christ; therefore the self-condemned, and not the self-righteous, are justified before God.