(Lk 18:9-14)

Luke 18:9 He also told this parable to some who were confident of their own righteousness and despised others:

Luke 18:10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

Luke 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank thee, that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this publican.

Luke 18:12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.

Luke 18:13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner.

Luke 18:14 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.

This parable is a catechesis on prayer, which must be humbly trusting, entrusting oneself to the Father. Two men are presented who go up to Jerusalem to pray and are immediately described as diametrically opposed: a Pharisee and a tax collector. Two paradigmatic figures, whose contrast is immediately highlighted: the darkness of the Pharisee's light and the light of the tax collector's darkness. Two figures placed there to challenge the conscience of those who are going up to Jerusalem with Jesus. Ultimately, we are faced with a judgement of condemnation on those who rely on themselves and of reward on those who, instead, rely on God.

Verse 9 provides the key to understanding the parable. Although we are faced with an evaluation of the behaviour of some towards others, this has to do with prayer, which, it should not be forgotten, is a relationship with God, in which one's relationship with others weighs heavily. This is a short story that strikes at an inner attitude that creates discrimination, rejection and closure towards others and is such as to make one's relationship with God himself precarious. It is no coincidence, in fact, that the parable, which began by highlighting one's relationships with others, ends by highlighting one's relationship with God and such as to involve one's own justification (v. 14).

The Pharisee is an emblematic figure, whom Paul masterfully describes in Romans 2:1: 'You are therefore inexcusable, whoever you are, O man who judges'. This judgement stems from a conviction of legal holiness. However, this legal holiness is not reflected in their daily lives. In short, they are a class of right-thinking people who like to present themselves as scrupulous observers of the Law, but whose way of life contradicts this.

Alongside this figure, an icon of ritual purity and legal holiness, is the despised tax collector, who in the Gospels is often associated with sinners or prostitutes, characters who were socially and religiously ghettoised and considered already destined for eternal damnation. People, therefore, to be avoided so as not to become contaminated and ritually impure. Furthermore, approaching them or lingering with them certainly damaged the dignity of this class of religious people. The comparison in the parable is jarring, but it serves to make the final judgement (v. 14) more disruptive, thus highlighting God's way of thinking, which often contrasts with that of men. The social figure of the tax collector, precisely because of his work as a tax collector on behalf of the Roman oppressor, was considered, from a religious point of view, to be in a constant state of ritual impurity, as he was in constant contact with the pagan world. He was socially unpopular and hated because he was part of the oppressive system of the invader and often added his own interests to the taxes. To all intents and purposes, he was considered a public sinner.

Verses 11-12 are dedicated to the Pharisee, who, in his relationship with God, displays all his arrogance, which contrasts sharply with the behaviour of the tax collector. The Pharisee stands before God 'standing upright'. Although this was the way the pious Jew prayed, the verb statheìs says much more than simply standing before God. He places himself in a sort of defiant attitude before God, almost provocatively urging him to find some shadow in him, the perfect observer of the Law. And here he displays all his skill in legal observance, which is flawless, but which reveals all his insolent arrogance towards God, placing himself, in fact, on a par with him. And to make it stand out even more, he invokes not only the general sinfulness of men, placing himself above humanity ("I am not like other men"), but also the loser and despised publican, present there with him, whom he feels he far surpasses. The Pharisee's entire prayer unfolds within a tense confrontation with others, defined as thieves, unjust, adulterers, and his scrupulous observance of the Law, which goes far beyond what it required in terms of fasting, which was only expected once a year on the Day of Atonement. At the centre of his prayer and his relationship with God is not God, but only his ego, which here imposes itself before God to the detriment of others.

In contrast to such pride, we have the figure of the tax collector, diametrically opposed to that of the Pharisee. The Pharisee's 'standing' is contrasted with the tax collector's 'standing at a distance', which indicates not only the distance between him and the Pharisee, but also that between him and God. He is and feels himself to be a sinner. All he can offer God is his fragility, which does not even allow him to raise his eyes to Him, so great is his awareness of his nothingness. Instead, he entrusts himself to divine mercy, without expecting anything, because he is aware of his sin. But his going up to the Temple, his entering it, associates him in some way with the figure of the Prodigal Son, who returned to his Father's house, who does not even listen to the words of his lost and found son, but welcomes him with an embrace, which is a promise of eternal life. 

 Argentino Quintavalle, author of the books 

- Apocalypse – exegetical commentary 

- The Apostle Paul and the Judaizers – Law or Gospel?

Jesus Christ, true God and true Man in the mystery of the Trinity

The prophetic discourse of Jesus (Matthew 24-25)

All generations will call me blessed

 Catholics and Protestants in comparison – In defence of the faith

 The Church and Israel according to St Paul – Romans 9-11

(Available on Amazon)