3.22 The Pharisee and the Publican
XXII. THE PHARISEE AND THE PUBI/CAN.
It is not quite certain to whom this parable was addressed. The preceding discourses (xvii. 22 to 18:8) were addressed to the disciples, and it is very probable that this parable was spoken to them also. Even if we THE PARABLES OF JESUS 213 translate, “ and He also spoke this parable unto some,” instead of “ with reference to some,” no valid objection against this view can arise, inasmuch as an overweening opinion of one’s moral or religious excellence was by no means a monopoly of the Pharisees. The parable has special reference to the Parousia.
Jesus had already warned His disciples against the spiritual pride that might arise from the contemplation of their works (xvii. 7-10), had enjoined on them the duty of gratitude to God for His benefits (xvii. 18), had in the discourses which referred to future times inculcated the necessity of vigilance; and in this parable He sought to impress upon them the importance of humility. The parable teaches the value of humility in general, and its necessity as a quality of prayer; but it is doubtful which of these two lessons Jesus had chiefly in view. The words which form a heading to the parable, and the gnomic saying with which it ends, “ for whosoever exalteth himself shall be humbled, but he that humbleth himself shall be exalted,” refer more naturally to the former. The Evangelist introduces the parable by 214 THE PARABLES OF JESUS telling us that Jesus spoke it with reference to some who trusted in themselves that they were just, and utterly despised others. If this rendering is correct, it does not follow that any of the class of persons whom He had in mind were present. If, however, we translate the passage, “ and He also spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves,” etc, a sense which it can well bear, some of those who belonged to the category in question, not necessarily Pharisees, must have been immediately addressed. Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one of whom was a Pharisee, the other a publican. The Temple was on a hill; hence they are described as going up to pray, and going down after they had prayed. The Pharisees were a school or party among the Jews whose distinctive tenets were opposed to those of the Sadducees. Of their origin little is known. The name signifies “ separated “ i.e, from the common people, “ the people of the land,” as they were contemptuously called by their superior knowledge of the Law and by their piety.
They believed in a future existence in which the virtuous would be rewarded and the THK PARABLES OF JESUS wicked punished; but they did not, for all that, disdain the good things of the present life. They accepted not only the written Law, but also a large mass of traditions, which, though in great part of comparatively recent date, they regarded as of equal authority with the written Law itself. They made special profession of observing with extreme strictness the Law, particularly in ritual and ceremonial points, as interpreted and safe guarded by the traditions; and in this way they acquired great influence with the people.
They were characterized by hypocrisy, for which they were often denounced by Jesus, and by contempt of “ the rest of men “(verse 11) that is, those who did not belong to their party. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself: “ O God, I thank Thee that I am not as the rest of men, extor tioners, unjust, adulterers, or also as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I get.” Standing was the usual posture for prayer, and has here no special significance. The prayer of the Pharisee was a monologue in which he expressed his perfect satisfaction with himself.
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He first sets forth his holiness in the negative sense, in as far as it consists in innocence of those sins which others commit, and he then proceeds to mention his positive good works. The bi-weekly fast to which he alludes was observed on Thursday, on which day Moses was said to have ascended the summit of Sinai, and on Monday, the day on which he was supposed to have come down. Fasting usually consisted in total abstinence from food from one evening to the next. The custom of tithing, or offering to a divinity the tenth part of the produce of the soil, or of spoils taken in war, or of what one earned or acquired, was not exclusively Israelitish. The custom was of obligation among the Jews, and the Pharisees were painfully punctilious in giving the tenth part of even such insignificant herbs as mint, rue, anise, and cummin (Matt, 23:23; Luke 11:42). It is to be remarked that the Pharisee boasts of giving tithes of all that he gets. He mentions only his fasting and his faithful payment of tithes, while silent as to voluntary works of charity or mercy; from which it is a fair inference that he regarded the former as works of paramount THE PARABLES OF JESUS 217 importance. The humble contrition of the publican is the antithesis of the proud selfsufficiency of the Pharisee. Standing afar off, he would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven, but smote his breast, saying: “ God, be merciful to me a sinner.” The Jews lifted up their hands and eyes to heaven when they prayed, a custom retained in the early Church.
He is so overwhelmed by the consciousness of his unworthiness that he will not lift up even his eyes to heaven, much less his hands. From the fact that in the original the word translated “ sinner “ has the article, it has been inferred by some that the prayer contains a comparison between the speaker and other men, just, as it has been put, “ as if he were the only sinner in the world.” But the truth is that he was not concerned about other men, and that lie thought only of his own sinfulness and need of pardon, his sense of which inspired his brief and touching prayer. Jesus tells us that his petition was granted: “I say unto you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” It is 218 THE PARABLES OF JESUS not implied that both men were justified that is, absolved from sin and restored to grace. According to the Hebrew manner of speaking, the term of comparison easily assumed a negative force, as is the case here. The concluding words express the point of the parable: pride brings low, while humility exalts.
Printed in England. BY THE SAME AUTHOR THE PASSION AND
DEATH OF JESUS THIS is a concise exposition of the history of the Passion and a harmony of the Gospel narratives. It is the product of careful study of the Scripture text and of the best commentators on the Sacred Scriptures both ancient and modern. The Author is careful to solve difficulties, and succeeds in reconciling divergent readings and opinions. This book will help many to realize to the full what Christ’s Passion and Death means for them.
BT 375.C645 1918 SMC Coghlan, Philip, The parables of Jesus 47230690 TAGS: [Parables]