Luke 18:9
“And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:”
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable — the Pharisee and Tax Collector parable is addressed to the confident-of-their-own-righteousness (tois pepisthumomenois eph' heautois hoti eisin dikaioi, those persuaded about themselves that they are righteous). Who looked down on everyone else (exouthenountas tous loipous, despising the rest): the self-righteousness that produces contempt.
Community Reflections
Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stands by himself and prays about his own righteousness. The tax collector stands at a distance and won't even look up, just says, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' Jesus says the tax collector went home justified, not the Pharisee. This is one of the clearest theological claims in the Gospels: righteousness apart from humility doesn't work. The Pharisee is probably telling the truth about his behavior. He probably does fast and tithe. But his truth is disconnected from acknowledgment of his own neediness. The tax collector's truth includes humility. He knows he's broken. That self-awareness is what creates the condition for transformation. I think about how hard it is to admit I'm wrong, to acknowledge I need help, to stop performing competence. But that humility is actually where…
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable — the Pharisee and Tax Collector parable is addressed to the confident-of-their-own-righteousness (tois pepisthumomenois eph' heautois hoti eisin dikaioi, those persuaded about themselves that they are righteous). Who looked down on everyone else (exouthenountas tous loipous, despising the rest): the self-righteousness that produces contempt.