And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
The problem with this is that the Law doesn't justify anyone, with the exception of Jesus Christ. Mankind is made in the image and likeness of God. God is our standard for living and being, also the standard for what is holy and righteous. The Law proclaims the glory of God and sets His standard for how we are to show our love for Him and for our neighbor. This is the love on which Christ taught that the all the Law and the prophets hinged. Paul writes that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Christ taught that if someone breaks one law, they break them all. This is because a failure to keep any part of the law is to fall short of that which God calls us to do and to be. Every law calls us to show the same love to God and neighbor, so no matter which part we fail to keep, we fail to keep the one objective they all have in common. By not using the Law to find where his faults were in order to seek God to forgive his failures, he refused to seek God for his justification. This is why Christ said that this man did not leave justified.
The publican, on the other hand, was a tax collector for the Roman government. Many tax collectors made their money by collecting more than what was owed and keeping the difference for themselves. In addition to being a symbol of foreign occupation and oppression, they were also known for using the threat of military force to extort money from their fellow countrymen. He knew he was a sinner in need of the mercy of God and there was no way around it. The publican was so ashamed of his actions before God that he would not even dare to look up towards heaven. The publican knew that God was holy and that he had failed to live to God's holy standard.
Not only did he recognize his failure, but also recognized God's mercy and willingness to forgive the sins for which he repented. He knew that he did not deserve any mercy and that nothing was "owed" to him by God, but asked in faith knowing that God does not desire the death of a sinner but that he should repent and live. It was in this spirit that God accepted the repentence of Zachaeus and commissioned the tax collector Levi to become known as the apostle Matthew. It was from acknowledging his failures before God and seeking forgiveness from Him that Christ said he went down justified.
May I learn to better imitate the publican, and while humbling myself before God, to cry out for Him to be merciful to me a sinner.
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