Luke 18:12
I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Luke 18:12
I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The Pharisee's boast isn't just about performing extra religious acts; it's about accumulating "merit" by going beyond the law's requirements. He's not simply following rules; he's counting points, believing his meticulous, voluntary observances earn him a standing with God, a dangerous self-reliance that blinds him to his true need.
Jesus is telling a parable to a group of people who are convinced of their own righteousness and look down on others. He contrasts the prayer of a self-righteous Pharisee with that of a humble tax collector, highlighting their vastly different approaches to God and their understanding of sin. This Pharisee's boastful prayer, detailing his religious observances beyond the Law's requirements, sets the stage for Jesus' condemnation of self-reliance and his praise of humble repentance.
This Pharisee lists his good deeds: fasting and tithing. But are these actions what truly make someone righteous in God's eyes?
The Pharisee's mistake wasn't in doing good things, but in how he viewed them. He saw his obedience as earning God's favor, a personal merit badge.
The Problem of 'Works-Based' Righteousness:
This man followed the rules, perhaps even exceeding them. So why was his prayer rejected? It's a stark reminder that outward actions don't always reveal inward reality.
The Pharisee presented a picture of piety on the outside, but his heart was far from humble.
The Pitfalls of Presentation:
Understand the original words
nēsteuō · Greek Verb
A voluntary religious practice of abstaining from food to focus on prayer, repentance, or seeking God's will.
apodekatoō · Greek Verb
A tenth part of one's income or produce given to God, prescribed by the Mosaic Law to acknowledge that all wealth comes from Him.
The Pharisee's claims reflect intensified religious practices like fasting and tithing that arose within Second Temple Judaism, but his error was in trusting these works for righteousness rather than God's mercy, a common pitfall of his time.
c. 450 BC
Ezra and Nehemiah reform
Following the return from Babylonian exile, Ezra and Nehemiah worked to re-establish Jewish law and practice in Jerusalem, emphasizing strict observance of the Law, including tithing.
c. 2nd Century BC
Pharisaic movement emerges
The Pharisees developed as a religious movement emphasizing strict adherence to both the written Law and oral traditions, including intensified practices like regular fasting and tithing beyond the Law's requirements.
c. 1st Century BC - 1st Century AD
Intensified fasting practices
Many Pharisees adopted the practice of fasting twice a week, typically on Mondays and Thursdays, to demonstrate exceptional piety and devotion beyond the single annual Day of Atonement required by the Law.
c. 1st Century BC - 1st Century AD
Tithing of all acquisitions
The practice of tithing expanded among some Jews to include even small herbs and acquired goods, going beyond the original requirements for agricultural produce and livestock.
Jesus directly confronts the Pharisees' similar self-righteousness, highlighting that while tithing is good, they've neglected the more crucial aspects of God's law like justice, mercy, and faithfulness.
Romans 10:3This passage speaks to the same error of seeking righteousness through one's own efforts rather than through faith in Christ, a central theme in the Pharisee's mistaken prayer.
Luke 10:25-37The Parable of the Good Samaritan immediately follows this passage and serves as a direct counterpoint, illustrating true neighborly love and compassion, which the Pharisee's actions and attitude clearly lack.
Philippians 3:4-9Paul recounts his own impressive religious credentials, similar to the Pharisee's boasts, but ultimately discards them all in favor of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ, showing the futility of relying on such external achievements for salvation.
Matthew 6:1-4Jesus teaches about the proper motivation for acts of righteousness like fasting and giving, emphasizing that they should be done secretly for God, not for the praise of others, which is exactly what the Pharisee's prayer reveals he was seeking.
calvinLuke 18:9-14: "And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:"
- And he spoke also this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10. Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11. The Pharisee standing [327] prayed these things within himself: God, I thank thee that I am not as other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterous, or even as this…
vincentLuke 18:12: "I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess."
Twice in the weekThe law required only one fast in the year, that on the great day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29; Numbers 29:7); though public memorial fasts were added, during the Captivity, on the anniversaries of national calamities. The Pharisees fasted every Monday and Thursday during the weeks between the Passover and Pentecost, and again between the Feast of Tabernacles and that of the Dedication of the Temple.I…
The Pharisee's boast isn't just about performing extra religious acts; it's about accumulating "merit" by going beyond the law's requirements. He's not simply following rules; he's counting points, believing his meticulous, voluntary observances earn him a standing with God, a dangerous self-reliance that blinds him to his true need.
Jesus is telling a parable to a group of people who are convinced of their own righteousness and look down on others. He contrasts the prayer of a self-righteous Pharisee with that of a humble tax collector, highlighting their vastly different approaches to God and their understanding of sin. This Pharisee's boastful prayer, detailing his religious observances beyond the Law's requirements, sets the stage for Jesus' condemnation of self-reliance and his praise of humble repentance.
Jesus is telling a parable to a group of people who are convinced of their own righteousness and look down on others. He contrasts the prayer of a self-righteous Pharisee with that of a humble tax collector, highlighting their vastly different approaches to God and their understanding of sin. This Pharisee's boastful prayer, detailing his religious observances beyond the Law's requirements, sets the stage for Jesus' condemnation of self-reliance and his praise of humble repentance.
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c. AD 30-33— this verse
Jesus tells the parable
Jesus tells the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in the Temple, directly contrasting the self-righteous boasting of the Pharisee, exemplified by his statement, with the humble repentance of the tax collector.
"I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’" — The Pharisee's boast isn't just about performing extra religious acts; it's about accumulating "merit" by going beyond the law's requirements. He's not simply following rules; he's counting points, b…