Do Not Despise Others
March 29, 2025 - Saturday of the Third Week of Lent
Luke 18:9-14
In today’s parable, Jesus addresses “those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else” (Luke 18:9). The Pharisee serves as a striking example—he flaunts his religious deeds and views others with contempt, labeling them as “extortioners, unjust, adulterers” (Luke 18:11-12). In comparing himself to sinners, he fails to recognize his own sinfulness. By exalting himself above the tax collector, he ignores the wisdom of Scripture: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (Prov 3:34 LXX; 1 Pet 5:5). As a result, he leaves the temple humbled, rather than justified (Luke 18:14).
There is a crucial difference between being righteous in our own eyes and being justified before God. Scripture teaches that “no one is righteous” (Rom 3:10) and that all of us stand in need of the righteousness that comes from God (Rom 3:21-25). This righteousness is not something we achieve on our own—it is given to us through Jesus Christ, the Only Righteous One (Luke 23:47), who does not despise sinners but calls all to repentance and holiness.
The tax collector’s plea for mercy carries profound significance. He asks God to “be propitious”—a term rooted in temple worship, where the blood of sacrifice was poured on the propitiation (the cover of the Ark of the Covenant) as atonement for sin (Heb 9:5; Lev 16:5,14). But we have a far greater propitiation than the Ark’s cover: we have Jesus Christ himself. God’s mercy is fully revealed in the gift of His Son, “for God so loved the world that He gave His only Son” (John 3:16). Jesus is “the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).
Yet, there is another danger—falling into the opposite extreme. We may find ourselves thanking God that we are not like the Pharisee, unknowingly adopting the very pride Jesus warns against. Even St. Paul, once a Pharisee convinced of his own righteousness (Phil 3:6), later recognized himself as the “chief of sinners” (1 Tim 1:15). Nicodemus, also a Pharisee, defended Jesus against unjust condemnation (John 7:50-52) and, along with Joseph of Arimathea, buried Jesus after the crucifixion (John 19:38-42), while the disciples hid in fear.
The lesson is clear: we must not despise others. Sin is universal, and all are in need of God’s mercy. As Scripture reminds us, “We will all stand before the judgment seat of God” (Rom 14:10). The posture and prayer of the tax collector offer us the right example. Aware of our sinfulness, we approach God with humility, seeking His mercy—and when we do, we go home justified by His grace.