I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:14, NKJV
The Upside-Down Way
In Luke 18, Jesus tells a parable about two men who go to the temple to pray. One is a Pharisee, proud of his religious achievements, listing them off as proof of his righteousness. The other is a tax collector, a man despised by society, who simply beats his chest and cries out, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Jesus shocks His listeners by saying that it’s the tax collector—not the Pharisee—who goes home justified before God. Why? Because God doesn’t measure righteousness by outward actions alone, but by the posture of our hearts.
Pride tells us we can earn our way to God. Humility recognizes that we can’t. The Pharisee was focused on himself—his good works, his superiority over others—while the tax collector was focused on God’s mercy.
Jesus reminds us in today’s verse that “all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” The Kingdom of God turns human expectations upside down. Those who rely on their own goodness will miss it. Those who recognize their need for grace will find it.
True righteousness begins with humility—acknowledging our dependence on God. When we approach Him with a heart like the tax collector’s, we don’t just find mercy—we find true exaltation in His presence.
https://bible.com/bible/114/luk.18.14.NKJV
Note after sharing the devotional: First, I want to share the full passage:
In Luke 18, Jesus tells a parable about two men who go to the temple to pray. One is a Pharisee, proud of his religious achievements, listing them off as proof of his righteousness. The other is a tax collector, a man despised by society, who simply beats his chest and cries out, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Jesus shocks His listeners by saying that it’s the tax collector—not the Pharisee—who goes home justified before God. Why? Because God doesn’t measure righteousness by outward actions alone, but by the posture of our hearts.
Pride tells us we can earn our way to God. Humility recognizes that we can’t. The Pharisee was focused on himself—his good works, his superiority over others—while the tax collector was focused on God’s mercy.
Jesus reminds us in today’s verse that “all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” The Kingdom of God turns human expectations upside down. Those who rely on their own goodness will miss it. Those who recognize their need for grace will find it.
True righteousness begins with humility—acknowledging our dependence on God. When we approach Him with a heart like the tax collector’s, we don’t just find mercy—we find true exaltation in His presence.
https://bible.com/bible/114/luk.18.14.NKJV
Note after sharing the devotional: First, I want to share the full passage:
9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14, NKJV
As you may have guessed, this is the famous parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. I’ve been familiar with this passage for most of my life, and the way Jesus shared this was in such a clear way that the moral was obvious to me even young: never boast in yourself, and always be cognizant of -- and asking for -- God’s mercy. After all:
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23, NKJV
and,
As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; Romans 3:10, NKJV
... that is, aside from those who have received Jesus’s righteousness. A couple years ago, I actually had the interesting honor of witnessing someone I know come from having had to deal with a person they called difficult. As this person was sharing their story regarding their experience with the other person (who I also have met a few times), my response was that it sounded like they were simply having a bad day. The person I was talking to doubled down in their criticism, citing (wrongly) this verse:
17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Matthew 7:17-18,20, NKJV
The conversation never went anywhere fruitful, unfortunately. But what was most striking was how this person I was talking to (and debating with) opened their sharing. It was very striking to the Pharisee praying in Luke 18:11-12. This person who was talking to me opened their sharing by stating how glad that they were not like this person they were criticizing, that how they were so great a Christian (I’m paraphrasing) and how this other person who calls oneself a Christian is a terrible one.
Bottom line, those types of people are insufferable to me, and, going by God’s Word, it looks as if those types of people are insufferable to Him as well. After all, the irony of Matthew 7:17-18,20 (the passage shared above that can get misused in these types of contexts) is that this verse is also a way for us to discern the fruits of such boasters as well, those who are confident in their self-righteousness even to the point of rejecting correction when their boasting is called out as sinful.
As for me, I actually don’t consider myself humble, and it’s for this very reason: I’m really only humble when I’ve been humbled, and when I realize that actually being humbled is a very good thing.
Honestly, one of the best prayers anyone can pray is this:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!
Prayer: Father, I come before You with a humble heart, knowing that I need Your grace. Keep me from pride, from thinking I can earn Your love. Help me to trust in Your mercy and rest in Your righteousness. Thank You for exalting the humble and drawing near to the lowly. In Jesus’s name, Amen.