Luke 18:11 English Standard Version (ESV) The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed^[a] thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

Footnote ^[a] Or standing, prayed to himself

Let us try and put this in simple terms. The Pharisee represents a scholar who has studied the law and knows the law inside and out. He believes that he obeys the law and that his belief in his obedience of the law sets him apart from everyone else. He believes his actions have given him a right standing before God.

At the end of this tale Jesus announces that the tax collector that acknowledges his sin condition and begs for mercy will go home justified, not the Pharisee.

What did the Pharisee do wrong?

This is a lesson that all of us need to understand and to explain to those who question our choosing to place our faith in Jesus Christ.

The law was given to show us that we are sinners.

If we cannot see ourselves for what we are, we will never repent. The knowledge of condition is the first step toward salvation. The second step is accepting that nothing we have done so far has changed that condition. The third and most vital step is a sincere desire for change.

Only Christ has said to His followers “I am the Way the Truth and the Life.” Only Jesus has said “No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

That is offensive to the religions that deny Christ. Some religions that embrace Christ do not make it simple to follow Christ. They make it complicated in order to retain control over the masses for their own selfish reasons.

All those other religions want to make us Pharisees of their own making. They want us to believe that we can do enough to be accepted by their god.

It is a lie.