It is difficult to compare a Pharisee with a tax collector in any unbiased manner. They are both characters who are loaded with meaning in their context. One is the very representation of righteousness and the other the ikon of sin and betrayal.

However, Jesus (as is his custom) has this capacity to reinterpret these two figures in a very different manner. Rather than simply reinforcing the predominant stereotypes, Jesus goes right to the heart of the matter.

It is not how the community views a person that determines how God views them. It is the honesty with which a person sees themselves that opens the way for a good relationship with God.

How honest with yourself are you when you stand before God?