In this parable, Jesus first describes a Pharisee who goes to worship in the temple. He exemplifies a self-righteous attitude, minimizing and compartmentalizing his sin in order to tell himself that he is justified before God. In contrast, the tax collector realizes his sin for what it is and confesses this humbly before God and asks for God's mercy. It is this second character who returns home justified before God, as God's righteous standard is not a comparison of how we measure up against others, but against His own perfection. This teaching also includes a personal testimony from Dave Glover about his own experience with this concept.
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