The Gospel of Luke contains the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector praying in the Temple.
Luke 18 presents two men who go to the Temple to pray. The Pharisee emphasizes his religious observance, while the tax collector stands at a distance, asks God for mercy, and acknowledges his sinfulness. Jesus concludes that the humble tax collector, rather than the self-exalting Pharisee, went home justified.
The parable fits Luke’s recurring interest in humility, reversal, prayer, and God’s concern for people viewed as morally or socially compromised. Tax collectors are repeatedly portrayed as outsiders or sinners in Gospel narratives, making the tax collector’s prayer especially striking to the original audience.
This story is found only in Luke among the four canonical Gospels. It should not be confused with Luke’s separate account of Zacchaeus, another tax collector who encounters Jesus.