Jesus’ parable was addressed to those who were: “… confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else.” (Luke 18:9).  As always, the disciples were overhearing.  They were also sometimes carried away by a sense of their own importance (Mark 10:35-45).  They needed to learn the lesson too, if they were to be godly servant-leaders of the Early Church.  The parable was of two people who decided to go to the temple to pray (Luke 18:10).  The first one was a Pharisee.  He did not join in with the crowd of worshippers, anonymous to all except God; he stood by himself in distinctive clothes, obvious to all and clearly heard by those nearby (Matthew 6:5).  He was making a statement of his own holiness to all who would take notice and specially those who knew they had not reached that standard.

Although he tried to impress God, the Pharisee gave away his true nature - full of arrogant pride - and his false belief that he was morally superior because he adhered to all the rules of his religion.  However, he had forgotten what God said to Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:7, "The Lord does not look at the things people look at.  People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."  By despising the spiritual competence of others, he was making a human judgement which would be proved false (James 2:1-4).  God would bypass the smug religious expert because his heart was not right.  The Pharisee may have known the fine details of his religion but he neither knew himself nor the nature of Almighty God.  He was very religious: yes.  But he had no place in God's kingdom ... not because of what he did but because his sinful heart was not honest with God (Acts 8:21-23).

Boasting is a very immature style of social interaction.  At its root is the belief that if I tell everybody how good I am, they will believe it: and if I supply evidence of those parts of my life which are good, they will think that everything about me is of high value.  If they think that, then they will give me approval and a place in a higher social group.  Like the Pharisee in this parable, many think that they can convince God that He should give them a significant place in His kingdom; and that they are a much better candidate for heaven than people whose lives have failed publicly.

Pride and spiritual arrogance are a temptation which comes to religious people.  Even followers of Jesus can be seduced by Satan into believing that church leaders, other church members and even God Himself will be impressed by all the things we do.  But salvation through Christ does not work like that.  Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast." So, resist the temptation to think otherwise; and if spiritual boasting has become a habit be aware that it is offensive to God, and repent of it.