s command, "and it came to pass, that, as they went, they were
cleansed."[984] One of the ten turned back, and with loud voice
glorified God; then he prostrated himself at the feet of Christ, giving
thanks. We are told that the grateful one was a Samaritan, from which we
infer that some or all of the others were Jews. Pained over the lack of
gratitude on the part of the nine, Jesus exclaimed: "Were there not ten
cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that return to
give glory to God, save this stranger." And to the cleansed Samaritan,
still worshiping at His feet, the Lord said: "Arise, go thy way: thy
faith hath made thee whole." Doubtless the nine who came not back were
obedient to the strict letter of the Lord's command; for He had told
them to go to the priests; but their lack of gratitude and their failure
to acknowledge the power of God in their restoration stand in
unfavorable contrast with the spirit of the one; and he was a Samaritan.
The occurrence must have impressed the apostles as another evidence of
acceptability and possible excellence on the part of aliens, to the
disparagement of Jewish claims of superiority irrespective of merit.

THE PHARISEE AND THE PUBLICAN.[985]

"And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that
they were righteous, and despised others:

"Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee,
and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus
with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are,
extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I
fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And
the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as
his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be
merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his
house justified rather than the other: for every one that
exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself
shall be exalted."

We are expressly told that this parable was given for the benefit of
certain ones who trusted in their self-righteousness as an assurance of
justification before God. It was not addressed to the Pharisees nor to
the publicans specifically. The two characters are types of widely
separated classes. There may have been much of the Pharisaic spirit of
self-complacency among the disciples and some of it even among the
Twelve. A Pharis