Luke 18:14

“I say to you, This man went down to his house accounted as righteous rather than the other.'

Then Jesus pointed out to His listeners that it was the public servant rather than the Pharisee who went away accounted as righteous in God's sight, for the Pharisee had justified himself, and his plea had been rejected. The public servant had been justified by God's mercy to a repentant sinner seeking forgiveness, and was therefore accepted before Him. The proviso, of course, was that it was his intention to go away and seek to live a changed life. But that is assumed.

“For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Jesus then summed up the conclusion to be drawn from the parable. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled. Those who humble themselves will be exalted. For God scatters the proud in the imagination of their hearts (Luke 1:51) and exalts those of low degree (Luke 1:52). He draws near to those with a humble and contrite heart, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite (Isaiah 57:15).

A further example of this will now be given in the person of young children who are brought to Jesus. It is at this point that Luke again takes up and uses the Marcan narrative, which he had ceased using at Luke 9:50.