Sometimes people are slow to understand their own negative behaviour. Often it is a rude shock - such as a negative experience - that awakens us to the truth. Hosea pleads with the people to return to God's ways and he chides them for their fickleness and sinful behaviour. He hopes that the 'shock therapy' will work, but he has to warn them that God cannot be manipulated or bribed by rituals or sacrifices. Only faithful love and genuine knowledge of God, that is expressed in one's life, counts in God's eyes.

Things are not always as they seem and appearances can deceive us. For instance, by all human standards, the Pharisee in the story was moral, spiritual and upright, while the tax collector was sinful and venal. But the parable assures us that it was the tax collector who went away right in God's sight. Why? Doesn't this turn everything upside down? This story is not about Pharisees, for they were no more self-righteous or proud than anyone else. It is about all religious people, in every religion and every age. It was the tax collector's brokenness and humility that was his healing and salvation. He had 'hit bottom' as we say and could not avoid the truth any longer.