The research is carried out on the text of Lc 18,9-14 with an approach to pragmatic-linguistic analysis. The study begins by examining the term justified (Luke 18,14). Justification, as proposed by the sacred author, is a consequence that God attributes to man from outside. It is a salvific event, which occurs without the participation of this subject. To demonstrate this, the present study takes a look at the characters that make up the Lucan story: a tax collector and a Pharisee, both situated in a temple praying. The Pharisee, representative figure of the Jew observing religious prescriptions and for his formalistic interpretation of the law. The figure of the tax collector is often associated with the social category of sinners. The use of the term giving thanks (Luke 18,11) by the Lucan hagiographer, verbalized by the Pharisee for debatable reasons, is worth highlighting: For I am not like other men: greedy, unjust, adulterers; nor like this tax collector (Luke 18,11d-e). The tax collector, on the other hand, recognizing himself as a sinner and without presenting qualities that could buy his justification, trusts only in the gracious mercy of God. Using pragmatic-linguistic analysis as an aid, justification occurs in an undeserved, unconditioned, disproportionate, immeasurable way on the part of God who knows human precariousness and failure. Appreciation values diachronic study, making an interface with synchronic studies and intertextual analyses. When using the verb justified, the author does so in a conscious and coherent way towards those who find themselves in a fragile situation, which demonstrates his own narrative style.