Luke 18

1 Then Yeshua told his talmidim a parable, in order to impress on them that they must always keep praying and not lose heart.

2 "In a certain town, there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected other people.

3 There was also in that town a widow who kept coming to him and saying, `Give me a judgment against the man who is trying to ruin me.'

4 For a long time he refused; but after awhile, he said to himself, `I don't fear God, and I don't respect other people;

5 but because this widow is such a nudnik, I will see to it that she gets justice -- otherwise, she'll keep coming and pestering me till she wears me out!'"

6 Then the Lord commented, "Notice what this corrupt judge says.

7 Now won't God grant justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Is he delaying long over them?

8 I tell you that he will judge in their favor, and quickly! But when the Son of Man comes, will he find this trust on the earth at all?"

9 Also, to some who were relying on their own righteousness and looking down on everyone else, he told this parable:

10 "Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Parush and the other a tax-collector.

11 The Parush stood and prayed to himself, `O God! I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity -- greedy, dishonest, immoral, or like this tax-collector!

12 I fast twice a week, I pay tithes on my entire income, . . . '

13 But the tax-collector, standing far off, would not even raise his eyes toward heaven, but beat his breast and said, `God! Have mercy on me, sinner that I am!'

14 I tell you, this man went down to his home right with God rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but everyone who humbles himself will be exalted."

15 People brought him babies to touch; but when the talmidim saw the people doing this, they rebuked them.

16 However, Yeshua called the children to him and said, "Let the children come to me, and stop hindering them, because the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

17 Yes! I tell you that whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will not enter it at all!"

18 One of the leaders asked him, "Good rabbi, what should I do to obtain eternal life?"

19 Yeshua said to him, "Why are you calling me good? No one is good but God!

20 You know the mitzvot -- `Don't commit adultery, don't murder, don't steal, don't give false testimony, honor your father and mother, . . .'"

21 He replied, "I have kept all these since I was a boy."

22 On hearing this Yeshua said to him, "There is one thing you still lack. Sell whatever you have, distribute the proceeds to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come, follow me!"

23 But when the man heard this, he became very sad, because he was very rich.

24 Yeshua looked at him and said, "How hard it is for people with wealth to enter the Kingdom of God!

25 It's easier for a camel to pass through a needle's eye than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God!"

26 Those who heard this asked, "Then who can be saved?"

27 He said, "What is impossible humanly is possible with God."

28 Kefa said, "Look, we have left our homes and followed you."

29 Yeshua answered them, "Yes! I tell you that everyone who has left house, wife, brothers, parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God,

30 will receive many times as much in the `olam hazeh, and in the `olam haba eternal life."

31 Then, taking the Twelve, Yeshua said to them, "We are now going up to Yerushalayim, where everything written through the prophets about the Son of Man will come true.

32 For he will be handed over to the Goyim and be ridiculed, insulted and spat upon.

33 Then, after they have beaten him, they will kill him. But on the third day he will rise."

34 However, they understood none of this; its meaning had been hidden from them, and they had no idea what he was talking about.

35 As Yeshua approached Yericho, a blind man was sitting by the road, begging.

36 When he heard the crowd going past, he asked what it was all about;

37 and they told him, "Yeshua from Natzeret is passing by."

38 He called out, "Yeshua! Son of David! Have pity on me!"

39 Those in front scolded him in order to get him to shut up, but he shouted all the louder, "Son of David! Have pity on me!"

40 Yeshua stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he had come, Yeshua asked him,

41 "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man said, "Lord, let me be able to see."

42 Yeshua said to him, "See again! your trust has healed you!"

43 Instantly he received his sight and began following him, glorifying God; and when all the people saw it, they too praised God.

Luke 18 Commentary

Chapter 18

The parable of the importunate widow. (1-8) The Pharisee and the publican. (9-14) Children brought to Christ. (15-17) The ruler hindered by his riches. (18-30) Christ foreshows his death. (31-34) A blind man restored to sight. (35-43)

Verses 1-8 All God's people are praying people. Here earnest steadiness in prayer for spiritual mercies is taught. The widow's earnestness prevailed even with the unjust judge: she might fear lest it should set him more against her; but our earnest prayer is pleasing to our God. Even to the end there will still be ground for the same complaint of weakness of faith.

Verses 9-14 This parable was to convince some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others. God sees with what disposition and design we come to him in holy ordinances. What the Pharisee said, shows that he trusted to himself that he was righteous. We may suppose he was free from gross and scandalous sins. All this was very well and commendable. Miserable is the condition of those who come short of the righteousness of this Pharisee, yet he was not accepted; and why not? He went up to the temple to pray, but was full of himself and his own goodness; the favour and grace of God he did not think worth asking. Let us beware of presenting proud devotions to the Lord, and of despising others. The publican's address to God was full of humility, and of repentance for sin, and desire toward God. His prayer was short, but to the purpose; God be merciful to me a sinner. Blessed be God, that we have this short prayer upon record, as an answered prayer; and that we are sure that he who prayed it, went to his house justified; for so shall we be, if we pray it, as he did, through Jesus Christ. He owned himself a sinner by nature, by practice, guilty before God. He had no dependence but upon the mercy of God; upon that alone he relied. And God's glory is to resist the proud, and give grace to the humble. Justification is of God in Christ; therefore the self-condemned, and not the self-righteous, are justified before God.

Verses 15-17 None are too little, too young, to be brought to Christ, who knows how to show kindness to those not capable of doing service to him. It is the mind of Christ, that little children should be brought to him. The promise is to us, and to our seed; therefore He will bid them welcome to him with us. And we must receive his kingdom as children, not by purchase, and must call it our Father's gift.

Verses 18-30 Many have a great deal in them very commendable, yet perish for lack of some one thing; so this ruler could not bear Christ's terms, which would part between him and his estate. Many who are loth to leave Christ, yet do leave him. After a long struggle between their convictions and their corruptions, their corruptions carry the day. They are very sorry that they cannot serve both; but if one must be quitted, it shall be their God, not their wordly gain. Their boasted obedience will be found mere outside show; the love of the world in some form or other lies at the root. Men are apt to speak too much of what they have left and lost, of what they have done and suffered for Christ, as Peter did. But we should rather be ashamed that there has been any regret or difficulty in doing it.

Verses 31-34 The Spirit of Christ, in the Old Testament prophets, testified beforehand his sufferings, and the glory that should ( 1 Peter. 1:11 ) that they would not understand these things literally. They were so intent upon the prophecies which spake of Christ's glory, that they overlooked those which spake of his sufferings. People run into mistakes, because they read their Bibles by halves, and are only for the smooth things. We are as backward to learn the proper lessons from the sufferings, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ, as the disciples were to what he told them as to those events; and for the same reason; self-love, and a desire of worldly objects, close our understandings.

Verses 35-43 This poor blind man sat by the wayside, begging. He was not only blind, but poor, the fitter emblem of the world of mankind which Christ came to heal and save. The prayer of faith, guided by Christ's encouraging promises, and grounded on them, shall not be in vain. The grace of Christ ought to be thankfully acknowledged, to the glory of God. It is for the glory of God if we follow Jesus, as those will do whose eyes are opened. We must praise God for his mercies to others, as well as for mercies to ourselves. Would we rightly understand these things, we must come to Christ, like the blind man, earnestly beseeching him to open our eyes, and to show us clearly the excellence of his precepts, and the value of his salvation.