Luke 18

Justice for the faithful

1 Jesus was telling them a parable about their need to pray continuously and not to be discouraged.

2 He said, " In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected people.

3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him, asking, ‘Give me justice in this case against my adversary.'

4 For a while he refused but finally said to himself, I don't fear God or respect people,

5 but I will give this widow justice because she keeps bothering me. Otherwise, there will be no end to her coming here and embarrassing me."

6 The Lord said, " Listen to what the unjust judge says.

7 Won't God provide justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he be slow to help them?

8 I tell you, he will give them justice quickly. But when the Human One comes, will he find faithfulness on earth?"

The Pharisee and the tax collector

9 Jesus told this parable to certain people who had convinced themselves that they were righteous and who looked on everyone else with disgust:

10 " Two people went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

11 The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself with these words, ‘God, I thank you that I'm not like everyone else—crooks, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.

12 I fast twice a week. I give a tenth of everything I receive.'

13 But the tax collector stood at a distance. He wouldn't even lift his eyes to look toward heaven. Rather, he struck his chest and said, ‘God, show mercy to me, a sinner.'

14 I tell you, this person went down to his home justified rather than the Pharisee. All who lift themselves up will be brought low, and those who make themselves low will be lifted up."

Jesus blesses children

15 People were bringing babies to Jesus so that he would bless them. When the disciples saw this, they scolded them.

16 Then Jesus called them to him and said, " Allow the children to come to me. Don't forbid them, because God's kingdom belongs to people like these children.

17 I assure you that whoever doesn't welcome God's kingdom like a child will never enter it."

A rich man’s question

18 A certain ruler asked Jesus, "Good Teacher, what must I do to obtain eternal life?"

19 Jesus replied, " Why do you call me good? No one is good except the one God.

20 You know the commandments: Don't commit adultery. Don't murder. Don't steal. Don't give false testimony. Honor your father and mother."

21 Then the ruler said, "I've kept all of these things since I was a boy."

22 When Jesus heard this, he said, " There's one more thing. Sell everything you own and distribute the money to the poor. Then you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me."

23 When he heard these words, the man became sad because he was extremely rich.

24 When Jesus saw this, he said, " It's very hard for the wealthy to enter God's kingdom!

25 It's easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter God's kingdom."

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

27 Jesus replied, " What is impossible for humans is possible for God."

28 Peter said, "Look, we left everything we own and followed you."

29 Jesus said to them, " I assure you that anyone who has left house, husband, wife, brothers, sisters, parents, or children because of God's kingdom

30 will receive many times more in this age and eternal life in the coming age."

Jesus predicts his death and resurrection

31 Jesus took the Twelve aside and said, " Look, we're going up to Jerusalem, and everything written about the Human One by the prophets will be accomplished.

32 He will be handed over to the Gentiles. He will be ridiculed, mistreated, and spit on.

33 After torturing him, they will kill him. On the third day, he will rise up."

34 But the Twelve understood none of these words. The meaning of this message was hidden from them and they didn't grasp what he was saying.

A blind man is healed

35 As Jesus came to Jericho, a certain blind man was sitting beside the road begging.

36 When the man heard the crowd passing by, he asked what was happening.

37 They told him, "Jesus the Nazarene is passing by."

38 The blind man shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, show me mercy."

39 Those leading the procession scolded him, telling him to be quiet, but he shouted even louder, "Son of David, show me mercy."

40 Jesus stopped and called for the man to be brought to him. When he was present Jesus asked,

41 " What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, I want to see."

42 Jesus said to him, " Receive your sight! Your faith has healed you."

43 At once he was able to see, and he began to follow Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they praised God too.

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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or Son of Man
• [b]. Deut 5:16-20; Exod 20:12-16
• [c]. Or Son of Man