Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
LUKE 18
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’ ”
6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
The Little Children and Jesus
15 People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
The Rich and the Kingdom of God
18 A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’”
21 “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.
22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!25Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”
27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
28 Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!”
29 “Truly I tell you,”Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God30will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”
Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time
31 Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. 32 He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; 33 they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”
34 The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.
A Blind Beggar Receives His Sight
35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”
38 He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
39 Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?”
“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.
42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” 43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.
Application Notes
18:1-14 We understand these two stories about prayer best when we consider the context of Jesus' previous teachings on how we should live during the time before he comes again. Persistent prayer is the answer. To persist in prayer and not give up does not mean to subject oneself to endless repetition or painfully long prayer sessions. Being in constant prayer means keeping our requests continually before God as we live for him day by day, believing he will answer. When we live by faith, we are not to give up. God may tell us to wait, but his delays always have good reasons. As we persist in prayer, we grow in character, faith, and hope.
18:3 Widows and orphans were among the most vulnerable of all God's people, and both Old Testament prophets and New Testament apostles insisted that these people be properly cared for. (See, for example, Exodus 22:22-24; Isaiah 1:17; 1 Timothy 5:3; James 1:27.)
18:6-7 If godless judges respond to constant pressure, how much more will a great and loving God respond to us? Persistent prayer keeps us in communication with God, helps us keep our requests in perspective, makes us consider what we really want God to do, and helps us recognize the answer when it comes. If we know God loves us, we can believe he will hear our cries for help.
18:10 The people who lived near Jerusalem would often go to the temple to pray. The temple was the center of their worship.
18:11-14 The Pharisee went to the temple not to pray to God but to announce to all within earshot how good he was. The tax collector went recognizing his sin and begging for mercy. Self-righteousness is dangerous. It leads to pride, causes a person to despise others, and prevents that person from learning anything from God. The tax collector's prayer should be our prayer because we all need God's mercy every day. Don't let pride in your achievements cut you off from God.
18:15-16 It was customary for a mother to bring her children to a rabbi for a blessing, and that is why these mothers gathered around Jesus. The disciples, however, thought the parents were an intrusion, and they may have assun1ed the children were unworthy of the Master's time. The young children couldn't possibly grasp Jesus' teaching, so why bother him? But Jesus welcomed them because little children have the kind of faith and trust needed to enter God's kingdom. It is important not only that we introduce our children to Jesus but also that we observe their simple trust and wonder so that we can remind ourselves that these are necessary to the vitality of our own relationships with Jesus.
18:17 How does someone “receive the kingdom of God like a little child”? This means having the simple, trusting attitude that children show to adults on whom they depend. Such an attitude would have been in sharp contrast to the skeptical religious leaders, whose learning got in the way. Jesus wants his people to enjoy being with him. Don't let your past disappointments or cynicism keep you from delighting in his presence. Find ways on busy days to read the Bible intently, and seek God's help with all problems and pressures you face. Rely on him for guidance, and trust him explicitly. Children do all of this with adults who love them. How much more should believers have this attitude toward Jesus.
18:18-27 This ruler sought reassurance—some way of knowing for sure that he had eternal life. He wanted Jesus to measure and grade his qualifications or to give him some task he could do to assure his own immortality. So Jesus gave him one task the rich ruler knew he could not do. “Who then can be saved?” the bystanders asked. No one can by his or her own achievements, Jesus' answer implied. But “what is impossible with man is possible with God.” Salvation cannot be earned—it can only be received as God's gift (see Ephesians 2:8-10).
18:18-19 Jesus' response to the ruler who came and called him “Good teacher” was, in essence, “Do you know who I am?” Undoubtedly, the man did not catch the implications of Jesus' reply—that the man was correct in calling him good because Jesus truly is God.
18:22-23 This man's wealth made his life comfortable and gave him power and prestige. By telling him to sell everything he owned, Jesus was touching the very basis of his security and identity. The man did not understand that he would be even more secure if he followed Jesus than he was with all his wealth. Jesus does not ask all believers to sell everything they have, although this may be his will for some. He does ask us, however, to get rid of anything that has become more important in life than God. If your possessions take first place in your life, it would be better for you to get rid of them.
18:26-30 Peter and the other disciples had paid a high price by leaving their homes and jobs to follow Jesus. But Jesus reminded Peter that following him has its benefits as well as its sacrifices. Any believer who has had to give up something to follow Christ will be repaid in this life as well as in the next. For example, if you must give up a secure job, you will find that God offers a secure relationship with himself now and forever. If you must give up your family's approval, you will gain the love of the family of God. The disciples had begun to pay the price of following Jesus, and he said they would be rewarded. Don't dwell on what you have given up; think about what you have gained and give thanks for it. You can never outgive God.
18:31-34 Some predictions about what would happen to Jesus are found in Psalm 41:9 (betrayal); Psalm 22:16-18 and Isaiah 53:4-7 (crucifixion); and Psalm 16:10 (resurrection). The disciples didn't understand Jesus, apparently because they were focusing on what he had said about his death and were ignoring what he had said about his resurrection. Even though Jesus had spoken plainly, they would not grasp the significance of his words until they saw the risen Christ face-to-face.
18:35 Beggars would often wait along the roads near cities because that was where the most people would see them. Usually disabled in some way, beggars were unable to earn a living. Medical help was not available for their problems, and people tended to ignore their obligation to care for those in need (Leviticus 25:35-38). Thus, beggars had little hope of escaping their degrading way of life. But this blind beggar took hope in the Messiah. He shamelessly cried out for Jesus' attention, and Jesus said that his faith allowed him to see. No matter how desperate your situation may seem, if you call out to Jesus in faith, he will help you.
18:38 The blind man called Jesus “son of David," a title for the Messiah (Isaiah 11:1-3). This means that he understood Jesus to be the longawaited Christ. Note that a poor and blind beggar could see that Jesus was the Messiah, while the religious leaders who watched his miracles were blinded to his identity and refused to recognize who he was.
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)