The Gospel Of Luke
Chapter 18
(V1) Jesus did not mean that we should always have our knees bent and eyes closed in prayer; but we must always be in what is sometimes called the spirit of prayer. Paul mentioned this idea in 1 Thessalonians 5:17when he wrote, pray without ceasing.
never give up – It’s easy to give up in prayer because the Devil hates prayers, so much that he tries to tell us it’s not working or God would never listen to you as you are such a sinner.
Too often, prayer becomes a last resort instead of a first resource because of Satan’s work and this is simply because if prayer were powerless, they would be easy, be Satan knows how much power they have so tries to stop us.
(V2-8) Now couple of points first. This wouldn’t have been a Jewish Judge because disputes in the Jewish world were brought to the elders. This judge was one of the paid magistrates appointed either by Herod or the Romans, and such judges were notorious for being corrupt.
When he complained the woman was wearing me out, it translates literally as to give a black eye or to stun me and was metaphor taken from boxers who are getting worn down by their opponents with constant jabs. Paul uses a similar metaphor in 1 Corinthians 9:27when talking about training his body for the ministry.
The judge was ungodly, both as a man and a judge. Yet in the end he answered the woman’s request. The only reason he gave her what she wanted was because the woman wouldn’t stop bothering him.
The unjust judge only reluctantly answered the woman’s request. Jesus did not give this parable to say that God was like the unjust judge, but unlike him. God loves to answer our prayers, and He even helps us when we pray. God is on your side when you pray, not against you.
The woman had to overcome the judge’s reluctance to help. We often feel that we must do the same when we pray – use our persistence to overcome God’s reluctance. This misses the point of the parable entirely. Jesus did not say that men always ought to pray and not lose heart because God is reluctant, but because He isn’t, and that is our encouragement to prayer.
(V9-14) Two men went up to the temple to pray – In this parable, both men prayed, but both men did not come to God the same way. The Pharisee went up to the temple to pray, but he did not pray. He spoke with himself, not with God, and in his short prayer he repeated the word “I” four times.
It is entirely possible to address your words to God, but actually be praying to yourself, because your focus is on yourself, not on God.
God, I thank You that I am not like other people – In his (so-called) prayer, the Pharisee praised himself, and compared himself to other people. It isn’t hard to have such a high opinion of yourself if you are going to compare yourself to others, as we can all think of someone much worse than us.
NOTE – This sort of pride was not uncommon and one ancient rabbi – Rabbi Simeon, the son of Jochai was an example of this kind of Pharisaical pride when he said: “If there were only thirty righteous persons in the world, I and my son would make two of them; but if there were but twenty, I and my son would be of the number; and if there were but ten, I and my son would be of the number; and if there were but five, I and my son would be of the five; and if there were but two, I and my son would be those two; and if there were but one, I myself should be that one.”
I fast twice a week– In those days many Jews fasted on the second (Monday) and fifth (Thursday) days of each week, because they taught that Moses went up on Mount Sinai to receive the law on the fifth day of the week, and that he came down with the law on the second day of the week.
NOTE – Mondays and Thursdays also just happened to be the market days so many people would come into Jerusalem so would be able to notice them. To make sure that they were indeed noticed for being so “religious ” they would often whiten their faces and dress in old cloths to finish the whole show.
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”. The Pharisee relied on his own power and deeds before God, but the tax collector relied on the mercy and compassion of God. He recognized that he was a sinner who needed the mercy of God.
NOTE – Tax Collectors were hated in the Jewish culture, more in Chapter 19 Zacchaeus
We can imagine the Pharisee praying with eloquent words and flowing, spiritual style; anyone who heard him pray would say that he was a spiritual man. In contrast, we imagine the tax collector praying awkwardly, with halting phrases and fear; but his prayer pleased God.
Beat his breast – The idea behind this was that you were so ashamed of the sins in your heart that you would literally hit your own heart as punishment.
The Pharisee thought he was not like other men; that he was better than them. The tax collector also thought that he was not like other men; but he thought he was worse than them.
(V15-17) Children love to come to Jesus, and it says something about our Savoir that children loved Him and that He loved children. Jesus was not a mean, grumpy man because children don’t love mean, grumpy people.
NOTE- It was the custom at that time for mothers to bring their children to some distinguished Rabbi on the first birthday that he might bless them.
NOTE- He didn’t baptize these children, but he did bless them.
Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them – We know so much more about Jesus today than these women did, so there is no reason for us to stop our children from coming to Jesus.
For the Kingdom of God belongs… to these children – Children receive the blessing of Jesus without trying to make themselves worthy of it, or pretending they don’t need it. We need to receive God’s blessings the same way.
(V18-19) Good Teacher: This was an impressive and perhaps surprising way to address Jesus. “Good Teacher” was a title never applied to other rabbis in Jesus’ day, because it implied being without sin and complete goodness. Jesus, and everyone else, recognized that Good Teacher was a unique title.
NOTE – There is no instance in the whole Jewish writings of a rabbi being addressed as “Good ” as they insisted on only calling God alone “good.”
What should I do to inherit eternal life? – A truer translation would be “what good work should I do” This question shows that this man, like all people by nature, he had an inclination towards earning an eternal life. He wanted to know what good work or noble deed he had to do inherit eternal life.
Why do you call Me good? – In this, Jesus did not deny His own goodness. Instead, He asked the man, Do you understand what you are saying when you call Me good? Because no one is good but the one Who is actually God.
(V20-21) It is likely that he actually did keep these commandments but, in a way that made him righteous in the eyes of his fellow Pharisees, but not in Gods eyes.
(V22-23) Now before we go further please note that Jesus spoke the following to this one man, in light of who the man was and what he said. This was a specific word for a specific man and not a general rule for all followers, but still has much to teach us all.
Mark’s account adds something here – Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him – Mark 10:21. The response of Jesus to this man was said in love, because Jesus saw that he was misguided and empty. You could say that this man had climbed to the top of the ladder of success, only to find his ladder had been leaned against the wrong building.
There is still one thing you haven’t done – Though the man looked as though he had everything – riches, an outwardly righteous life, respect, and prestige, everything, but he knew he didn’t have eternal life – so really had nothing.
By saying, “Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor” Jesus challenged the man to love God more than his money and material things and sadly the man failed. Jesus had asked the man to give up his money because He could see money was an idol. He asked him to give it to the poor because He could see that he didn’t love others the way should.
Many people can make two mistakes here.
- The first one is to believe this applies to everyone, when Jesus never made this a general command to all who would follow Him, but especially to this one man whose riches were obstacle. Instead, many rich people can do more good in the world by using their wealth for God and the good of others.
- The second mistake is to believe this applies to no one, when there are clearly those today who should do the radical act of giving up on all material goods for the sake of their souls.
The other gospels note that the man “he went away ” – Matthew 19:22. When he heard Jesus’ radical call to discipleship basically he said, “I can’t do that. I can’t make that sacrifice. I guess I’m going to hell then”
(V24-27) Jesus didn’t chase after the man or change His demands of discipleship, but He did use the man’s Sadness as an occasion to teach His disciples.
How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God – Riches are a problem because they tend to make us satisfied with this life, instead of longing for the age to come.
We often excuse ourselves from what Jesus said here because we don’t consider ourselves rich. Yet by Biblical standards we would all be so much richer than this young man.
In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God – We have two possible answers here.
Jesus was being funny, as there was a common expression of elephant trying to get through the eye of a needle as a picture of something fantastically impossible and Jesus was just softened it a bit from its common telling.
OR
There was a small gate at the southern side of Jerusalem called the Eye of The Needle and it was a small narrow gate, the idea being that to get a camel through it you would have to dismount and remove and baggage to be able to get through. This would then mean that the rich man would have to leave all his baggage (riches) behind to be able to enter the kingdom.
Then who in the world can be saved? – The response from those who heard this is true to human nature. We also find it hard to see how riches can hinder us from the kingdom of God. We think only of the blessing and good that riches might bring.
NOTE – The followers of Jesus had probably hoped that by following the Messiah, it would make them rich, influential, and prominent leaders in His new government.
NOTE – In a culture where wealth was seen as a sign of God’s blessing and where religious teachers were therefore expected to be at least reasonably wealthy, the lifestyle of Jesus and his disciples were strikingly different.
What is impossible for people is possible with God – Its absolutely possible for the rich to be saved. God’s grace is enough to save even the richest people as we have examples of people like Zacchaeus, Joseph of Arimathea, Barnabas or from the Old Testament we have Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and Solomon. These were all super rich men, but they were still able to put God first, not their riches.
(V28-30) In contrast to the rich young ruler, the disciples did give up everything or most everything to follow Jesus. Peter wondered what reward would be promised to them who obeyed where the rich young ruler disobeyed.
I assure you that everyone who has given up ….. will be repaid many times over – The twelve may have their unique reward, but there will be universal honour for all who sacrifice for Jesus’ sake.
Many times over is obviously not meant in a material sense. Jesus did not promise a hundred a hundred wives or a hundred houses. Many times over is literal, but its spiritual in its meaning.
(V31-34) This was not a surprise to the disciples. Even if Jesus had not specifically told them, their moving south from Galilee at about the time of the Passover feast made it easy to understand that Jesus and the disciples would be in Jerusalem in time for the Passover.
All the predictions of the prophets concerning the Son of Man will come true – In saying “all the predictions” Jesus was emphasized the truth concerning the Son of Man that were commonly neglected or overlooked by the Jewish people of His day – that the Messiah would suffer and die as a sin-bearing servant.
Handed over to the Romans, and he will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit upon – Jesus reminded His disciples of His coming suffering and death, emphasizing the shame and humiliation He would bear.
He will be handed over – This speaks of the betrayal of Jesus; one of His own disciples would deliver Him over to the religious leaders for money.
And kill Him – The suffering would not end with humiliation and a severe beating. It would continue to the death of Jesus.
But on the third day He will rise again – Jesus triumphantly told His disciples that the story would not end with His suffering, humiliation, and death. He would rise again in resurrected glory.
This was something that Jesus had no apparent control over. Yet He confidently announced to His disciples that this would happen.
But they didn’t understand any of this – They heard the words right from the mouth of Jesus, and saw the expression on His face, and still did not understand – because The significance of his words was hidden from them. They could not see or understand the truth until God opened their eyes.
Perhaps God did not open their eyes to this truth because they couldn’t handle it yet. If they really knew what would happen to Jesus, and how different it would be from their own ideas of following the Messiah to glory, they might have just given up right then and there.
(V35-39) NOTE- In the Gospels of Matthew 20:29 and Mark 10:46, this miracle is said to happen as Jesus and the crowd were leaving Jericho. The seeming contradiction in Luke is understood in the light of recent archaeology, which has discovered that by Jesus’ time there were actually two cities of Jericho. The ancient city, and the newer Roman city. The miracle happened in-between these two cities of Jericho, leaving one and entering the other.
(V40-43) What do you want me to do for you? – This is a wonderful, simple question that God has never stopped asking us.
Sometimes we go without when God wants to give us something simply because we will not answer this question, and Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.
AMEN