Luke 18:1-43
1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
2 Saying,There was in a citya a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves thatb they were righteous, and despised others:
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
15 And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.
16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said,Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.
18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
19 And Jesus said unto him,Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
20 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
21 And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.
22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him,Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.
24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said,How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
26 And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?
27 And he said,The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
28 Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.
29 And he said unto them,Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake,
30 Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.
31 Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them,Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.
32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:
33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.
34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.
35 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:
36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.
37 And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.
38 And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
39 And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,
41 Saying,What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.
42 And Jesus said unto him,Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.
43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
Luke 18:1. Men ought always to pray, and not to faint. We have continual wants, and God is always ready to hear. And as we must always be thinking of good or of evil, it is best to set the Lord always before us, and so to have our stated times of prayer, that the fire shall never go out on the altar of our heart. We should continue in prayer, because in many respects concerning particular blessings, the Lord hath just and wise reasons for delay, but he will surely answer in due time. If an unjust judge would avenge a helpless widow, shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry unto him daily? Here every word has weight. Shall the Father of mercies see his saints oppressed with grief and anguish, tempted of Satan and persecuted by the wicked, and for ever hold his peace? Oh no: he will come forth out of his place, and render tribulation to those that trouble them. Let us pray on, for we are sure to prevail. We have an advocate in the court of heaven, who will speedily honour the prayers of his saints.
Luke 18:8. Shall he find faith on the earth? As nations approach the crisis of destruction, they are seized with the spirit of error and infatuation, and grow inconceivably wicked; while, on the contrary, the few faithful ones grow more and more righteous. So it was when the Son of man came to punish Jerusalem by the Romans, and so it shall be when he comes to destroy the infidel hosts. Ezekiel 39; Revelation 19.
Luke 18:18. What shall I do to inherit eternal life? This passage has been considered in the notes on Matthew 19:16.
Luke 18:35. A certain blind man, called Bartimeus, sat begging. The miracle of mercy wrought on this humble individual, in answer to his fervent importunity, should encourage us to persevere in prayer till we obtain the light and joy of reconciliation with God. See Reflections on Mark 10. and John 9.
REFLECTIONS.
The parable of the pharisee and the publican is replete with instruction. Christ having enjoined constant prayer, here corrects a false idea of devotion. The throne of grace is not a place for the suppliant of self- applause, but to glorify the riches of grace. The pharisee praised God, and justly too, that he was not guilty of any infamous crime; but it was to bestow a double encomium on himself, as not only free from vice, but excelling others in virtue. There is no reverence or invocation in his prayer, as in the examples of Abraham, Genesis xviii; of David in the Psalms, and of Elijah on mount Carmel. He occupied the first place in the temple, as indicative of his highest claims on heaven.
A pharisaical temper betrays the utmost ignorance of human nature, and of pure religion. The pharisee knew not that the concupiscence of his heart had broken all the precepts; he knew not that the defects of his piety needed atonement: he thought that heaven was his debtor, because his prayers, his alms and his fastings, exceeded the precepts. Yet with all his professional love to God, he despised the contrite publican, and had no love to poor sinners. The Lord therefore was deaf to his prayers, and dismissed him unnoticed, if peradventure some future adversity might discover the ignorance and pride of his heart.
Genuine conversion begins with a proper sight and sense of sin. The publican stood afar off. When he thought of God, he dropped his eyes; when he looked at himself, he blushed for his sin; and when he weighed his case, he smote upon his breast, and urged no plea but mercy, mercy to the worst of men. Jeremiah 31:18. It is not only mercy that pardons, but it is the richest of mercy which provides a Saviour, and accepts his oblation.
When grace has brought a profligate to the place where he ought to be, heaven is delighted with his prayers, and accords to his soul an immediate answer of peace. This man went down to his house justified, as in Romans 3:4. Thus the truly penitent should never despair because of the greatness of their sin, but always expect an instantaneous pledge of pardon and of peace with God.
There is consequently great danger lest men should set out wrong in the way to heaven. Religion begins with a law-work on the mind, with conviction of sin, and with true repentance in the sight of God. We must approach the great tribunal solely through the Saviour's merits; any reliance on alms, fastings, charities, and moral excellence will greatly embarrass our approach. All these good things must follow, as fruits of repentance, but never be named before God. The saints forget them, and say, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee.