SCRIPTURE: LUKE 18
THE PARABLE OF THE PERSISTENT WIDOW (vs. 1-8)
“In a certain town, there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, “Grant me justice against my adversary.” (v. 3). For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, “Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!” (v. 4-5).And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. “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? 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?” (vs.6-8)
THE PARABLE OF THE PHARISEE AND THE TAX COLLECTOR (vs. 9-14)
“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: “Good, I thank you that I am not like other men – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” (vs. 10-12). 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.” (v. 13). I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. (vs. 14)
THE LITTLE CHILDREN AND JESUS (vs. 15-17)
People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. 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. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (vs. 16-17)
THE RICH RULER (vs. 18-30)
A certain ruler asked Jesus, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (v. 18) Jesus answered: “You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother” (vs. 19-20). The ruler said he had kept those commandments since he was a boy. 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.” (vs. 22) When he heard this, he became very sad because he was a man of great wealth. Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God>”(vs. 24-25). Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” (v. 26). Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God. (v. 27). Peter said to Jesus: “We have left all we had to follow you!” (v. 28). Jesus said to them, “No one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.” (v. 29)
JESUS AGAIN PREDICTS HIS DEATH (vs. 31-34)
Jesus took the Twelve disciples 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. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.” (vs. 31-33) 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 (vs. 35-43)
As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him that Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (v. 38) 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!” (v. 30) Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He replied: “Lord, I want to see” (v. 41) Jesus said to him, “Receive your sigh; your faith has healed you.” (v. 42) Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.
THOUGHTS:
The widow persistently went to the judge to seek justice.. At first, the judge just ignored her. But finally he responded to the constant pressure. If we want to ask something from God, we should persist and never give up. When we live by faith, we are confident that God will answer us. God may delay answering but his delays always have good reasons. Do you have an unanswered prayer? Continue to pray with faith and hope.
The Pharisee went to the Temple to announce how good he was while the tax collector went there recognizing his sins and begging for mercy from the Lord. Self-righteousness is dangerous. It leads to pride, causes a person to despise others and prevents him from learning anything from God. We should approach God with a humble heart. Don’t let pride in our achievements cut us off from God.0
The disciples thought that children were unworthy of the Master’s time. But Jesus welcomed them because little children have the find of faith and trust needed to enter God’s Kingdom. It is important that we introduce our children to Jesus and that we ourselves should approach Him with childlike attitudes of acceptance, faith and trust.
The ruler wanted reassurance to have eternal life. Jesus gave him a task which was difficult for the rich to follow. When he told him to sell everything he owned, Jesus was touching the very basis of his security and identity. He was asking him to get rid of his possessions that took first place in his life. In the same way, Jesus is asking us to get rid of anything that has become more important in our life than God.
When the bystanders asked Jesus: “Then who in the world can be saved?” Jesus replied that no one can be saved by his own achievements. Only God is possible to give salvation to mankind. And this Salvation cannot be earned – it is God’s gift.
Peter and the other disciples had paid a high price – 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 to give up something to follow Christ will be paid back in this life as well as in the next.
When Jesus told the disciples about His death, they did not understand. They did not grasp the significance of His words until they saw Him risen from the dead face to face.
This blind man became a beggar because he could not work to earn a living. Beggars are considered hopeless since they can not escape their degrading way of life. But this blind beggar looked for hope in Jesus. He shouted help from Jesus and continued on even though people rebuked him and told him to keep quiet. Jesus said that his faith allowed him to see. No matter how desperate your situation may be, if you call out to Jesus in faith, He will help you.