Luke 18 - What Do You Want Jesus to Do for You?
Luke 18 - NIV
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
18 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.’
If a woman's husband died she, became very reliant of the Jewish community. This is why you hear the command so often for the Jews to take care of their widows and orphans.
27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. - James 1:27
Jesus frequently taught about how and when to pray. It reminds us that one of the most important things we can do as Christ followers is to pray. Specifically, Jesus teaches them today in this parable why they shouldn't give up in prayer.
Have you ever felt like giving up when you were praying, when you didn't see an answer to your prayers?
Jesus used the persistent widow as an example of someone who persevered in prayer. In this case her asked the judge to grant her justice from her enemy. The judge seemed to care less and was annoyed by her persistent pestering.
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!’”
Even the unjust judge granted the widow just because she would not let up. He was also afraid she would attack him. What a strong woman!
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 (as the unjust judge was against the widow). - Guzik
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?”
If the unjust judge eventually listened to the woman and gave her justice, how much more will a just God give us justice to his children when they pray. Unlike the unjust judge, God doesn't get tired of our prayers, because they show our faith in him. And this is how the parable ends with the Lord asking, "Will I find faith on earth."
Do you wear out God with your prayers? You can never do that! When we go to God in prayer, we show we have faith in Him and trust in him for our most pressing needs.
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.’
Jesus often told parables directed at the Pharisees' self righteousness and pride. They often did things to justify themselves as if to show they were religiously superior. But in this parable Jesus shares a story about two men who went up to the temple to pray. Jesus had just talked about prayer.
The difference was the Pharisee was a religious leader who was expected to pray. The tax collector was despised, because the tax collectors often collected more than was due and pocketed the difference. The other difference was the content of their prayer, which revealed their attitude toward prayer. When the Pharisee prayed, he focused on how morally superior he was to people like the tax collector. He also bragged about his fasting and tithing. The Pharisees' prayer was all about himself.
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.’
Meanwhile the tax collector's pray was real short. Instead of bragging, the tax collector realized how sinful he was in the presence of a holy God! He was truly sorry for his sin and begged God for mercy.
Do your prayers look more like the Pharisee or the Tax Collector? Do you ever beat your chest while crying out for mercy?
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 tax collector was justified with God. What does that mean? To be justified means to be in a right relationship with God. When we are living in sin, our relationship with God is broken. When we confess our sin honestly, and look to Jesus for our forgiveness, our relationship with God is restored.
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.”
Jesus rebuked the proud tax collector, but he praised the little children. People even brought little babies to him. The disciples wondered why Jesus was spending time with these little children. After all didn't he have better things to do. Then, Jesus says something quite amazing. He says that the kingdom of
God belongs to them. What does he mean and why does the kingdom belong to them?
Children love to come to Jesus, and it says something about our Savior that children loved Him and that He loved children. Jesus was not a mean, sour man because children don’t love mean, sour people. - Guzik
Children also trust unless they are given a reason not to.
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.
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! 25 Indeed, 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.
The young man who approached Jesus had two things going for him from a worldly standpoint. He was rich and powerful. But the one thing he did not have was eternal life. Since he had the power and money to buy almost anything, he thought it was the same with eternal life. Jesus was just the guy to give it to him. Name the price and he would pay for it like everything else he had acquired. So he asked Jesus, "What must he do to get eternal life?"
Instead of answering the question, Jesus says something curious. He asks the man why he called Jesus good. Remember that we know a post resurrection Jesus. Of course, we would say he was good. But Jesus says that only God is truly good. The world's view of goodness is different than God's. In our society good is defined by what each particular person thinks it is. But what are they basing this on?
So, Jesus decides to check on what this man thinks, so he gives him a quiz using the Ten Commandments as a definition of good. The man thinks he has been pretty good in keeping these commandments. But there was one command the man fell short on. He may have known the letter of the Law but not the Spirit of the Law.
Jesus asked the man to sell everything to the poor and then to follow him. This revealed the man's true God, money. He had violated the command to have no other gods before him. He walked away sad, because he knew he could not part with his riches?
Is there anything in your life you would not give up if Jesus asked you to? What do you think this says about your relationship with this thing?
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 God 30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”
When the disciples heard this, they realized that there is no way they could meet this expectation. They had given up everything to follow Jesus, was that enough? Jesus responds what it is impossible is only possible through God's free gift of salvation. But to be clear anyone who gives up their life to follow Jesus will receive not only blessings in this life but also in the age to come eternal life.
Thank God we won't be judged by the Ten Commandments. It would be impossible to keep them all, all the time. But God has done the impossible by saving us by grace through faith!
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.
Though the disciples would receive many rewards in heaven, that would have to wait for Jesus to fulfilled his mission. Jesus' next stop was the cross, where he would be delivered to the Gentiles and treated disrespectfully in just about every way known to man in his day. Jesus had told the disciples three times about this, but they still were clueless. In their defense it says the meaning was hidden for them. And just about everyone else too. After all Jesus was supposed to be a king not treated like a heinous criminal.
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.
So far in this chapter Luke has told us about widow, a tax collector, a child, and a rich, young ruler. What a cast of characters and a representation of the humanity Jesus came to save. In this final story, a blind beggar overheard Jesus was passing by. Although the man was blind, spiritually he could see Jesus better than anyone yet. He addressed Jesus as Lord and believed he could heal him.
Even after he was rebuked by the disciples, he kept shouting all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me." Using this term showed the man knew Jesus was fulfilling his role as the Messiah. The term "Son of David" pointed to the promise that the Messiah would come through the line of David. Although Jesus came from David's line, David called him "Lord" in the Psalm 110:1
My favorite line is when Jesus says, "What do you want me to do for you?"
What would you say to Jesus if he asked you this question?
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