Lucas 18

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought *ch. 21:36;Rom. 12:12;Eph. 6:18;Col. 4:2;1 Thess. 5:17;[ch. 11:5-9] always to pray and not *2 Cor. 4:1,16;2 Thess. 3:13(Gk.)lose heart. 2 He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who *[2 Cor. 8:21]neither feared God nor respected man.3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, *[ch. 11:8]‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man,5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’"6 And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says.7 And *Rev. 6:10;[Isa. 63:4] will not God give justice to *Rom. 8:33;Col. 3:12;Titus 1:1;See Mark 13:20his elect, *Ps. 88:1who cry to him day and night? *James 5:7(Gk.)*2 Pet. 3:9Will he delay long over them?8 I tell you, he will give justice to them *Heb. 10:37speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, *ch. 17:26-30;[Matt. 24:12]will he find faith on earth?"

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

9 He also told this parable to some *ch. 16:15;[Matt. 5:20] who trusted *2 Cor. 1:9in themselves that they were righteous, *Prov. 30:12;Isa. 65:5;John 7:48,49and treated others with contempt: 10 "Two men *2 Kgs. 20:5,8;Acts 3:1;[ver. 14]went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.11 The Pharisee, *Matt. 6:5;Mark 11:25standing by himself, prayed*18:11 Or standing, prayed to himself*[Rev. 3:17]thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.12 *Matt. 9:14I fast twice a week; *ch. 11:42I give tithes of all that I get.’13 But the tax collector, *[See ver. 11above] standing far off, *Ezra 9:6would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but *ch. 23:48beat his breast, saying, ‘God, *Ps. 79:9;Ezek. 16:63;Dan. 9:19be merciful to me, a sinner!’14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For *See ch. 14:11everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

Let the Children Come to Me

15 *For ver. 15-17, see Matt. 19:13-15;Mark 10:13-16Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they *ver. 39rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to him, saying, *Matt. 18:3"Let the children come to me, and *[Mark 9:39]do not hinder them, *Matt. 18:3for to such belongs the kingdom of God.17 *[John 3:3,5] Truly, I say to you, whoever does not *[ch. 8:13;James 1:21]receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."

The Rich Ruler

18 *For ver. 18-30, see Matt. 19:16-29;Mark 10:17-30;[ch. 10:25-28] And a ruler asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to *[Matt. 19:16]; See Matt. 25:34inherit eternal life?" 19 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.20 You know the commandments: *Rom. 13:9;Cited from Ex. 20:12-16;Deut. 5:16-20;[Matt. 5:21,27]‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’"21 And he said, *[Phil. 3:6]"All these I have kept from my youth." 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "One thing you still lack. *ch. 12:33;[ch. 16:9;19:8;Acts 2:45;4:34,35;1 Tim. 6:18,19] Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have *Matt. 6:19,20treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."23 *[Ezek. 33:31]But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24 Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, *[1 Cor. 1:26]; See Matt. 13:22"How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter *See Matt. 12:28the kingdom of God!25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter *[See ver. 24above]the kingdom of God."26 Those who heard it said, "Then who can be saved?" 27 But he said, *ch. 1:37;Gen. 18:14;Job 42:2;Jer. 32:17,27"What is impossible with man is possible with God."28 And Peter said, "See, *Matt. 4:20,22;Mark 1:18,20we have left our homes and followed you." 29 And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, *[ch. 14:26]there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers*18:29 Or wife or brothers and sistersor parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God,30 who will not receive *[Job 42:10] many times more *[Matt. 6:33] in this time, and in *Matt. 12:32;Eph. 1:21;[ch. 20:35]the age to come eternal life."

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

31 *For ver. 31-33, see Matt. 20:17-19;Mark 10:32-34And taking the twelve, he said to them, "See, *See ch. 9:51we are going up to Jerusalem, and *Ps. 22;See Matt. 1:22;26:24everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.32 For he will be *Matt. 27:2;John 18:30,31;Acts 3:13;[Acts 2:23;4:27;21:11] delivered over to the Gentiles and will be *Matt. 27:26-31mocked and shamefully treated and *Mark 14:65;15:19;See Matt. 26:67spit upon.33 And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on *See ch. 9:22the third day he will rise."34 *See Mark 9:32But they understood none of these things. *ch. 9:45;[ch. 24:16]This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar

35 *For ver. 35-43, see Matt. 20:29-34;Mark 10:46-52As he drew near to Jericho, *John 9:1,8a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. 37 They told him, *Matt. 2:23"Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." 38 And he cried out, "Jesus, *See Matt. 1:1;9:27Son of David, have mercy on me!" 39 And those who were in front *ver. 15rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 40 And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, 41 *Mark 10:36"What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, let me recover my sight." 42 And Jesus said to him, "Recover your sight; *ch. 7:50;8:48;17:19;Matt. 9:22;Mark 5:34your faith has *ch. 7:3;8:36,50made you well."43 And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, *See ch. 7:16;13:13glorifying God. And *[ch. 19:37]all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.