SCRIPTURE READING:
Luke 18
SCRIPTURE:
Luke 18
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 city 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 that 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.
DEVOTIONAL:
Luke 18 begins by telling us exactly why Jesus gives the parable of the widow and unjust judge: people ought always to pray and not faint. The judge is not a picture of God's character. He is the contrast. If even an unjust judge eventually responds, how much more can God's elect trust the righteous God who hears their cries. Persistent prayer does not overcome divine reluctance; it resists human discouragement. Jesus' final question, whether the Son of man will find faith on the earth, turns persistence into an expression of enduring allegiance while justice seems delayed.
The next parable exposes another danger in prayer: trusting in ourselves that we are righteous and despising others. The Pharisee's prayer is full of comparisons and spiritual achievements. The publican stands afar off, beats his breast, and asks for mercy. Jesus says the second man goes home justified. The contrast does not teach that fasting or tithing are evil. It teaches that practices become spiritually poisonous when they serve self-justification. Grace belongs to the sinner who casts himself on God's mercy rather than presenting a resume as leverage.
Children then become living illustrations of reception. Jesus welcomes infants whom the disciples would turn away and says the kingdom must be received like a little child. The emphasis is dependence and reception, not childish ignorance. That sets up the rich ruler's problem. He asks what he must do to inherit eternal life and can point to serious commandment keeping, yet his wealth reveals a rival trust. Jesus tells him to relinquish what owns his heart and follow. He leaves sorrowful because possessions are not merely in his hands; they have become a barrier to surrender.
The disciples ask, 'Who then can be saved?' Jesus answers, 'The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.' That sentence is the theological key. Salvation is not the successful completion of a moral project by sufficiently disciplined people. The rich, respectable, and religious cannot save themselves any more than the openly broken can. God must do what is impossible. The call to repentance and costly following remains real, but it is response to divine grace rather than the production of salvation by human strength.
Jesus then predicts His suffering, death, and resurrection, and soon afterward a blind man near Jericho cries, 'Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.' The crowd tries to silence him, but he cries more loudly. His prayer resembles the publican's: it rests on mercy and recognizes the Messianic King. Jesus gives sight, and the man follows, glorifying God. Luke thus closes the chapter with the kind of faith the chapter has been describing: persistent, humble, dependent, receptive, and ready to follow once grace is received.
In daily life, In daily life, build persistence before the answer comes. Keep a written prayer that you bring to God regularly rather than treating repeated prayer as failure. When you pray, remove comparisons that make you feel superior or hopeless; the publican had only mercy to plead. In family life, welcome children's dependence as an opportunity to model God's receiving grace rather than treating children as interruptions to serious spirituality. Review whether money, reputation, or possessions have become too costly to surrender. In church, make space for desperate voices that respectable crowds might prefer to quiet. Faith often sounds less polished and more like, 'Have mercy on me.'
In U.S. civic life, In U.S. civic life, the virtue arising from Luke 18 is perseverance in seeking justice without self-righteousness. Pray for people who have little influence but must keep asking institutions to hear legitimate needs, and for decision-makers to respond fairly rather than only to powerful voices. Christians should show up in public life persistent in good causes, humble about themselves, and attentive to people the crowd is tempted to silence.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
How does the contrast between the unjust judge and God strengthen rather than weaken confidence in persistent prayer?
What turns the Pharisee's religious practices into self-righteousness rather than genuine devotion?
How do the child and the rich ruler illustrate two very different ways of approaching the kingdom?
Whose cry for mercy are you tempted to overlook because another voice seems more respectable or influential?
PRAYER:
ADORATION:
Merciful God, we praise You as the righteous Judge who hears Your people, the Savior who welcomes children, and the One who does what is impossible for sinners to do for themselves.
CONFESSION:
Forgive our prayerlessness, self-comparison, trust in possessions, and tendency to silence inconvenient need. We confess that we cannot justify or save ourselves.
THANKSGIVING:
Thank You that humble sinners may ask for mercy, that children are welcomed, and that salvation is possible because Your grace accomplishes what human effort cannot.
SUPPLICATION – GENERAL:
Teach us to pray without fainting, repent without comparison, receive the kingdom dependently, hold possessions loosely, and follow Jesus with gratitude after mercy is given.
SUPPLICATION – U.S. / CIVIC:
Give endurance to people seeking legitimate justice and fairness, especially those with little influence. Give decision-makers ears to hear quiet voices, and keep Christians persistent without pride or contempt.
SCRIPTURE:
The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. — Luke 18:27