Luke 18

Jesus teaches how to come to God: with persistent prayer, with humility instead of self-confidence, and with the open trust of a child. A rich ruler cannot let go of his wealth, and Jesus says salvation is possible only with God. After a third announcement of His coming death, a blind beggar who cries out for mercy receives his sight.

Luke 18:1

Luke tells us the point of the parable before Jesus tells it. Believers are to keep praying and not give up, even when answers seem slow. Discouragement is the danger. Steady prayer is the remedy.

BSA: lose heart (“become discouraged, faint”): The danger is growing weary inside and giving way, not merely stopping the words of prayer.

Luke 18:2-3

Jesus paints a hard case. The judge has no fear of God and no care for people. The widow has no money, no influence and no protector. All she has is her need and her persistence, so she keeps coming back, asking for justice.

BSA: justice (“vindication, my right”): She wants her rightful claim defended against the one wronging her, not a favor.

Luke 18:4-5

The judge gives in, but not out of goodness. He simply wants to be left alone. His own words show how little he cares. The widow’s constant coming gets results even from a heart this hard.

BSA: pestering (“troubling, wearing me out”): He feels worn down by her, which is the only reason he acts.

Greek: ὑπωπιάζῃ (hypōpiazē, G5299) — “to strike under the eye, to give a black eye.” The judge jokes, in effect, that she will wear him out and leave him black and blue. It is a vivid picture of how tiresome her persistence feels to him.

Luke 18:6-8

Jesus argues from the lesser to the greater. If a bad judge yields, how much more will a good God answer His own people. He will not stall forever, and He will act. Jesus then asks whether faith will still be found when He returns.

BSA: elect (“chosen ones, select”): These are people God has chosen and holds dear, so He is not indifferent to their cries. faith (“trust and confidence in God”): The question is whether people will still be trusting and waiting on God when He comes.

Greek: ἐκδίκησιν (ekdikēsin, G1557) — “justice, vindication, putting things right.” The word is about setting wrongs right for the wronged, not about revenge for its own sake. It is what the widow asked for.

See also: Luke 11:9-10; Revelation 6:10.

Luke 18:9

Luke names the target of the next parable: people sure of their own goodness who looked down on everyone else. These two attitudes go together. Self-trust breeds scorn for others.

BSA: contempt (“low opinion, despising”): They did not merely disagree with others. They treated them as worthless.

Luke 18:10

Two men go up to the temple, which stood on a hill, to pray. They could hardly be more different in public eyes. The Pharisee was admired as devout. The tax collector was despised as a collaborator who profited from the Roman system.

See also: Luke 5:30.

Luke 18:11-12

The Pharisee’s prayer is mostly about himself. He thanks God, but only for how much better he is than others. His fasting and tithing are good things, even beyond what the law required. Yet they have become a platform for pride.

BSA: tithes (“a tenth”): He gave a tenth of everything he gained, careful even beyond the minimum.

Luke 18:13

The tax collector keeps his distance, will not look up, and beats his chest in grief. His whole prayer is one line. He asks for mercy and calls himself the sinner. He brings nothing to God except his need.

BSA: mercy (“be merciful, show compassion”): He throws himself on God’s kindness, not on anything he has done.

Greek: ἱλάσθητί (hilasthēti, G2433) — “be reconciled to me, be merciful through atonement.” This word belongs to the language of sacrifice and covering sin. He is likely praying at the time of the temple offering, asking for mercy that comes by atonement.

See also: Psalm 51:1.

Luke 18:14

Jesus gives the verdict. The humble sinner went home right with God, not the respected Pharisee. God lifts up those who bow low and brings down those who lift themselves up.

BSA: justified (“declared righteous, made right with God”): God Himself pronounces the tax collector accepted, and he did not earn it.

Greek: δεδικαιωμένος (dedikaiōmenos, G1344) — “declared righteous, put in right standing.” It is a courtroom word. The tax collector leaves with a favorable verdict from God, though he came with only a plea for mercy.

See also: Luke 14:11; James 4:6.

Luke 18:15

Parents bring even infants to Jesus so that He will touch and bless them. The disciples try to turn them away, perhaps thinking Jesus has more important matters. They overlook how much He cares for the smallest and weakest.

Greek: βρέφη (brephē, G1025) — “babies, infants.” Luke uses the word for the very young, even newborns. These children could do nothing for themselves and were simply carried to Jesus.

Luke 18:16

Jesus overrules His disciples and calls the children to Him. The kingdom belongs to such as these. He shows that God’s kingdom is open to the weak and dependent, not only to the impressive.

BSA: hinder (“prevent, forbid”): Jesus warns against putting any barrier in the way of those who want to come to Him.

See also: Mark 10:14.

Luke 18:17

A little child has no record to boast of. A child simply receives what is given. Jesus says the kingdom must be received the same way, as a gift, with empty and trusting hands.

BSA: receive (“welcome, accept”): The kingdom is a gift to be taken in with gladness, not a prize to be earned.

See also: Matthew 18:3.

Luke 18:18

A wealthy ruler asks a sincere question about eternal life. His words show he thinks of life as something to be won by doing. He greets Jesus respectfully but does not yet see who He is.

BSA: inherit (“receive as a gift, obtain”): An inheritance is received, not earned, though he speaks as if it were earned by doing.

Luke 18:19

Jesus is not denying that He is good. He is making the man think about what he just said. True goodness belongs to God alone. If the ruler calls Jesus good, he must face who Jesus really is.

BSA: good (“morally upright, righteous”): Jesus points to a goodness that is complete and perfect, which belongs to God.

Luke 18:20-21

Jesus lists commandments about how we treat our neighbors. The ruler says he has kept them all since boyhood. He is probably sincere. He has lived a respectable, outwardly faithful life.

See also: Exodus 20:12-16.

Luke 18:22

Jesus touches the exact place where the man is holding on. He calls him to give away his wealth, trust God for treasure in heaven, and follow Him. The test is not money in itself. It is whether anything stands between him and Jesus.

BSA: treasure (“riches, wealth”): Jesus offers lasting wealth with God in place of what the man would give up. follow (“be a disciple, obey”): The call is to become a learner and companion of Jesus, not just to do a good deed.

Greek: ἀκολούθει (akolouthei, G190) — “keep following, walk the road with Me.” It is a command to go on following Jesus as a daily companion and learner. The invitation is to a life with Him, not one single act.

Luke 18:23

The man walks away grieved. He wanted eternal life, but not at the cost of his riches. Luke honestly records that the invitation was refused, and that wealth can quietly hold a heart.

See also: Matthew 6:21.

Luke 18:24-25

Jesus sees the man’s sorrow and speaks about how hard it is for the rich to enter God’s kingdom. The camel and the needle’s eye is a deliberate picture of the impossible. Riches make us feel self-sufficient and so make it hard to depend on God.

BSA: camel (“a large, cumbersome animal”): It was the biggest animal people knew in that land, which makes the comparison stark.

Greek: τρήματος (trēmatos, G6085) — “a hole, an opening.” Luke names the tiny hole made by a sewing needle. It is the same kind of picture as a camel through such a hole, plainly impossible by human effort.

Luke 18:26-27

The listeners are stunned, since many saw wealth as a sign of God’s favor. If the rich cannot be saved, who can? Jesus says that salvation is beyond human power, but nothing is beyond God’s. It rests on what He does.

BSA: saved (“delivered, rescued”): Salvation is a rescue that we cannot perform for ourselves.

See also: Genesis 18:14; Ephesians 2:8-9.

Luke 18:28-30

Peter points out that the disciples have left everything. Jesus assures him that nothing given up for God’s kingdom is lost. There is reward now, in the fellowship and provision God gives, and eternal life in the age to come.

BSA: age (“world”): Jesus contrasts this present age with the age to come, where the full reward lies.

See also: Mark 10:29-30.

Luke 18:31-33

Jesus takes the Twelve aside and speaks plainly about what is ahead. He will be handed over, mocked, beaten and killed, and rise on the third day. Nothing here is an accident. It fulfills what the prophets wrote.

BSA: fulfilled (“completed, accomplished, brought to pass”): God’s plan spoken long before is being carried through to its end.

See also: Isaiah 53:3-5; Psalm 22:7-8.

Luke 18:34

The disciples hear the words but cannot take them in. A suffering Messiah did not fit what they expected. Luke says the meaning was hidden from them, and only after the resurrection would it become clear.

BSA: hidden (“concealed, veiled”): The truth was there, but it was veiled from their understanding for the time being.

Greek: κεκρυμμένον (kekrymmenon, G2928) — “having been hidden, kept concealed.” The form shows that the meaning had been hidden and stayed hidden. Their understanding was held back until after the resurrection.

See also: Luke 24:25-27.

Luke 18:35-37

Near Jericho, a blind beggar sits by the road. He cannot see the crowd, but he hears it and asks what is happening. When he is told that Jesus of Nazareth is passing by, he knows this is his chance.

See also: Matthew 20:29-30.

Luke 18:38-39

The man calls Jesus Son of David, a title for the promised Messiah. When others try to hush him, he only shouts louder. His need is too great to be quieted, and he will not let the moment pass.

BSA: mercy (“show compassion, pity”): He pleads for Jesus’ compassion, not for what he deserves.

See also: 2 Samuel 7:12-13.

Luke 18:40-41

Jesus stops. Of all the noise around Him, He hears one beggar’s cry. He asks what the man wants, though it is plain, so the man can say it aloud. The answer is simple and direct: to see again.

BSA: see (“recover my sight, look up”): He asks to look up and see again, as one who once had sight and lost it.

Luke 18:42

Jesus heals with a word. He ties the healing to the man’s faith, the trust that kept crying out when others told him to be quiet. The same word can mean both healed and saved, so the healing also points to something deeper.

BSA: healed (“saved, made whole”): The word reaches past the eyes to the whole person being restored.

Greek: σέσωκέν (sesōken, G4982) — “has saved, has made whole.” The Greek word is the ordinary word for save. Luke lets the physical healing and the saving of the man stand together.

See also: Luke 17:19.

Luke 18:43

The first thing the man does with his new sight is follow Jesus and praise God. The crowd joins in. The chapter that began with a persistent widow ends with a persistent beggar answered, and a whole crowd giving glory to God.

BSA: glorifying (“praising, honoring”): He gives God the credit and the honor for what was done.