Luke 18

Luke 18:1

Christ presses his disciples to perseverance in pray of the importunate widow; and recommends him the Pharisee and publican. Luke XVIII. 1—

LUKE XVIII. 1.

THUS our Lord discoursed with his disciples of the approaching destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans; and, for their encouragement under those hardships, which they might in the mean time expect, from their unbelieving countrymen, or others, he spake a parable to them; which was intended to inculcate upon them this great truth, that, how distressed soever their circumstances might be, they ought always to pray with faith and perseverance, and not to faint under their trials.

For this purpose he discoursed to them in the following manner, saying, There was a judge in a certain city, who neither feared God, nor reverenced man; but was wicked enough to set light by all regards to both, and to make his own humour and secular interest the only 3 rule of his actions. And there was a widow in that city who had sustained some injury from an enemy more powerful than herself; and, having no other way to obtain redress, she came to him, at a place and time when she could not be denied access, and said, I come to put myself under the protection of the law, and to demand thine assistance as a magistrate, to do me justice against mine adversary, that I may 4 not sink under his oppressive attempts. This was her case and plea; yet as she brought no present in her hand, he would not, for a considerable time, take any notice of it: but, as she still persevered in her petition, he afterwards said within himself, Though indeed I neither fear God, nor reverence man, and therefore care not what becomes of this cause, or who 5 has the right or the wrong of it; Yet because this importunate widow gives me trouble

¹ Do me justice against mine adversary.] taken in the version to express it so as to suggest the idea of revenge.

es the success of perseverance in prayer.

y her continual application, I will do her justice, lest by her coming perpetually to me with this petition, she even stun and weary me out with her cries.b

And the Lord said, Hear, and observe, what the unjust judge saith upon this remarkable occasion, and how he owns himself to be prevailed on by the continual cries of one whom otherwise he would not have regarded. And if the earnest importunity of a poor widow thus prevailed on an unrighteous person, shall not a righteous God much more be moved to vindicate his own elect, his chosen and dearly beloved people, that cry to him day and night, under the cruel oppression of their insulting enemies, even though he may seem to bear long with them, to give them space for repentance?c Yes, I say unto you, He will certainly vindicate them; and when he once undertakes it, he will do it speedily too; and this generation of men shall see and feel it to their terror. Nevertheless, when the Son of man, having been put in possession of his glorious kingdom, comes to appear for this important purpose, will he find faith in the land?d The persecution will be so severe as almost to bear it down: but let the remembrance of what I have now spoken be a comfort to my people, and a warning to those that injure them.

b She even stun and weary me out.] The word νταπιαζη is very emphatical, and signifies to stun, or beat down by violent and repeated blows on the head. Compare 1 Cor. ix. 27.

c Though he may seem to bear long with them, &c.] The learned Elsner supposes μακεφιδωμω, with a small alteration in the accent, to correspond to βωμω, and would render it, Shall he not avenge his elect, who cry to him, and wait patiently for it, that is, for his appearance in their favour? (Elsner, Observ. Vol. I. p. 265, 266.) But, as I cannot think the words will naturally bear such a construction, or that the authorities he produces are satisfactory, I choose to retain our version. Nor can I, on this interpretation, perceive any inconsistency between ver. 7 and 8, since it is plain God might wait long, and yet at length execute a speedy and sudden vengeance on the persecuting enemies of his people. Compare Psal. lxxiii. 19; Hab. ii. 3; and especially Ecclus’ xxxv. 18; to which words Grotius supposes there is an allusion here.

d Will he find faith in the land?] It is evident the word γη often signifies, not the earth in general, but some particular land or country; as in Acts vii. 3, 4, 11, and in numberless other places. And the context here limits it to the less extensive signification. The believing Hebrews were evidently in great danger of being wearied out with their persecutions and distresses. (Compare Heb. iii. 12-14; x. 23-39; xii. 1-4; Jam. i. 1-4; ii. 6; v. 10; 1 Pet. ii. 20-25; iii. 14-17; iv. 1, 2, 12-19; v. 9, 10.) Mr. Fleming argues from hence, that deism shall prevail very much toward the conclusion of the Millennium (Christology, Vol. II. p. 358); but it is evident from the connection, as stated above, that this cannot justly be inferred from this text; nor does the fact itself seem at all probable.

The parale of the proud Pharisee and humbl

He also spake this other parable to certain persons, who, like the proud self justifying Pharisees, with an arrogant conceit of their own merit, trusted in themselves, that they were righteous, and despised others as reprobates. There were, said he, Two men who went up to the temple to pray there, choosing to offer up their particular devotions at that sacred place; and the one of them was a Pharisee, one of that sect so greatly honoured among you, and the other a publican, whom you are used to number with the most contemptible of mankind. And the Pharisee standing by himself, at as great a distance as he could from the miserable sinner, who had entered the temple with him, as if he feared being polluted by touching him, or any other person less holy than himself, prayed in this manner, O God, I thank thee, that I am not as the generality of other men are; but have always had the grace to withstand those vile temptations which conquer and enslave them; so that I am not like the rapacious, unjust, adulterous generation among whom I live, or even like this wretched publican that stands there at a distance, who probably is all this, and more: Thou knowest, O Lord, that I am zealous in all the traditions of the elders; that in conformity to them I fast twice a week; and with the greatest strictness I pay tithes of all that I possess, not excepting even the very herbs of my garden. (Compare Mat. xxiii. 23, and Luke xi. 42.) Thus the Pharisee offered his devotions, standing as near as he could to the court of the priests; confident in his own distinguished sanctity, and desirous to be observed by others. But the poor humble publican standing afar off, in the court of the Gentiles, as unworthy to be numbered among God’s people, and much more unworthy to appear in the presence of so holy a Deity, would not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven, the habitation of the Divine holiness and glory; but smote on his

• As if he feared being polluted by touching him, &c.] Thus Camero well explains this clause. Compare Isa. lxv. 5. I fast twice a week. It has been observed by most commentators, that the news, especially the Pharisees, used gene-

rally to keep private fasts on Mondays and Thursdays, as the primitive Christians did on Wednesdays and Fridays; and our Lord had formerly reproved their ostentatious manner of doing it: Mat. vi. 16—18. See Drusius, in loc.

ublican is justified rather than the Pharisee.

breast, in token of the bitterest remorse and deepest humiliation, saying, O God, I entreat thee be merciful to me a miserable sinner, who acknowledge that I have nothing to hope but from the riches of thine unmerited and forfeited goodness.

Now, added our Lord, I say unto you, and I would have you diligently observe it, that this poor, humble, selfabasing man went down to his house justified rather than the other; and would have been far more acceptable in the sight of God than the Pharisee, if he had indeed been that moral upright man he pretended: even in that case his pride and confidence in his own righteousness would have blasted all; for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; but he that humbleth himself shall be exalted, as nothing is more hateful to God than pride, and nothing more amiable than lowliness of mind.

IMPROVEMENT.

How hateful is the character of this unjust judge, who neither feared God nor reverenced man, but centered all his regards in himself! How hateful, and how contemptible, in any circumstance of life; especially in a magistrate, the guardian of the public interest, in comparison of which he ought to forget his own! Yet even he was prevailed upon by importunity; and our Lord mentions it to encourage the fervor of our addresses to the throne of grace. What then, is the blessed God, like this unjust judge, to be wearied out with a peal of words, and thereby weakly induced to do what would otherwise have been contrary to his designs? Far from us be so absurd and so impious a thought! Our condescending Lord only intended to intimate, that if the repeated importunate cries of the afflicted may at length prevail even on an inhumane heart, they will be much more regarded by a righteous and merciful God, who is always ready to bestow his favours when he sees we are prepared to receive them. We may be sure that God will vindicate

A miserable sinner.] It is very apparent that the word sinner often signifies an abandoned profligate, or, as we commonly express it, a wicked wretch; and not merely one who has in some instances violated the divine law; which, alas, has been, and is the case with the best of men. See Psal. xxvi. 9; Amos ix. 10; Mat. ix. 10, 11; xxvii. 45; Luke vi. 32, 33; vii. 37, 39; xix. 7; John ix. 24, 31; and 1 Tim. i. 9.

Every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; &c.] This appears to have been a favourite maxim with our Lord, since we find it repeated almost in these very words no less than three different times; not to mention a multitude of expressions in sense nearly equivalent. See Mat. xxiii. 12, and Luke xiv. 11. Compare note 2, sect. elvii.

VOL. 2

Reflections on the prevalence of prayer and humility.

his elect: let this encourage them, though the rod of the wicked cxxix. may for a while rest on their back; and let it intimidate the ver. 7 proud oppressors of the earth, who, in the midst of all their pomp and power, are so wretched as to have the prayers of God’s people against them.

How instructive is this parable of the publican and Pharisee; and how well connected with the former, to teach us that humility, without which repeated prayers will be repeated insults and affronts to heaven! Let us not trust in ourselves that we are righteous, and despise others; but rather be severe to our own faults, and candid to theirs.

Behold this arrogant Pharisee, standing apart from the publican, but as near as he could to the seat of the Divine Majesty! And hear him boldly celebrating his own praises rather than those of his Maker! God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men. We see a man may acknowledge it is the grace of God which makes the difference between him and others; and yet while he professes that humbling doctrine of the gospel may be blown up with pride: yea, he may nourish and express that

pride by the words in which he declares his faith. Mistaken creature! that imagined this encomium on himself was a prayer, and trusted in this defective morality, and these ceremonies of human device, while an utter stranger to real vital religion. Happier, a thousand times happier, the poor publican, when abasing himself in the dust; when smiting on his breast; when owning himself a sinner, and imploring the divine mercy as his only hope! Lord, we equally need it: may we with equal

humility seek it! May we habitually maintain those views of ourselves which may promote that humility so necessary in order to the acceptance of our addresses, and therefore to the happiness of our souls. And indeed, if in our approaches to God we can place our confidence in any righteousness of our own, whatever we may imagine of our own knowledge or holiness, we have need to be taught again the first principles of both, and are strangers to the essentials of religion.