Luke 18

Luke 18:1

Luke: The Man Christ Jesus Jesus on his way from Galilee to Jerusalem An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on Luke 9:51 to 19:44

www.easyenglish.info Ian Mackervoy This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

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Chapter 18 Two stories about prayer – Luke 18:1-14 v1 Then Jesus told his *disciples a story. It showed them that they should always pray. They should pray and they should never give up. v2 He said, ‘In a certain town, there was a judge. This judge was not afraid of God and he did not care about people. v3 There was a widow in that town. She came to the judge. She said to him, “Act on my behalf against my enemy.”

v4 For some time he refused to do anything on her behalf. But later he said to himself, “I am not afraid of God. And I do not care about people. v5 However, this widow bothers me so much. I will give to her the help that she wants. Otherwise, she will come so often that she will wear me out.” ’

v6 And the *Lord said, ‘Listen to the judge. Although he does not act in a right or proper manner, he still said that. v7 God will certainly do what is right for his people. They are the people whom he has chosen. They cry out to him day and night. He will not be slow to answer them. v8 I tell you that God will help his people quickly. The Son of Man will come again. But he may not find on earth many people who believe in him.’

v9 Jesus told a story to some people. These people were confident that they were good people. And they thought that they were superior to all other people. v10 He said, ‘Two men went up to the *temple to pray. One man was a *Pharisee, and the other man’s work was to collect taxes. v11 The *Pharisee stood alone and he prayed. “God, I thank you that I am not like other men. They steal and they cheat. They act unfairly.

They are guilty of *adultery. I thank you that I am not a *sinner, like this man. He collects taxes. v12 Twice each week, I choose not to eat because of my religion. And I give a 10th of everything that I get.” v13 The man who collected taxes stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven. He beat his hands on his upper body.

And he said, “God, pity me. I am such a bad *sinner.” v14 I tell you that this man, and not the *Pharisee, went home with a right relationship with God. God will make humble everyone who tries to make himself great. Those people who are humble, God will make great.’

Verses 1-6 Jesus had spoken about the time when he will come again. Nobody knows when that time will be. In the meantime, those people who believe in Jesus should pray. The *Jews would pray every day and up to three times a day. But Christians can pray at any time and as often as they want. They should pray often and they should not stop. Christians must pray until Jesus comes. And they should never give up hope.

Jesus did not teach that God was like the bad judge. God is not like that in any way. However, even the bad judge did what was right in the end. God loves his people. He always does what is best for them. The story is all about the widow. She continued to ask the judge to make a decision on her behalf. If she had not done so, the judge would not have made that decision.

The bad judge did what seemed best for him. He did not bother about right or fair decisions. He did not respect God and he was not afraid of God. Maybe he had accepted money from a rich enemy of the widow. It was much easier to refuse this widow’s appeal. But she would not accept that. She continued to come to him. And she continued to ask him to act for her benefit. In the end, he had to make the right decision on her behalf and against her enemy.

The bad judge made the right decision because the widow insisted on an answer. God is good. He will always do what is right. He hears his people as they cry out to him day and night. They realise that they need God’s help. They know that their only hope is in God. God does not always answer immediately. But he will not delay the answers. He will act on their behalf at the proper time.

Jesus said, ‘I am coming soon’ (Revelation 22:20). The *apostle John replied, ‘Come, *Lord Jesus.’ But maybe he will not find many who pray with *faith. Perhaps there will be just a few Christians who are praying with *faith for his return.

Verses 9-14 Luke does not say who the people in verse 9 were. Many people think that they are good enough to get to heaven. They trust more in themselves than they do in God. But this is a serious mistake. The Bible tells us that all have *sinned (Romans 3:23). Therefore, nobody can get to heaven by what he has done. Many people think that they are superior to other people. They consider that those other people are greater *sinners. But this attitude is not a good one. God hates all *sin, whether in our opinion it is a great *sin or a small *sin.

Jesus told this story about two men. One was a *Pharisee. The *Pharisees tried to obey all the rules and traditions of their religion. Many of them were proud. They thought that they were better than other people. The other man collected taxes. Most people hated the men who did this work. That was because they worked for the *Romans. Many of them collected more taxes than were due. In this, many of them robbed the people and they became rich. These two men came into the *temple to pray.

The *Pharisee stood to pray. This was the normal way to pray in the *temple or in the *synagogue (Mark 11:25). However, he prayed with an attitude of pride. He thanked God that he was better than other people. He thanked God that he was not a *sinner like the other man. He spoke of the bad things that he did not do. Then he told the *Lord of the good things that he did. What the *Pharisee said about himself was true. He chose not to eat frequently, in fact, more often than God’s law orders the *Jews to do. He gave a 10th of more than the law said (Deuteronomy 14:22-29). But he prayed with a wrong attitude. He was not humble. He showed no sense of *sin in himself. He did not express his need for help from God. He expected God to *bless him as a reward because of his good deeds.

The man who collected taxes had a completely different attitude. He knew that he was a *sinner. He stood at the back of this area of the *temple. It would have been normal to look up to pray. But this man would not look up. He was so aware of his *sins. He was so sorry that he beat his upper body. (It was the custom to do that when people felt very sad and desperate.) His prayer was short and simple. He did not tell God how good he was. He just said how bad a *sinner he was. He asked God to pity him and to forgive him.

God accepted the prayer of the man who collected taxes. God answered his prayer and God forgave his *sin. The prayer of the *Pharisee did not need an answer. He received nothing from God.

Jesus told this story to teach that God hates pride. God opposes those people who are proud. Those people who make themselves important, God will refuse. But God accepts those people who are humble. To them, God will give honour. Jesus and the children – Luke 18:15-17 v15 Some people brought even babies to Jesus, because they wanted him to touch them. When the *disciples saw this, they told the people to stop. v16 But Jesus called for the children to come to him. He said, ‘Allow the children to come to me. Do not stop them, because God’s *kingdom belongs to such as these. v17 I tell you the truth. You must accept God’s *kingdom as a child does. If you do not, you will never enter the *kingdom.’

Verses 15-17 People, probably parents, brought their babies and little children to Jesus (Mark 10:13). They wanted Jesus to put his hands on them and to bless them. The *disciples tried to stop them. Maybe the *disciples thought that Jesus was too busy or too tired. Maybe they thought that little children were not important. But Jesus considered the little children to be very important. He wanted them to come to him. He told the *disciples not to stop them.

Jesus took the little children in his arms. He put his hands on them and he blessed them (Mark 10:16).

Little children have simple trust in their parents. The *kingdom of God is open to people who have such simple trust in Jesus. In this way, people need to become as little children to enter the *kingdom of God. The way in is not by deeds but by *faith. Without this simple trust in Jesus, there is no way into the *kingdom. The rich young ruler – Luke 18:18-30 v18 A certain ruler asked Jesus, ‘Good teacher, what must I do to have *eternal life?’

v19 Jesus said to him, ‘You call me good. But nobody is good except God alone. v20 You know God’s commands. “Do not *sin in *adultery. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not give false evidence. Give honour to your father and to your mother.” ’

v21 The ruler replied, ‘Yes. I have obeyed all of these since I was a boy.’

v22 Jesus heard this reply. He said to him, ‘You still lack one thing. Sell everything that you have. Then give it to poor people. And you will have wealth in heaven. Then come and follow me.’

v23 When the ruler heard this, he became very sad. This was because he was very wealthy. v24 Jesus looked at him. And Jesus said, ‘It is very hard for wealthy people to enter God’s *kingdom. v25 It would not be easy for a camel to go through a *needle’s eye. It is more difficult for a wealthy person to enter God’s *kingdom.’

v26 The people who heard him asked, ‘Then whom can God save?’

v27 Jesus replied, ‘God can do anything. He can do the things that are impossible for people to do.’

v28 Peter said to Jesus, ‘We have left everything. And we have followed you.’

v29 Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you the truth. Some people have left their homes and their wives. Some people have left their brothers, parents and children. They have left all this for God’s *kingdom. v30 But they will certainly receive much more in this present age. And in the age that will come, they will have *eternal life.’

Verses 18-21 A ruler came to Jesus. He was a young man and he was wealthy (Matthew 19:22). We do not know what he ruled. He could have been an official in the government or in a *synagogue. But he was probably too young to be a *synagogue ruler.

He called Jesus the good teacher. It was very unusual to call any man ‘good teacher’. Jesus replied that nobody was good except God. Jesus did not say that he was not good. In effect, the young man gave to Jesus a name that belonged to God. What the young man had said was important. Maybe he did not think about what he said. But perhaps he did recognise Jesus as the Son of God.

The ruler asked Jesus what he must do to have *eternal life. He thought that somehow he could earn *eternal life. Jesus said that nobody is good except God. Therefore, nobody can achieve *eternal life because nobody is good enough.

Jesus answered the question about what the man should do. He referred to 5 of God’s 10 commands (Exodus chapter 20, Deuteronomy chapter 5). These 5 commands are about our duty to other people. The young man thought that he had obeyed these commands from childhood. If he had thought more about it, he would not have been so sure. He would have realised that he had neglected to obey even these 5 commands. To other people he may have seemed without blame in the law. But in himself, he could not have been perfect to the standard that these commands declare to be necessary. (See James 2:10-11.)

On this occasion, Jesus did not mention those commands that are about our duty to God.

Verses 22-25 The young ruler thought that he had obeyed the commands of God. But he was wealthy and his wealth had become his god. In other words, he trusted in his wealth rather than in God. The first command is that we must *worship the real God only. So, Jesus told him to sell all that he had. He should give the money to poor people. Then he would have no wealth on earth but he would be rich in heaven. Then he should follow Jesus.

This action was special to that man. It is not a general rule for all people. The principle for everyone is that nothing should take the place of God in our lives. We cannot trust in wealth or anything else.

The young man did not want to give away his money in order to serve God. Luke does not tell us that he refused to obey Jesus. But at that time he went away very sad because he was very wealthy.

It is hard for rich people to enter the *kingdom of God. They seem to have sufficient for all that they need. They trust in what they have. They feel no need for God’s help. So, it is very difficult for them to realise that they do need God.

It would be impossible for a camel to go through a *needle’s eye. It is impossible for a rich person to buy his way into heaven. But God can do what is not possible for men.

Verses 26-30 People thought that it was good to be rich. It showed that God had *blessed that person. So, a rich person should have the best opportunity for life after death. So, if it is so difficult for them, it must be worse for other people. If rich people cannot achieve *salvation, then nobody else can. That is true. Nobody can achieve *salvation. But what is impossible for people is possible with God. *Salvation for rich people and for poor people is by the kindness of God. *Eternal life is a gift from God that no person can earn.

Peter said that the *disciples had left everything. And they had followed Jesus.

In his reply, Jesus showed that God could not be in debt to anyone. So, if a person gives up anything for God’s *kingdom, God will give more. He will give to him in this life and in the life to come. But the promise of reward cannot be the purpose of the person’s action. It must be on behalf of God’s *kingdom and in the purposes of God. Jesus tells about his death – Luke 18:31-34 v31 Jesus took the 12 *disciples aside. He said to them, ‘Listen. We are going to Jerusalem. There everything that the *prophets wrote about the Son of Man will happen. v32 The *Jewish leaders will hand him over to the foreigners. They will laugh at him. They will insult him and they will *spit on him. v33 They will beat him with whips and they will kill him. But on the third day he will rise to life again.’

v34 The *disciples did not understand any of this. What he said was a mystery to them. And they did not know what he meant.

Verses 31-34 There are many *prophecies in the *Old Testament that tell about the *Christ’s death. Jesus told the *disciples that these *prophecies were about him. He would die in Jerusalem. This was part of God’s purposes for him and for our *salvation.

The *Jewish leaders would hand him over to the *Romans. They would make fun of him and they would insult him. They would *spit on him. They would hurt him with whips and they would kill him. But death could not defeat Jesus; Jesus would defeat the power of death. On the third day after his death, Jesus would rise to life again.

Jesus had spoken about his death several times before. But the *disciples still did not understand about his death. They could not understand that Jesus would come back to life again. Perhaps their hopes about him made it especially difficult for them to think about his death. They hoped that he would lead the *Jews to defeat the *Romans. By that means, they expected him to become the king of the *Jews. Jesus cures a blind man – Luke 18:35-43 v35 As Jesus came near to the city called Jericho, a blind man sat by the road. He was asking people to give money to him. v36 He heard the crowd go by. He asked what was happening. v37 The people told him that Jesus from Nazareth was going by.

v38 The blind man cried out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, pity me.’

v39 The people at the front of the crowd told the blind man to be quiet. But he shouted even louder, ‘Son of David, pity me.’

v40 Jesus stopped and he ordered them to bring the blind man to him. When he came near, Jesus spoke to him. v41 He asked, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man replied, ‘*Lord, I want to see.’

v42 Jesus told him, ‘Receive your sight. Your *faith has cured you.’ v43 Immediately, he could see again. He followed Jesus and he gave honour to God. All the people saw this, and they praised God.

Verses 35-37 On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus crossed the river Jordan. As he approached Jericho, a blind man sat by the road. The blind man heard the noise of the crowd that followed Jesus. He learned from the people that Jesus from Nazareth was there.

In Matthew, there were two blind men. In that incident, Jesus was leaving Jericho. Jesus cured both of them (Matthew 20:29-34). In Mark, as Jesus was leaving Jericho, there was a blind man called Bartimaeus. And Jesus cured him (Mark 10:46-52). It seems that the accounts from Matthew and Mark are the same. If so, Bartimaeus had a companion whom Mark does not mention. Perhaps Bartimaeus was the one who first cried out to Jesus. The account in Luke seems to be different because Jesus had not yet arrived in Jericho. So, Luke is describing a third blind man whom Jesus cured during this visit to Jericho.

The blind man had heard about Jesus, the *prophet from Nazareth. Jesus had become famous. The blind man had heard stories of how Jesus cured people. He believed that Jesus could cure him.

Verses 38-39 He cried out to Jesus. The people near to the man told him to be quiet. But he continued to cry out. He shouted out even louder to Jesus. He asked Jesus to pity him.

He called Jesus ‘the Son of David’. The Son of David was the *Christ whom, in the *Old Testament, God had promised to send. It seems that, on this occasion, Jesus accepted the title ‘Son of David’. If so, then here he agreed that he was the *Christ.

Verses 40-43 Jesus stood still and he asked the people to bring the blind man to him. Then Jesus asked the man what he wanted. The man had asked Jesus to pity him. Now the man replied to Jesus that he wanted to see. He believed that Jesus could cure his sight.

Jesus told the man to see again. The means by which the man could see was his *faith. He believed and immediately he received his sight. He followed Jesus and he praised God. Also, the people saw this and they praised God.

© 2013, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

November 2013

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var w5 = new Array;w5[0]=’<b%3Edisciple</b%3E ~ a person who follows a leader, especially the 12 men that Jesus chose to be with him.’;w5[1]=’<b%3ELord</b%3E ~ a title for God, or Jesus, to show that he is over all people and things. In the Old Testament, LORD was a special name for God.