Luke 18
18
The Story of the Widow Who Would Not Give Up
1Then Jesus told his disciples a story to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2He said, “In a certain town there was a judge who didn’t have any respect for God and who didn’t care what people thought. 3A widow lived in that town and she came to the judge again and again, begging him, ‘Defend me against the person who’s doing me wrong!’
4“For some time the judge refused, but he finally said to himself, ‘Though I don’t have any respect for God and I don’t care what people think, 5because this widow keeps bothering me, I’m going to see that things are made right for her. If I don’t, someday she’ll pester me to death!’ ”
6The Lord said, “Listen to what the unfair judge says. 7And won’t God make things right for his chosen people, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, God will see that things are made right for them, and he’ll make sure that it happens quickly. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find people on earth who have faith?”
The Story of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
9Jesus told a story to some people who were sure they were right with God and looked down on everyone else. 10He said to them, “Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank you that I’m not like other people—not like robbers, or people who do other evil things, or those who commit adultery, or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and I give a tenth of everything I get.’
13“But the tax collector stood off by himself and wouldn’t even look up to heaven. He struck his chest in remorse and prayed, ‘God, have mercy on me. I’m a sinner.’
14“I tell you, the tax collector went home accepted by God, but the Pharisee didn’t. All those who lift themselves up will be humbled, but those who humble themselves will be lifted up.”
Little Children Are Brought to Jesus
15People were also bringing babies to Jesus because they wanted him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they told the people to stop. 16But Jesus called the children over. “Let the little children come to me,” he said, “and don’t keep them away. God’s kingdom belongs to people like them. 17Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t receive God’s kingdom like a little child will never enter it.”
Rich People and the Kingdom of God
18A certain ruler asked Jesus, “Good teacher, what must I do to receive eternal life?”
19“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good except God alone. 20You know what the commandments say: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not commit murder, do not steal, do not be a false witness, honor your father and mother.’ ”
21“I have obeyed all those commandments since I was a boy,” the ruler said.
22When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You are still missing one thing. Sell everything you have, give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.”
23When the ruler heard this, he became very sad, because he had a lot of money. 24Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for rich people to enter God’s kingdom! 25It’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for someone who’s rich to enter God’s kingdom.”
26Those who heard this asked, “Then who can be saved?”
27Jesus answered, “Things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”
28Peter said to him, “We’ve left everything we had in order to follow you!”
29“Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “if anyone has left their home or wife or husband or brothers or sisters or parents or children for God’s kingdom, 30they will receive many times as much in this world, and in the world to come they will receive eternal life.”
Jesus Speaks a Third Time About His Coming Death
31Jesus took the 12 disciples aside and told them, “We’re going up to Jerusalem and everything that the prophets wrote about the Son of Man is going to come true. 32He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and they will mock him, laugh at him, and spit on him. 33They will whip him and kill him, but on the third day, he will rise from the dead!”
34The disciples didn’t understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, so they didn’t know what Jesus was talking about.
A Blind Beggar Receives His Sight
35As Jesus was approaching Jericho, a man who was blind was sitting by the side of the road begging. 36The man heard the crowd going by and asked what was happening. 37They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”
38So he called out, “Jesus! Son of David! Have mercy on me!”
39Those leading the crowd spoke harshly to him and told him to be quiet. But he shouted even louder, “Son of David! Have mercy on me!”
40Jesus stopped and told the people to bring the man over to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41“What do you want me to do for you?”
The man who was blind replied, “Lord, I want to be able to see.”
42Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight. Your faith has healed you!” 43Right away he became able to see and he followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw this, they also praised God.
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Luke 18
18
The Story of the Persistent Widow
1-3Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit. He said, “There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people. A widow in that city kept after him: ‘My rights are being violated. Protect me!’
4-5“He never gave her the time of day. But after this went on and on he said to himself, ‘I care nothing what God thinks, even less what people think. But because this widow won’t quit badgering me, I’d better do something and see that she gets justice—otherwise I’m going to end up beaten black-and-blue by her pounding.’”
6-8Then the Master said, “Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying? So what makes you think God won’t step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won’t he stick up for them? I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?”
The Story of the Tax Man and the Pharisee
9-12He told his next story to some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and looked down their noses at the common people: “Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax man. The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: ‘Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man. I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income.’
13“Meanwhile the tax man, slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, ‘God, give mercy. Forgive me, a sinner.’”
14Jesus commented, “This tax man, not the other, went home made right with God. If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face, but if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.”
* * *
15-17People brought babies to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. When the disciples saw it, they shooed them off. Jesus called them back. “Let these children alone. Don’t get between them and me. These children are the kingdom’s pride and joy. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.”
The Rich Official
18One day one of the local officials asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to deserve eternal life?”
19-20Jesus said, “Why are you calling me good? No one is good—only God. You know the commandments, don’t you? No illicit sex, no killing, no stealing, no lying, honor your father and mother.”
21He said, “I’ve kept them all for as long as I can remember.”
22When Jesus heard that, he said, “Then there’s only one thing left to do: Sell everything you own and give it away to the poor. You will have riches in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
23This was the last thing the official expected to hear. He was very rich and became terribly sad. He was holding on tight to a lot of things and not about to let them go.
24-25Seeing his reaction, Jesus said, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who have it all to enter God’s kingdom? I’d say it’s easier to thread a camel through a needle’s eye than get a rich person into God’s kingdom.”
26“Then who has any chance at all?” the others asked.
27“No chance at all,” Jesus said, “if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.”
28Peter tried to regain some initiative: “We left everything we owned and followed you, didn’t we?”
29-30“Yes,” said Jesus, “and you won’t regret it. No one who has sacrificed home, spouse, brothers and sisters, parents, children—whatever—will lose out. It will all come back multiplied many times over in your lifetime. And then the bonus of eternal life!”
I Want to See Again
31-34Then Jesus took the Twelve off to the side and said, “Listen carefully. We’re on our way up to Jerusalem. Everything written in the Prophets about the Son of Man will take place. He will be handed over to the Romans, jeered at, ridiculed, and spit on. Then, after giving him the third degree, they will kill him. In three days he will rise, alive.” But they didn’t get it, could make neither heads nor tails of what he was talking about.
35-37He came to the outskirts of Jericho. A blind man was sitting beside the road asking for handouts. When he heard the rustle of the crowd, he asked what was going on. They told him, “Jesus the Nazarene is going by.”
38He yelled, “Jesus! Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!”
39Those ahead of Jesus told the man to shut up, but he only yelled all the louder, “Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!”
40Jesus stopped and ordered him to be brought over. When he had come near, Jesus asked, “What do you want from me?”
41He said, “Master, I want to see again.”
42-43Jesus said, “Go ahead—see again! Your faith has saved and healed you!” The healing was instant: He looked up, seeing—and then followed Jesus, glorifying God. Everyone in the street joined in, shouting praise to God.
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.