LUK 18
18
The Parable of the Persistent Widow and the Judge
1 Jesus told His disciples a parable to teach them that they should always pray and never lose heart or give up.
2 He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who had no fear of God and no respect or regard for people.
3 There was a widow in that same town who kept coming to him repeatedly, pleading, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'
4 For a long time the judge refused to help her. But eventually he said to himself, 'Even though I have no fear of God and no concern for people,
5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me persistently, I will grant her justice, so that she will not eventually wear me down completely with her continual coming.'"
6 The Lord said, "Pay attention to what this unjust judge says.
7 Will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay long in helping them?
8 I tell you, He will see that they receive justice, and He will do it quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find such faith and persistent, faithful prayer on the earth?"
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
9 Jesus also told this parable to some people who were confident in their own righteousness and looked down with contempt on everyone else:
10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee stood apart by himself and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector over there.
12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of everything I earn and acquire.'
13 But the tax collector stood at a distance, far from the holy place. He would not even lift his eyes towards heaven, but beat his breast in contrition and said, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'
14 I tell you, this man went home justified before God rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted by God."
Receiving the Kingdom of God Like a Child
Matt. 19:13-15; Mk. 10:13-16
15 People were bringing even their babies and infants to Jesus so that He might place His hands on them and bless them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked the people for bothering Jesus.
16 But Jesus called the children to Himself and said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
17 Truly I tell you, anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child—with simple trust and humility—will never enter it."
The Rich Ruler
Matt. 19:16-30; Mk. 10:17-31
18 A certain ruler, a man of authority and wealth, asked Jesus, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
19 Jesus answered him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good in an absolute sense except God alone.
20 You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honour your father and mother.'"*
21 The man replied confidently, "I have faithfully kept all these commandments since I was young."
22 When Jesus heard this, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you possess and distribute the proceeds to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow Me."
23 When the ruler heard this, he became extremely sad, for he was extraordinarily wealthy and could not bring himself to part with his possessions.
24 Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!
25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a sewing needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God!"
26 Those who heard this asked in amazement, "Who then can be saved?"
27 Jesus replied, "What is impossible with human beings is possible with God."
28 Peter said, "Look, we have left everything we had—our homes, our occupations, our security—to follow You!"
29 Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God
30 who will not receive many times as much in this present age, and in the age to come, eternal life."
Jesus Speaks of His Death and Resurrection the Third Time
Matt. 20:17-19; Mk. 10:32-34
31 Jesus took the Twelve aside privately and told them, "Listen carefully: We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that has been written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled and accomplished.
32 He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock Him, insult Him, and spit on Him in contempt.
33 They will flog Him mercilessly and kill Him. But on the third day He will rise again from the dead."
34 The disciples did not understand any of this teaching. Its meaning was completely hidden from them, and they could not grasp what Jesus was talking about.
The Healing of a Blind Beggar Near Jericho
Matt. 20:29-34; Mk. 10:46-52
35 As Jesus was approaching the city of Jericho, a blind man was sitting besides the road begging for alms.
36 When he heard the crowd passing by, he inquired what was happening.
37 They informed him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by this way."
38 He called out loudly, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
39 Those who were leading the procession rebuked him and told him to be quiet. But he shouted all the more insistently, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
40 Jesus stopped and ordered that the man be brought to Him. When he came near, Jesus asked him,
41 "What do you want Me to do for you?" The blind man replied, "Lord, I want to receive my sight."
42 Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight. Your faith has healed you."
43 Immediately he received his sight and began following Jesus, praising God. When all the people witnessed this miracle, they also gave praise to God.
Notes
20 Quoted from Ex. 20:12-16; Deut. 5:16-20
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Copyright © 2026 Michael Adeyemi Adegbola. This Scripture text is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
