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Luke 18

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1And he spake a parable unto them to the end that they ought always to pray, and not to faint;

2saying, There was in a city a judge, who feared not God, and regarded not man:

3and there was a widow in that city; and she came oft unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

4And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

5yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest she wear me out by her continual coming.

6And the Lord said, Hear what the unrighteous judge saith.

7And shall not God avenge his elect, that cry to him day and night, and [yet] he is longsuffering over them?

8I say unto you, that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

9And he spake also this parable unto certain who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and set all others at nought:

10Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

11The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

12I fast twice in the week; I give tithes of all that I get.

13But the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote his breast, saying, God, be thou merciful to me a sinner.

14I say unto you, This man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled; but he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

15And they were bringing unto him also their babes, that he should touch them: but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them.

16But Jesus called them unto him, saying, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for to such belongeth the kingdom of God.

17Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall in no wise enter therein.

18And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

19And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, [even] God.

20Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor thy father and mother.

21And he said, All these things have I observed from my youth up.

22And when Jesus heard it, he said unto him, One thing thou lackest yet: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

23But when he heard these things, he became exceeding sorrowful; for he was very rich.

24And Jesus seeing him said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

25For it is easier for a camel to enter in through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

26And they that heard it said, Then who can be saved?

27But he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

28And Peter said, Lo, we have left our own, and followed thee.

29And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or wife, or brethren, or parents, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake,

30who shall not receive manifold more in this time, and in the world to come eternal life.

31And he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all the things that are written through the prophets shall be accomplished unto the Son of man.

32For he shall be delivered up unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and shamefully treated, and spit upon:

33and they shall scourge and kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.

34And they understood none of these things; and this saying was hid from them, and they perceived not the things that were said.

35And it came to pass, as he drew nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:

36and hearing a multitude going by, he inquired what this meant.

37And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.

38And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.

39And they that went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried out the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.

40And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,

41What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.

42And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight; thy faith hath made thee whole.

43And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

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Matthew Henry Concise Commentary

Pastoral and devotional reflections focused on spiritual formation and application.

Luke 18:1-8 Verses 1-8

All God's people are praying people. Here earnest steadiness in prayer for spiritual mercies is taught. The widow's earnestness prevailed even with the unjust judge: she might fear lest it should set him more against her; but our earnest prayer is pleasing to our God. Even to the end there will still be ground for the same complaint of weakness of faith.

Luke 18:9-14 Verses 9-14

This parable was to convince some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others. God sees with what disposition and design we come to him in holy ordinances. What the Pharisee said, shows that he trusted to himself that he was righteous. We may suppose he was free from gross and scandalous sins. All this was very well and commendable. Miserable is the condition of those who come short of the righteousness of this Pharisee, yet he was not accepted; and why not? He went up to the temple to pray, but was full of himself and his own goodness; the favour and grace of God he did not think worth asking. Let us beware of presenting proud devotions to the Lord, and of despising others. The publican's address to God was full of humility, and of repentance for sin, and desire toward God. His prayer was short, but to the purpose; God be merciful to me a sinner. Blessed be God, that we have this short prayer upon record, as an answered prayer; and that we are sure that he who prayed it, went to his house justified; for so shall we be, if we pray it, as he did, through Jesus Christ. He owned himself a sinner by nature, by practice, guilty before God. He had no dependence but upon the mercy of God; upon that alone he relied. And God's glory is to resist the proud, and give grace to the humble. Justification is of God in Christ; therefore the self-condemned, and not the self-righteous, are justified before God.

Luke 18:15-17 Verses 15-17

None are too little, too young, to be brought to Christ, who knows how to show kindness to those not capable of doing service to him. It is the mind of Christ, that little children should be brought to him. The promise is to us, and to our seed; therefore He will bid them welcome to him with us. And we must receive his kingdom as children, not by purchase, and must call it our Father's gift.

Luke 18:18-30 Verses 18-30

Many have a great deal in them very commendable, yet perish for lack of some one thing; so this ruler could not bear Christ's terms, which would part between him and his estate. Many who are loth to leave Christ, yet do leave him. After a long struggle between their convictions and their corruptions, their corruptions carry the day. They are very sorry that they cannot serve both; but if one must be quitted, it shall be their God, not their wordly gain. Their boasted obedience will be found mere outside show; the love of the world in some form or other lies at the root. Men are apt to speak too much of what they have left and lost, of what they have done and suffered for Christ, as Peter did. But we should rather be ashamed that there has been any regret or difficulty in doing it.

Luke 18:31-34 Verses 31-34

The Spirit of Christ, in the Old Testament prophets, testified beforehand his sufferings, and the glory that should follow, 1Pe 1:11. The disciples' prejudices were so strong, that they would not understand these things literally. They were so intent upon the prophecies which spake of Christ's glory, that they overlooked those which spake of his sufferings. People run into mistakes, because they read their Bibles by halves, and are only for the smooth things. We are as backward to learn the proper lessons from the sufferings, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ, as the disciples were to what he told them as to those events; and for the same reason; self-love, and a desire of worldly objects, close our understandings.

Luke 18:35-43 Verses 35-43

This poor blind man sat by the wayside, begging. He was not only blind, but poor, the fitter emblem of the world of mankind which Christ came to heal and save. The prayer of faith, guided by Christ's encouraging promises, and grounded on them, shall not be in vain. The grace of Christ ought to be thankfully acknowledged, to the glory of God. It is for the glory of God if we follow Jesus, as those will do whose eyes are opened. We must praise God for his mercies to others, as well as for mercies to ourselves. Would we rightly understand these things, we must come to Christ, like the blind man, earnestly beseeching him to open our eyes, and to show us clearly the excellence of his precepts, and the value of his salvation.

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Adultery: Forbidden Luke 18:20

You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother.’”

Answers To Prayer: Blind Man Luke 18:38, 41–43

So he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” / “What do you want Me to do for you?” “Lord,” he said, “let me see again.” / Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, glorifying God. And all the people who saw this gave praise to God.

Answers To Prayer: Denied to Those Who are Self-Righteous Luke 18:11, 12, 14

The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like the other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. / I fast twice a week and pay tithes of all that I acquire.’ / I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Babies Going to Heaven Luke 18:15, 16

Now people were even bringing their babies to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them. And when the disciples saw this, they rebuked those who brought them. / But Jesus called the children to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

Bartimeus (Bartimaeus): A Blind Man Luke 18:35–43

As Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting beside the road, begging. / When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. / “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by,” they told him.

Being Discouraged Luke 18:1

Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart:

Bigotry: General Scriptures Concerning Luke 18:9–14

To some who trusted in their own righteousness and viewed others with contempt, He also told this parable: / “Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. / The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like the other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.

Child Labor Luke 18:15–17

Now people were even bringing their babies to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them. And when the disciples saw this, they rebuked those who brought them. / But Jesus called the children to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. / Truly I tell you, anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

Children Growing Up Luke 18:16

But Jesus called the children to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

Children: Blessed by Jesus Luke 18:15, 16

Now people were even bringing their babies to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them. And when the disciples saw this, they rebuked those who brought them. / But Jesus called the children to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

Children: Commandments To Luke 18:20

You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother.’”

Children: Promises and Assurances To Luke 18:15, 16

Now people were even bringing their babies to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them. And when the disciples saw this, they rebuked those who brought them. / But Jesus called the children to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

Christian Minister: Intolerance of Luke 18:15

Now people were even bringing their babies to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them. And when the disciples saw this, they rebuked those who brought them.

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Kingdom of God (Matt. 6:33; Mark 1:14, 15; Luke 4:43) = "kingdom of… Righteousness See [535]JUSTIFICATION. Eternal life This expression occurs in the Old Testament only in Dan.… Son of man (1.) Denotes mankind generally, with special reference to their weakness… Adversary (Heb. satan), an opponent or foe (1 Kings 5:4; 11:14,… Jerusalem Called also Salem, Ariel, Jebus, the "city of God," the… Nazareth Separated, generally supposed to be the Greek form of the… Adultery Conjugal infidelity. An adulterer was a man who had illicit… Gentiles (Heb., usually in plural, goyim), meaning in general all nations… Parable (Gr. parabole), a placing beside; a comparison; equivalent to the… Justice Is rendering to every one that which is his due.… Sitting The attitude generally assumed in Palestine by those who were… Witness More than one witness was required in criminal cases (Deut.… Jericho Place of fragrance, a fenced city in the midst of… Temple First used of the tabernacle, which is called "the temple… Father A name applied (1) to any ancestor (Deut. 1:11; 1… Murder Wilful murder was distinguished from accidental homicide, and was invariably… Needle Used only in the proverb, "to pass through a needle's…