Luke
Chapter
18
Luke
18;1-8
1 And
he spake a parable unto them to this end, that
men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
2 Saying, There was in a city a
judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
3 And there was a widow in that city;
and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
4 And he would not for a while: but
afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not
God, nor regard man;
5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual
coming she weary me.
6 And the Lord said, Hear what the
unjust judge saith.
7 And shall not God avenge his own
elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear
long with them?
8 I tell you that he will avenge them
speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the
earth?
Christ
taught that we are to live in a state of prayer and not grow weary of it!
This
parable is about a widow who came to a leader in the city asking for him to
“avenge” a wrong that had been done to her! Christ told His followers a parable
concerning the fact that we should always pray, and stop prayer just because
times get difficult!
Jesus
said, “There once was a judge who did not fear or
respect God or men! Within the city in which he resided there was a widow, and she came to him pleading, ‘Avenge me of mine adversary!’
“However, the judge ignored her pleading! But, eventually the
judge thought, ‘Although I don’t fear God, or
man, this widow is continually bothering me, so
I will avenge her, because I am tired of her frequent insistence!
And
Jesus said, “Hear what the unjust judge is saying!”
Christ
Jesus is recommending the unjust judge and the widow as good examples! Her
persistence overcame his reluctance! Persistence in prayer will win the day even
in our dealings with God!
In
the Spirit, mercy wins out over judgment!
James 2:13 For he shall have judgment without
mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
At
that point in the parable Christ asked, “Shall not God avenge His own elect, who plead with Him, day
and night, even though He shows great patience?
“I tell you that He shall avenge them speedily! Nevertheless
when the Son of man comes, shall He find faith on the earth?”
That
question seems out of place! It would seem that of course Christ shall find
faith on the earth! Or, will he?
Find
(Gr.
heuriskō-εὑρίσκω) is an interesting word describing an interesting event!
The
word “find” speaks of “being obtained!”
Listen
to this! There shall come a moment when salvation among Gentiles in this age shall
come to a screeching halt! There shall be a moment, in which the last Gentile
on earth shall be call, chosen, and appointed to be part of the body of Christ!
Romans
11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye
should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own
conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
If blindness has come upon Israel until the fullness of the
Gentiles is complete, there must a completed number of Gentiles that will
become part of the body of Christ during this age!
This does not refer to limited
atonement! Instead, it refers to salvation in this age!
There
shall also be a moment when the last Israelite will be called. All Israel has been
“chosen,” but as Paul warned, “they are not all Israel, which are of Israel” (Romans 9:6)! Being considered “Jewish”
is not synonymous with being “of Israel!”
At
the moment when that last person is called and chosen, faith will no longer be
in the process of being obtained!
Luke
18:9-17
9 And he spake this parable unto certain
which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10 Two men went up into the temple to
pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus
with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as
other men are, extortioners, unjust,
adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar
off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his
breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to
his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased;
and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Then, Jesus told the parable about those who trust
in their human abilities and despise those with lessor human abilities!
“Two men went to the temple to pray! One was a Pharisee, and
the other a publican (taxcollector)!
“Both prayed! The Pharisee prayed, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men! They are
blackmailers, unjust, adulterers, or even cheaters like that publican! I fast twice a week, and give tithes of all that I possess!’”
The
Pharisee prayed based on his income, financial prowess and the Ten
Commandments!
“Meanwhile, the publican, stood at a distance with his head
bowed in humility, and prayed simply, ‘God be
merciful to me a sinner.’”
The
publican prayed based on the mercy and grace of God expressed in Christ Jesus!
Jesus
told those listening, “I tell you that the tax
collector went home justified, and not the Pharisee,
because all who exalt themselves shall be humbled and all who humble themselves
shall be exalted!”
Human
attributes fail with age! God’s love and mercy never fail!
The
Ten and all other laws are just shadows!
Heb 10:1 For the law having a shadow of
good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never
with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the
comers thereunto perfect.
Christ is reality!
Col
2:16-17
16 Let
no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17 Which
are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
Even God’s appointed times are just
shadows of what is to come!
Do you trust in shadows, or in
Christ Jesus, the Messiah?
Luke
18:15-17
15 And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch
them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.
16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the
kingdom of God.
17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little
child shall in no wise enter therein.
Some brought young children to Christ seeking a
blessing, but when the Apostles saw what they did they objected!
But
Jesus told His Apostles, “Allow little children to come
to Me! Don’t stop them, because they represent the
kingdom of God.
“Truthfully I tell you that whosoever shall not receive the
kingdom of God in the same manner as a little child shall not enter therein!”
The
point is that all who come to Christ must do so in a child-like humility!
This
portion of Scripture does not condone infant baptism! The children were brought
to Christ to receive His blessing, not baptism!
Luke
18:18-30
18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what
shall I do to inherit eternal life?
19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is
good, save one, that is, God.
20 Thou knowest
the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill,
Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy
father and thy mother.
21 And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.
22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell
all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure
in heaven: and come, follow me.
23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was
very rich.
24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How
hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
25 For it is easier for a camel to go
through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
26 And they that heard it said, Who
then can be saved?
27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
28 Then Peter said, Lo, we have left
all, and followed thee.
29 And he said unto them, Verily I
say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or
wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake,
30 Who shall not receive manifold
more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.
At that point, a man of some importance came to
Christ asking, “Good Master, what shall I do to
inherit everlasting life?”
Jesus
began to answer him by asking him, “Why do you call Me good?”
Christ
explained, “None is
good, except God.”
Then
Jesus explained further, “You know the commandments! Do
not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not
bear lie, and Honor your father and mother!”
We
must understand that Christ Jesus came to fulfill the Law! Therefore He lived
by and recommended the Law to those under the law at that time! Christ Jesus,
in His death on the cross, fulfilled the law! In His resurrection He brought in
the age of grace!
The
important man responded to Christ, “I have done all those since I was a young
person.”
But
Jesus went further into the young man’s spiritual situation, “And yet you are still lacking! Sell all you have and give the
proceeds to those who are destitute! Do that and you shall have treasure in
heaven! And come, follow Me!”
When
the rich young man heard that he was very sad, because he was very rich!
Some
allow their temporary possessions to come between themselves and everlasting
life in Christ Jesus!
Life
in Christ does not end! Paper money simply grows old and wears out gold is used
as street pavement in heaven!
When
Jesus saw that the rich young man was very sad, He said, “Human wealth shall not enter the kingdom of God! Indeed,
it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye,
than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”
Jesus’
response caused a difficulty among the Apostles! We must remember that at that
time and even today Jews live under the “what you see is what you get”
philosophy! They really believed that if God blesses you, you become
financially wealthy!
Non-Messianic
Jews and many supposed Christians only trust in what can be seen and personally
owned! Messianic Jews and other Christians know that all human wealth is
temporary!
When
the Apostles heard what Jesus told the rich young man they asked Christ, “Who
can be saved?”
That
question was based on the Law! Christians live based on the Spirit!
Romans
8:14 For as
many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Jesus
told them, “The things which are impossible with men
are possible with God.”
Then
Peter said, “We have left everything, and followed You!”
At
that Jesus reassured them, “Truthfully, there is no man
who has left his home, or parents, or siblings, or wife, or children, for the
kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive
many times that in this age, and in the age (Gr. aiōn-αἰών) to come life everlasting (Gr.
aiōnios-αἰώνιος).”
In
Christ, all true Christians are siblings! Some Church attendees are just pretenders,
human blemishes that come into the Church in pretense!
Christ
Jesus told us who are the members of His family and ours!
Matt
12:46-50
46 While he
yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood
without, desiring to speak with him.
47 Then
one said unto him, Behold, thy mother
and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.
48 But
he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is My mother? and who are My brethren?
49 And
he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold My mother and My
brethren!
50 For whosoever shall do the will of My Father which is in
heaven, the same is My brother, and sister, and
mother.
Luke
18:31-34
31 Then
he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets
concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.
32 For he shall be delivered unto the
Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:
33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the
third day he shall rise again.
34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying
was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.
Here, Jesus plainly told the Apostles that He must
die and take upon Himself the sins of all mankind! The Hebrew Scriptures
foretold it! And yet, look at verse 34!
As
we continue, Jesus took the twelve aside and told them, “Behold, we go to Jerusalem, and all things that are written
by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. Because He shall be given into the hands of the Gentiles, and
shall be mocked, and ill-treated!
They shall scourge Him,
and put Him to death, and the third day He shall rise again!
That
seems plain to those of us who live in this age, but the Apostles did not
understand! Their lack of understanding was not because of their intelligence!
At this time, God hid the truth from them!
In
the same manner, the truth of Christ Jesus is hidden to each of us until the
predetermined time of our salvation! We were called to bow to Christ at an
appointed time! At that appointed time the Holy Spirit opened our eyes to the
Truth, Christ Jesus!
Salvation
is NOT ours to claim! It is
given by God at a specific and pre-appointed moment in human history!
Understanding
the “words” of the Bible is not the issue! Anyone can do that! However, just
because a person understands the words does not mean that he/she understands
the Word!
Luke
18:35-43
35 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho,
a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:
36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.
37 And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.
38 And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David,
have mercy on me.
39 And they which went before rebuked him, that he should
hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have
mercy on me.
40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him:
and when he was come near, he asked him,
41 Saying, What wilt thou that I
shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.
42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy
faith hath saved thee.
43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed him,
glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto
God.
As
Jesus and His followers walked along, they came to Jericho! There a blind man
sat by the way side begging!
That
blind man heard the crowd passing by, and asked what all the commotion meant.
Others told him that Jesus of Nazareth was walking by. The blind man had heard
of the miracles of Christ Jesus!
The
blind man shouted to Jesus, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Notice
that the blind man did not ask that his blindness be healed! Instead, he asked
for mercy!
All
of us were spiritually blind until the time we heard of Jesus and asked for His
mercy!
All
of us who are spiritually blind should also cry out to Jesus for mercy! When we
do that we will be granted Jesus’ mercy…including
healing! Salvation is Jesus’ greatest act of healing!
Some
rebuked the blind beggar, telling him that he should keep quiet! Those who
listen to the crowd will not find healing for their needs!
Some
in that crowd tried to limit the power of Christ by limiting those who can come
to Him! Things have not changed! Many still attempt to limit Christ while pretending
to be Christians!
However,
the blind beggar began to shout louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me.”
Do
you recall the parable of the unjust judge and the widow who refused to calm
down when the unjust judge told her to?
She got what she asked for!
Now
we see that principle in action! Christ is not unjust and will answer far
faster than any human judge!
Jesus
commanded that the blind beggar be brought to Him! Christ did not simply invite
or ask! He commanded!
And
when the blind beggar was brought to him, Jesus asked, “What may I do for you?”
That
may seem to be a silly question, because the man was blind! But, that is the
point! We do not always know exactly what we need, but Christ Jesus is ready to
give us our “needs!”
Suppose
you were that blind beggar. Would you have asked for enough money so that you
would not need to continue begging? Many, in their ignorance, would have asked
for just that!
However,
the blind beggar asked for that which he really needed! He asked, “Lord, I
desire to receive my sight!”
\Jesus
did not hesitate! “Receive your sight! Your faith has
saved (Gr. sōzō-σῴζω) you!
That
blind beggar received far more than he asked! Healing is available to all in
the atonement! He asked for physical sight, and received both physical and
spiritual sight!
Immediately
the formerly blind man received his sight, and followed Christ Jesus, glorifying
God! In addition, when those there saw the
healing, they too praised God.
When
you see a miracle to you praise the human healer or the Spiritual Healer! Where
are your priorities?