This Material Has Not Been Edited For s1

THIS MATERIAL HAS NOT BEEN EDITED FOR

SCRIPTURAL ACCURACY, SPELLING, OR GRAMMAR

LUKE

CHAPTER 18

Lk 18:1-8

18:1 And he spoke 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 troubles 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 bears 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? KJV

18:1-14 DISCIPLE SHIP. CHARACTER, ETC. TWO PARABLES.

A 18:1 First Parable. Perseverance in Prayer.

B 18:2 The unjust judge.

C 18:3 The widow. The victim. Righteous vindication.

B 18:4 The unjust judge.

C 18:5 The widow. The problem resolved.

D 18:6-8 Application. Regarding the Kingdom.

A 18:9 Second Parable. Self-and true- righteousness.

B 18:10- Pharisee.

C 18:-10 Publican. Righteous justification.

B 18:11, 12 Pharisee.

C 18:13 Publican.

D 18:14 Application. Regarding the Kingdom.

Note: Both parables are peculiar to Luke’s Gospel. But only here in Luke is the explanation put first.

The Companion Bible

18:1-7 Yeshua Jesus depicts an Oriental judge who can be approached without the bureaucratic entanglements of the modern West, a man without conscience but with a human weakness that ultimately leads him to grant genuine justice in spite of himself. If a corrupt judge finally gives in to a widow's pestering, how much more will God, who is altogether just, respond to his chosen people's continual prayers (as opposed to the widow's occasional visits), such as:

1. “Adonai, how long will you look on? Rescue me from their destructions, my only one from the lions” (Psalm 35:17), or,

2. “O God, how long will the adversary insult? Will the enemy blaspheme your name forever?” (Psalm 74:10).

18:5 Because this widow is such a nudnik, literally, “because this widow causes me trouble, bothers me.” The Yiddish word “nudnik” means “someone who persistently bores, pesters, nags.” It captures precisely the particular kind of bothering and troubles the corrupt judge experiences.

CHAPTER EIGHEEN

Luke 18:1-8

A Demanding Widow (Luke 18:1-8)

Luke mentions widows more than do all the other Gospel writers combined (Lk 2:37-38; 4:25-26; 7:11-17; 18:1-8; 20:45-47; 21:1-4). In that day, widows usually had a difficult time making ends meet, in spite of the care God instructed His people to give them (Ex 22:22-24; Dt 14:28-29; 16:9-15; Ps 146:9; Isa 1:11,23; Jer 7:6). The early church was serious about the care of Christian widows (Acts 6:1; 1 Tim. 5:3-10; Jas 1:27), a good example for us to follow today.

As you study this parable, try to see it in its Eastern setting. The "courtroom" was not a fine building but a tent that was moved from place to place as the judge covered his circuit. The judge, not the law, set the agenda; and he sat regally in the tent surrounded by his assistants. Anybody could watch the proceedings from the outside, but only those who were approved and accepted could have their cases tried. This usually meant bribing one of the assistants so that he would call the judge's attention to the case.

The widow had three obstacles to overcome.

1. First being a woman she, therefore, had little standing before the law. In the Palestinian society of our Lord's day, women did not go to court.

2. Since she was a widow, she had no husband to stand with her in court.

3. Finally, she was poor and could not pay a bribe even if she wanted to.

No wonder poor widows did not always get the protection the law was supposed to afford them! Now that we understand something of the setting of this parable, we can better understand what Jesus was teaching. Basically, He was encouraging His disciples to pray, and He did this by presenting three contrasts.

1. Praying contrasted with fainting (v. 1). If we don't pray, we will faint; it's as simple as that! The word faint describes a believer who loses heart and gets so discouraged that he or she wants to quit. I can recall two occasions when I have fainted physically, and it is the most helpless feeling I have ever experienced. I felt myself "going," but I couldn't seem to do a thing about it! There is a connection between what our Lord said in Lk 18:1 and His statement in Lk 17:37. If society is like a rotting corpse, then the "atmosphere" in which we live is being slowly polluted, and this is bound to affect our spiritual lives. But when we pray, we draw on the "pure air" of heaven, and this keeps us from fainting.

But what does it mean "always to pray" or to "pray without ceasing"? (1 Thessalonians 5:17) It certainly doesn't mean that we should constantly be repeating prayers, because Jesus warned against that kind of praying (Mt 6:5-15). Rather, it means to make prayer as natural to us as our regular breathing. Unless we are sick or smothering, we rarely think about our breathing, we just do it Likewise with prayer - it should be the natural habit of our lives, the "atmosphere" in which we constantly live.

Prayer is much more than the words of our lips; it is the desires of our hearts, and our hearts constantly “desire" before Him, even if we never speak a word. So, to "pray without ceasing" means to have such holy desires in our hearts, in the will of God that we are constantly in loving communion with the Father, petitioning Him for His blessing. Take your choice: do you want to pray - or faint?

2. The widow contrasted with God's elect (vv. 2-5). Jesus did not say that God's people are like this woman; in fact He said just the opposite. Because we are not like her we should be encouraged in our praying. He argued from the lesser to the greater "If a poor widow got what she deserved from a selfish judge, how much more will God's children receive what is right from a loving Heavenly Father!"

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

18:2-5

Consider the contrasts.

1. To begin with, the woman was a stranger, but we are the children of God, and God cares for His children (Lk 11:13).

2. The widow had no access to the judge, but God's children have an open access into His presence and may come at any time to get the help they need (Eph 2:18; 3:12; Heb 4:14-16; 10:19-22).

Luke 18:6-8

The woman had no friend at court to help get her case on the docket all she could do was walk around outside the tent and make a nuisance of herself as she shouted at the judge. But when Christian believers pray, they have in heaven a Saviour who is Advocate (1 Jn 2:1) and High Priest (Heb 2:17-18), who constantly represents them before the throne of God.

When we pray, we can open the Word and claim the many promises of God, but the widow had no promises that she could claim as she tried to convince the judge to hear her case. We not only have God's unfailing promises, but we also have the Holy Spirit, who assists us in our praying (Rom. 8:26-27).

Perhaps the greatest contrast is that the widow came to a court of law, but Gods children come to a throne of grace (Heb 4:14-16). She pled out of her poverty, but we have all of God's riches available to us to meet our every need (Philippians 4:19). The point is clear. If we fail to pray, our condition spiritually will be just like that of the poor widow. That should encourage us to pray!

3. The judge contrasted with the Father (vv. 6-8). Unless you see that Jesus is pointing out contrasts, you will get the idea that God must be "argued" or "bribed" into answering prayer! God is not like this judge; for God is a loving Father, who is: (a) attentive to our every cry, (b) generous in His gifts, (c) concerned about our needs, and (d) ready to answer when we call. The only reason the judge helped the widow was because he was afraid she would "weary" him, which literally means "give me a black eye" - i.e. ruin his reputation. God answers prayer for His glory and for our good, and He is not vexed when we come.

How, then, do we explain delays in answers to prayer, especially when Jesus said that God would "avenge [give them justice] speedily"? (Lk 18:8) Remember that God's delays are not the delays of inactivity but of preparation. God is always answering prayer, otherwise Rom. 8:28 could not be in the Bible. God works in all things at all times, causing all things to work together to accomplish His purposes. The moment we send Him a request that is in His will (see 1 Jn 5:14-15), God begins to work. We may not see it now, but one day the answer will come.

The question in Lk 18:8 ties in with what Jesus taught in Lk 17:22-37: "Shall He find [that kind of] faith on the earth?" The end times will not be days of great faith. Eight people were saved in Noah's day, and only four out of Sodom (and one of them perished on the way). Passages like 1 Timothy 4 and 2 Timothy 3 paint a dark picture of the last days.

Lk 18:9-14

18:9 And he spoke 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.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

18:13 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 exalted himself shall be abased; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.

KJV

Note:

1. Twice in the weak. The law prescribed only one in the year (Leviticus 16:29; Numbers 29:7). By the time of Zechariah 8:19 there were four yearly fasts. In our Lord’s day there were bi-weekly (Monday and Thursday), between Passover and Pentecost; and between the Feast of Tabernacles and the Dedication.

2. All. The law only prescribed corn, wine, oil, and cattle (Deuteronomy 14:22, 23 compare Matthew 23:23)

3. Be merciful = be propitiated or reconciled (through the atoning blood, sprinkled on the mercy-seat). The Greek word here is hilaskomai compare Exodus 25:17, 18, 21; Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17. Used in the LXX [Septuagint text 285 B.C.], in connection with the mercy-seat (Greek hilasterion).

Paul the Learner

18:7 Is he delaying long over them? It would seem so—the words were spoken nearly two thousand years ago, and the final vindication is yet to come. But 2 Peter 3:8-9 sets things in the right perspective: God is not slack in his dealings with humanity in the sense that people understand the term “slackness,” for with him “one day is like a thousand years” (Kefa Peter quotes Psalm 90:4). And God's motive for delaying? To bring people to repentance (Romans 2:4-6).

18:10-14 Because those who reject the Gospel sometimes accuse evangelists of acting “holier-than-thou,” it is noteworthy that it was Isaiah who first used that phrase, referring to Israel in rebellion against God: “[They] say, ‘Stand apart, don't come near me, for I am holier than thou’” (Isaiah 65:5). Unfortunately, God's people are susceptible to this most offensive of sins, against which both Tanakh and New Testament severely warn, religious pride.

18:10 The Parush Pharisees had high social status, while the tax-collector was despised (see Mt 5:46 N).

18:11 Prayed to himself and not to God, in spite of his addressing God. He wasn't in contact with God at all but merely boasted and justified himself. Alternatively, “prayed about himself.”

18:12 I fast twice a week. There is no evidence that the Pharisees as a group fasted twice a week, although they did fast “frequently” (Mt 9:14). The Talmud speaks of one who “undertakes to fast every Monday and Thursday throughout the year” as not unusual but nevertheless not the norm (Ta‘anit 12 a). Within the framework of trusting God, fasting was and is a normal part of a believer's life (Isaiah 58:1-12, Mt 6:16-18, 9:14-17).

I pay tithes on my entire income. The requirement to pay ten percent of income is based on Leviticus 27:30-33 and Numbers 18:21-26; and it is discussed in tractate Ma‘aserot of the Talmud, which sets forth which products must be tithed and states the principle that only tithed produce may be eaten (thus un-tithed produce is not kosher). The Mishnah says, “A person who undertakes to be reliable must tithe what he eats, what he sells and what he buys; and he may not stay as a guest with an ‘am-ha’aretz (an unlearned man)” (Demai 2:2). But in general tithing all of one's income was regarded as beyond the call of duty. I would suppose this Parush felt he was doing something special and unique for God, for which God owed him thanks and reward. Such a mentality is, of course, neither peculiar to Pharisees in particular nor unbelievers in general; on the contrary, is it those who consider themselves believers who seem to be especially susceptible to this sort of false pride.