Each of the Gospels shows that Christ began to teach in parables. The parables are clear and simple teachings and can be understood by all. But there is also in each parable a subtle way of speaking. Those who hate Christ become even more offended by what he says. Others are amazed at the depth of this simple teaching.

We find in Scripture that parables are a form of divine judgment which leads opponents to harden their hearts. If people will not accept his open and clear preaching they will have to absorb the parables.

Teaching in parables is highlighted in Matthew 13. There the disciples ask Jesus why he speaks in parables. Our Lord answers that he is fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah, where parables have a hardening effect on the hearers. In total there are about 30 parables in the synoptic gospels. They are illustrative examples drawn from nature and daily life.

Some of the parables have been already mentioned. See also Luke 8.

The Parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-8)⤒🔗

¹Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.  ²He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. ³And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

⁴“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, ⁵yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’”

⁶And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? ⁸I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”Luke 18:1-8

This parable immediately follows what was said in chapter 17, as the word “Then” indicates.  At this point “Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up” (18:1).The idea is that constant petitioning does make sense and leads to results.

The parable concerns “a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor cared about men” (18:2). We also find “that there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’” (18:3) This judge was not concerned about people, but was an unbelieving and ruthless man.

I have sometimes wondered how such an evil judge can be used as example in a parable. But the same holds true for other characters in parables, e.g. the dishonest manager or steward. However, this parable is not about the judge; it is about the persistent widow.

She will not take “no” for an answer. She keeps presenting her case to this judge, until finally his resolve has weakened. He says to himself, “Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!” (18:4,5)

Now God is not to be compared with this wicked judge. The Lord Jesus says, “Listen to what the unjust judge says”. The point of comparison is that God is eminently more righteous and compassionate than this judge. We must keep this in mind when we pray. God will hear us. We should never stop praying, thinking that it will not help anyway.

The Lord says, “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.” (18:7,8) This is a solemn pledge, since Christ uses the words  “I tell you.” God is not like the unjust judge who delays justice being done. The Lord stresses that God will give justice and he emphasizes “quickly”. We might wonder about this. Is God always so quick to administer justice? Remember that the context is the time preceding Christ’s return in glory.

God is constantly hearing our prayers. Therefore we should not be negligent in prayer and also pray with faith and in confidence. The unjust judge is not commended, but the persistent widow is. The point is not that God will immediately reply, but “quickly”, which means here assuredly and certainly. The times will become difficult and the number of day may have to be shortened (Mark 13:20) but God will certainly rescue his children also from the terrors of the last days.

Note the last part of verse 8, “However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” The real question is if the Son will find faith when he returns. The way this is asked indicates there will be little or no faith. Some explainers mention that the word “faith” has the definite article, meaning “the true faith”¹. There may be all kinds of religiosity but will there still be the faith that is built on the Scriptures and accepts all that God has revealed in his word? This refers not only to the act of believing but also the content of fai

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14)←⤒🔗

⁹To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: ¹⁰“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men — robbers, evildoers, adulterers — or even like this tax collector. ¹²I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

¹³“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

¹⁴“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”Luke 18:9-14

In the previous section we looked at a parable concerning the need of persistent prayer. This present parable continues the theme of prayer, but it does so from quite a different angle. Two men went to the temple to pray. But that is where the similarity ends.

It says, “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.” (18:9,10)

This means that the parameters have been set. Two men pray in the temple, an everyday activity. The temple worship had specific times for public prayer and also provided opportunity for a private prayer. This seems to have been more a private kind of prayer wherein the prayer was spoken in an audible voice.

The Pharisee’s prayer is mentioned first. The Lord introduces this prayer as follows: “The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself. ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” (18:11,12) The man probably prayed with eyes open and hand uplifted. He felt quite good about himself. He even dared make himself into an example over the tax collector.

The Lord Jesus is not poking fun at the man. The things that he mentions are important. We may perhaps not be robbers, adulterers, or swindlers, but we all have our own weaknesses and sin. The sad thing is that this man exalts himself above others, builds on his own deeds and thus cannot find the way to the Kingdom of God. This is a very serious matter.

It says, “But the tax collector stood at a distance.  He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’” (18:13) This man knows that he can only be saved by grace and he asks that the Lord will have compassion on him. Also here we must keep things in balance. This tax collector also is in need of repentance and a new life. Perhaps this is not easy for him in the given circumstances, but he needs to take honest and true stock of his life.

We may thank God for all the blessings he gives, also when it comes to holy living. But when confessing sin and feeling unworthy, we plead on his promise that he will forgive us our sins and weakness and grant us newness of life.

The Lord says, “I tell you that this man (the tax-collector), rather than the other, went home justified before God.”(18:14). “Justified before God” means to be forgiven of sin. The tax collector had truly humbled himself. The Pharisee left with unforgiven sin and a haughty heart.

We should never think that our sins are so great that we cannot be forgiven. Sincere and humble prayer does lead us to be justified before God. At the same time we should also ask God’s help and Holy Spirit to fight against our weaknesses.  The justified still require sanctification, which is a life-long process.

In prayer God requires true humility. We learn that we may never exalt ourselves above others.

Jesus and the Children (Luke 18:15-17)←⤒🔗

¹⁵People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. ¹⁶But 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. ¹⁷I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will not enter it. Luke 18:15-17

There is always something wonderful about children. They seem so carefree and innocent.  Sometimes, however, children do not seem to fit in the adult world. This appears to be the case, when people bring their children to the Lord.

Perhaps this passage makes us aware of a shifting trend. When people followed a new rabbi, they did not customarily bring their children. But it appears that Christ also heals children. And so people start bringing their children to the Lord in the hope that Jesus will touch them. In the kingdom of God the children certainly have a lawful place. We are once again reminded of the covenant relationship between believers, their children, and the Lord.²

Actually, the text speaks more about babies. A word is used that means a “new-born” child.³What is the sense of bringing such an infant to the Lord? The parents wanted Jesus to “touch” their child.  Of course, this means that he would touch them in the form of a blessing.

But the disciples did not like this development and therefore they rebuked these parents, “Go away with these babies!” But the Lord did not appreciate his disciples’ action. He called the children to him (with the parents holding them).

He said: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

We may assume that the disciples meant nothing wrong and were trying to give the Lord a brief time of deserved rest and required relaxation. After all, he was usually surrounded by people, by adults who thronged about him, and he could use some peace and quiet. But Christ wants to make a more important point: the kingdom of heaven also belongs to infants and children.

The Lord added these words, “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it”⁴( 18:17). The question is, of course, what it means to receive the kingdom of God like a child. What is in this respect so unique about a child? Perhaps it is a child’s openness and sincerity that Christ means.

Doctrinal Certainties←⤒🔗

It is important to note that this passage is quoted in the Form for the Baptism of Infants as one of the biblical grounds on which infant baptism is based. Actually the version of Mark 10:13-16 is quoted. As we should not keep the children away from Christ, so we should also not refuse them God’s promises in baptism.

It says in Mark also that Christ took the children into his arms and blessed them (Mark 10:16).This is an act of acceptance emphasized because it is a part of the covenant that God has with believers and their children. Actually the Lord was “indignant” at the disciples’ attempts to hold back the parents with their children.

This acceptance and blessing is not based on the children’s prior faith or confession. It is based on God’s love and grace which he gives to believers and to their children. New attempts to deny infant baptism or promote believers’ baptisms are modernistic, not biblical. This is not a new error: it crops up time and again, sometimes with subtle variations but always the same line of humanistic thinking, God does not choose us, we choose him.

Homiletical Horizons←⤒🔗

When we deny infants the right to baptism, we deny the claim that God puts on our children. They are his and must come to live as his children. From the beginning of their life, children of believers also belong to God. The bond between God and them may not be broken.

Preaching to younger children and adolescents weakens considerably if we must tell them that they are not (yet) truly children of God. We withhold from them the riches they have in Christ and we do not address them as heirs of the Kingdom of God. This is a serious offence which leads to an unscriptural man-centered type of preaching. Soon we are back in Arminian waters.

Many who allow only adult or believer baptism, do feel that somehow there must be a link between Christ and the children.  They refuse to acknowledge the strong bond that God has laid, and proceed to build their own link by “dedicating” their children to God.  Again it is a man-centered approach. The true biblical direction is not from us to God (Arminius), but from God to us (Synod of Dort).

Whenever parents see a child going astray, they must direct this child to God’s demands and promises. They may call upon God that he will confirm his covenant with their child(ren). And when a child grows up to deny the Lord God as creator and Saviour, this does not mean that God has failed. There may be many reasons why someone comes to deny God, but these reasons hold no water (no pun intended).

The fact that our children belong to God also leads parents to be fully involved in the upbringing and teaching of these children. Family devotions become important times. In the Reformed churches many members support parental Christian schools to help in the godly upbringing and biblical education of their children.

The covenant is not some automatic bond that cannot be broken, but it is a relationship that must be recognized and nurtured. It begins with God, and it resonates in us.⁵

The Rich Ruler Refuses to Follow Christ (Luke 18:18-30)←⤒🔗

¹⁸A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁹“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. ²⁰You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’”

²¹“All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.

²²When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

²³When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth.  ²⁴Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁶Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁷Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”

²⁸Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!”

²⁹“I tell you the truth,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God ³⁰will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.” Luke 18:18-30

Around the same time that parents present their children to Christ, a certain ruler comes to the Lord with a question. The contrast could not be sharper. With the children Christ acknowledged that by virtue of the covenant of grace, with believers and their children, there is a way of salvation. But a certain ruler approaches Christ, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” It is clear that the man seriously looks to Christ for an answer. He even calls the Lord “good teacher” (18:18). In the parallel texts he is called a “young man”. I suggest that it is rather unusual for a rich young man to be so occupied with obtaining eternal life. But it is a very refreshing development.

The Lord’s answer may at first glance look like a kind of a put-off. “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered, “No one is good – except God alone” (18:19). But the young man is sincere. He does expect a helpful answer.

The answer of the Lord is to the point. No one is good except God. No one has made more perfectly clear how we shall live to receive eternal life than God himself. The law was written as by his hand. The Lord therefore directs the young man to the revelation of God, in this case especially the law of God, the Ten Commandments.

The Jewish leaders teach a system of salvation by works. The rich ruler knows this, too. And the man says, “All these I have kept since I was a boy” (18:21). He is perhaps not even aware that he has broken all of God’s commandments and kept none of them. Isaiah writes, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Paul reminds the Romans that “there is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10; see Psalm 14:3 from where Paul quotes). But the man is in the line of salvation by merit.

I think that this rich ruler is not bragging. He has seriously tried to keep all the commandments of God. He hopes he has succeeded. Yet there is this nagging doubt. In Mark 10:21 we read that “Jesus looked at him and loved him.” This means that Christ was moved by his earnestness and sincerity.

He tried to make the young man understand that the only way to inherit eternal life is by placing his life in the hands of the Messiah. Therefore he said, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (18:22). Put your love and lot with the Messiah.

It would not be a matter of going from extreme wealth to abject poverty. He knew that the Lord would provide in all his needs. But we read, “When [the rich ruler] heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth.” (18:23) He simply could not part with all his possessions and the privileges and security that came with being rich. 

The Lord saw this and said to him: “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God!” (18:24,25)

There have been various attempts to soften this statement. Some translate it differently with string made of camel’s hair, sometimes used for sewing, or a bit that was used to direct camels. Still others suggest that there was a very narrow gate in Jerusalem, called “the needle”, where the camels entered the city and could only get through if they were completely unloaded. This is an interesting interpretation, great sermon stuff, which might have possible credence if there was such a gate.

The people reply to the statement “Who then can be saved?”  No one.  The Lord’s statement above is rhetorical.

The text cannot be softened. A camel cannot go through the eye of a needle. The emphasis comes to lie on the following: Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God” (18:27).This is the heart of the matter. God alone can change hearts. There have been rich benefactors in the church of the Lord. But their gifts were then freely given by faith, out of grace, and are a work of God. May the Lord bless the benefactors who joyfully give for the cause of the kingdom, not to seek their own glory, but to glorify God who moves hearts.

What About the Disciples?←⤒🔗

Peter said to the Lord, “We have left all we had to follow you” (18:28). In other words, in contrast with the rich ruler, the apostles did heed the call to leave everything behind and follow Jesus. They may not have had riches, being poor Galileans, but what they had was valuable to them, and it is now gone.

Does Peter mean ‘what will we get in return?’ Is he perhaps saying: we have some rights here; it’s time we get some dividends? The Lord does not evade the issue, nor does he give a non-committal response. He says, “I tell you the truth (i.e. emphatically), no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life” (18:29,30).

Already in this life those who follow Christ will receive the blessing of belonging to Christ. We receive many times as much (already) in this life. Think of God’s wondrous promises, his grace and help, and his provisions, also in the communion of saints. And in the age to come we receive eternal life, the gift that truly keeps on giving. Giving everything to the poor does not render us without means. It is a matter of trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Going to Die in Jerusalem (18:31-34)←⤒🔗

³¹Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. ³²He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. ³³On the third day he will rise again." 

³⁴The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about. Luke 18:31-34

After answering Peter’s question, the Lord took the twelve aside. What he wanted to say to them was not intended for every ear, but his disciples are receiving important information. Some call this the third announcement of his death and they see in the constant statements of Christ an expanding of information: every time he gives a bit more information.

This announcement has the background that they are now on their way to Jerusalem where all this was to take place. Christ says, “We are going up to Jerusalem” (18:31). The Lord wants them to know what will shortly take place. The time they still have together is important and unique.

The “new” element here may be that everything taught by the prophets of old needed to be fulfilled. “He will be handed over to the Gentiles.  They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him” (18:31,32). Jesus does add that “On the third day he will rise again” (18:33). Can you find the other announcements and do a comparative study of these?

It says, “The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about” (18:34). This is also part of Christ’s suffering. He explained to them at length his particular ministry, but the disciples did not have the foggiest notion of what was going to happen. They simply were not able to understand it.

Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight (Luke 18:35-43)←⤒🔗

³⁵As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. ³⁶When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 

³⁷They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." 

³⁸He called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 

³⁹Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

⁴⁰Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him,⁴¹"What do you want me to do for you?" 
"Lord, I want to see," he replied. 

⁴²Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you." ⁴³Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.Luke 18:35-43

We read that Jesus approaches Jericho, and again crosses the river Jordan in order to move on to Jerusalem.  This city may be the one built by Herod, and not the town that was once destroyed by Joshua. A blind man was sitting by the roadside, in his usual place, begging. Others versions state there were two blind men sitting there and that one of them, the main spokesman, was named Bartimaeus.

In any case, when a large group moves by along the road where Bartimaeus was sitting, he asks what is going on. They tell him that Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. He begins to call out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (18:35-38)

Please note that the man calls Jesus “Son of David”. This is rather unusual. Only a few times is Christ referred to as Son of David. The title “Son of David” was reserved for the Messiah who would restore David’s throne and kingdom (see also John 7:41,42).

It is also noteworthy that those leading the way tell Bartimaeus to be quiet.  They rebuke him: Jesus has no time for you, a blind beggar.  But the blind man “shouted all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!” (18:39) Maybe it was also the expression “Son of David” that offended them. But the Lord does not rebuke the man, disavowing the title Son of David; rather he accepts it, for he is the Son of David. The fact that many healthy people do not see it, although it is plain, is amazing. But the blind man, by God’s grace and Spirit, has made the proper connection. Therefore the Lord says to him: your faith has healed you.

We read that “Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’” (18:40,41) It is such a simple question, but it opened up the man’s life. “Lord I want to see,” he replied.

“Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.’” (18:42) The Lord on his way shows the power and purpose of his Messianic work. This is why he came to the earth. He showed to us the glory of the kingdom of God, the renewal of our lives.

It says, “Immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus, praising God.” The restoration of sight did not take time. The Lord did not (as in another case, in Mark 8:22-26) use any symbolic means like spittle or mud. There was simply the power of the Messianic word. Was it not the calling of the Messiah to open the eyes of the blind?

It says, “When all the people saw it, they also praised God. It is the proper reaction. What else should people do than praise God?

 

Questions←⤒🔗

1. Why does Christ speak about “perseverance” in the time when the kingdom is coming?
2. Does the parable of the persistent widow not lead to wrong conclusions? What might these wrong conclusions be? Explain how we must, and can, persevere in prayer.
3. How does chapter 18 speak about those who were treated unjustly?
4. What does Christ say and do with respect to little children? What word does the original use? Why is this passage quoted in the prayer before infant baptism? Why is this text important today? Is there a shift in the general understanding of infant baptism?
5. What should our conclusion be about a camel going the eye of a needle? Why does Christ then say, “What is impossible with men is possible with God?
6. How did the Lord seek to change his disciples’ expectation with respect to the entry into Jerusalem?
7. Christ announces his impending death in this chapter.  How does it compare with the other such announcements?
8. Why did the blind man healed near Jericho call the Lord “Son of David”? Is this important with respect our understanding of this passage?