Luke 18:1
¶ 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?
In this passage we find instruction to be persistent in prayer.
Paul will later tell Christians;
Romans
12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in
tribulation; continuing instant
in prayer;
And…
1Thessalonians
5:17 Pray without ceasing.
This isn’t the first message on this subject that Jesus has given.
Read Luke 11:1-13. By using this wicked judge as God in type it is as if Jesus
is saying, “If this mean-spirited, godless judge will respond to the persistent
pleas of a widow why would you not expect that a holy, gracious, and loving God
will respond to persistent, heartfelt prayer?”
God’s ways are sure but they can take a long time, as far as we
are concerned. Yet, when His judgment comes, it will come quickly.
Revelation
6:9 ¶ And when he had opened the fifth
seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of
God, and for the testimony which they held: 10
And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and
true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 And white robes were given unto every
one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little
season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be
killed as they were, should be
fulfilled.
Jesus asks a rhetorical question that, of course, as with all
questions He knows the answer to but it calls us to consider how many will be
trusting Him and looking to God for justice when He returns. With the church
removed from the world there may be no one giving thanks or seeking His justice
left on the earth.
Luke 18:9 ¶ 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.
The obvious point here is who is more accepted with God; the
self-righteous person who acts like God is lucky to have that person on His
team or the humble man or woman who realizes the sorry state they are in before
God?
When Jesus gave His popularly called ‘Sermon on the Mount’ to His
disciples He said;
Matthew
5:3 ¶ Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Isaiah wrote in passages given by inspiration of God;
Isaiah
66:2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all
those things have been, saith
the LORD: but to this man will
I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit,
and trembleth at my word.
Only the person who realizes they are spiritually and morally
bankrupt without God is justified before Him. The strutting peacock who comes
to church in his or her finest with Bible tucked under their arm acting like
they are a part of some kind of superior social club is lacking in that regard.
We have to realize that we are abject sinners whose condition is miserable
without Christ, and whose future is a gallery of horrors without God’s
salvation, in order to turn from our sins, our dead works, to Christ. What I am
saying is that even if they come to church people will not come to Christ as
long as they view themselves as the proverbial, “all that and a bag of chips,”
or, “the cream of the crop.” Cultural Christianity draws the self-righteous and
occasionally one of them gets saved.
Romans
5:8 But God commendeth his love toward
us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
How many people, one can only wonder, do not come to church
because they feel that air of superiority, of self-righteousness, directed
against them? How many Christian congregations are composed of a majority of
people who are smug and self-satisfied, who would dislocate their arms trying
to pat themselves on the back in an orgy of self-congratulation?
Along with trusting in God and accepting His will for your life
this is a hard thing for people of faith, a temptation that damages their
testimony.
1Peter
5:5b …Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility:
for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty
hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
If a person depends upon their own righteousness to justify them
before God they themselves are not a blessing but a blemish on the house of
God. In one of Paul’s long sentences he wrote;
Philippians
3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by
faith:
Ask yourself, which are you, the Pharisee or the publican
(tax-collector)?
Luke 18:15
¶ 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.
Literally, this is a pretty clear statement. Children want to
believe and trust those in authority in their lives and they often do unless
and until something happens that breaks that trust. I can remember a time as a
little child that my parents were like gods. Every word that proceeded out of
their mouths was truth and power to me. One day, though, during one of their
many, awful arguments with shouting and throwing things I came to a sudden
realization that they were simply people, weak and uncertain in many ways. But,
to this day I can remember a time when, even if I disobeyed, I still did not
doubt them.
Jesus tells us here that the faith and trust of a child is what is
required to enter the kingdom of God. It is not entered into by skeptics who
want to argue and debate with God. I just read an article on how the science of
Physics seems to be stalled in its attempt to uncover a unifying ‘theory of
everything’. Each time they come to a spot where they see that the universe
looks like it is deliberately fine-tuned to very narrow parameters they proceed
in a different direction attempting to discount that notion. It seems that they
will go to the greatest lengths and the greatest expense to invent any reason
to not believe in God. God, who is right in front of them staring them in the
face in the evidence at hand, cannot be even considered as a possibility.
These scientists think they have found that the Higgs-Boson
particle they believe they have seen in action, allows things to have mass. But
it cancels out all other of what they call quantum
fluctuations and is calibrated so precisely, as they put it, to an accuracy
of one in 10 to the 16th power, a phenomenal result. That is the
conclusion they’ve come to, but since they cannot accept such a monstrous thing
in their imaginations they then go on to presume that there must be other more
certainly atheistic explanations, although even under their breaths these
neo-pagans know they dare not mention God.[1]
These people are like someone looking at a flashlight beam and
since they cannot allow themselves to believe there is a flashlight they
imagine the ways the beam could create itself.
I have an Astronomy textbook from the 1970s put out by the respected
scientist, and atheist, Fred Hoyle. In it, he writes;
However,
[refers to a diagram of the universe] would demand a special relation of our
own galaxy to the universe, since in this figure we have taken our galaxy to be
located in the center of a nonuniform distribution of galaxies. It hardly seems
plausible that our galaxy would be in any such privileged position. So we
answer the above question [would anywhere appear to be the center making the
universe acentric?] affirmatively on intellectual grounds rather than because
such an answer is determined by observation.[2]
Do you see what is going on here? This isn’t about critical
thinking or any such noble intellectual attempt to get at the truth behind our
reality. This is about denying the evidence if the evidence points to a
Biblical proof, most notably God. As Hoyle said, they draw many of their
conclusions, “on
intellectual grounds rather than because such an answer is determined by
observation.”
This mentality will not, cannot, come to Christ because the
conscience and reasoning ability is so seared. But, God asks through Isaiah;
Isaiah
1:18 Come now, and let us reason together,
saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
And tells us through David;
Psalm
19:1 « To the chief Musician, A
Psalm of David. » The heavens
declare the glory of God; and
the firmament (outer space, the universe, as the heavens described in Genesis 1
and here by the words heavens and firmament contrasted and united by and)
sheweth his handywork.
David also noted;
Psalm
14:1 « To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. » The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
A Christian must seek to trust and to believe in God, the essence
of saving faith.
Hebrews
11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must
believe that he is, and that he
is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Of course, there are some who say we will be children in Heaven.
Those who remember their childhoods as joyful will like that notion but those
who had painful childhoods of want and abuse and neglect will regard that idea
as hideous.
If we do not come to Christ as a little child, trusting and
seeking His will in simple trust, we will not enter in. Salvation is predicated
upon belief and faith, a faith the skeptic cannot muster in anything or anyone
but himself or blind chance. We are called to reach up to take God’s hand and
let Him lead us through this wilderness called life.
Luke 18:18
¶ 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.
Jesus turns the ruler’s own question back on him. Some writers say
that the Jews didn’t address their rabbis, teachers, or masters as good, the
implication being that was only reserved for God alone. It is as if Jesus is
saying, “Only God is good. Why do you call me good if you do not believe I am
God in the flesh?” He then goes on to speak of the commandments. Paul
reinforces these standards for us, given by God Himself.
Romans
13:9 For this, Thou shalt not commit
adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false
witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there
be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying,
namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour:
therefore love is the
fulfilling of the law.
Jesus, knowing the condition of this ruler’s spiritual heart,
tells him that he lacks one thing, to give up his earthly treasure to feed the
poor and to put his mind on heavenly treasure. But, this man could not bring
himself to part with his riches in this manner. Jesus then explains how hard it
is for people with wealth to enter into God’s kingdom.
Jesus uses the statement that it is easier for a camel to pass
through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. This
has often been distorted in evangelical circles to refer to some kind of door
in the gate of a city that a camel would have to get down on its knees to pass
through, being unburdened of its load. Unfortunately, there is no proof that
the first century Jews called any door a, “needle’s eye,” and this fantasy is
based on a 15th century, or maybe 9th century, myth about
this door.
The fact is that a camel cannot pass through the eye of a needle.
It is an absurdity. Jesus makes a very important point here. While that is
impossible, nothing is impossible with God. The lesson taught here is that
wealthy people tend to rely on their wealth and not God. They are not likely to
give up their comforts to follow Christ and will typically make excuses that
they can have their wealth and be good Christians at the same time. What Jesus
is saying here is that nothing can be more important than God or you cannot
enter into God’s kingdom, which makes it of a much smaller population than we
would normally think.
It is Peter then that makes
the statement that unlike the rich ruler he and the disciples have left all to
follow Jesus. Jesus’ final statement is that these disciples who have forsaken
all they had in the world will receive abundant reward and have everlasting
life to enjoy. This can only be referring to the people who were listening to
Christ speak rather than to us as to apply this to the church would be a
contradiction to the standards for our treatment of our families that the Holy
Spirit has given us.
1Timothy
5:8 But if any provide not for his own,
and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
Certainly, then, this is not a warrant for a new Christian to
abandon his or her responsibilities to their family and justify it by their
new-found faith. Jesus is talking to a select few disciples who are to follow
Him to see His death on the Cross and to witness the aftermath of His
Resurrection from the Empty Tomb and even to suffer martyrdom themselves.
Luke 18:31 ¶ 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 is a passage that shows that the preaching that insists that
the Jews were looking forward to the Cross before Christ is wrong. They have no
idea what He is talking about. This is reinforced throughout the gospels.
Mark
9:9 And as they came down from the mountain,
he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till
the Son of man were risen from the dead. 10
And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another
what the rising from the dead should mean…31 For he
taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the
hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall
rise the third day. 32
But they understood not that saying, and
were afraid to ask him.
John 20:9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that
he must rise again from the dead.
Peter had no previous knowledge or understanding of this prophetic
event to come.
Matthew
16:21 ¶ From that time forth began Jesus
to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many
things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be
raised again the third day. 22 Then
Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord:
this shall not be unto thee. 23 But he
turned, and said
unto
Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou
savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
But, Jesus told them that the things that are about to happen to
Him were written of in the books by the Prophets. First, there is the most
famous passage in Isaiah 52:13 through 53:12.
Also regard this important prophecy made by Abraham just before a
ram is found in a thicket for his sacrifice in place of his own son.
Genesis
22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will
provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
The entire Psalm 22, the first verse of which Jesus quoted from
the Cross, is a prophecy of Christ. There are many others. Notice this
reference in Hosea.
Hosea
6:2 After two days will he revive us: in
the third day he will raise us up, and we shall
live in his sight.
I could go on from the Prophet Moses spoke of in Deuteronomy 18
and referenced in Acts 3 through Job’s acknowledgement in Job 19 that he would
see his Redeemer, who is God, in the flesh in the latter days though Job’s own
body was consumed away. But, what is clear is that the Jews did not get it, did
not understand what was to happen. As I
mentioned in my commentary on Luke 7:19-23 there was some confusion and
speculation about two Messiahs and such myths and teachings as ‘The Four
Craftsmen,’ but there was no clear teaching on the Messiah to come it appears.
Tying together all of the threads of the Old Testament regarding the Jewish
Messiah was left up to Christ before His Crucifixion and after His Resurrection
as in Luke 24.
It does appear that the Jews of Jesus’s day were looking for a
conquering Messiah who would restore Israel’s glory, rather ignoring the Old
Testament verses about His suffering for them. Christ’s first and second
advent, in their line of reasoning was confused and combined together. They
thought the Christ would come as a king first and this is what Satan was trying
to accomplish in His temptation of Christ in chapter four, trying to get Jesus
to take the crown before the cross and subvert His mission. Here is another
verse about His suffering.
Zechariah
12:10 And I will pour upon the house of
David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of
supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they
shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his
only son, and shall be in
bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
But from the time of Christ’s birth even to His execution the
powers that be even referred to Him as being a king, which in the first place
greatly concerned them and in the latter gave them a source of spite at the
Jews and mockery. First, Herod the Great.
Matthew
2:1 ¶ Now when Jesus was born in
Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men
from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying,
Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the
east, and are come to worship him. 3
When Herod the king had heard these
things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief
priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ
should be born. 5 And they said unto
him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of
Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
Then, at the end, Roman governor Pontius Pilate.
Mark
15:9 But Pilate answered them, saying,
Will ye that I release unto you the King
of the Jews?
The people, at points, wanted to make Jesus king.
John
6:15 When Jesus therefore perceived that
they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.
Even after His Resurrection His disciples wondered when He would
restore Israel’s lost glory.
Acts 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they
asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
Before, though, Christ assumes the role of a king over a physical
kingdom He must suffer for the sins of the world. His disciples did not
understand this.
[1] Ben Allanach, “Going Nowhere Fast: After the success of the
Standard Model experiments have stopped answering to grand theories. Is
particle physics in crisis?” Sally Davies, ed. Aeon Magazine, 30 Mar 2019. https://aeon.co/essays/has-the-quest-for-top-down-unification-of-physics-stalled?fbclid=IwAR3RXFRWdUUn5oZ_0U0VDv9KibPJalurJnE2hP6fp-SIWJIgjtZK77Q7BuU.
[2] Fred Hoyle, Astronomy and Cosmology: A Modern Course (San
Francisco: W.H. Freeman & Co., 1975), 87.
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