Luke 18
The parable of the persistent widow continues Jesus’ discussion regarding the end days. The widow needed justice, and approached a judge, who promptly dismissed her claims. She wasn’t going to be put off, and continued to pursue her call for justice. Eventually the judge relented and granted her the justice that she deserved, even though he had no care of concern for her.
The disciples were warned that her persistence is relatively rare on earth, and Jesus called for his followers to learn that the Father, who cares for us all, will return and bring the justice that we desire. For us in the Western world, where we have all the trappings of freedom and democracy, this seems almost irrelevant – surely justice is served impartially – but to the early Christians facing betrayal and death each day, the call to be faithful must have been a challenge. Even today, in countries where Christianity is still persecuted, the faithfulness of the God’s people serves as an inspiration to us! Let us never forsake our call for justice in our world!
The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector served as a timely reminder of faith and prayer to those who were listening to Jesus on the day – but it is still just as relevant to us today. How do we consider our own lives in the light of those around us? Do we consider ourselves better than others? Surely, God values us much more than murderers and paedophiles? Surely, we are not as bad as them? Actually, NO! God loves us all, and for us to judge others places us fairly and squarely as the Pharisees in this parable. We are all sinners, and to God, each sin is as bad as the next! Look into our own hearts, and don’t compare them to those around us!
As if to emphasise this parable, Jesus angrily commands the disciples to allow the children to come to him. They saw Jesus’ time as valuable, and had judged who could come to him, perhaps even with the best of intentions. Although the disciples didn’t see the value in the children (who were seen as property of the father until they became adults) Jesus certainly did!
The parable of the rich young ruler is a lesson in determining our priorities. On one hand, this young man knew all the right responses and commandments. His parents and teachers had done a great job in bringing him up to respect God, and he had kept the commandments well. When he approached Jesus, he seemed to impress the disciples. When Jesus commanded him to go and sell his belongings, he was depressed and walked away sad.
This parable, among many others that Jesus taught regarding money, teaches us to examine where our true values really are. This young rich man had placed his trust and heart in his possessions, which would one day be left behind, rather than in God and Heaven which would last forever. When Jesus expresses “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 someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (v24-25), he is not condemning wealth, but the love of wealth. Jesus is not calling us to a life of poverty, but a life that is willing to give away our wealth in the light of God’s blessings. To be reluctant to share our earthly, physical blessings will make it impossible to enjoy our heavenly, spiritual blessings.
Perhaps the last two passages in this chapter are linked in a way. Firstly Jesus sets his heart towards Jerusalem, and predicts what will soon happen to him – he would be arrested, tried, flogged and killed. When he promises that he will rise on the third day, the disciples are blind to the meaning of his words. They still don’t understand the expected climax to Jesus’ mission, and are happy to stumble on in their ignorance.
While travelling on the road, Jesus and his followers pass by a blind man. The crowds tried to stop him distracting the master, again prejudging the man as not worthy of Jesus’ attention. His wonderful plea of “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” has become known as the Jesus Prayer. Jesus sees the man’s true value, and miraculously restores his sight, giving him freedom and life once more. This man’s response of praise and his determination to follow Jesus wherever he went could serve as an example of how the disciples should have responded to Jesus’ earlier proclamation that he was heading to Jerusalem to his death.
The blind man’s plea also serves as an example of prayer to us. Many times, we can find prayer a difficult task. It is a struggle sometimes to find the words to adequately express the many emotions and trials that are in our lives – and in those situations, I always find the Jesus Prayer to be a comfort. The blind man didn’t need to bring his exact situation and needs to Jesus before his prayers were heard, and we are still in that exact same position. Sometimes, all we need to do is to cry out, and Jesus meets us where we are!
Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!
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