Jesus’ discussion of the end times and coming judgment (17:20–37) naturally raises the issue of trials and perseverance. Jesus tells a parable about a widow who through perseverance eventually receives justice from an uncaring and unjust judge. The theme develops through a rabbinic style “lesser to greater” (qal wāḥômer) argument. If this woman’s persistence resulted in justice from an evil judge, how much more will our persistent prayers be answered by our loving heavenly Father.
A judge who neither feared God (18:2). Judges in Israel were supposed to be God’s representatives, administering justice to those who most needed it. When King Jehoshaphat appointed judges in Judah, he instructed them: “Consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for man but for the LORD … for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery” (2 Chron. 19:6–7). The judge in the parable is the opposite of the model judge. Edersheim claims that judges in Jerusalem were so corrupt they were referred to as Dayyaney Gezeloth (Robber-Judges) rather than by their real title, Dayyaney Gezeroth (Judges of Prohibitions).500
A widow (18:3). Widows are viewed throughout Scripture as the most vulnerable and helpless members of society, for whom God has special concern. The Old Testament warns that God will avenge those who withhold justice from the widow and the fatherless.501 The same is true later on in Judaism.502
Grant me justice against my adversary (18:3). The widow may be facing a creditor trying to take her land or property. The law is evidently on her side since she only asks for justice.503
Wear me out with her coming (18:5). “Wear me out” carries the literal sense of “strike the eye” or give someone a black eye. The figurative sense intended here is to “wear down with persistence,” as one boxer wears down another.
Will not God bring about justice … who cry out to him (18:7). God’s vindication of the widow and fatherless when they cry out to him is a common theme in the Old Testament and Judaism (see comments on 18:3). Sirach 35:17–21 says that God
will not ignore the supplication of the orphan,
or the widow when she pours out her complaint….
The prayer of the humble pierces the clouds,
and it will not rest until it reaches its goal;
it will not desist until the Most High responds.
Will he find faith on the earth? (18:8). Jewish writings often portray the time of distress before the dawn of the messianic age as one of lawlessness and apostasy (see comments on 21:23).504 This verse connects the parable to the eschatological theme of 17:20–37.
This parable illustrates the need for a humble and contrite heart before God. In the parable forgiveness comes not to the proud and self-righteous Pharisee, who thinks that his good deeds have earned him a right standing before God, but to the tax collector, who recognizes his own sinfulness and prays for mercy. The parable probably shocks Jesus’ listeners, who consider the Pharisees’ pious and upright, but the tax collectors wicked sinners.
A Pharisee (18:10). For background on the Pharisees see comments on 5:17. The Pharisees were admired by the common folk for their piety and devotion to the Mosaic Law. Our contemporary equation of Pharisaism with hypocrisy would not have been made by a first-century Jew.
A tax collector (18:10). See comments on 3:12. The tax collectors were among the most despised members of Jewish society because of their reputation for embezzlement and their complicity with the Roman oppressors. The Mishnah prohibits even receiving alms from a tax collector at his office, since the money is presumed to have been gained illegally.505 If a tax collector entered a house, all that was in it became unclean.506 The very presence of a tax collector in the temple, the house of God, was viewed as an act of defilement.
God, I thank you that I am not like other men (18:11). The Pharisee’s prayer has an external air of humility since thanksgiving is given to God. Psalm 26 is conceptually similar, as David speaks of his “blameless” life and his separation from sinners. The difference is one of heart attitude. David had a pure heart (Ps. 26:2); this Pharisee has a heart of pride, praying “about himself” (Luke 18:11) and seeking self-glorification. Similar prayers of self-congratulation appear in later Jewish literature (though there are also examples reflecting greater humility). One, recorded in the Jerusalem Talmud (c. A.D. 400) and attributed to a first-century rabbi, reads:
I give thanks before thee O Lord my God, and God of my fathers, that thou has appointed my portion with those who sit in the College and the Synagogue, and hast not appointed my lot in the theatres and circuses…. I labour to inherit Paradise and they labour to inherit the pit of destruction.507
I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get (18:12). Both fasting and tithing were signs of piety in Judaism. Fasting was required only on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:29–31), but pious Jews fasted twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays.508 For more on fasting see comments on Luke 5:33. On tithing and almsgiving see comments on 11:41–42. The problem here is not the man’s accomplishments (which are impressive), but his self-righteousness and attitude of superiority.
Beat his breast (18:13). Beating the breast was a sign of mourning and/or repentance.509
God, have mercy on me, a sinner (18:13). Like the prayer of the Pharisee (see comments on 18:11), this one has conceptual parallels in the Psalms. In Psalm 51, David prays, “Have mercy on me, O God…. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.”510 God longs to forgive and welcome back the repentant sinner (see Luke 15:11–32).
Everyone who exalts himself (18:14). See comments on 14:11.
The reference to the humble who will be exalted (18:14) transitions naturally into a passage about people bringing their children to be blessed by Jesus. When the disciples try to turn them away, Jesus says not to hinder them because the kingdom of God belongs to “such as these.” The point is that receiving the kingdom of God takes childlike faith and dependence on God.
Bringing babies … children (18:15–16). The word for “baby” (brephos) usually means an infant, but it can refer to a child old enough to understand Scripture (see 2 Tim. 3:15). The use of the more general term paidia (“children”) in verse 16 confirms that various ages are present.
To have him touch them (18:15). The people are probably requesting a blessing from this respected rabbi.511
They rebuked them (18:15). Children had essentially no social status in the ancient world, so the disciples consider this an intrusion on Jesus’ valuable time. For the status of children, see comments on 9:47–48.
This story illustrates the need for absolute commitment to Jesus and the impossibility of earning salvation through human achievement. Just as it is impossible for a camel to pass through a needle’s eye, so no one can be saved through human effort or riches. Faith in God alone saves.
A certain ruler (18:18). Luke does not specify what kind of a ruler this is. He may have been a synagogue official or a secular city official. The latter is more likely since Luke does not identify him with the teachers of the law or the Pharisees.
What must I do to inherit eternal life? (18:18). The same question was posed earlier by a teacher of the law (10:27) and concerns immortal life in God’s presence received at the final resurrection—a common topic in rabbinic discussions. On eternal life see comments on 10:27.
No one is good—except God alone (18:19). While the Old Testament frequently refers to God’s goodness (Ps. 34:8; 106:1), the point here is moral perfection, a doctrine also taught in the Old Testament and Judaism.512
You know the commandments: “Do not commit adultery …” (18:20). Jesus cites, though not in biblical order, the fifth through the ninth of the Ten Commandments.513 These are commands relate to relationships with other human beings.
All these I have kept since I was a boy (18:21). It was not uncommon for pious Jews to claim complete adherence to the Old Testament law.514 Paul says he was “faultless” before his conversion (Phil. 3:6). Luke describes Zechariah and Elizabeth as upright, “observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly” (Luke 1:6).
Treasure in heaven (18:22). See comments on 12:33.
How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! (18:24). Since wealth is sometimes viewed in the Old Testament and Judaism as evidence of God’s blessing, it was popularly believed that the rich were favored by God.515 Yet the Old Testament and Judaism also repeatedly warn against the dangers of trusting in riches instead of God.516
A camel to go through the eye of a needle (18:25). Some commentators have tried to soften Jesus’ hyperbole by claiming that there was a small gate in Jerusalem known as the “Needle’s Eye.” Camels could pass through it only by unloading and stooping down low. But there is no archaeological or literary evidence that such a gate existed in the first century. Others have claimed that the word kamēlos (camel) was originally kamilos, a ship’s cable or rope, and that the idea was passing a rope through a needle’s eye. Again this is unlikely since there is no manuscript evidence for this reading. In fact, both these “solutions” miss Jesus’ point, which is the impossibility of a rich man being saved by trusting in his riches. It is only through faith in God that anyone can be saved. Jesus explicitly says, “What is impossible with men is possible with God” (18:27, italics added).
Jesus has explicitly predicted his death three times in Luke’s Gospel (9:22, 44–45; 17:25) and has alluded to it at least three other times (5:35; 12:49–50; 13:32–33). Now, as the Journey to Jerusalem draws to a close (see introductory comments to 9:51–19:44), Jesus again predicts the suffering, death, and resurrection that await him in Jerusalem. As before, the disciples fail to grasp its significance (cf. 9:45).
Everything that is written by the prophets (18:31). The premier passage on the suffering of the Messiah is Isaiah 52:13–53:12, where the Suffering Servant offers up his life for the sins of his people. Jesus may also be thinking of Old Testament passages like Psalm 16 (Acts 2:25–28), Psalm 2 (Acts 4:25–26), Psalm 118:22 (Luke 20:17), and Isaiah 50:4–9 (see comments on Luke 18:32). The Jews of Jesus’ day did not interpret Isaiah 53 with reference to a suffering Messiah, focusing instead on the Old Testament portrait of a conquering, victorious king (Isa. 11, etc.; see comments on 9:22).
The Son of Man (18:31). See comments on 5:24; 9:26.
Mock him … spit on him, flog him (18:32). The verse probably alludes to the suffering of the Servant of the Lord in Isaiah 50:4–9, the third of Isaiah’s Servant Songs: “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting” (Isa. 50:6; cf. John 19:1).
The account of the healing of the blind man outside Jericho functions on various levels in Luke’s Gospel. While another example of Jesus’ compassionate heart, it also sets the stage for the Messiah’s entrance into Jerusalem. Healing the blind recalls Isaiah’s promise of the signs of the new age and points back to Jesus’ use of these texts to define his ministry.517 The reader is reminded that in Jesus the age of salvation is dawning. Further, the blind man’s cry to Jesus as “Son of David” recalls Gabriel’s announcement to Mary that Jesus is the promised Messiah from David’s line, who will reign forever on his throne (1:32–33; cf. 2:11). Israel’s Savior and King is about to enter Jerusalem. Finally, the blind man’s simple faith and subsequent healing pick up the Journey-to-Jerusalem theme that the humble outcasts of Israel are the recipients of God’s mercy and salvation.
Begging (18:35). With little in the way of social welfare in the first century, those who could not work were forced to beg (see comments on 16:3 for the shamefulness of begging). Giving alms to a beggar was considered a righteous deed in Judaism (see comments on 11:41).
Son of David, have mercy on me! (18:38, 39). “Son of David” became a favorite title in Judaism for the Messiah from David’s line, who would defeat Israel’s enemies and reign forever in justice and righteousness on David’s throne.518 Its background is found in the Davidic covenant of 2 Samuel 7:12–16.519 For the messianic hope in the first century see Luke 1:32–33; 9:20; see also “Messianic Expectation in Jesus’ Day.”