Luke 18

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

18He then told them a parable on the need for them to pray ^salways and not become discouraged: ^t2“There was a judge in a certain town who didn’t fear God ^uor respect man. ³And a widow ^vin that town kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’

⁴“For a while he was unwilling, but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or respect man, ⁵yet because this widow keeps ^wpestering me, ^xI will give her justice, so she doesn’t wear me out ^yby her persistent coming.’ ”

⁶Then the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷Will not God grant justice ^zto His elect ^awho cry out to Him day and night? ^bWill He delay ^cto help them? ^d8I tell you that He will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the ^•Son of Man comes, ^ewill He find that faith ^fon earth?”

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹He ^galso told this parable to some who trusted in themselves ^hthat they were righteous ⁱand looked down ^jon everyone else: ¹⁰“Two men went up to the ^•temple complex to pray, ^kone a ^•Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹The Pharisee took his stand ^lmand was praying like this: ‘God, I thank You that I’m not like other people ⁿ—greedy, ^ounrighteous, ^padulterers, ^qor even like this tax collector. ¹²I fast ^rtwice a week; I give a tenth ^stof everything I get.’

¹³“But the tax collector, standing far off, ^uwould not even raise his eyes to heaven ^vbut kept striking his chest ^wxand saying, ‘God, turn Your wrath from me ^yz—a sinner!’ ^a14I tell you, this one went down to his house ^•justified ^brather than the other; because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” ^c

Blessing the Children

¹⁵Some ^dpeople were even bringing infants to Him so He might touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. ¹⁶Jesus, however, invited them: “Let the little children come to Me, ^eand don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ^17•I assure you: ^fWhoever does not welcome ^gthe kingdom of God like a little child ^hwill never enter it.”

The Rich Young Ruler

¹⁸A ⁱruler ^jasked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ^k

¹⁹“Why do you call Me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good but One—God. ²⁰You know the commandments:

Do not commit adultery;

do not murder;

do not steal;

do not bear false witness;

honor your father and mother.” ^lm

²¹“I have kept all these from my youth,” he said.

²²When Jesus heard this, He told him, “You still lack one thing: Sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, ⁿand you will have treasure in heaven. ^oThen come, follow Me.” ^p

²³After he heard this, he became extremely sad, ^qbecause he was very rich.

Possessions and the Kingdom

²⁴Seeing that he became sad, ^rJesus said, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁶Those who heard this asked, “Then who can be saved?” ^s

²⁷He replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” ^t

²⁸Then Peter said, “Look, we have left what we had and followed ^uYou.”

²⁹So He said to them, “I assure you: There is no one who has left a house, wife or ^•brothers, parents or children because of the kingdom of God, ³⁰who will not receive many times more at this time, ^vand eternal life in the age to come.”

The Third Prediction of His Death

³¹Then ^wHe took the Twelve aside and told them, “Listen! We are going up to Jerusalem. ^xEverything that is written ^ythrough the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. ^z32For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, ^aand He will be mocked, ^binsulted, spit ^con; ³³and after they flog Him, they will kill Him, and He will rise on the third day.” ^d

³⁴They understood none of these things. ^eThis saying ^fgwas hidden ^hfrom them, and they did not grasp what was said.

A Blind Man Receives His Sight

³⁵As ⁱHe drew near Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. ³⁶Hearing a crowd passing by, he inquired what this meant. ³⁷“Jesus the Nazarene ^jis passing by,” they told him.

³⁸So he called out, ^k“Jesus, Son of David, ^lhave mercy ^mon me!” ³⁹Then those in front told him to keep quiet, ⁿbut he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁰Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him. When he drew near, He asked him, ⁴¹“What do you want Me to do for you?”

“Lord,” he said, “I want to see!”

⁴²“Receive your sight!” ^oJesus told him. “Your faith has healed you.” ^pq43Instantly he could see, and he began to follow Him, glorifying God. ^rAll the people, ^swhen they saw it, gave praise to God.