Luke 18: The Widow, the Publican, and the Blind Man Who Saw
I was sanding a piece of maple last week with a rough spot that kept hiding from me. Each pass smoothed it a little, but the spot ran deep. It took longer than I expected. Sanding is mostly repetition. Progress happens in a thousand small passes rather than one dramatic stroke, and the piece changes if you keep going long enough.
Luke 18 is a chapter about people who kept going. A widow who refuses to stop asking for justice. A publican who will not stop repenting. A blind man who keeps shouting no matter how many people tell him to be quiet. And in the middle of it, a rich ruler who walks away because he cannot let go of what he owns.
What Does the Parable of the Unjust Judge Teach About Prayer
Jesus tells a story about a judge who does not fear God or respect people. A widow keeps coming to him asking for justice, and he refuses her over and over. She does not stop. The judge finally gives in because she is wearing him out.
And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? (Luke 18:6-7)
Jesus is making a comparison rather than saying we have to wear God down. If an unjust judge eventually does the right thing because someone refuses to quit, a just Father will certainly respond to His children who keep asking.
The lesson is about our own persistence. The widow did not change the judge, but her refusal to stop changed something in the situation. Prayer works the same way more often than we realize. It reshapes us long before it changes our circumstances.
There is a related idea in Luke 13: The Fig Tree, the Bent Woman, and the Door You Have to Mean. That chapter covers people who keep coming back even when the answer does not come quickly.
Meaning of the Pharisee and the Publican in Luke 18
Jesus tells another parable to people who trust in their own righteousness. A Pharisee and a tax collector go to the temple to pray. The Pharisee stands and thanks God that he is not like other people. He fasts twice a week. He pays tithes. His prayer is a list of his own accomplishments directed at himself.
The publican stands at a distance and will not even look up. He beats his chest and asks God to be merciful to him, a sinner.
Jesus said the publican went home justified, not the Pharisee.
The difference comes down to focus. Where the Pharisee compared himself to others and found himself superior, the publican compared himself to God and found himself lacking. One is a closed circuit. The other is an open hand.
I think about this when I catch myself measuring my life against someone else's. It is the easiest habit to fall into. There is always someone who prays more, gives more, serves more. The comparison game never ends. But the publican skipped the comparison entirely by telling the truth about where he stood.
Why Did Jesus Tell the Rich Ruler to Sell Everything
A ruler comes to Jesus and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. He has kept the commandments since childhood. Jesus looks at him and tells him to sell everything he owns and give the proceeds to the poor.
The ruler becomes very sorrowful. The text says he was very rich.
Jesus watches him walk away and says it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye.
The people around Him are shocked. If a wealthy, commandment-keeping ruler cannot make it, who can?
And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. (Luke 18:27)
The ruler's wealth was not the problem. His attachment to it was. Jesus did not tell every rich person to sell everything. He told this one man because he knew what held him back. The man asked what he lacked, and Jesus showed him the exact thing.
I have things I would struggle to give up. We all do. The question is whether those things own us more than we own them.
The article on Luke 14: The Lowest Seat, the Excused Table, and the Unfinished Tower covers another moment where Jesus asks people to count the cost before following.
How to Receive the Kingdom of God as a Little Child
Right before the rich ruler, the disciples try to keep people from bringing their babies to Jesus because they think they are protecting His time. Jesus corrects them sharply and says to let the children come. The kingdom of God belongs to those who receive it like a child.
Children do not calculate their worth or size up the competition. They do not hold back one hand while reaching with the other. They just come.
I think about what I have lost of that. The ability to approach God without layers of self-protection is a rare thing. To ask without wondering if you deserve the answer. To trust without needing to understand everything first.
The Blind Man Near Jericho
The chapter ends with a blind man sitting by the road outside Jericho. He hears a crowd and asks what is happening. They tell him Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. He starts shouting for mercy.
The crowd tries to silence him, but he only shouts louder.
Jesus stops and asks the blind man what he wants even though He already knows. The man says he wants to receive his sight. Jesus tells him his faith has made him whole, and immediately he can see.
Two things stand out. The blind man matched the widow's persistence by refusing to be silenced by the crowd. And he called Jesus the Son of David, which is a Messianic title. The blind man saw more clearly than the ruler who had perfect vision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Jesus use an unjust judge as an example of how to pray?
He was using a contrast argument. If an unjust judge eventually does the right thing because someone keeps asking, a loving Father will certainly respond to His children who pray persistently. The point is our persistence, not God's reluctance.
What is the main difference between the Pharisee and the publican?
The Pharisee's prayer was about himself and his own accomplishments. He compared himself to others and found himself superior. The publican's prayer was a simple plea for mercy. He recognized his need and asked for help.
Does the story of the rich ruler mean having money is a sin?
No. It shows that wealth can become an attachment that keeps us from following fully. Jesus knew what held this man back and named it directly. The ruler's sorrow came from realizing his possessions had a stronger grip on him than his desire for the kingdom.
Why did the blind man call Jesus the Son of David?
Son of David was a Messianic title. The blind man recognized who Jesus was even though he could not see Him. His spiritual sight was clearer than the physical vision of everyone around him.
I finished sanding that maple piece yesterday. The rough spot is gone, and you could never tell there was a problem. It took more passes than I expected, but the surface is ready for finish now.
The widow and the publican and the blind man all understood something the rich ruler never grasped. They kept coming back. Each of them asked persistently until the answer showed up. And in every case, it did.
— D.