Author: Bill Hall

But Jesus summoned them, saying, ‘Leave the children to come to me, and do not stop them, for of such is the kingdom of God.’

Luke 18:16

This was a mild rebuke. Basically Jesus is saying ‘You shouldn’t be over there stopping the kids, you should be seeking my blessings just like they are, and don’t stop them while you are at it!’

Jesus then expresses what He had said at other times, it is this genuine heart of seeking Him that is the pathway to the kingdom. These children and their parents recognized Christ as the source of blessing, even if they did not fully understand Him. Their understanding would grow if their heart was truly His.

Heavenly Father, You are Holy! There is nothing and no one that compares with You. You are Who You are, and there is nothing beyond You. You know the bounds of everything. Existence is in Your hand. You hold all of reality in Your hand, it is Yours. Your goodness is absolutely astounding. I would never have conceived of a God such as You. I will praise You forever! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

People were also bringing infants to Him that He might touch them, but the disciples saw it and rebuked them.

Luke 18:15

These little children were brought by parents who were acting in faith. We do not know their exact motivations, but if nothing else they valued Jesus very highly to be doing this.

The disciples did often take matters into their own hands. They must have seen themselves as leaders under Christ, for so they were to some extent. But their need for continued training under the Master was sometimes very obvious.

Heavenly Father, thank You for this day to serve You. It is a joy, a privilege, and a pleasure, to be in Your service. To work alongside You in this great process of the gospel in this world is a blessing! I blush at the honor that it is to serve the One who made the very stars of heaven. You Alone are God, and I am happy to be Your servant. The message of the gospel is not only true, but lovely, pure, and good. I’m thankful to be Yours, not only because you are All-Powerful, but because You are Holy Above All. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

I tell you, this one, rather than the other, went down justified to his house. For the one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Luke 18:14

Jesus says this sinner was justified. This is quite significant in that Jesus is upholding humility and repentance as the proper response to the law of God, versus the hubris of the self-righteous Pharisee.

Jesus does this elsewhere in the gospels. His meaning is not to minimize sin, but to explain the importance of our proper relationship to Almighty God. This man was aware of his guilt before God. The Pharisee on the other hand thought that God’s law had confirmed that he was better than others around him. The Pharisee compared himself to his fellow humans. The tax man compared himself to God’s Holy standard.

Heavenly Father, above all else your name is to be praised! You are, forever, good, just, holy, pure, and faithful. What more can we do but thank you and praise you for all of our lives? To be able to say that you are our God is so wonderful. We love you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

But the tax officer, standing far away, would not even lift his eyes to heaven, but kept pounding his chest, saying, ‘God, make atonement for me, the sinner!’

Luke 18:13

This man, in spite of his profession, understood two things. For one, he saw the gravity of his own sin. And for the other, he knew that the Lord would have to do something to take away his sin.

Heavenly Father, thank You for making atonement for us! Without that we would have no hope in this world. We would be sinners without light. I will thank You forever! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

I fast twice per Sabbath, I pay a tenth of everything that I aquire.

Luke 18:12

The Pharisee was very impressed with himself and felt God should be as well. Outlining good deeds, he sought to qualify himself as a very righteous individual.

Fasting twice a week was not required in the law. There were required fasts, but not with this regularity. The tithe was the law, though the Pharisees tended to make paying it an art form. They would bend over backwards to ensure a tenth of absolutely everything was paid.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the abundant gifts You have blessed us with. Our obedience to Your commands is only a just response to Your goodness. We are not righteous and are nothing on our own. But I praise You for Christ! By Him alone we may come to You and live in His righteousness. To be righteous is a wonderful blessing, but it is nothing we could ever earn, and wholely trust in Christ for it. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

The Pharisee, having stood to himself, was praying like this, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortionists, lawbreakers, adulterers, or even as this customs official.’

Luke 18:11

This Pharisee was providing the Lord with a laundry list of his own sins. The Pharisees were a sort of racketeering group that had set up shop and were able to extort from any one that they pleased. Although many of them pretended to be unaware of their own hypocrisy, they knew exactly what they were doing.

The Pharisee goes on to say that he was not a lawbreaker or an adulterer. These two convey the idea of those who are not keeping the law, and those who are spiritually unfaithful to God, both sins of which the Pharisees were guilty.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love for us. Though we are so often hypocritical, You work in our lives. Without the grace brought to our lives by the cross, and the Holy Spirit living within us, we could never defeat sin. You have made a way to escape the horrible fate to whcih we would otherwise succumb. We will sing of your glory in this for all of eternity! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Two men went up to the temple to pray, one was a Pharisee, and the other was a customs officer.

Luke 18:10

Those among the Jews who had taken up the mantle of the customs official for the Romans were hated in more ways than one. Viewed as traitors, they were considered the apex of sinfulness by the religious elite. They often enriched themselves by exacting more than their due.

The Pharisee on the other hand was a special breed of the religious oligarchy that actually had a fairly biblical view for the most part. Where they lacked was in their application of the law. Hypocrites to an extraordinary degree, they would enrich themselves to the detriment of the poor, homeless, and widowed.

Going up to the temple was possibly a special event for the tax man. He may not have visited on a regular basis. In any event, a visit to the temple was a privilege.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the great blessings that You give us every single day! Your mercy, and Your grace, are absolutely overwhelming. May we live to praise You! Guide us with Your great wisdom, and in Your profound love. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

And He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves and treated others with contempt, convinced that they were righteous.

Luke 18:9

The hight of hubris! And yet this is so common a feeling among our proud species. We are so often full of our own conceit and think others are far worse than ourselves. This tendency is at the root of why we are condemned from birth. In our hearts we swell with pride and think that we are right regardless of any evidence found to the contrary.

Very many choose not to glorifiy God and bring Him constant praise, feeling that nobody is worthy of that. And yet, these same will constantly praise themselves to themselves and among themselves. Mankind is always looking for the chance to give credit, and we will give it to ourselves if we find no other worthy object.

Heavenly Father, thank You for another day to serve You. Deliver us from pride! Remind us always that You are the Powerful and Glorious One. We are nothing, and yet blessed to know You. It is in that that we can find glory, not in ourselves, or our feelings about ourself. We praise You for ever! In the Name of Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

I tell you that He will accommplish vengance quickly. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes will he really find faith on the earth?

Luke 18:8

This is perhaps one of the most unsettling verses in all of Scripture. Though on the one hand it is great to have assurance of God’s judgement of evil, on the other the Lord is encouraging us to be sure that faith survives. In other words, trusting in the Lord is the main thing. His timing for vengance is up to Him. Trusting He will do it is up to us.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your precious promises. We will honor You for them by our belief in them. We believe what we value and know to be true. You are True and Faithful always regardless of what we do. You are worthy of praise! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Shall not God most assuredly accomplish vengace for His elect who cry out to Him day and night, and be very patient with them?

Luke 18:7

This passage employs a double negative, which is allowed in Greek, and makes this question very ephatic. God will not by any means fail to do justice on behalf of His own. His patience is longsuffering and faithfull.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your amazing love. Your patience is greater than anything we could possibly hope for. You are faithful beyond our wildest expectations. We will forever praise You for Your long suffering faithfulness and amazing love. You are worthy of all the honor and glory. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.