Luke 18:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man.

NIV: He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought.

NASB: saying, 'In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect any person.

CSB: "There was a judge in a certain town who didn’t fear God or respect people.

NLT: There was a judge in a certain city,' he said, 'who neither feared God nor cared about people.

KJV: saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

NKJV: saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.

This begins the parable of the persistent widow. Jesus has promised to return and judge the sins of humanity. The disciples seem discouraged that this will take longer than they had hoped (Luke 17:22—18:1). Jesus wants them to keep praying: looking to God who is sure to act on behalf of His elect (Luke 18:1–7).

The parable begins by describing the antagonist. In that cultural context, a judge who doesn't fear God is an almost ridiculous paradox. God gave Moses the law by which judges of Israel were to make rulings. He requires that all people act justly (Deuteronomy 16:19; Micah 6:8). Those who do not fear Him are the definition of fool (Proverbs 1:7). Under that view, what Jesus describes is meant to be deliberately extreme. A parallel to modern courts might be to speak of "a reckless, lawless judge."

In addition, this judge does not respect people. This means he shows no deference nor regard. He is not described as someone who takes bribes. Yet he's identified as lacking compassion, with just enough power to not feel threatened by criticism. His power would allow him to make fair judgments, but he simply doesn't care.

A widow comes before him, demanding her adversary face legal repercussions. The Mosaic law says, "You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit" (Exodus 23:6). If a judge despises God and people, he can't be expected to care about a widow, but he does care about his own comfort. When the widow refuses to back down, he finally acts (Luke 18:3–5).

Luke 18:1–8 contains the parable of the persistent widow. Jesus contrasts God with a corrupt judge who will only give a widow justice when she becomes a nuisance. The Lord, however, is eager to give His followers justice—partially now and fully when Jesus returns. Like the widow, we must ask diligently and with faith. Jesus goes on to show that proper faith is humble, not self-congratulating (Luke 18:9–14), childlike (Luke 18:15–17), and makes us hold lightly things of the earth as compared to how we cling to God (Luke 18:18–30). Only Luke records this parable.

Luke continues to arrange Jesus' teachings by their topic. Here, he includes two parables: the persistent widow and the Pharisee and the tax collector. Jesus encourages children to approach Him. He interacts with a moral, wealthy man who can't bear to follow Jesus if it means giving up wealth. After another prediction of His death, Jesus encounters and heals a blind man on His way to Jerusalem.

Luke 18 approaches the end of Jesus' "travelogue" to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51—19:27). Luke has selected miracles, teachings, and events to show how Jesus trained His disciples. His emphasis was explaining the kingdom of God in preparation for their work to build the church. Luke 18 includes several contrasts between those who understand God's kingdom and those who don't. Luke 19 includes the story of Zacchaeus and another parable before Jesus' triumphal entry and the Passion Week. These stories are also found primarily in Matthew 19—20 and Mark 10.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.