Luke 18:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:

NIV: To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable:

NASB: Now He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:

CSB: He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and looked down on everyone else:

NLT: Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else:

KJV: And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

NKJV: Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

The parable of the persistent widow precedes the parable that begins in verse 9. A judge neither fears God nor respects people. The man's identity, life, and morals are entirely self-fulfilled. A widow goes before him, demanding justice against her adversary. He refuses because to act would be inconvenient. She persists until his comfort is disturbed; only then does he act for her benefit. Jesus compares the judge to God who will surely give His elect the justice they deserve (Luke 18:1–8).

Here, Jesus turns to those who believe their righteous standing before God is entirely self-fulfilled. Still, like the judge, they dismiss others as beneath their attention. Jesus has dealt with these people throughout His ministry. Among the more crucial are the Pharisees who tithe diligently but steal widows' houses (Luke 11:42; Mark 12:40) and their scribes who load the people with extra-biblical rules but do not teach what the prophets say about the Messiah (Luke 11:46–48).

Jesus' quarrel with the Pharisees isn't about their righteousness. In fact, He holds their obedience as an example for others to follow (Matthew 5:20). What distresses Him is that the works they do publicly are motivated by a dark heart filled with pride. They don't obey God because they love Him; they obey to prove themselves better than anyone else around them. Then they add extra rules to make the divide between themselves and the populace even wider.

It works, however. That is, their actions earn them attention and adoration from the people (Mark 12:38–39)—to the extent that even many of the religious rulers both fear them and crave their approval (John 12:42–43). But they do not win justification from the One who matters (Luke 18:14). In fact, "They will receive the greater condemnation" (Mark 12:40).

Luke 18:9–14 records the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. This is Jesus' second prayer-based contrast. The unrighteous judge of the prior lesson only granted justice because doing otherwise disturbed his comfort. Yet God promises justice to all His praying followers (Luke 18:1–8). Here, the prayers of a self-righteous Pharisee compare poorly to the humility of a tax collector. Only the tax collector leaves forgiven. The next two stories contrast the guileless trust of children against the hesitation of a wealthy man (Luke 18:15–30). Jesus gives a similar moral in Matthew 6:5–6.

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.