Luke 18:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man,

NIV: For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care what people think,

NASB: For a while he was unwilling; but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect any person,

CSB: "For a while he was unwilling, but later he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or respect people,

NLT: The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people,

KJV: And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

NKJV: And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man,

Jesus is telling a parable about a corrupt and heartless judge. The judge openly disrespects God and other people. He has no care for the Mosaic law, which he is supposed to uphold. He has no business being a judge. A widow has appeared before this judge several times, demanding justice from those who wish to harm her. Jesus doesn't name the offense, and it's a hypothetical situation, but land-grabbing is still common in some parts of the world. Widows and orphans watch powerful people take their homes and land, leaving them nothing to live on.

The Mosaic law says, "You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit" (Exodus 23:6). That law's protection applies to women, as well: God wrote much of the Mosaic law to protect women. In Isaiah 1:17, God says, "Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause."

Eventually the judge takes the widow's case. That's not because he is convicted of his sin, or because he agrees that she deserves justice. It's simply because the widow is so insistent that the corrupt judge can't handle her constant badgering. Jesus contrasts this man with God: the One who willingly promises swift justice to His followers (Luke 18:5–8).

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.