Luke 18:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says.

NIV: And the Lord said, 'Listen to what the unjust judge says.

NASB: And the Lord said, 'Listen to what the unrighteous judge *said;

CSB: Then the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says.

NLT: Then the Lord said, 'Learn a lesson from this unjust judge.

KJV: And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.

NKJV: Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said.

Jesus begins to tell the moral of His parable. A widow comes to a judge for justice. This seems to mean that she demands her right to present a case in court, and that she wants her adversary to follow the law, as well. The judge is not necessarily corrupt, but he's completely amoral. He doesn't care about God, people, or the Mosaic law. He is not motivated by duty, shame, or any sense of justice. He dismisses the widow without a thought (Luke 18:1–3). Perhaps her case seems trivial, or he doesn't want the bother of going through a long process.

The widow is not finished. She comes to him "continually" and "keeps bothering" the judge. She's so relentless that the judge feels she will "beat [him] down" (Luke 18:5). So the judge relents and settles her case (Luke 18:4–5). He doesn't act out of love, mercy, truth, or any other positive impulse. He's benefitting himself by removing an irritation.

Jesus tells His disciples to listen to what the judge says. As unrighteous as he is, he will give justice if the alternative costs him enough. Jesus goes on to contrast this judge with Father God. He is the God of justice. Justice is one of the foundational truths of His creation. The widow must beg a human judge for justice, but God will give it freely to His elect. They just need faith. The question is, when the time is ripe for Jesus to return and judge the evil of the world, "will he find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:7–8).

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.