And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

2Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

3And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

4And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

5Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

6And the Lord said,; Hear what the unjust judge saith.

7And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

8I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

9And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

10Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

11The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

12I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

13And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as hiseyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

15And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.

16But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

17Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.

18And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

19And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.

20Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.

21And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.

22Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

23And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.

24And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

25For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

26And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?

27And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

28Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.

29And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake,

30Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.

31Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.

32For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:

33And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.

34And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.

35And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:

36And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.

37And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.

38And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

39And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

40And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,

41Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.

42And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.

43And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

And he spake a parable vnto them, to this ende, that men ought alwayes to pray, and not to faint,

2Saying, There was in a city a Iudge, which feared not God neither regarded man.

3And there was a widowe in that citie, and she came vnto him, saying, Auenge me of mine aduersarie:

4And hee would not for a while. But afterward he said within himselfe, Though I feare not God, nor regard man,

5Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will auenge her, lest by her continuall comming, she wearie me.

6And the Lord said, Heare what the vniust iudge saith.

7And shall not God auenge his owne elect, which crie day and night vnto him, thogh he beare long with them?

8I tell you that he wil auenge them speedily. Neuerthelesse, when the Son of man commeth, shall hee find faith on the earth?

9And he spake this parable vnto certaine which trusted in themselues that they were righteous, & despised other:

10Two men went vp into the Temple to pray, the one a Pharisee, and the other a Publicane.

11The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himselfe, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, vniust, adulterers, or euen as this Publicane.

12I fast twise in the weeke, I giue tithes of all that I possesse.

13And the Publicane standing afarre off, would not lift vp so much as his eyes vnto heauen: but smote vpon his breast, saying, God me mercifull to mee a sinner.

14I tell you, this man went downe to his house iustified rather then the other: For euery one that exalteth himselfe, shall be abased: and hee that humbleth himselfe, shall be exalted.

15And they brought vnto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.

16But Iesus called them vnto him, and said, Suffer litle children to come vnto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdome of God.

17Uerely I say vnto you, whosoeuer shall not receiue the kingdome of God as a litle child, shal in no wise enter therein.

18And a certaine ruler asked him, saying, Good master, what shall I doe to inherit eternall life?

19And Iesus said vnto him, Why callest thou mee good? None is good saue one, that is God.

20Thou knowest the commaundements, Doe not commit adulterie, Doe not kill, Doe not steale, Doe not beare false witnesse, Honour thy father and thy mother.

21And he said, All these haue I kept from my youth vp.

22Now when Iesus heard these things, hee said vnto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: Sell all that thou hast, and distribute vnto the poore, and thou shalt haue treasure in heauen, and come, follow me.

23And when he heard this, he was very sorowfull, for he was very rich.

24And when Iesus saw that hee was very sorrowfull, he said, How hardly shal they that haue riches, enter into the kingdome of God?

25For it is easier for a camel to goe thorow a needles eye, then for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

26And they that heard it, said, Who then can be saued?

27And he said, The things which are vnpossible with men, are possible with God.

28Then Peter said, Loe, we haue left all, and followed thee.

29And he said vnto them, Uerily, I say vnto you, there is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdome of Gods sake,

30Who shall not receiue manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life euerlasting.

31 Then hee tooke vnto him the twelue, and said vnto them, Behold, we goe vp to Hierusalem, and al things that are written by the Prophets concerning the sonne of man, shall be accomplished.

32For he shall be deliuered vnto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully intreated, and spitted on:

33And they shall scourge him, and put him to death, and the third day he shall rise againe.

34And they vnderstood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.

35 And it came to passe, that as he was come nigh vnto Iericho, a certaine blinde man sate by the way side, begging,

36And hearing the multitude passe by, he asked what it meant.

37And they tolde him that Iesus of Nazareth passeth by.

38And he cried, saying, Iesus thou sonne of Dauid, haue mercie on me.

39And they which went before, rebuked him, that hee should holde his peace: but hee cried so much the more, Thou Sonne of Dauid, haue mercie on mee.

40And Iesus stood and commanded him to be brought vnto him: and when he was come neere, he asked him,

41Saying, What wilt thou that I shall doe vnto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receiue my sight.

42And Iesus said vnto him, Receiue thy sight, thy faith hath saued thee.

43And immediately he receiued his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people when they saw it, gaue praise vnto God.

 

1 Then he told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, 2 "There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. 3 And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, 'Render a just decision for me against my adversary.' 4 For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, 'While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, 5 because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.'" 6 The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. 7 Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? 8 I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" 9 He then addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. 10 "Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity - greedy, dishonest, adulterous - or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.' 13 But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.' 14 I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted." 15 People were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them, and when the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. 16 Jesus, however, called the children to himself and said, "Let the children come to me and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it." 18 An official asked him this question, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 19 Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 20 You know the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother.'" 21 And he replied, "All of these I have observed from my youth." 22 When Jesus heard this he said to him, "There is still one thing left for you: sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have a treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." 23 But when he heard this he became quite sad, for he was very rich. 24 Jesus looked at him (now sad) and said, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." 26 Those who heard this said, "Then who can be saved?" 27 And he said, "What is impossible for human beings is possible for God." 28 Then Peter said, "We have given up our possessions and followed you." 29 He said to them, "Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30 who will not receive (back) an overabundant return in this present age and eternal life in the age to come." 31 Then he took the Twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem and everything written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. 32 He will be handed over to the Gentiles and he will be mocked and insulted and spat upon; 33 and after they have scourged him they will kill him, but on the third day he will rise." 34 But they understood nothing of this; the word remained hidden from them and they failed to comprehend what he said. 35 Now as he approached Jericho a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging, 36 and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening. 37 They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." 38 He shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!" 39 The people walking in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent, but he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me!" 40 Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him, 41 "What do you want me to do for you?" He replied, "Lord, please let me see." 42 Jesus told him, "Have sight; your faith has saved you." 43 He immediately received his sight and followed him, giving glory to God. When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.

V 1-8 The Importunate Widow

The specific purpose of teaching this one and Luke 11:5-13 was to show that God will honor Patient, Persistent, Persevering Prayer. In Matthew 6:7 we are warned by Jesus of "vain repetitions"

We must learn how to forgive Mark 11:25

Matthew 7:12 is connected directly with the practice of the golden rule. However the prime requirement is FAITH. We must do all in our power to answer our own prayers God promises for those who have FAITH are simply amazing. "THE POWER OF FAITH"

In 16:1-13, borrowing bread at night, Jesus taught persistence in prayer. He is doing the same in the parable of the unjust judge. The widow was persistent, so he finally listened to keep her from bothering him. Much more will God give justice, so Jesus encouraged his disciples to be faithful in prayer.

V 9-14 The Pharisee and the Publican

The most bitterest words Jesus ever uttered were against the hypocrisy of the Parisees (Matthew 23)
The parable of the Pharisee and tax collector praying showed we should not take pride in our own righteousness or look down upon others. The Pharisee was telling God what a good man he was compared to the men’s standards, but the tax collector was comparing himself to God’s standards. (Men comparing themselves among men are not wise, 2 Cor. 10:12.) Jesus was teaching that we must humble ourselves before God if we are to seek forgiveness.

V 15-17 Little Children

This also in Matthew 19:13 and Mark 10:13-16

What man doesn't have a child is teachabel, trustfull, free from mental pride, unsophisticated and loving. With God man could be all the things the child is. The disciples' many customs made them think that the children were inportant enough to bother with. This indignant Jesus (Mark 10:13-14) The disciples Peter, James, John and Andrew were well to-do business men. Matthew a tax renter or collector was probably very well off financially. A woman from the palace of the King, Joann, the wife of Herod's steward, Around Jerusalem Martha, Mary and Lazarus that went with Jesus were among the wealthy families. (John 12:1-8) Two members of the Sanhedrin were Joseph of Arimarhea, and Nicodemus. (John 4:46) Probably an officer of Herod's court were the Nobleman of Capernaum (John 4:46) An Roman army officer who built their synagog (Luke 7:1-10) was The Centurion of Capernaum. The publican Zacchaeus was a rich man (Luke 19:2)

Luke places this account here to follow up on the teaching of humility. The disciples were trying to shield Jesus from having to take time to mess with little children, but He not only cared for them, he pointed out that those who come to God must come in the humility and dependence of a child.
v 18-22. This rich young man wanting eternal life recognized Jesus as good, but not God, so Jesus made another claim to Deity. Jesus told him to keep five of the six commandments of relationship to man, (Matthew. 19:19 adds ”love thy neighbor as thyself’) and he claimed he had kept them. Then Jesus followed up with the instruction to sell all he had and give to the poor, which would apply to the 10th commandment of coveting. This gave proof that he could not keep all the commandments to be saved, but had to humble himself and follow Jesus.
v 23-27. Unlike Zacchaeus who volunteered to give to poor, Lk. 19:8, this young man went away sadly, more interested in possessions than eternal life. So Jesus used the hyperbole of the impossibility of a camel going through a needle’s eye. (This was a true needle, not the small gate which might be gone through with difficulty.) This was impossible for man but possible with God for men to be saved. Mt. 19:25 and Mk. 10:24 and 26 stress the amazement of the disciples at that teaching, because like the other Jews, they thought temporal prosperity was a sign of divine favor.
v 28-30. The incident prompted Peter to comment that the disciples had left all to follow Jesus. He responded that though they lost family, they would gain a larger family of believers through their ministry, plus eternal life. (Mark 10:30,31 adds receive an hundred fold and includes houses and lands, but with persecution. Also that the first shall be last and the last first.” Mt. 19:28 says in the kingdom the disciples will sit on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel . Perhaps some of thrones mentioned Rev. 4:4.

V31-43 A Blind Man at Jericho

Also told in Matthew 20:29-34 and Mark 10:46-52. The difference is that Matthew states two blind men. Mark and Luke mentions only one. Another difference is that Luke states he was entering Jericho, with Matthew and Mark saying Jesus was leaving Jericho.

Jesus became more specific than ever concerning His death and His resurrection, even bringing out that Gentiles were also involved. Still the disciples did not understand, because they were thinking of the kingdom coming immediately.
v 35-38. Near Jericho blind Bartimaeus learned it was Jesus passing by his place of begging and called out, recognizing Jesus was the Messiah and could help him.
v 39-43. Attempts to keep him quiet only brought out more of his faith. What a thrill to be brought to Jesus and be able to answer that he wanted his sight. He not only received his sight, but Jesus said his faith had saved him. He followed Jesus and all the people praised God, but if the Jews as a nation had honored God, they could have been saved as a nation and the kingdom come. See more comments, Mt. 20:29-34.