Empty Hands and Open Eyes

Jesus tells this story so His followers will keep praying instead of losing heart. A widow keeps asking a judge for justice. Widows often had little power or protection, and this judge cares nothing about God or people. He finally acts because she will not stop coming. Jesus is not saying God is like this judge. His point is the opposite: if even an unjust judge finally helps, how much more will God bring justice for His own people? God's timing may feel slow, but His care is sure, and His justice will come. This is not a promise that every request will be granted at once. I notice that Jesus ends by asking about faith when He returns. Waiting can test whether we still trust God's heart.

Jesus now speaks to people who trust their own goodness and look down on others. A Pharisee, a member of a strict Jewish religious group, stands in the temple and lists his good habits. He fasts twice a week and gives a tenth of his income. Yet his prayer becomes a comparison that lifts him above other people. Nearby, a tax collector keeps his distance, lowers his eyes, and beats his chest in grief over his sin. He asks for mercy, not a reward. Jesus says this man goes home right with God, rather than the Pharisee. Religious habits are not the problem; trusting them to earn God's approval is. We do not become right with God by finding someone who looks worse than we do.

People bring even babies to Jesus so He can touch them, but the disciples try to stop them. Perhaps they see the children as an interruption, though Luke does not tell us their reason. Jesus calls the children to Himself and makes clear that they belong in His welcome. He then teaches that everyone must receive God's kingdom like a child. The point is not that children never do wrong. Small children depend on others and cannot claim rank or great achievements. They receive what they cannot provide for themselves. I find real comfort here: Jesus does not welcome us because we have made ourselves important. Life under God's rule is a gift to receive, not a position to earn.

A wealthy ruler asks how to receive eternal life. Jesus' question about goodness directs him toward God, the true measure of goodness. After the man says he has kept the listed commands since youth, Jesus tells him to sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow Him. The man becomes sad because he is very rich. Jesus exposes the hold wealth has on his heart. His picture of a camel passing through a needle's eye makes the difficulty plain. No one can save himself; God can do what people cannot. Peter points out that the disciples have left their homes. Jesus assures them that loss for God's kingdom will not be forgotten, either now or in eternal life. This is not a promise of easy wealth.

Jesus takes the Twelve aside and explains what awaits Him in Jerusalem. Everything the prophets wrote about the Son of Man, Jesus' title for Himself, will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to Gentiles, people outside the Jewish nation. They will mock Him, insult Him, spit on Him, beat Him, and kill Him. Yet death will not have the last word: He will rise on the third day. The disciples do not understand. Luke stresses that the meaning remains hidden from them, without explaining exactly why. Their closeness to Jesus does not mean they grasp His plan yet. I do not want us to miss His willing love here. Jesus knows the suffering ahead, and He keeps moving toward Jerusalem.

As Jesus approaches Jericho, a blind beggar hears the crowd and asks what is happening. When he learns Jesus is passing, he calls Him Son of David. This title points to God's promised King from David's family. Others tell him to be quiet, but he calls even more loudly for mercy. Jesus stops, has him brought near, and asks what he wants. The man asks to see. Jesus restores his sight and says his faith has made him well. His faith is trust in Jesus, not a power of its own. He then follows Jesus and praises God, and the crowd joins in. The disciples have struggled to understand, yet this blind man recognizes enough to place his hope in Jesus.