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Luke Chapter
Eighteen
I.
Content of the Chapter
How to Enter the
I. One should pray to God for help:
A.
Pray continually (v.1-8).
B. Be
humble and ask for God’s mercy (v.9-14).
II. Those who are like infants could enter (v.15-17).
III. It does not lie in doing good but being delivered
from the power of treasure (v.18-25).
IV. Entering the
V. Receive deprivation of the cross for the sake of
the
VI. One should ask the Lord to open his eyes of heart
and then he could follow the Lord in the way of the cross (v.35-43).
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
Luke. 18:1 “Then He spoke a parable
to them
that men always ought to pray and not lose heart
”
YLT: “And he spake also a
simile to them
that it behoveth [us] always to pray
and not to faint
”
Meaning of Words: “always”: at all
times; “lose heart”: faint
be weak
be weary.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The common failure of the life of prayer is the
lack of persistence. If we have prayed for a certain thing for one day
one
weak
one month and even one month and it still has not been answered
we will
lose heat and think that it must be hopeless and then we will never mention it
in the prayer. It is the greatest wrongness.
2) The one who prays with faith does not lose
heart
even the prayer has not been answered. The one who prays with faith
regards the previous prayer that has not been answered as encouragement and a
piece of evidence that implies us that God’s answer is near and at the moment.
3) The one who prays
with faith “carries out an undertaking from start to finish”. The one who
“gives up halfway” accomplishes nothing in everything. If one has a habit of
“giving up halfway”
he will have the certainty of failure. So is the prayer
that has been given up halfway. The faintness works hopeless and hopeless works
unbelief------these are the death wounds to prayer.
4) The one who prays not only calls upon God but
also resists Satan. God always enables us to overcome Satan through our
prayers. Therefore only God
instead of us
could cease prayer. Hope that we
dare not cease praying randomly
unless His answer has come or we have already
had the assurance.
Luke. 18:2 “saying: ‘There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God
nor regard man.”
YLT: “saying
‘A certain
judge was in a certain city God he is not fearing
and man he is not regarding”
Literal Meaning: “nor regard man” It
means that he did not show consideration for the needs of others nor take
notice of others’ view towards him.
Enlightenment in the Word: “regarding man” should be based on the respect
(fear) for God. Only the one who “fears” (is afraid of) God could truly
“regard” man.
Luke. 18:3 “Now there was a widow in
that city; and she came to him
saying
‘Get
justice for me from my adversary.'”
YLT: “and a widow was in
that city
and she was coming unto him
saying
Do me justice on my opponent
”
Meaning of Words: “get justice”:
punish
avenge
vindicate.
Literal Meaning: “Now there was a
widow in that city” “A widow” is desolate and hopeless and she is usually easy
to be ill-treated by others.
Spiritual Meaning: “Now there was a
widow in that city.” Concerning the spiritual relation
Christians have been
presented to Christ as a chaste virgin (2Cor. 11:2). However
the bridegroom
has already been taken away from us (See 5:35) and men could see Him no more
(See John. 16:10). Therefore Christians who are alive in this world are like
widows
hoping of being with Him one day
until He comes back (See Pill. 1:23).
“She came to him” “him” refers to the
unrighteous “judge” (See v.2). He represents God on the reverse side
purposely
showing the righteousness of God.
“From my adversary” “Satan” in the
original means “the adversary”. The Devil Satan not only sets itself against
God but also opposes Christians. It accuses us before God day and night
(Rev.12:10) on one hand. On the other
it wants to devour us on the earth
(1Pet. 5:8-9).
“Get justice for me” It refers to asking
God to execute righteousness and keep believers so as to deliver us from the
deceits and persecutions of the devil.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) This verse reminds us of the reason why “men always ought to pray
and not lose heart” (v.1): a) The
adversary is evil. b) We are powerless by ourselves. c) God is the God of
righteousness and He has to get justice for us.
2) Every normal Christian should have the attitude
as “a widow” towards the world------the world had opposed and killed our Lord
and therefore we do not show any love towards it. The world is only the blank
towards us!
3) If there is not “the adversary”
the widow won’t
go to beseech the judge. It is not a bad thing for our spiritual life that believers
have been ill-treated by the world during their lifetime in the world because
it would enable us to rely on God more.
Luke. 18:4 “And he would not for a
while; but afterward he said within himself
‘Though
I do not fear God nor regard man
”
YLT: “and he would not
for a time
but after these things he said in himself
Even if God I do not
fear
and man do not regard
”
Literal Meaning: “And he would not
for a while” In this parable
the “he would not for a while” is diametrically
opposed to the widow’ “coming to him” (v.3) and “her continual coming” (v.5).
Luke. 18:5 “yet because this widow
troubles me I will avenge her
lest by her continual coming she weary me.’”
YLT: “yet because this
widow doth give me trouble
I will do her justice
lest
perpetually coming
she may plague me.’”
Meaning
of Words: “trouble”: bother
labor; “weary”: one’s face is beaten badly
buffet one’s body (1Cor. 9:27).
Literal Meaning: the point of the
Lord Jesus here is that: if a judge who did not fear God nor regard man would
be forced to deal with the case of the helpless justly because of the widow’s
constant and eager appeal. Then
won’t the righteous and kind God answer our
prayer?
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The only weapon that widow has is her unyielding
will. The one who is easy to be weary and lose heart does not have prospects in
spiritual things (See Heb. 12:1-3).
2) Our God is unlike that unrighteous judge who
felt weary and then yielded himself and answered the widow after he had been
troubled. If His answer is delayed
it must be for the benefit of us (See 1Pet.
1:6-7).
3) Many of us almost have never troubled God
because we have prayed for one time or two and then we forgot it. There is no
need for God to answer this kind of prayer.
Luke. 18:6 “Then the Lord said
‘Hear what the unjust judge said.”
YLT: “And the Lord said
`Hear ye what the unrighteous judge saith:”
Luke. 18:7 “And shall God not avenge
His own elect who cry out day and night to Him
though He bears long with them?”
YLT: “and shall not God
execute the justice to His choice ones
who are crying unto Him day and night
bearing long in regard to them?”
Literal Meaning: “His own elect who
cry out day and night to Him” “Elect” here may specially speak of the remnant
of the Jews in the Great Tribulation (See 17:22-32) and it also refers to
believers who are persecuted in every age.
“Though He bears long with them” “Them”
should refer to God’s elect. It shows that if God has not immediately executed
salvation to His elect who have been ill-treated
it is not that He disregards
them. However it is for the spiritual benefit of them on one hand. On the other
it is His tolerance and patience towards those who have ill-treated His
believers.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Every proper prayer that is made in the right
spirit will never be forgotten to be answered by God.
2) God answers our prayers
however
He may not
answer us according to our appointed time. If we seek Him
He will surely
appear unto us
however
He may not appear unto us according to the time and
the place that we have hoped and planed.
3) God’s time cannot be directed by us. Just like
striking a flint to produce sparks
we should strike once
twice
over and over
again until the flint produces sparks. The heavenly things are more certain
because the promise of God stands behind us.
4) The Lord is not slack His promise
but is
longsuffering toward us
not willing that any should perish but that all should
come to repentance (2Pet. 3:9).
Luke. 18:8 “I tell you that He will
avenge them speedily. Nevertheless
when the Son of Man comes
will He really
find faith on the earth?’”
YLT: “I say to you
that
He will execute the justice to them quickly; but the Son of Man having come
shall he find the faith upon the earth?’”
Literal Meaning: “He will avenge them
speedily” God will avenge on our enemy when the Savior comes back (2Thess.
2:6-9).
“Nevertheless
when the Son of Man
comes
will He really find faith on the earth?” “Faith” does not refer to the
“faith” that makes men be saved but the “faith” in prayer. It is like the
widow’s faith in prayer which holds on straight to the end. The whole sentence
means that when the Son of Man comes
will He really find men who have the
steadfast and persevering faith and firmly believe that the Lord comes to
avenge on their enemy?
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) God the Father sent His son in order to avenge
God’s people on His enemy------Satan
as the Lord said that I will repay (See
Rom. 12:20).
2)
For this purpose Jesus Christ was
manifested
that he might destroy the works of the devil and its ill-treatment
towards us (See 1John. 3:8).
3) Before the Lord comes back
believers will
suffer a period of tough days------they will suffer persecution and
tribulations. Under that kind of condition
we should hold fast our faith to
the Lord.
4) Though we believe that the Lord is willing to
work for us and He is able to do everything. However
our faith is always
temporary and few of us could believe and endure to the end.
5) The faith is much more precious if it has been
proved. Therefore when we are in various trials
we should not only hold on and
endure but also greatly rejoice because of the trial (1Pet. 1:6-7).
6) If we lack faith in our prayers
it shows that
we haven’t really truly asked God about something. We should not hope that God
would hear our heartless prayers.
7) It is the prayer with faith that one holds fast
the promise of God and prays unyieldingly.
8) God will never be unfaithful and the problem is
that we may not believe in Him.
Luke. 18:9 “Also He spoke this
parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous
and
despised others:”
YLT: “And he spake also
unto certain who have been trusting in themselves that they were righteous
and
have been despising the rest
this simile:”
Meaning of Words: “despise”: least
esteemed
set at naught.
Literal Meaning: “who trusted in
themselves that they were righteous
and despised others” indicate the
Pharisees (See 16:15).
Luke. 18:10 “‘Two
men went up to the temple to pray
one a Pharisee and the other a tax
collector.”
YLT: “`Two men went up to
the temple to pray
the one a Pharisee
and the other a tax-gatherer;”
The
Background: “went up to the
temple to pray” In the morning and evening offering in the temple
there are
two routine gatherings of public prayers in the outward court. In addition
each one could go to the temple to pray privately.
“A Pharisees” It was one of the most
serious sect in Judaism. The Pharisees boasted that they had the holy life
feared God and had knowledge of the Bible.
“A tax collector” collected taxes for
the Roman Government. They on one hand pressed their fellow countrymen and on
the other embezzled levies and therefore they were usually despised by the
common Jews.
Luke. 18:11 “The Pharisee stood and
prayed thus with himself
‘God
I thank You that I am
not like other men--extortioners
unjust
adulterers
or even as this tax
collector.”
YLT: “the Pharisee having
stood by himself
thus prayed: God
I thank Thee that I am not as the rest of
men
rapacious
unrighteous
adulterers
or even as this tax-gatherer;”
Literal Meaning: “the Pharisee stood”
Though “standing” is the common gesture of the Jews when praying
here it shows
the tone of showing off: one raises his head proudly and stands in the
noticeable place.
“Prayed thus with himself” “With
himself” shows that his prayer is not said to God but to himself.
“I…I…” He repeated “I” again and again (See v.12)
showing that the real state of his heart is self adulation and pride. The word
in this verse is not like prayer to God at all but the accusation against
others.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Every prayer in which one regards himself as
righteous and condemns others is only the talk with oneself instead of the true
prayer in the sight of God.
2) Those who are full of the thoughts of the Law
and live under the principles of the Law (“the Pharisees”) are only intoxicated
with self-satisfaction and have not experienced the spiritual reality.
Luke. 18:12 “I fast twice a week; I
give tithes of all that I possess.'”
YLT: “I fast twice in the
week
I give tithes of all things as many as I possess.”
The
Background: “I fast twice a
week” The Pharisees fast twice a week in order to show their piety (See 5:33;
Matt. 6:16; 9:14; Mark. 2:18). However it has not been ordered in the Law.
There is only the feast of fasting in the Day of Atonement (See Lev. 16:29-31;
23:27-29; Acts. 27:9).
“I give tithes” The Pharisees quite
value the tithes (See Matt. 23:23; Lev. 27:30; Deut. 14:22).
Literal Meaning: please pay attention
to the prayer of the Pharisee. Though apparently he made the form of prayer
he
did not speak to God actually. On the contrary
he boasted of his own morality
(See v.11) and his pious behaviors.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) One’s arrogance and boast towards God in prayer
is the most abominable sin before God.
2) Prayers of many believers are like that of the
Pharisee. They do not expect any answer from God and therefore their prayers
cannot be answered.
Luke. 18:13 “And the tax collector
standing afar off
would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his
breast
saying
‘God
be merciful to me a
sinner!'”
YLT: “`And the
tax-gatherer
having stood afar off
would not even the eyes lift up to the
heaven
but was smiting on his breast
saying
God be propitious to me the
sinner!”
Meaning of Words: “be merciful”: show
mercy
remit
atone for
make reconciliation for.
Literal Meaning: “And the tax
collector
standing afar off” shows that he did not dare to attract others’
attention.
“Would not so much as raise his eyes to
heaven” shows that he feared God.
“God
be merciful to me a sinner!” “Be
merciful” in the original refers to making reconciliation for. “Me a sinner”
shows that he cared about his own sins instead of others’ sins (See v.11).
It shows the following truth: a) Only God is qualified to show
mercy to men. b) God is the God who is willing to show mercy to men. c) We do
not receive God’s mercy because of reasons. d) We should only admit our poor
states before God. e) We should trust ourselves to God completely.
Spiritual
Meaning: “standing afar off
would
not so much as raise his eyes to heaven” It shows that he knows his corruption. “Beat his breast” shows that he is broken and contrite for
sins. “God
be
merciful to me a sinner!” It symbolizes
that he asks God to remit his sins by the effect of Christ’s redemption.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If God does not show mercy
it is in vain no
matter how one wills or runs. The moment God shows mercy to someone
all his
problems will be solved. Therefore we all need God’s mercy.
2) God is full of mercy. Whenever you have the true
intention of seeking His mercy
you will receive His mercy and enter into
grace.
3) When one asks for God’s mercy
he has to give up
his reasons. Many people do not need God’s mercy because they have many reasons
and it seem that they own many worthy things and they could use them to
exchange the grace of God with Him. It is wrong because grace is free.
Luke. 18:14 “I tell you
this man went
down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts
himself will be humbled
and he who humbles himself will be exalted.’”
YLT: “I say to you
this
one went down declared righteous
to his house
rather than that one: for every
one who is exalting himself shall be humbled
and he who is humbling himself
shall be exalted.’”
Literal Meaning: “justified” means
that he is justified by God and he is counted righteous. “Justification” is
more than the remission of sins because God sees him as if he has not committed
sins.
In the original the word “justified” has
been used five times in the Gospel of Luke (See 7:29
35; 10:29; 16:15). In
other three Gospels
it only has been used twice in the Gospel of Matthew (See
Matt. 11:19; 12:37).
“And he who humbles himself will be
exalted.” “Humble himself” indicates the modest attitude and it does not mean
the self-abasement of one’s personality.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) It is the reckoning of God------men’s goodness
and evilness in behaviors are not effective sometimes and men’s humbleness is
effective.
2) That tax collector asked God to be merciful to
him (See v.13) and God’s answer to him is that “he was justified”. What God has
done is not according to our thoughts but according to His own thoughts and
therefore what He does exceeding abundantly above all which we ask or think
(See Eph. 3:20).
3) Believers should not exalt themselves or think
of themselves more highly than they ought to think (
4) When we see others
we should see the new man in
others. When we see ourselves
we should see the old men in us. In this way
we
won’t exalt ourselves and we will humble ourselves.
Luke. 18:15 “Then they also brought
infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it
they
rebuked them.”
YLT: “And they were
bringing near also the babes
that he may touch them
and the disciples having
seen did rebuke them
”
Literal Meaning: “that He might touch
them” It shows that they asked the Lord to bless them.
“When the disciples saw it
they rebuked
them.” Most probably
the disciples thought the Lord’s journey to
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Men’s natural concept is full of the thoughts of
divisions of honor and lowliness (See James. 2:1-7). Believers may usually be
unconsciously be puffed up on behalf of one against the other (See 1Cor. 4:6).
2) Those who fear the Lord should not be with
respect of persons (See James. 2:1)
or even not play the bully to others.
Luke. 18:16 “But Jesus called them to
Him and said
‘Let the little children
come to Me
and do not forbid them; for of such is the
YLT: “and Jesus having
called them near
said
`Suffer the little children to come unto me
and forbid
them not
for of such is the reign of God;”
Meaning of Words: “forbid”: hinder
prevent.
Literal Meaning: “for of such is the
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) In the church
nothing is so little that the
Lord is not concerned about. Therefore we should bring all things
whether it
is great or not
to the Lord.
2) In the church
no one is so great that
something
in his eyes
is too small for them to do.
3) Those who think that they own nothing and ask
for the Lord humbly will be acceptable to the Lord.
4) No matter who we are and no matter how our
states are
the Lord likes to have fellowship with us and draw near to us. The
Lord does not allow any person or thing to hinder us from having communion with
Him.
Luke. 18:17 “Assuredly
I say to you
whoever does not receive the
YLT: “verily I say to
you
Whoever may not receive the reign of God as a little child
may not enter
into it.’”
Literal Meaning: “does not…as a
little child” Compared with adults
“a little child” has his advantages and
disadvantages. The Lord did not ask them to be like little children who are
naïve (See 1Cor. 3:1-3)
unable to discern both good and evil (See Eph. 4:14)
unable to eat solid food (See Heb. 5:12-14) and so on. He asked them to be as
“humble” as little children (See Matt. 18:4). This feature shows their
dispositions that they are innocent
simple
humble
willing to hear and obey
fully rely on their parents and so on.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) It is not to “pretend to be” a little child but
“as” a little child. Therefore one could rest upon the present positions and
does not feel that he is tired or in an unfavorable situation.
2) The Lord’s words show that our old men and old
dispositions do not have any place in the kingdom of God because God resists
the proud (James. 4:6; 1Pet. 5:5).
3) We should be like little children and do not
allow our hearts to be occupied by traditional concepts and then we could
receive the
Luke. 18:18 “Now a certain ruler asked
Him
saying
‘Good Teacher
what shall I
do to inherit eternal life?’”
YLT: “And a certain ruler
questioned him
saying
`Good teacher
what having done shall I inherit life
age-during?’”
Literal Meaning: “a certain ruler
asked Him” This ruler is a young rich man (See Matt. 19:22).
“Good teacher” shows that he saw Jesus
as “teacher” to teach others instead of the “savior” to save all the people
(See John 3:2).
“What shall I do to inherit eternal
life?” This sentence includes four meanings: 1) he knew the importance of
“inheriting eternal life”. 2) He confessed that there was no eternal life in
him. 3) He thought that he may inherit eternal life by “doing something”. 4) He
did not know what he should do in order to inherit eternal life.
“Have eternal life” is “be saved” (See
v.26). It means to “have the eternal life of God” and be delivered from the
eternal perdition (See John. 3:16).
“Eternal life” is grace that God gives
men through Jesus Christ and it is not the repay that men win from God by good
works.
Luke. 18:19 “So Jesus said to him
‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One
that is
God.”
YLT: “And Jesus said to
him
‘Why me dost thou call good? no one [is] good
except One God;”
Literal Meaning: “Why do you call Me
good?” means “if you think that I am a common teacher
you should not call that
I am good
” because every man is not good.
“No one is good but One
that is
God.”
It means that there is none good
besides God (See Rom. 3:10). That the Lord
said so did not show that He thought him sinful or same with normal men.
However it shows that: 1) God is the source of true goodness. 2) Men do not
have true goodness once they depart from God.
The Lord Jesus here did not deny that He
Himself is God. He wanted to lead this young ruler to know that He is the only
good God.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) A worthless tree cannot produce good fruit (See
Matt. 7:18). The world cannot do something good through the evil nature.
2) The good man out of the good treasure brings forth
good things (See Matt. 12:35). However
only God is good. Therefore no matter
what we do
the things we do cannot be counted as good in God’s sight.
3) That except the righteousness of believers shall
exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees
we shall in no case enter into the
kingdom of heaven (See Matt. 5:20). Therefore
we should not only keep the
commandments of the Old Testament concerning morality but also keep the new
commandments issued by the king of the kingdom of heaven (Matt.5-7).
4) No one is good but God. No one can be saved by
his good works
and only the salvation of the Lord Jesus works.
5) All the works outside of the will and power of
God are not “good” works. All the works of believers should be of God and
through God.
Luke. 18:20 “You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit
adultery
' ‘Do not murder
' ‘Do not steal
' ‘Do not bear false witness
' ‘Honor
your father and your mother.’”
YLT: “the commands thou
hast known: Thou mayest not commit adultery
Thou mayest do no murder
Thou mayest
not steal
Thou mayest not bear false witness
Honour thy father and thy
mother.’”
Meaning of Words: “honor”: respect.
Literal Meaning: “You know the
commandments” The purpose that the Lord Jesus mentioned “commandments” here is
not to imply him that he could be saved by keeping the Law. On the contrary
the Lord wanted to make him know two things through the Law: a) The
commandments show God’s love and His disposition of holiness and righteousness.
b) He had to know his incapacity from the failure that men were totally unable
to keep the commandments
thus realizing that men could not have eternal life
by doing good.
“Do not commit adultery. Do not…” They
are the fifth to the ninth commandments of the Ten Commandments. “Honor your
father and your mother” was the fifth commandment and it has been arranged at
the back. Here the tenth commandment------“do not covet” has not been
mentioned.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Though believers in the New Testament do not
need to keep the commandments concerning the ceremonies in the Old Testament
we should still keep the commandments of morality.
2) In the church we should keep spiritual
commandments: a) do not bring the world into the church------commit adultery;
b) do not spread the factor of death------murder; c) do not usurp the glory of
God------steal; d) do not bear witness to things outside of Christ------bear
false witness; e) magnify the Lord------honor the father and the mother.
Luke. 18:21 “And he said
‘All these things I have kept from my youth.’”
YLT: “And he said
‘All
these I did keep from my youth;’”
Literal Meaning: unfortunately
this
young man had not seen his incapacity and thought that he had kept all these
things. Actually
he only kept the commandments in words and letters and unavoidably
violated the commandments in the spirit.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The self-righteous ones indeed live in darkness
and they are unable to see their transgressions.
2) As long as one has offended in the least
commandment of the Law
he is guilty of all (See James. 2:10).
Luke. 18:22 “So when Jesus heard these
things
He said to him
‘You still lack one thing.
Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor
and you will have treasure
in heaven; and come
follow Me.’”
YLT: “and having heard
these things
Jesus said to him
`Yet one thing to thee is lacking; all things
as many as thou hast sell
and distribute to the poor
and thou shalt have
treasure in heaven
and come
be following me;’”
Literal Meaning: here the Lord raised the strictest claim to show
his imperfectness.
“You still lack one thing”
it implied that he was not
“perfect” at the time------even if men have kept all the commandments
they are
still imperfect in the sight of the Lord. From the Lord’s following words
we could know
that what he lacked was the tenth commandment------“do not covet”
especially
money.
“Sell all that you have”
it showed that “all that he had” was the clear proof of his
imperfectness
so he had to “sell” what he had.
“And distribute to the poor”
if he could
not “distribute all that
he have to the
poor”
it proved that he couldn’t “love his neighbor as himself” (See Matt. 19:20).
“And
you will have treasure in heaven”
it indicated that what he had now was only
on the earth and he had nothing “in heaven”.
“And
come
follow Me”
it implied that even though he had distributed all that he had to the poor
he might
still keep the poor only
not the Lord Jesus in his heart (See Mark. 14:7). Therefore he had to
“follow the Lord”
in other words
he had to love the Lord
more than all (See Matt. 10:37-38).
According to the context
this verse
is not a general rule that every Christian
should live a
poor life. The Lord
with a purpose of asking the young man to do in this way
intended to let him know he had not kept all the commandments indeed (See v.21)
and realize that men could not inherit eternal life by doing something (See
v.18).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) This verse is the general outline of the law:
“sell all that you have and contribute to the poor”
namely
“love your
neighbor as yourselves”. “Come
follow Me” is “love the Lord your God”.
2) The Lord demands more and more: a)
“sell”------it is easy for general believers to sell the possession for money
(See Acts. 5:1); b) “contribute to the poor”------it is very difficult; c)
“come
follow Me”------it is more difficult
because what one distributes to
others is the worldly possessions but one follows by “the whole person”.
3) The Lord asked the young man to sell all that he
had and then follow the Lord
showing that what we had was always an obstacle
to follow the Lord.
4) Believers should not only be concerned about
their own needs but also care for that of others. Let each of you look out not
only for his own interests
but also for the interests of others (Pill. 2:4).
5) One shall remove the obstacles so as to walk in
the way of life and follow the Lord ahead.
6) The Lord asks us to abandon all besides Him
no
matter it is the material or spiritual------“sell all that you have” and look
upon Him single-mindedly
follow Him and regard Him as the most
precious------“have treasure in heaven…follow me”.
7) “And come
follow Me”
some people may devote
all his possession (See 1Cor. 13:3) for the sake of some lofty ideal
but not
give himself to be a follower of the Lord. Such kind of “selling all that one
has” profits him nothing.
Luke. 18:23 “But when he heard this
he became very sorrowful
for he was very rich.”
YLT: “and he
having
heard these things
became very sorrowful
for he was exceeding rich.”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Anyone who keeps something for himself and is
unwilling to follow the Lord will lead a “sorrowful” life.
2) Even little children
through grace
could be
blessed by the Lord (See v.16). However
the one who had kept all the
commandments through deeds (See v.21) went away “sorrowfully” in the end.
3) The more possessions one has
the greedier he
will be. Such situation can also be applied in spiritual things------if one
stresses on spiritual possessions besides the Lord such as eloquence
knowledge
and gifts
he will suffer the sorrow consequently.
4) Those who love treasure more than the Lord make
themselves be “sorrowful”. However those who love the Lord more than all have
the fullness of joy
though they have lost their goods (See Heb. 10:34).
5) Great possessions may hold men back from
following the Lord. Not only material sufficiency but also spiritual
complacency will hold men back from receiving grace.
6) Though that young rich man had come to Christ
he did not obtain Christ. If we can neither forsake all things “what things
were gain to me”------spiritual achievements in the past
nor seek Christ
earnestly
probably we still cannot fully obtain Christ (See Pill. 3:7
12).
7) Earthly things and heavenly things cannot be
mixed together. If believers are reluctant to give up the earthly and worldly
things
they will be unable to enjoy the heavenly and spiritually riches.
8) Whenever you meet the Lord
the Lord must demand
you of something. If we have not answered the Lord
or are unwilling to pay the
cost
there will be two results:
(a) As for us
we will go away sorrowfully.
(b) As for the Lord
He cannot be manifested in us.
Luke. 18:24 “And when Jesus saw that
he became very sorrowful
He said
‘How hard it is for those
who have riches to enter the
YLT: “And Jesus having
seen him become very sorrowful
said
`How hardly shall those having riches
enter into the reign of God!”
Literal Meaning: “how hard it is for those
who have riches to enter the
Spiritual Meaning: the spiritual definition of “those who have
riches” is those who own something besides the Lord and yet are unwilling to
deny themselves or lose the enjoyments of soul for the sake of the Lord (See Mark.
8:34-35).
Enlightenment in the Word: men cannot enter the
Luke. 18:25 “For it is easier for a
camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the
YLT: “for it is easier
for a camel through the eye of a needle to enter
than for a rich man into the
reign of God to enter.’”
The
Background: “for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle
” there was often another smaller door besides the city gate of the Jews
in the old days. The smaller door was called “the door
of the eye of a needle”. During the day
the city gate was open for the coming
in and going out of men and goods. At dusk
the city gate would be closed and
only the door of the eye of a needle was open. That smaller door was so small
that only “man” was allowed to come in and go out. Therefore
if there came
camels carrying goods
man had to firstly unload the goods and made the camels
incline and crawl and then pushed and drew them so that the camels would pass
the door. Later
“a camel to go through the eye of a needle” had become a
common saying to describe that something is very difficult and yet is not
absolutely impossible.
Literal Meaning: “for a camel to go
through the eye of a needle” The word “needle” in the original indicates the
needle that surgeons use and it is different from the “needle” in the Gospels
of Matthew and Mark (See Matt. 19:24; Mark. 10:25). “Camel” was the greatest
animal in
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Though it is difficult for rich men to enter the
kingdom of heaven
it is not absolutely impossible. “Camel”
a kind of animal
that carries goods
represents treasure------as long as one is willing to
dedicate his treasure to the Lord
he can enter therein.
2) Though it is difficult for the great camel to go
through the small eye of a needle
as long as the principle of cross is
applied------to deny oneself
burn self into ashes and come to naught------it
will become possible to pass through.
Luke. 18:26 “And those who heard it
said
‘Who then can be saved?’”
YLT: “And those who
heard
said
‘And who is able to be saved?’”
Literal Meaning: they
had at least two faults:
a) they equated being saved with entering the kingdom of God; b) they thought
wealth could help men to earn the right of entering the kingdom of God
since
the treasure was a token of God’s blessing to righteous men (See Deut. 28:1-12).
Strictly speaking
“being saved” is a
synonym of “inheriting eternal life” (v.18)
but it is different from “entering the
Luke. 18:27 “But He said
‘The things which are impossible with men are possible
with God.’”
YLT: “and he said
‘The
things impossible with men are possible with God.’”
Literal Meaning: the word of the Lord
answered the tough question that it is impossible for one to both “have riches”
and “enter the
Someone thought that that young ruler
may believe in Christ according to this verse.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The young man thought it was impossible for man
to enter the
2) “Are possible with God.”------God can change the
impossibility of men into possibility. God’s way is to give Himself to men and
strengthen them and enable men to “have strength for all things” (See Pill.
4:13).
3) “The things that are impossible with men”
it
declares the uselessness of men’s deeds. “Are possible with God”
it shows the
fullness of God’s grace. Only by faith instead of deeds can we be saved (See
Eph. 2:8-9).
4) That young ruler only saw his impossibility and
did not see God’s possibility in all things and therefore he went away
sorrowfully (See v.23). If one only sees his impossibility
he will become
sorrowful. However
if one sees that it is possible with God
he will rejoice
and praise God.
5) After we have been saved
we have to rely on
God’s “almightiness” to do good works (See Eph. 2:10) so that we can indeed
live in the reality of the
6) God has the infinite power to help us to solve
all difficulties whether in the living environments or the spiritual growth. We
should rely on Him.
7) In the eyes of men
it is difficult for some
unbelievers to believe in the Lord and be saved. However
it is possible in the
eyes of God. Therefore
we should not give up anyone rashly. Because once God
works in men
the most hardened sinners will be saved.
Luke. 18:28 “Then Peter said
‘See
we have left all and followed You.’”
YLT: “And Peter said
‘Lo
we left all
and did follow thee;’”
Literal Meaning: Peter meant that since we “had left something”
we
should “obtain
something” in future and that would
be reasonable. Though it was not wrong
it carried the nature of exchange and
its motive was not noble enough.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Peter’s “see” showed his “possession”. He was “a
spiritually rich man” and really had something to boast.
2) The reason why we can leave all and follow the
Lord is God’s attraction
working and strengthening. Therefore all the glory
should be given unto God.
Luke. 18:29 “So He said to them
‘Assuredly
I say to you
there is no one who has left
house or parents or brothers or wife or children
for the sake of the
YLT: “and he said to
them
`Verily I say to you
that there is not one who left house
or parents
or brothers
or wife
or children
for the sake of the reign of God
”
Meaning of Words: “left”: lay aside
abandon
had remitted.
Luke. 18:30 “who shall not receive
many times more in this present time
and in the age to come eternal life.’”
YLT: “who may not receive
back manifold more in this time
and in the coming age
life age-during.’”
Literal Meaning: “who shall not
receive many times more in this present time” it means that one shall receive
full enjoyment and joy in this age.
“And in the age to come eternal life”
it refers to obtaining the blessings of the everlasting life in the coming age.
The Lord did not mean that we could earn eternal life by leaving all (See
v.29). He meant that when we enter the realm of eternal life
our leaving could
enable us to enjoy the fullness of life more------the reward that God has
prepared for the overcoming believers.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The spiritual principle is to forsake first and
receive afterwards.
2) The reward of the kingdom is both in this age
and the coming age.
3) The reward of the
Luke. 18:31 “Then He took the twelve
aside and said to them
‘Behold
we are going up to
YLT: “And having taken
the twelve aside
he said unto them
‘Lo
we go up to
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The Lord did not speak of “I am going to” but
“we are going to”. It is not enough for one to walk in the way of the cross and
we should also exhort and lead men to keep the will of God and take up the
cross to walk forth.
2) “And all things that are written by the prophets
concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.” If the will that God had
established has not been accomplished
He won’t be satisfied. Therefore we
should cooperate with God so that all things that He had planed for us shall be
accomplished in us.
Luke. 18:32 “For He will be delivered
to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon.”
YLT: “for he shall be
delivered up to the nations
and shall be mocked
and insulted
and spit upon
”
Literal Meaning: “He will be
delivered to the Gentiles” “The Gentiles” refer to the Romans. Jesus was
condemned to death by the Roman governor Pontius Pilate and then was crucified
(See 23:23-25).
“And will be mocked and insulted and
spit upon.” Before being crucified
Jesus was mocked and insulted by the men
who held Him
the soldiers of Herod and the Roman soldiers and was spit upon
His face (See 22:63; 23:11; Mark. 15:16-20).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord guided the disciples all the way and
often mentioned His suffering and being killed to them (See 9:22
44
17:25)
showing that the Lord’s way was pointing to the cross all the time.
2) If we could surpass the suffering of the cross
and see the glory in the resurrection
we will joyfully run the way that is set
before us fearlessly.
3) There must be suffering before glory (Rom.
8:17); the death before resurrection (1Cor. 15:36). The cross is the way for
one to be highly exalted (Pill. 2:8-9). This is the model left for us by the
Lord Jesus.
4) The more sufferings one suffers
the more
consolations of the Lord he will receive (2Cor. 1:5). The more one is delivered
to death
the more the Lord’s life of resurrection will be manifested in him
(2Cor. 4:11).
Luke. 18:33 “They will scourge Him and
kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.’”
YLT: “and having scourged
they shall put him to death
and on the third day he shall rise again.’”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “And the third day He will rise again.” The difference
between Christianity and other religions is the resurrection of the Savior the
Lord Jesus. The difference between Christians and other religious believers is
that Christians have the hope of resurrection.
2) To Christians
the cross is not the end and
there is the glory of resurrection after the cross. If indeed we suffer with
Him
that we may also be glorified together (Rom. 8:17).
Luke. 18:34 “But they understood none
of these things; this saying was hidden from them
and they did not know the things
which were spoken.”
YLT: “And they none of
these things understood
and this saying was hid from them
and they were not
knowing the things said.”
Enlightenment in the Word: Those who are spiritually proud and
conceited------“See
we have left all and followed you” (v.28) cannot
understand the meaning of the cross------“they understood none of these
things…they did not know the things which were spoken.”
Luke. 18:35 “Then it happened
as He
was coming near
YLT: “And it came to
pass
in his coming nigh to
The
Background: “as He was coming
near
“
Literal Meaning: “a certain blind
man” His name was “Bartimaeus”
(See Mark. 10:46). Two blind men were recorded in the Gospel of Matthew (See
Matt. 20:30) and only one was recorded here. Probably
Bartimaeus was one of
the two and he was more active and it was he that cried out.
Spiritual Meaning: “a certain blind man”
it refers to the one who lacks
enlightenment and revelation and neither knows God nor
himself in darkness.
“Sat by the road begging” “Sat by the road” means man no longer grows up in life. “Begging” symbolizes that one has to rely
on others’ provision and feeding because of the naivety of life.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Following the Lord is the way for one to be
blessed. However men cannot follow the Lord because of blindness
only “sitting
by the road”. This is a picture of men’s poor state in darkness.
2) He “begged”
for he was a “blind man”. All those
who are dark in spirit and lack revelation cannot receive provision from the Lord
directly and have to beg the second-hand things from men.
Luke. 18:36 “And hearing a multitude
passing by
he asked what it meant.”
YLT: “and having heard a
multitude going by
he was inquiring what this may be
”
Luke. 18:37 “So they told him that Jesus
of Nazareth was passing by.”
YLT: “and they brought
him word that Jesus the Nazarene doth pass by
”
Luke. 18:38 “And he cried out
saying
‘Jesus
Son of David
have mercy on me!’”
YLT: “and he cried out
saying
`Jesus
Son of David
deal kindly with me;’”
Literal Meaning: “Son of David” is a
name used by the Jews for the Messiah. They hoped that the Messiah would come
to save them and remove the suffering of the world (See Is. 9:7
Jer. 23:5-6).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Though this blind man could not “see”
he could
“hear” (See v.36). Once he had heard it
he caught the chance to call upon the
Lord. It is the reason why he was granted grace.
2) Thank the Lord! He makes us hear the gospel and
know that He is “Jesus” (it means “Jehovah the Savior” and “the salvation of
Jehovah” in the original) and the Son of David (it means that He is the coming
Messiah). Therefore we cry out to Him.
Luke. 18:39 “Then those who went
before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more
‘Son of David
have mercy on me!’”
YLT: “and those going
before were rebuking him
that he might be silent
but he was much more crying
out
`Son of David
deal kindly with me.’”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Those who went before” The religious leaders who
are sophisticated and seem to be closer to the Lord usually become the
stumbling blocks for others to seek Christ.
2) The prayer of seeking to be able to see may
often be forbidden by men. However the more one is forbidden
the more urgently
he asks. In this way he will be blessed.
3) If one seeks revelation in prayer
one should
seek urgently regardless of all the difficulties and blocks
and thus he will
receive what he has asked.
Luke. 18:40 “So Jesus stood still and
commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near
He asked him
”
YLT: “And Jesus having
stood
commanded him to be brought unto him
and he having come nigh
he
questioned him
”
Literal Meaning: “Jesus stood still”
Darby once commented on this sentence that
“Joshua once ordered the sun to
stand still in the air. However
here the Lord of the sun
the moon and heavens
stood still unexpectedly in order to answer the request of a blind beggar.
Luke. 18:41 “saying
‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ He said
‘Lord
that I may receive my
sight.’”
YLT: “saying
‘What wilt
thou I shall do to thee?’ and he said
`Sir
that I may receive sight.’”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “What do you want Me to do for you?” One should
have a clear purpose in prayer.
2) We may pray generally
aimlessly or even ask
amiss (James. 4:3) without knowing what we ask
and it is why our prayers have
not been answered.
3) “Lord
that I may receive my sight.” We should
dare to trust in the Lord concerning the things that seem to be impossible.
4) To ask for spiritual sight is the beginning of
running the heavenly way (2Cor. 4:6
Eph. 1:18
Acts. 26:18).
5) Though the blind man had not seen the Lord
he
had “heard” Him (See v.36) and immediately he cried out unto the Lord that “I
may receive my sight”. When reading the Bible
we may not receive the
revelation suddenly or understand the Lord’s words
but after we hear the words
and cry out unto the Lord for enlightenment humbly we will receive the
revelation.
Luke. 18:42 “Then Jesus said to him
‘Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.’”
YLT: “And Jesus said to
him
`Receive thy sight; thy faith hath saved thee;’”
Literal Meaning: “your faith has made
you well” He trusted that the Lord Jesus was able to heal him and therefore the
faith is not self-confidence but faith in God.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The blind man once “sat by the road” (See v.35)
his eyes were opened now and then followed the Lord on the way. If a man wants
to run the way
he has to receive sight first.
2) Men’s faith is the channel of the Lord’s power.
The greater the pipe of faith is
the more power the Lord will import. If we
have not experienced the great power of the Lord
the problem is the lack of
our faith instead of the lack of the Lord’s power.
Luke. 18:43 “And immediately he
received his sight
and followed Him
glorifying God. And all the people
when
they saw it
gave praise to God.”
YLT: “and presently he
did receive sight
and was following him
glorifying God; and all the people
having seen
did give praise to God.”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The true faith brings in the true “sight” (See
v.42) and the true sight brings in the true following.
2) The blind ones do not know the preciousness of
the Lord and therefore they are reluctant to sell all that they have and follow
the Lord (See v.22-23). If one’s eyes of heart are opened
he will forsake all
for the excellence of the Lord (Pill. 3:8) and follow the Lord to walk in the
way of the cross willingly.
3) The young ruler wanted to “do something” and
went away sorrowfully in the end (See v.18
23). The blind man asked to
“receive the sight” and he glorified God joyfully in the end.
4) Jesus Christ always did something for the
purpose of glorifying God. Believers should walk to seek the glory of God
instead of our own glory.
5) The grateful one bears witness to the Lord’s
grace at any time and glories God so that men could see the works of God in us
and then give praise to Him.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
Teachings of Prayer from the Unrighteous
judge
II. When the widow came to him
he profited nothing
because the widow did not have money to give him (v.3)------however
we have
been chosen by God and He cares about us.
III. Every time he sat on the seat of judge
she
was there. In the end he could not bear it and answered her request
(v.5)------God showed mercy to the church of all the past dynasties and the
church has been ill-treated and persecuted as that widow.
The Wrongness of the Prayer of the Pharisee
II. He condemned others------or even as that tax
collector (v.11b).
III. He boasted himself before God------I fast
twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess (v.12).
The Example of the Prayer of the Tax
Collector (v.13)
I. He admitted his corruption------standing afar
off
would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven
II. He was broken for sins------beat his breast.
III. He asked for God’s kindness and
mercy------God
be merciful to me a sinner!
The Conditions to Enter the
II. Be like infants and do not have the
preconceived ideas (v.15-17).
III. Overcome treasure and the occupation of all
material things and follow the Savior (v.18-30).
The Things Which Are Impossible with Men Are
Possible with God
I. Men think that they could partake in the
heavenly blessings by their own strength (adults) (v.15-17).
II. Men want to inherit eternal life by doing good
(v.18).
III. Men think that they have met the requirements
of God (v.19-21).
IV. All that men have contrarily become the block
for them to receive the heavenly blessings (v.22-23).
V. Men have to stop all their struggle and effort
and fully trust on God (v.24-27).
VI. Men should leave all and then they will receive
all that are of God as the full reward (v.28-30).
The Wrongness of the Young Ruler and the
Lord’s Correction to Him (v.18-23)
I. He misunderstood that the Lord was only a “good”
master------the Lord lead him to see that no one is good but One
that is
God.
II. He misunderstood that he could inherit eternal
life by “doing good”------the Lord pointed out the requirements of the Law to
show him that it is impossible for men to do “good” completely.
III. He misunderstood that he had already kept the
Law “completely”------the Lord pointed out the condition to be perfect to show
him that he was not “perfect”.
The Wonderful Foreknowledge and Prophecy of
the Lord Jesus
I. We are going up to
II. The Son of Man will be delivered to the
Gentiles (v.32a)------He was betrayed and delivered (19:47-23:1).
III. They will mock and insult Him (v.32b)------He
was insulted (23:2-32).
IV. They will kill Him (v.33a)------He was
crucified on the cross (23:33-56).
V. The third day He will rise again (v.33b)------He
rose from the dead and appeared and was taken up into heaven (24:1-53).
The Blind Man in
I. The blind man’s poorness------he sat by the road
begging (v.35).
II. The blind man’s gospel------he heard that Jesus
of Nazareth was passing by (v.36-37).
III. The blind man’s reaction------he cried out
saying “Jesus
Son of David” (v.38).
IV. The blind man’s persistence------but he cried
out all the more (v.39).
V. The blind man’s being called------Jesus stood
still and commanded him to be brought to Him (v.40).
VI. The blind man’s request------I may receive my
sight (v.41).
VII. The blind man’s being saved------your faith
has made you well (v.42).
VIII. The blind man’s change------immediately he
received his sight (v.43a).
IX. The blind man’s way------he followed Him
glorifying God (v.43b).
The Reason Why the Blind Man Received Grace
I. He seized the chance------hearing the Jesus of
Nazareth was passing by
he cried out (v.36-38).
II. He disregarded the blocks------many people
warned him that he should be quiet
but he cried out all the more…(v.39).
III. He called upon Him bluntly------he said that
“Lord
that I may receive my sight” (v.41).
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren