Luke 18
1 Then
Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray
and not give up. 2 He said: "In a
certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept
coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' 4 "For some time he refused. But finally
he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me,
I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with
her coming!'" 6 And the Lord said,
"Listen to what the unjust judge says.
7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out
to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get
justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on
the earth?"
9 To
some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody
else, Jesus told this parable: 10
"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax
collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and
prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men-- robbers,
evildoers, adulterers-- or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of
all I get.' 13 "But the tax
collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat
his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' 14 "I tell you that this man, rather
than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself
will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
15 People
were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples
saw this, they rebuked them. 16 But
Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come
to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not
receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
18 A
certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal
life?" 19 "Why do you call me
good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good-- except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: 'Do not commit
adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your
father and mother.'" 21 "All
these I have kept since I was a boy," he said. 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him,
"You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." 23 When he heard this, he became very sad,
because he was a man of great wealth. 24
Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the
kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier
for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of God." 26 Those who heard
this asked, "Who then can be saved?"
27 Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with
God." 28 Peter said to him,
"We have left all we had to follow you!" 29 "I tell you the truth," Jesus
said to them, "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or
children for the sake of the kingdom of God
30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age
to come, eternal life."
31 Jesus
took the Twelve aside and told them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and
everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be
fulfilled. 32 He will be handed over to
the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill
him. 33 On the third day he will rise
again." 34 The disciples did not
understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know
what he was talking about.
35 As
Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked
what was happening. 37 They told him,
"Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."
38 He called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on
me!" 39 Those who led the way
rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of
David, have mercy on me!" 40 Jesus
stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus
asked him, 41 "What do you want me
to do for you?" "Lord, I want to see," he replied. 42 Jesus said to him, "Receive your
sight; your faith has healed you."
43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God.
When all the people saw it, they also praised God.
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