Devotional Luke 18: Parables, Humility, and Healing Faith Study of Luke 18: the prayer of the widow, the attitude of the Pharisee vs. the tax collector, the danger of riches, and the faith necessary to experience miracles. Topics: Devotional, New Testament.

Devotional Luke 18: Parables, Humility, and Healing Faith

I was meditating on the book of Luke, chapter 18, and first we have the parable of the Unjust Judge who neither feared God nor respected man. He continuously ignored the case of a widow against her adversary, until one day he decided to grant her justice so that she would not keep wearing him out.

Here we can see that although this judge did not fear God, he somehow knew that if he continued to cause anguish and suffering in this widow’s life, he would face consequences sooner or later. Even non-believers know that whether they believe in God or not, His laws still govern this universe. It’s like people who don’t believe in the laws of physics (the law of gravity, for example). Just because you don’t believe in it doesn’t mean you aren’t affected by it. The law of cause and effect applies to all of us, regardless of our beliefs. And all these laws were instituted by the Lawgiver of lawgivers. We also realize and know that God hears the afflictions of those who cry out to Him and rescues them through divine intervention, executing judgment upon the wicked.

Second, we have the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (a tax collector for the Roman Empire). Here we observe how pride, arrogance, and a superiority complex distance us further and further from God, even when it seems we are doing the “right” thing. I say this because, in this parable, both the Pharisee and the tax collector were praying to God. However, there was a stark contrast in the way they prayed, and that made all the difference. The Pharisee prayed boasting about himself while despising others who were supposedly not “righteous” like him. Meanwhile, the tax collector prayed as a sinner, acknowledging his sins, repenting of them, and asking for forgiveness. Because of this, God heard the prayer of the tax collector—who “supposedly” committed more sins than the Pharisee—and not that of the Pharisee. It is not the quantity or type of sin that matters at the time of prayer, but rather genuine repentance and the pursuit of forgiveness. That is to say, humility before our flaws brings us closer to God, not arrogance. Hence the proverb: for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Third, Jesus blesses the children and rebukes the disciples who were preventing people (including children) from coming forward. Jesus corrects them and explains that only those who accept the Kingdom of God like children will actually inherit the Kingdom of God. This passage can be interpreted in several ways, as children possess numerous characteristics that distinguish them: curiosity, a pure perspective when viewing reality, judging without malice in their hearts, joyfulness, a light heart that bears no grudges, a desire to honor their parents (one of the commandments), and more.

They naturally observe many of the commandments and lack the prejudices and vices that might lead them to reject Jesus Christ—they still possess a soft heart prepared to be transformed by the Holy Spirit 😇.

Fourth, the rich ruler asks Jesus what he must do to inherit the Kingdom of God, and Jesus replies that he must keep the commandments: “do not commit adultery,” “do not murder,” “do not steal,” “do not bear false testimony,” “honor your father and mother,” etc. To this, the rich man replies that he has kept all these since his youth. Then Jesus tells him to sell all his possessions, distribute the money to the poor, and then come and follow Him. Upon hearing this, the rich man became deeply sorrowful, realizing he possessed great wealth. Noticing the young man’s distress, Jesus stated that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God.

This highlights a concept from a previous conversation: the more comforts and advantages (e.g., wealth, beauty, fame, status, etc.) we enjoy in this world, the less we feel we need God. Life goes smoothly for us, and everything seems easier. These comforts blind our spiritual vision. We assume we have everything under control, believing that even if something goes wrong, we can rely on our resources to get what we want. We forget that where our heart is, there our treasure will be also. If our hearts are set on worldly things, we will accumulate wealth here while forfeiting true riches in the world to come. But if we do the reverse, not only will we experience countless blessings here, but we will also receive greater wealth in the life to come.

Lastly, the healing of the blind man in Jericho. We notice that although Jesus possessed the power to heal everyone, He did not heal every sick person indiscriminately. He healed those who had faith and believed that He, through God, was the one who could heal them. This demonstrates that to experience miracles in our lives, the number-one prerequisite is believing that God can perform them. Without that belief, no miracle occurs. It shows us that in every situation—even when in need of God’s miraculous help—we must be active agents rather than passive observers. We cannot simply wait around for things to happen; even with miracles wrought by God, we must desire His help, believe He can solve the issue, and actively ask for assistance. Without that, nothing happens.