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Home , Luke 18

HILLDALE BAPTIST CHURCH Virtual Study Notes FOR THE LESSON ON SUNDAY, MARCH 21, 2021 (Phone Call Class, Monday 3/15/2021)

LUKE 18 NOTES* (based on NASB) “Worthy?” Luke 18:9-17 (BACKGROUND TEXT: :1-18:30)

INTRODUCTION: • A major theme in the latter part of the of Luke is the strong teaching that provides regarding discipleship. Much of this discipleship teaching is accompanied by the parables that Jesus teaches with in the travel narrative of the . Chapter 17 of Luke has several teachings that Jesus makes about the Kingdom and the duty of the Lord’s disciples. He explains the grave sin of hurting someone else or leading them into sin. He also teaches about faith and about the duty of a servant without expectation of reward. • Later in the 17th chapter Jesus heals ten lepers and teaches about His second coming. The ten lepers were standing at a distance, which they were required to do because they were unclean according to the law of Moses. When Jesus entered a certain village, the lepers saw Him as he was about to enter and they cried out to Him begging for healing. He told them to go immediately to the priest and present an offering, which was a requirement of the law for a leper who was cleansed. While the ten were running, the saw their healing take place. Upon seeing this, one of them turned back and went to Jesus and fell at His feet, praising for his healing. The man was a Samaritan. Again, Luke was showing deference to those that the Jews would normally despise. • The last part of the 17th chapter of Luke reveals some teachings of Jesus on the end of time. Jesus does his major teaching on the end of time in Luke chapter 21, in what we usually call, “The ,” since Matthew’s gospel tells us that He did this teaching while sitting on the Mount of Olives. However, Jesus was confronted by who wanted to see a sign from Him. He told them that the kingdom would not come with signs. Then He explained to His disciples that His return would be accompanied by great judgment such as fell on the world with Noah’s flood. He explained that it would be a frightening time, where some will be taken, and others who are with them will be left. • In the beginning of the 18th chapter Jesus tells two parables on prayer. The first story was the Parable of the Unjust Judge and the Persistent Widow. In this parable, the judge was a corrupt official who had no fear of God or concern for the welfare of people. However, the widow was being oppressed by someone, and she came to the judge and demanded that he help her. To begin with, he ignored her. However, she kept coming back and “worrying” him, nagging him to do something. Finally, he said, I will avenge this widow and do what she asks, because she is wearing me out with her continual nagging. Jesus says, if an unjust judge will do something for someone after much pleading, how much more will the just and righteous God come to the aid of His children who plead with Him night and day. The next parable Jesus tells is that of the Pharisee and Tax Collector, which we will study today, • General Outline of Luke: o Jesus’ Birth and Baptism (1–3) o Jesus’ Ministry in (4–9) o Jesus’ Journey to (10–18) o Jesus’ Last Week on Earth (19-22) o Jesus’ Passion and Ascension (23-24) • In previous lessons, we have studied the following topics: o The in Galilee in chapters 1 through 9. o The decision to go to Jerusalem in 9:51. o How Jesus began to teach the disciples that he must suffer, die, and rise again. o In recent weeks, we studied the Parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son. • In today’s lesson we will study the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. o The Pharisee prayed hypocritically having pride and condescension toward others. o The Tax Collector asked forgiveness for his sins. o Jesus said the Tax Collector went home right with God and not the Pharisee. o Afterward, Jesus placed His hands on little children and blessed them.

Preceding verses in the background text:

Luke 17:1-10 – Jesus teaches the disciples about temptation, faith, and duty. Luke 17:11-19 – Jesus cleanses the leprosy from ten men at a distance. Luke 17:20-37 – Jesus teaches the disciples about His return and the judgment of God. Luke 18:1-8 – Jesus tells the Parable of the Widow and the Unjust Judge

RELIGIOUS PRIDE (Luke 18:9-12)

Verse 9: • And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt – The common people probably felt ill equipped to ever feel a sense of righteousness before God in comparison with the Pharisees. In telling this parable, Jesus was letting the Pharisees know that their hypocrisy was offensive to God, and he let the common people know that acquiring righteousness from God was a matter of confession and repentance of sin. If a tax collector could become righteous in God’s sight by doing this, anyone could. Verse 10: • Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. – Pharisees were admired and praised by the common people for their piety and devotion to the Law of Moses. A tax collector, on the other hand, was despised and held in contempt. The law of the Mishnah prohibited people from receiving an alm from a tax collector. If he entered into anyone’s house, the entire house would become unclean. Even the entrance of the tax collector into the Temple would have been considered a defilement. Verse 11: • "The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself – The Pharisee’s posture was one of pride, standing in a highly visible place in the temple court where he would be seen and heard by many. • God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. – The words of the Pharisee’s prayer demonstrated his conceit, considering himself to be highly righteous, whereas the others mentioned were disgusting because of their sin. He was showing his piety by expressing “gratitude” that he was not a despicable sinner. Verse 12: • 'I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' – “Just to show you how righteous I am, Lord, I thought I would remind you about how I fast and how much I tithe!” was only required on the Day of Atonement, but a pious Jew would fast every Monday and Thursday. Jesus was not just exposing the Pharisee’s hypocrisy, but He was teaching the people that such acts do not cause righteousness to be ascribed to someone.

GODLY HUMILITY: (Luke 18:13-14)

Verse 13: • "But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven – The tax collector stood at a distance. The implication is that he was in an obscure part of the Temple courtyard where people would not notice him or hear him pray. His prayer would not be framed for people to hear like that of the Pharisee. He was interested in God hearing his prayer, not people. He bowed his head in humility and sorrow over his sin. • But was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!' – Beating one’s breast was a sign of repentance or mourning. The tax collector was making a sincere expression of sorrow and repentance to God. Verse 14: • "I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other – Jesus was saying that the tax collector went home, having been declared righteous by God, whereas the Pharisee did not. • For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted." – The only way for anyone to have a relationship with God is to humble himself in prayer to God. Anyone who exalts himself in God’s presence will be rejected and will eventually be humiliated in a terrible way.

CHILDLIKE FAITH: (Luke 18:15-17)

Verse 15: • And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them. – The word “babies” in the Greek normally refers to infants, but it could mean little children as well. These would be the poorest and most common street people. Children of common folk were looked down upon as nuisances in ancient times. This is why the disciples were rebuking them. Obviously, these people wanted the touch of Jesus’ blessing on their children. Verse 16: • But Jesus called for them, saying, "Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. – We learn here that the Lord cares for children, but He also cares for all individuals with the attitudes of children, those who are humble and acknowledging of dependence upon Him. The Kingdom of God, says Jesus, is the home of such individuals. No one enters this realm unless he adopts such an attitude. Verse 17: • Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all." – Jesus clearly says that no one will enter the Kingdom of God unless he or she humbles themselves and takes on an attitude like a child before God, trusting in Him.

Following verses in the background text:

Luke 18:18-30 – Jesus encounters the rich young ruler. Luke 18:31-34 – Jesus foretells about His death for the third time. Luke 18:35-43 – Jesus heals the blind beggar at .

OUR LESSON NEXT WEEK:

Worshipped :29-40

* The following study are sometimes used to obtain information for these notes:

The NIV Study Bible, Revised. Kenneth L. Barker, editor. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1985. ESV Study Bible, . Wheaton: Crossway Bibles, 2008. HCSB Study Bible, Holman Christian Standard Bible. Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2010. NIV Zondervan Study Bible, D. A. Carson, editor. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015. NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016.