Luke 18:1. And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
An old writer says that many of Christ's parables need a key to unlock them. Here, the key hangs outside the door; for, at the very beginning of the parable we are told what Christ meant to teach by it: «that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.» And this is the parable:
Luke 18:2. Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
It is a great pity for any city and for any country where the judges do not fear God, where they feel that they have been put into a high office in which they may do just as they please. There were such judges in the olden times even in this land; God grant that we may not see any more like them!
Luke 18:3. And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
She had no friend to plead for her, she had nobody to help her; and, therefore, when she was robbed of her little patrimony, she went to the court, and asked the judge for justice.
Luke 18:4. And he would not for a while:
He preferred to be unjust; as he could do as he liked, he liked to do as he should not.
Luke 18:4-5. But afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
She seems to have gone to him so often that he grew quite fatigued and pained by her persistence; the Greek words are very expressive, as though she had beaten him in the eye, and so bruised him that he could not endure it any longer. Of course, the poor woman had not done anything of the kind; but the judge thus describes her continual importunity as a wounding of him, as an attacking of him, an assault upon him, for he had perhaps a little conscience left. He had, at least, enough honesty to confess that he did not fear God, nor regard man, and there are some, of whom that is true, who will not own to it; but this judge admitted it, and though he was but little troubled about it, he said, «that I may not be worried to death by this woman's continual coming, I will grant her request, and avenge her of her adversary.»
Luke 18:6-7. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which I cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
He is no unjust judge; he is One who is perfectly holy, and just, and true, and who appears in a nearer and dearer character than that of judge, even as the One who chose his people from eternity. «Shall not God avenge his own elect?» Ay, that he will; only let them persevere in prayer, and «cry day and night unto him.»
Luke 18:8. I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
If anybody can find it, he can, for he is the Creator of it; yet, when he comes, there will be so little of it in proportion to what he deserves, and so little in proportion to the lovingkindness of the Lord, that it will seem as if even he could not find it, although, if there were only as much faith as a grain of mustard seed, he would be the first to spy it out.
Luke 18:9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
It seems as if these two things went together, and that, as our esteem of ourselves goes up, our esteem of others goes down; the scales seem to work that way.
Luke 18:10. Two men went up into the temple to pray;
It was the place that was specially dedicated for prayer; it was the place where God had promised to meet with suppliants. They did well, in those days, to go up into the temple to pray to God, though, in these days,
«Where'er we seek him he is found,
And every place is hallowed ground.»
It is sheer superstition which imagines that one place is better for prayer than another. So long as we can be quiet and still, let us pray wherever we may be.
Luke 18:10-11. The one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
It is possible that this was all true; we have no indication that he was a hypocrite, and if what he said was true, there was something in it for which he might well thank God. It was a great mercy not to be an extortioner, nor unjust, nor an adulterer, but what spoilt his expression of thankfulness was that back-handed blow at the other man who was praying in the same temple: «or even as this publican.» What had the Pharisee to do with him? He had quite enough to occupy his thoughts if he could only see himself as he really was in God's sight.
Luke 18:12. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Observe that there is no prayer in all that the Pharisee said. There was a great deal of self-righteousness and self-congratulation; but nothing else. There was certainly no prayer at all in it.
Luke 18:13. And the publican, standing afar off,
Just on the edge of the crowd, keeping as far away as he could from the most holy place,
Luke 18:13. Would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
That was all prayer; it was a prayer for mercy, it was a prayer in which the suppliant took his right place, for he was, as he said, «a sinner.» He does not describe himself as a penitent sinner, or as a praying sinner, but simply as a sinner, and as a sinner he goes to God asking for mercy. Our English version does not give the full meaning of the publican's prayer, it is, «God be propitious to me,» that is, «be gracious to me through the ordained sacrifice;» and that is one of the points of the prayer that made it so acceptable to God. There is a mention of the atonement in it, there is a pleading of the sacrificial blood. It was a real prayer, and an acceptable prayer, while the Pharisee's boasting was not a prayer at all.
Luke 18:14. I tell you, this man
This publican, sinner as he had been, though he had no broad phylacteries like the Pharisee had, though he may not have washed his hands before he came into the temple, as no doubt the Pharisee did, this man, who could not congratulate himself upon his own excellence, «this man»
Luke 18:14. Went down to his house justified rather than the other:
He obtained both justification and the peace of mind that comes from it. God smiled upon him, and set him at ease concerning his sin. The other man received no justification, he had not sought it, and he did not get it. He had a kind of spurious ease of mind when he went into the temple, and he probably carried it away with him, but he certainly was not justified in the sight of God.
Luke 18:14. For every one that exalted himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
God turns things upside down. If we think much of ourselves, he makes little of us, and if we make little of ourselves, we shall find that a humble and contrite heart he will not despise. May he teach us so to pray that we may go down to our house justified, as the publican was!