Monday Devo
Scripture:
Luke 18:1-8
One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. 2 “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. 3 A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ 4 The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, 5 but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’ ” 6 Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. 7 Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”
One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. 2 “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. 3 A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ 4 The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, 5 but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’ ” 6 Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. 7 Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”
Commentary:
18:1 And he told them (the disciples, 17:22) … always to pray and not lose heart (because of delay in the Lord’s return; cf. Luke 17:20–37). As in 18:9 and 19:11, the introduction of the parable serves as the guide to its interpretation—i.e., to pray persistently for justice for God’s people, as the woman did who pleaded with the judge for justice.
18:2 nor respected man. He showed no special deference toward anyone, whether great or small.
18:3 The widow represents the poor, needy, and oppressed (cf. 20:47). kept coming. Persistence is her only asset in seeking justice from the “unjust” judge (18:6).
18:7 If an unjust judge finally grants the widow’s “prayer,” how much more will God hear the prayers of his elect? Cf. 12:22–31; see also how God cared for his people Israel, the “apple of his eye,” Deut. 32:10; Ps. 17:8. day and night. I.e., “always” (Luke 18:1; cf. 2:37; Acts 9:24; 20:31; 26:7). Justice to his elect refers primarily to God rescuing his people from suffering and injustice in the world (cf. Luke 1:68–74). Will he delay long over them probably means, “Will God be patient much longer as he sees his elect suffer?” The implied answer is no.
18:8 From God’s perspective, justice will come to his elect (cf. v. 7) speedily. From a human perspective, of course, justice may seem to be a long time coming. Therefore God’s people must persist in prayer, as the widow persisted until she received justice (vv. 2–5). will he find faith on earth? The answer, of course, is “yes,” but Jesus poses this as a question in order to encourage his disciples to constant watchfulness and prayer (cf. vv. 1, 7). When he returns, Jesus will be looking for those who are praying and watching for him.
18:2 nor respected man. He showed no special deference toward anyone, whether great or small.
18:3 The widow represents the poor, needy, and oppressed (cf. 20:47). kept coming. Persistence is her only asset in seeking justice from the “unjust” judge (18:6).
18:7 If an unjust judge finally grants the widow’s “prayer,” how much more will God hear the prayers of his elect? Cf. 12:22–31; see also how God cared for his people Israel, the “apple of his eye,” Deut. 32:10; Ps. 17:8. day and night. I.e., “always” (Luke 18:1; cf. 2:37; Acts 9:24; 20:31; 26:7). Justice to his elect refers primarily to God rescuing his people from suffering and injustice in the world (cf. Luke 1:68–74). Will he delay long over them probably means, “Will God be patient much longer as he sees his elect suffer?” The implied answer is no.
18:8 From God’s perspective, justice will come to his elect (cf. v. 7) speedily. From a human perspective, of course, justice may seem to be a long time coming. Therefore God’s people must persist in prayer, as the widow persisted until she received justice (vv. 2–5). will he find faith on earth? The answer, of course, is “yes,” but Jesus poses this as a question in order to encourage his disciples to constant watchfulness and prayer (cf. vv. 1, 7). When he returns, Jesus will be looking for those who are praying and watching for him.
Questions:
- At the core of this parable is an attitude about facing injustice as believers. Our call is not to strike back in kind, but to turn to God and rest in the promise He has made that He will eventually vindicate us. God WILL bring HIS justice when Jesus returns to judge the world. We tend to shy away from the God of judgement , but He is good and just! The parable calls for enduring faith that is shown through our praying persistently, without losing heart. Enduring faith is seen in persistent prayer. Are there any struggles you are enduring in your life right now? Is there an area in which you have lost heart or have given up praying?
- The parable calls for prayer, persistence and patience. Jesus is telling us that the FAITHFUL inherit the Kingdom. On Sunday, Clayton gave several examples of people in our church family that exemplify faithfulness. Who in your life has remained faithful despite suffering? Do you need to grow in faithfulness?
Pray:
- That you would grow in faithfulness.
- That you would pray persistently.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
2. Are there sources outside the Bible that confirm the Biblical account of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead? Many Roman and Jewish historians have confirmed that the apostles died as martyrs for preaching that they saw Jesus risen from the grave. No one dies for something they know to be a lie.
(Luke 1:1-4; Acts 26:26; 1 John 1:1-4, Josephus, Clement, Hegesippus, Tertullian, Origen, Polycarp)
(Luke 1:1-4; Acts 26:26; 1 John 1:1-4, Josephus, Clement, Hegesippus, Tertullian, Origen, Polycarp)
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