Luke 18 - New Catholic Bible (NCB)

Chapter 18

The Parable of the Importunate Widow.^{[a] 1} Then Jesus told them a parable about the need for them to pray always and never to lose heart. ² He said, “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor had any respect for people. ³ In that same town there was a widow who kept coming to him and pleading, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

⁴ “For a long time he refused her request, but finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I neither fear God nor have any respect for people, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will see to it that she gets justice. Otherwise, she will keep coming and wear me out.’ ”

⁶ Then the Lord said, “You have heard what the unjust judge says. ⁷ Will not God, therefore, grant justice to his elect who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay in answering their pleas? ⁸ I tell you, he will grant them justice quickly. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.^{[b] 9} He also told the following parable to some people who prided themselves about their own righteousness and regarded others with contempt: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood up and said this prayer to himself: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week and pay tithes on all my income.’

¹³ “The tax collector, however, stood some distance away and would not even raise his eyes to heaven. Rather, he kept beating his breast as he said, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner.’ ¹⁴ This man, I tell you, returned to his home justified, whereas the other did not. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

¹⁵ Jesus Blesses the Children.^[c] People were bringing even infants to Jesus so that he might touch them. When the disciples observed this, they rebuked them. ¹⁶ However, Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them. For it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. ¹⁷ Amen, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

¹⁸ The Rich Young Man.^[d]A certain ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁹ Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. ²⁰ You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery. Do not kill. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Honor your father and your mother.’ ”

²¹ The man replied, “I have kept all these since I was a child.” ²² On hearing this, Jesus said to him, “You need to do one further thing. Sell everything you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” ²³ But when he heard this, he became sad, because he was very rich.

²⁴ Danger of Riches. Jesus looked at him and said, “How difficult it is for those who are rich to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ Indeed, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁶ Those who heard this asked, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷ He replied, “What is impossible for men is possible for God.”

²⁸ The Reward of Renunciation. Peter said to him, “We have given up our homes to follow you.” ²⁹ Jesus replied, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God ³⁰ who will not receive many times as much in this age, and eternal life in the age to come.”

³¹ Jesus Predicts His Passion a Third Time.^[e] Then Jesus took the Twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are now going up to Jerusalem, and everything that has been written by the Prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. ³² He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and he will be mocked and insulted and spat upon. ³³ After they have scourged him, they will put him to death, and on the third day he will rise again.”

³⁴ But they understood nothing of this. Its meaning remained obscure to them, and they failed to comprehend what he was telling them.

³⁵ Jesus Heals a Blind Man.^[f] As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. ³⁶ When he heard the crowd going past, he inquired what was happening. ³⁷ They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” ³⁸ He shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” ³⁹ The people in front rebuked him and ordered him to be silent, but he only shouted all the louder, “Son of David, have pity on me!”

⁴⁰ Jesus stopped and ordered that the man be brought to him. And when he had come near, Jesus asked him, ⁴¹ “What do you want me to do for you?” He answered, “Lord, let me receive my sight.” ⁴² Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight. Your faith has made you well.” ⁴³ Immediately, he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. And all the people who witnessed this also gave praise to God.

Footnotes

1. Luke 18:1 We might ask whether prayer is useless or whether it is unfitting to remain insistent in God’s presence. This parable recommends a tenacious persistence. If the Lord is tardy in coming or in responding, it is to allow time for conversion and for faith. But the prayer of believers is not a cry in the wind. It is especially necessary during the end times, which will be a great trial for the faith and for trust in the Lord.
2. Luke 18:9 What Jesus criticizes is not the Pharisee’s ascetical effort but his sense of self-sufficiency before God, himself, and other human beings, and his harshness toward others. On the other hand, Jesus does not approve of the everyday behavior of the tax collector, but offers his sincerity, humility, and repentance as an example. God’s goodness bewilders us: from it sinners can expect compassion and grace; salvation is an unmerited and unexpected gift.
3. Luke 18:15 One must receive the kingdom as a little child, that is, as a poor person who is regarded as insignificant in society and who awaits everything from its father. One can never stop being struck by this insistence of Jesus concerning the spirit of childhood. It is a reversal of the daily norms of our lives (see Lk 9:46-48).
4. Luke 18:18 A rich young man is animated by the desire for a more personal commitment, going beyond the simple observance of the ten commandments. However, he cannot resolve himself to the first radical gesture—giving up his possessions. The Christian community retained this example as a warning. Riches, as Luke often stresses, are an obstacle to salvation. In a life encumbered by riches, there is no place for the Lord. Yet the Lord fills to the brim whoever has the courage to prefer him to everything else. Such courage is the gift of God (see Lk 12:33).
5. Luke 18:31 Six times in Luke’s Gospel Jesus refers to his tragic end, so deeply does this affect his entire work. The Prophets had borne witness to it beforehand.
6. Luke 18:35 The community retains this episode as an example of faith and witness to Jesus, Son of David, that is, the people’s Messiah and Savior.