Luke 18 -- A Study In Contrasts

My commentary said to notice particularly the contrasts in this chapter.

Prayer contrasted with fainting:  “If we don’t pray, we will faint; it’s as simple as that … The word faint describes a believer who loses heart and gets so discouraged that he or she wants to quit … When we pray, we draw on the pure air of heaven, and this keeps us from fainting … Praying without ceasing means to make prayer as natural to us as our regular breathing … Prayer is much more than the words of our lips; it is the desires of our hearts, and our hearts are constantly desiring before Him, even if we never speak a word.”

The widow contrasted with God’s elect:  “Jesus did not say that God’s people are like this woman; in fact, He said just the opposite.  Because we are not like her, we should be encouraged in our praying … If a poor widow got what she wanted from a selfish judge, how much more will God’s children receive what is right from a loving heavenly Father!”

The judge contrasted with the Father:  “Unless you see that Jesus is pointing out contrasts, you will get the idea that God must be argued or bribed into answering prayer!  God is not like this judge, for God is a loving Father, who is attentive to our every cry, generous in His gifts, concerned about our needs, and ready to answer when we call.”

In the rest of the chapter, my commentary discussed the deluded Pharisee and the dishonest rich young ruler contrasted with the determined beggar.  “The beggar was poor, yet he became rich, while the young ruler was rich but became eternally poor.  The beggar claimed no special merit and openly admitted his need, while the young ruler lied about himself and bragged about his character.” 

Father, thank You for helping me see more clearly what Christ was teaching in this chapter.  I need Your clarity to pull out the meat of what Jesus wants me to see.  Thank You for giving me the Holy Spirit to help me with this.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford