Luke 18:25 - Prayer Tents



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Luke 18
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The Story of the Persistent Widow

18Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit.G1161G3004G2532G3850G846G4314G1163G3842G4336G2532G3361G1573 2He said, "There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people.G3004G2258G1722G5100G4172G5100G2923G5399G3361G2316G2532G3361G1788G444 3A widow in that city kept after him: 'My rights are being violated. Protect me!'G1161G2258G5503G1722G1565G4172G2532G2064G4314G846G3004G1556G3165G575G3450G476 4"He never gave her the time of day. But after this went on and on he said to himself, 'I care nothing what God thinks, even less what people think.G2532G2309G3756G1909G5550G1161G5023G3326G2036G1722G1438G1499G5399G3756G2316G2532G3756G1788G444 5But because this widow won't quit badgering me, I'd better do something and see that she gets justice—otherwise I'm going to end up beaten black and blue by her pounding.'"G1065G1223G5026G5503G3930G2873G3427G1556G846G3363G1519G5056G2064G5299G3165 6Then the Master said, "Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying?G1161G2962G2036G191G5101G93G2923G3004 7So what makes you think God won't step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won't he stick up for them?G1161G1557G3364G2316G4160G1557G846G1588G3588G994G2250G2532G3571G4314G846G2532G3114G1909G846 8I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?"G3004G5213G3754G4160G1557G846G5034G1722G4133G687G5207G444G2064G2147G4102G1909G1093

The Story of the Tax Man and the Pharisee

9He told his next story to some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and looked down their noses at the common people:G1161G2036G2532G5026G3850G4314G5100G3588G3982G1909G1438G3754G1526G1342G2532G1848G3062 10"Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax man.G1417G444G305G1519G2411G4336G1520G5330G2532G2087G5057 11The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: 'Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man.G5330G2476G4336G5023G4314G1438G2316G2168G4671G3754G1510G3756G5618G3062G444G727G94G3432G2228G2532G5613G3778G5057 12I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income.'G3522G1364G4521G586G3956G3745G2932 13"Meanwhile the tax man, slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, 'God, give mercy. Forgive me, a sinner.'"G2532G5057G2476G3113G2309G3756G1869G3761G3788G1519G3772G235G5180G1519G846G4738G3004G2316G2433G3427G268 14Jesus commented, "This tax man, not the other, went home made right with God. If you walk around with your nose in the air, you're going to end up flat on your face, but if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself."G3004G5213G3778G2597G1519G846G3624G1344G2228G1565G3754G3956G5312G1438G5013G1161G5013G1438G5312 15People brought babies to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. When the disciples saw it, they shooed them off.G1161G4374G846G2532G1025G2443G680G846G1161G3101G1492G2008G846 16Jesus called them back. "Let these children alone. Don't get between them and me. These children are the kingdom's pride and joy.G1161G2424G4341G846G2036G863G3813G2064G4314G3165G2532G2967G846G3361G1063G5108G2076G932G2316 17Mark this: Unless you accept God's kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you'll never get in."G281G3004G5213G3739G1209G3362G1209G932G2316G5613G3813G1525G3364G1525G1519G846

The Rich Official

18One day one of the local officials asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to deserve eternal life?"G2532G5100G758G1905G846G3004G18G1320G5101G4160G2816G166G2222 19Jesus said, "Why are you calling me good? No one is good—only God.G1161G2424G2036G846G5101G3004G3165G18G3762G18G1508G1520G2316 20You know the commandments, don't you? No illicit sex, no killing, no stealing, no lying, honor your father and mother."G1492G1785G3431G3361G3431G5407G3361G5407G2813G3361G2813G5576G3361G5576G5091G4675G3962G2532G4675G3384 21He said, "I've kept them all for as long as I can remember."G1161G2036G3956G5023G5442G1537G3450G3503 22When Jesus heard that, he said, "Then there's only one thing left to do: Sell everything you own and give it away to the poor. You will have riches in heaven. Then come, follow me."G1161G2424G191G5023G2036G846G2089G3007G4671G1520G4453G3956G3745G2192G2532G1239G4434G2532G2192G2344G1722G3772G2532G1204G190G3427 23This was the last thing the official expected to hear. He was very rich and became terribly sad. He was holding on tight to a lot of things and not about to let them go.G1161G191G5023G1096G4036G1063G2258G4970G4145 24Seeing his reaction, Jesus said, "Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who have it all to enter God's kingdom?G1161G2424G1492G846G1096G4036G2036G4459G1423G1525G2192G5536G1525G1519G932G2316 25I'd say it's easier to thread a camel through a needle's eye than get a rich person into God's kingdom."G1063G2076G2123G2574G1525G1223G4476G5168G2228G4145G1525G1519G932G2316 26"Then who has any chance at all?" the others asked.G1161G191G2036G5101G2532G1410G4982 27"No chance at all," Jesus said, "if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it."G1161G2036G102G3844G444G2076G1415G3844G2316 28Peter tried to regain some initiative: "We left everything we owned and followed you, didn't we?"G1161G4074G2036G2400G2249G863G3956G2532G190G4671 29"Yes," said Jesus, "and you won't regret it. No one who has sacrificed home, spouse, brothers and sisters, parents, children—whatever—G1161G2036G846G281G3004G5213G3754G2076G3762G3739G863G3614G2228G1118G2228G80G2228G1135G2228G5043G1752G932G2316G1752 30will lose out. It will all come back multiplied many times over in your lifetime. And then the bonus of eternal life!"G3739G618G3364G618G4179G1722G5129G2540G2532G1722G165G2064G2222G166

I Want to See Again

31Then Jesus took the Twelve off to the side and said, "Listen carefully. We're on our way up to Jerusalem. Everything written in the Prophets about the Son of Man will take place.G1161G3880G1427G2036G4314G846G2400G305G1519G2414G2532G3956G1125G1223G4396G5207G444G5055 32He will be handed over to the Romans, jeered at, made sport of, and spit on. Then, after giving him the third degree, they will kill him.G1063G3860G1484G2532G1702G2532G5195G2532G1716 33In three days he will rise, alive."G2532G3146G615G846G615G2532G5154G2250G450 34But they didn't get it, could make neither heads nor tails of what he was talking about.G2532G846G4920G3762G5130G2532G5124G4487G2258G2928G575G846G2532G3756G1097G3004 35He came to the outskirts of Jericho. A blind man was sitting beside the road asking for handouts.G1161G1096G1722G846G1448G1519G2410G5100G5185G2521G3844G3598G4319 36When he heard the rustle of the crowd, he asked what was going on.G1161G191G3793G1279G4441G5101G5124G1498 37They told him, "Jesus the Nazarene is going by."G1161G518G846G3754G2424G3480G3928 38He yelled, "Jesus! Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!"G2532G994G3004G2424G5207G1138G1653G3165 39Those ahead of Jesus told the man to shut up, but he only yelled all the louder, "Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!"G2532G4254G2008G846G2443G4623G1161G846G2896G4183G3123G5207G1138G1653G3165 40Jesus stopped and ordered him to be brought over. When he had come near, Jesus asked,G1161G2424G2476G2753G846G71G4314G846G1161G846G1448G1905G846 41"What do you want from me?" He said, "Master, I want to see again."G3004G5101G2309G4160G4671G1161G2036G2962G2443G308 42Jesus said, "Go ahead—see again! Your faith has saved and healed you!"G2532G2424G2036G846G308G4675G4102G4982G4571 43The healing was instant: He looked up, seeing—and then followed Jesus, glorifying God. Everyone in the street joined in, shouting praise to God.G2532G3916G308G2532G190G846G1392G2316G2532G3956G2992G1492G1325G136G2316


The Message (MSG). All Scripture quotations are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. More details.
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