Jesus Calls to Prayer

Luke 18:1-4

GOLDEN TEXT: “Lord, teach us to pray.”—Luke 11:1

TODAY’S lesson is on the subject of prayer. The disciples needed to learn certain lessons respecting prayer, and our Lord gave the instructions through two interesting parables. The first lesson was respecting persistency: that they should continue to pray and not to faint, nor grow disheartened and discouraged because of the delay in the answer. They were to be assured of the real character of our God, of His willingness to hear their petitions and to give them all necessary good things and in a proper manner at the proper time. The delay of the answer was to work out for them a blessing of increasing faith and trust.

The parable illustrating this represents a judge in an oriental country, devoid of reverence for either God or man—ready to defy divine commands and to violate public opinion in the attainment of his selfish ends. Before the unrighteous judge of the parable came a widow who was suffering from certain indignities and injustices from which she desired to he relieved by the judge. Since she was not wealthy and could not bribe him, and since she had little influence her demands for redress and justice were ignored. However, she came time and again with great persistence until finally the judge, admitting to himself that quite aside from the justice of her case which did not particularly interest him, he would grant her the justice she asked rather than be annoyed further by her constant coming.

The parable does not compare this unjust judge with our Heavenly Father, and thus imply that the latter is unjust. On the contrary, it contrasts the two and gives us the thought that if an unjust judge would finally grant relief simply from selfish motives, surely our Heavenly Father, who is neither unjust nor unloving, nor careless to the interests of His people, will heed their prayers.

If, therefore, the matter be one that in our judgment is very important, demanding our earnest prayers, and if the answer our prayers be not quickly forthcoming, we should neither conclude that God is an unjust Judge who cares not for us because we cannot bribe Him or otherwise advantage Him, nor are we to think of Him as selfishly careless of our interests.

On the contrary, we are to think of our Heavenly Father as a loving parent whose arm is not shortened that He cannot assist us, and whose love for us is not deficient. We are to have patience, and to trust the fulfillment of our petitions to His wisdom, knowing that all things shall be made to work together for good to them that love God, to the called ones according to His purpose.

In applying the lesson of the parable our Lord says, “And shall not God avenge His elect which cry to Him day and night?” The lesson is that we are to have confidence in God and in His promise that eventually the right shall triumph. This confidence is to amount to an absolute faith which will grasp the promises, never doubting but merely waiting.

Those who thus come to God in faith and trust, may come repeatedly and be refreshed at every coming, because they come not with the hope of changing the Almighty’s mind, nor altering any of His plans and arrangements, but because they believe His promises and because they desire to rest and comfort their hearts by continual communion with Him.

Our Lord concludes this parable by saying, “I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.” This may mean that when the Lord’s time shall come for the deliverance of His people He will make a short work of the great Adversary and all the machinery of unrighteousness which under the prince of this world has come to occupy so prominent a place in the affairs of life.

The second parable of the lesson is concerning two men going up to the temple, according to the Jewish custom, to pray. One was a self-righteous Pharisee, a moral man, in many respects a good man, but very conscious of all his righteousness and perfunctory observances of divine rules. The other man was of a lower class and caste, who had more weaknesses and blemishes and who realized his condition.

The Pharisee, we are told, stood and prayed with himself. Apparently his prayers did not ascend to the Lord, and it would be strictly true, therefore, to say that he prayed with himself, heard himself pray, congratulated himself in the prayer, and rejoiced in his own self-righteousness generally. His prayer obviously was not the kind which the Father invites, for He seeketh such to worship Him as worship Him in spirit and in truth: It is impossible for anyone to come before the Lord in a proper manner who does not appreciate his own weaknesses, imperfections, blemishes, and who does not acknowledge these and seek the divinely arranged means for covering them; that is, through the blood of Christ.

The Publican was a sample of those who make no profession of great piety. These humble-minded people realize that they do not live up to the high requirements of God’s perfect Law, and because of this, they are often in a discouraged attitude. The Publican recognized the great difference between God’s perfection and his own personal unworthiness. He smote upon his breast as though indicating that he accepted the divine sentence of death as well deserved, yet he appealed for mercy—Lord, have mercy upon me, I am a sinner. Our Lord indicates that of the two, this one—outwardly less noble, less righteous—was inwardly more acceptable to the Father.

Jesus’ application of this parable is in the words “Every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” This is true in our prayer life, as well as in all of our devotion to God.

QUESTIONS:

Does the first parable in this lesson compare the unjust judge to the Heavenly Father, or is it intended to contrast the two?

What did Jesus mean by saying that the Pharisee “prayed unto himself”?

What was it in the prayer of the Publican that was so pleasing to the Lord?

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