Read Luke 18:15-17

JESUS BLESSES THE CHILDREN

Read Luke 18:9-14

THE PARABLE OF THE TWO PRAYING MEN
The people who lived near Jerusalem often went to the Temple to pray. The Temple was the center of their worship.
The Pharisees did not go to the Temple to pray to God but to announce to all within earshot how good he was. The tax collector went recognizing his sin and begging for mercy. Self-righteousness is dangerous. It leads to pride, causes a person to despise others, and prevents him/her from learning anything from God. The tax collector’s prayer should be your prayer because you need God’s mercy every day. Don’t let pride in your achievements cut you off from God.

Read Luke 18:1-8

THE PARABLE OF THE PERSISTENT WIDOW
To persist in prayer and not give up does not mean endless repetition or painfully long prayer sessions. Constant prayer means keeping your request continually before God as you live for Him day by day, believing He will answer. When you live by faith, you are not to give up. God may delay answering, but His delays have good reasons. As you persist in prayer, you grow in character, faith, and hope.
Widows and orphans were the most vulnerable among all of God’s people, and both the Old and New Testaments insist that these needy people be taken care of.
If godless judges respond to constant pressure, how much more will a great and loving God respond to you. If you know He loves you, you can believe He will hear your cry for help.

Read Luke 17:20-37

THE KINGDOM OF GOD
The Pharisees asked when God’s kingdom would come, not knowing that it had already arrived. The kingdom of God is not like an earthly kingdom with geographical boundaries. Instead, it begins with the work of God’s Spirit in people’s lives and in relationships. You must resist looking to institutions or programs for evidence of the progress of God’s kingdom. Instead, you should look at what God is doing in people’s hearts.
Many will claim to be the Messiah, and many will claim that Christ has returned: and people will believe them. Jesus warns you to never take such reports seriously, no matter how convincing they may sound. When Jesus returns, His power and presence will be evident to everyone. No one will need to spread the message because all will see for themselves.
Life will be going on as usual on the day Christ returns. There will be no warning. Most people will be going about their every day tasks, indifferent to their demands of God. They will be as surprised by Christ’s return as the people in Noah’s day were by the flood or the people in Lot’s day by the destruction of Sodom. You don’t know the time of Christ’s return, but you do know that He is coming. He may come today, tomorrow, or years in the future. Whenever He comes, you must be morally and spiritually ready. Live as if Jesus was returning today.
Jesus warned against false security. You are to abandon the values and attachments of this world in order to be ready for Christ’s return. His return will happen suddenly, and when He comes there will be no second chances. Some will be taken to be with Him; the rest will be left behind to face the judgments of God.
Jesus quoted a familiar proverb. One vulture circling overhead does not mean much, but a gathering of vultures means that a dead body is near by. Likewise, one sign of the end may not be significant, but when many signs occur, as in this day and age, the Second Coming is near.

Read Luke 17:11-19

JESUS HEALS TEN MEN WITH LEPROSY
People who had leprosy were required to try to say away from other people and to announce their presence if they had to come near. Sometimes leprosy went into remission. If a leper thought his leprosy had gone away, he was supposed to present himself to a priest, who could declare him clean. Jesus sent the ten lepers to the priest before they were healed – and they went! They responded in faith, and Jesus healed them on the way. Is your trust in God so strong that you act on what He says ever before you see evidence that it will work?
The one that came back to thank Jesus, was not only a leper, he was also a Samaritan – a race despised by the Jews as idolatrous half breeds. Once again Luke is pointing out that God’s grace is for every one.
Jesus healed all ten lepers, but only one returned to thank Him. It is possible to receive God’s great gifts with an ungrateful spirit. Only the thankful man, however, learned that faith played a role in his healing; and only grateful Christians grow in understanding God’s grace. God does not demand that you thank Him, but He is pleased when you do so. And He uses your responsiveness to teach you more about Himself.