Prayer

[Rob Morgan]

THE PARABLES OF JESUS

Prayer

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

Luke 18:1-­8 (NIV)

[1] Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.
[2] He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men.
[3] And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'
[4]For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men,
[5] yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'"
[6] And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says.
[7] And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?
[8] I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

The Parable of Two Men Who Prayed Luke 18:9-­14 (NIV)

[9] To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:
[10] "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
[11] The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like Other men------robbers, evildoers, adulterers------or even like this tax collector.
[12] I fast twice a week an give a tenth of all I get.'
[13] But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'
[14] I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."