In Luke 17–18, Jesus was moving closer to Jerusalem. His miracles—coupled with his consistent teaching about the “kingdom of God”—led to weighty questions about his being the Messiah. Those who had dreamed of God’s Messiah believed that his coming would usher in immediately a time of political liberation for Israel and an era of peace. That expectation was behind the Pharisees’ question in Luke 17:20: “When will the kingdom of God come?” In other words, “When will we as God’s people be done with all this oppression and be triumphant again?”
I’m quite sure that the religious leaders were disappointed (or offended) by Jesus’ response. In summary, Jesus answered by telling them that the Messianic Son of Man would first have to suffer many things and be rejected by those in his own generation before the promised age of God’s reign would come in its fullness. Jesus implied that God’s people would have to go through a time of waiting and suffering before God was done with his work. In fact, Jesus even indicated that many who think self-righteously that they will be ruling with God’s Messiah will discover instead that they are going to be judged by God. The message was clear: With Jesus’ first coming, the king of this new kingdom was already among them, but the work of the Messiah-king would take some time before it would be completed.
In that context, beginning with Luke 18, Jesus told two stories that addressed two of the most important issues his followers would have to face while they waited for the return of the Messiah and the completion of his work:
- Why is this world so messed up—and what should we do about it (18:1–8)?
- Why is my life so messed up—and what should I do about it (18:9–14)?
Not surprisingly, prayer is at the heart of both of Jesus’ lessons. Indeed, just before he told the first story, Jesus explained to his disciples, “While you wait for me to complete my work, remember this story so that you will always pray and not give up.”
The lesson is as powerful now as it was when it first was told.
To his glory,
Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor