Skip to main content

    Luke 18 (KJV)

    Read Luke chapter 18 in the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

    Luke 18

    Deep Verse Commentaries in This Chapter

    Luke 18:27

    "And he said, The things which are impossible with men are po…"

    Luke 18:26

    "And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?…"

    Luke 18:28

    "Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.…"

    Explore Topics Related to Luke 18

    Continue your study with related content from across our library:

    Commentary

    Matthew 18:3-4 Commentary

    In-depth study • Humility & Childlike Faith

    Commentary

    Luke 11:9-10 Commentary

    In-depth study • Persistent Prayer

    Bible Story

    Jesus and the Children

    Mark 10:13-16 • Jesus' Teaching

    Promise

    God Promises to Hear Your Prayers

    Bible promises that God listens and responds to the prayers of His children.

    Prayer

    Prayer for Children

    A parent's prayer for blessing, protection, and faith over their kids.

    Prayer

    Prayer for Humility Before God

    Decreasing so Christ may increase.

    Luke 18 Summary

    Luke 18 is a chapter of contrasts centered on prayer and faith. It opens with two parables about prayer: the persistent widow who wears down an unjust judge (teaching that God will vindicate His people quickly) and the Pharisee and tax collector (teaching that humble confession, not religious performance, receives God's approval).

    The chapter continues with Jesus blessing children, the rich young ruler who cannot part with his wealth, Jesus' third prediction of His death, and the healing of blind Bartimaeus near Jericho. Each episode reinforces the chapter's theme: the kingdom belongs to the humble, the persistent, and the desperate — not to the self-sufficient.

    Key Themes

    Persistent prayerHumility vs. self-righteousnessChildren and the kingdomRich young rulerBlind Bartimaeus healed

    Key Verses in Luke 18

    "And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner."

    — Luke 18:13

    The model prayer: seven words of honest desperation that receive God's full approval.

    "Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein."

    — Luke 18:17

    Children receive gifts without earning them — the kingdom requires the same posture.

    "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."

    — Luke 18:27

    Jesus' response to the disciples' despair about the rich young ruler — salvation is always God's work.

    Life Application

    Luke 18 consistently favors the unlikely: a powerless widow over a judge, a despised tax collector over a Pharisee, children over adults, a blind beggar over a rich ruler. The chapter systematically dismantles every human measure of spiritual qualification. If you feel too broken, too poor, or too small for God's kingdom — that's exactly the qualification Jesus is looking for.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is the lesson of the Pharisee and the tax collector?

    The Pharisee's prayer was a self-congratulatory performance listing his spiritual achievements. The tax collector could only say, 'God be merciful to me a sinner.' Jesus declared that the tax collector went home justified — because God responds to honest humility, not religious résumés.

    Why couldn't the rich young ruler follow Jesus?

    Jesus told him to sell everything and give to the poor. The man went away sad because 'he was very rich.' His wealth wasn't sinful in itself, but it had become the thing he couldn't surrender — his functional god. Jesus' point is that anything you can't release for God's sake has become an idol.

    Read the full summary of Luke

    Free Bible widgets and more ways to read