LUKAS 18
Die gelykenis van die weduwee en die regter
1 Jesus het vir hulle 'n gelykenis vertel om duidelik te maak dat 'n mens altyd moet aanhou bid sonder om moedeloos te word. 2 Hy het gesê: “In 'n sekere stad was daar 'n regter wat geen eerbied vir God of agting vir 'n mens gehad het nie. 3 En in dieselfde stad het 'n weduwee gewoon wat hom herhaaldelik kom vra het: ‘Doen aan my reg in my saak teen my teenparty.’ 4 'n Tyd lank wou hy nie, maar later het hy vir homself gesê: Vir God het ek wel geen eerbied nie, en aan 'n mens steur ek my nie, 5 maar aangesien hierdie weduwee so aanhou om my lastig te val, sal ek haar in haar regsaak help, anders kom klap sy my op die ou end ook nog.”
6 Toe sê die Here: “Hoor wat sê die onregverdige regter. 7 Sal God dan nie aan sy uitverkorenes, wat dag en nag tot Hom roep, reg doen nie? Sal Hy hulle lank laat wag? 8 Ek sê vir julle: Hy sal hulle help, en gou ook!
“Maar sal die Seun van die mens by sy koms nog geloof op die aarde vind?”
Die gelykenis van die Fariseër en die tollenaar
9 Met die oog op mense wat seker was dat hulle eie saak met God reg is en wat op ander neergesien het, het Jesus hierdie gelykenis vertel: 10 “Twee mense het na die tempel toe gegaan om te bid. Die een was 'n Fariseër en die ander een 'n tollenaar. 11 Die Fariseër het gaan staan en by homself so gebid: ‘O God, ek dank U dat ek nie soos ander mense is nie: diewe, bedrieërs, egbrekers, en ook nie soos hierdie tollenaar nie. 12 Ek vas twee keer in die week en ek gee 'n tiende van my hele inkomste.’
13 “Maar die tollenaar het daar ver bly staan en wou selfs nie na die hemel opkyk nie. Hy het bedroef op sy bors geslaan en gesê: ‘O God, wees my, sondaar, genadig.’
14 “Ek sê vir julle: Hierdie man, en nie die ander een nie, het huis toe gegaan as iemand wie se saak met God reg is. Elkeen wat hoogmoedig is, sal verneder word; en hy wat nederig is, sal verhoog word.”
Jesus en die kindertjies
(Matt. 19:13-15; Mark. 10:13-16)
15 Die mense het ook kindertjies na Jesus toe gebring dat Hy hulle moet aanraak. Toe die dissipels dit sien, het hulle met die mense daaroor geraas. 16 Maar Jesus het die kindertjies nader geroep en gesê: “Laat die kindertjies na My toe kom en moet hulle nie verhinder nie, want die koninkryk van God is juis vir mense soos hulle. 17 Dit verseker Ek julle: Wie die koninkryk van God nie soos 'n kindjie ontvang nie, sal daar nooit ingaan nie.”
Die ryk jongman
(Matt. 19:16-30; Mark. 10:17-31)
18 'n Man van aansien het aan Jesus die vraag gestel: “Goeie Leermeester, wat moet ek doen om die ewige lewe te verkry?”
19 Jesus het geantwoord: “Waarom noem jy My goed? Niemand is goed nie, behalwe God alleen. 20 Jy ken die gebooie: Jy mag nie egbreuk pleeg nie, jy mag nie moord pleeg nie, jy mag nie steel nie, jy mag nie vals getuienis gee nie, eer jou vader en moeder.”t
21 Maar hy antwoord: “Al hierdie dinge het ek van my kinderdae af onderhou.”
22 Toe Jesus dit hoor, sê Hy vir hom: “Een ding kom jy nog kort: gaan verkoop alles wat jy het, en deel die geld aan die armes uit. Dan sal jy 'n skat in die hemel hê. Kom dan terug en volg My.”
23 Toe hy dit hoor, was hy diep teleurgesteld, want hy was baie ryk.
24 Toe Jesus sien dat hy teleurgesteld is, sê Hy: “Hoe moeilik is dit tog vir mense wat ryk is, om in die koninkryk van God te kom. 25 Dit is makliker vir 'n kameel om deur die oog van 'n naald te kom as vir 'n ryke om in die koninkryk van God te kom.”
26 Dié wat dit gehoor het, sê toe: “Maar wie kan dan gered word?”
27 Daarop antwoord Hy: “Wat vir die mense onmoontlik is, is vir God moontlik.”
28 Toe sê Petrus: “Kyk, óns het van ons besittings afgesien en U gevolg.”
29 En Jesus antwoord: “Dit verseker Ek julle: Daar is niemand wat ter wille van die koninkryk van God afgesien het van huis of vrou of broers of ouers of kinders nie, 30 of hy ontvang in hierdie tyd al baiekeer soveel terug, en in die tyd wat kom, die ewige lewe.”
Jesus kondig die derde keer sy dood en opstanding aan
(Matt. 20:17-19; Mark. 10:32-34)
31 Jesus het die twaalf opsy geneem en vir hulle gesê: “Kyk, ons gaan nou Jerusalem toe, en alles wat die profete oor die Seun van die mens geskryf het, sal daar bewaarheid word. 32 Hy sal uitgelewer word aan die heidene; Hy sal bespot en beledig word; hulle sal op Hom spoeg, 33 Hom gesel en Hom daarna doodmaak. En op die derde dag sal Hy uit die dood opstaan.”
34 Maar van hierdie dinge het hulle niks begryp nie. Die woorde was vir hulle duister, en hulle het nie verstaan waaroor Hy praat nie.
Die blinde man by Jerigo
(Matt. 20:29-34; Mark. 10:46-52)
35 Jesus het naby Jerigo gekom. Toe 'n blinde man wat daar langs die pad sit en bedel, 36 die groot menigte mense hoor verbyloop, vra hy wat aan die gang is. 37 Hulle vertel hom toe: “Jesus van Nasaret gaan hier verby.”
38 Toe roep hy uit: “Jesus, Seun van Dawid, ontferm U oor my!”
39 Die mense wat voor geloop het, het hom beveel om stil te bly, maar hy het al hoe harder uitgeroep: “Seun van Dawid, ontferm U oor my!”
40 Jesus gaan toe staan en gee bevel dat hy na Hom toe gebring moet word. Toe hy naby kom, vra Jesus vir hom: 41 “Wat wil jy hê moet Ek vir jou doen?” En hy antwoord: “Here, dat ek kan sien.”
42 Jesus sê vir hom: “Goed, jy kan sien! Jou geloof het jou gered.”
43 En onmiddellik kon hy sien, en hy het Jesus gevolg en God geprys. Ook al die mense wat dit gesien het, het aan God die eer gegee.
Luke 18
1 ALSO [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to turn coward (faint, lose heart, and give up).2 He said, In a certain city there was a judge who neither reverenced and feared God nor respected or considered man.3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, Protect and defend and give me justice against my adversary.4 And for a time he would not; but later he said to himself, Though I have neither reverence or fear for God nor respect or consideration for man,5 Yet because this widow continues to bother me, I will defend and protect and avenge her, lest she give me intolerable annoyance and wear me out by her continual coming or at the last she come and rail on me or assault me or strangle me.6 Then the Lord said, Listen to what the unjust judge says!7 And will not [our just] God defend and protect and avenge His elect (His chosen ones), who cry to Him day and night? Will He defer them and delay help on their behalf?8 I tell you, He will defend and protect and avenge them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [persistence in] faith on the earth?9 He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves and were confident that they were righteous [that they were upright and in right standing with God] and scorned and made nothing of all the rest of men:10 Two men went up into the temple [enclosure] to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.11 The Pharisee took his stand ostentatiously and began to pray thus before and with himself: God, I thank You that I am not like the rest of men--extortioners (robbers), swindlers [unrighteous in heart and life], adulterers--or even like this tax collector here.12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I gain.13 But the tax collector, [merely] standing at a distance, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but kept striking his breast, saying, O God, be favorable (be gracious, be merciful) to me, the especially wicked sinner that I am!14 I tell you, this man went down to his home justified (forgiven and made upright and in right standing with God), rather than the other man; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.15 Now they were also bringing [even] babies to Him that He might touch them, and when the disciples noticed it, they reproved them.16 But Jesus called them [the parents] to Him, saying, Allow the little children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for to such [as these] belongs the kingdom of God.17 Truly I say to you, whoever does not accept and receive and welcome the kingdom of God like a little child [does] shall not in any way enter it [at all].18 And a certain ruler asked Him, Good Teacher [You who are essentially and perfectly morally good], what shall I do to inherit eternal life [to partake of eternal salvation in the Messiah’s kingdom]?19 Jesus said to him, Why do you call Me [essentially and perfectly morally] good? No one is [essentially and perfectly morally] good--except God only.20 You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not witness falsely, honor your father and your mother. 21 And he replied, All these I have kept from my youth.22 And when Jesus heard it, He said to him, One thing you still lack. Sell everything that you have and divide [the money] among the poor, and you will have [rich] treasure in heaven; and come back [and] follow Me [become My disciple, join My party, and accompany Me].23 But when he heard this, he became distressed and very sorrowful, for he was rich--exceedingly so.24 Jesus, observing him, said, How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!25 For it is easier for a camel to enter through a needle’s eye than [for] a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.26 And those who heard it said, Then who can be saved?27 But He said, What is impossible with men is possible with God. 28 And Peter said, See, we have left our own [things--home, family, and business] and have followed You.29 And He said to them, I say to you truly, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God30 Who will not receive in return many times more in this world and, in the coming age, eternal life.31 Then taking the Twelve [apostles] aside, He said to them, Listen! We are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written about the Son of Man through and by the prophets will be fulfilled. 32 For He will be handed over to the Gentiles and will be made sport of and scoffed and jeered at and insulted and spit upon. 33 They will flog Him and kill Him; and on the third day He will rise again. 34 But they understood nothing of these things; His words were a mystery and hidden from them, and they did not comprehend what He was telling them.35 As He came near to Jericho, it occurred that a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging.36 And hearing a crowd going by, he asked what it meant.37 They told him, Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.38 And he shouted, saying, Jesus, Son of David, take pity and have mercy on me!39 But those who were in front reproved him, telling him to keep quiet; yet he screamed and shrieked so much the more, Son of David, take pity and have mercy on me!40 Then Jesus stood still and ordered that he be led to Him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him,41 What do you want Me to do for you? He said, Lord, let me receive my sight!42 And Jesus said to him, Receive your sight! Your faith (your trust and confidence that spring from your faith in God) has healed you.43 And instantly he received his sight and began to follow Jesus, recognizing, praising, and honoring God; and all the people, when they saw it, praised God.