Index: src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/plugins/index/lucene/LuceneIndex.java
===================================================================
--- src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/plugins/index/lucene/LuceneIndex.java	(revision 1586254)
+++ src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/plugins/index/lucene/LuceneIndex.java	(working copy)
@@ -163,6 +163,13 @@
 
     private final NodeAggregator aggregator;
 
+    private volatile static CachedReader LAST_READER;
+    
+    static class CachedReader {
+        NodeState indexRoot;
+        IndexReader reader;
+    }
+
     public LuceneIndex(Analyzer analyzer, NodeAggregator aggregator) {
         this.analyzer = analyzer;
         this.aggregator = aggregator;
@@ -267,6 +274,18 @@
 
         return false;
     }
+    
+    private static NodeState getIndexNodeState(NodeState root) {
+        NodeState def = getIndexDef(root);
+        if (def == null) {
+            return null;
+        }
+        String type = def.getString(PERSISTENCE_NAME);
+        if (type == null || PERSISTENCE_OAK.equalsIgnoreCase(type)) {
+            return getIndexDataNode(def);        
+        }
+        return null;
+    }
 
     private static Directory newDirectory(NodeState root) {
         NodeState def = getIndexDef(root);
@@ -354,15 +373,35 @@
         // we only restrict non-full-text conditions if there is
         // no relative property in the full-text constraint
         boolean nonFullTextConstraints = parent.isEmpty();
-        Directory directory = newDirectory(root);
+        NodeState indexRoot = getIndexNodeState(root);
+        CachedReader cached = LAST_READER;
+        IndexReader reader = null;
+        if (cached != null) {
+            if (cached.indexRoot.equals(indexRoot)) {
+                reader = cached.reader;
+            } else {
+                LAST_READER = null;
+            }
+        }
         QueryEngineSettings settings = filter.getQueryEngineSettings();
-        if (directory == null) {
-            return newPathCursor(Collections.<String> emptySet(), settings);
+        Directory directory = null;
+        if (reader == null) {
+            directory = newDirectory(root);
+            if (directory == null) {
+                return newPathCursor(Collections.<String> emptySet(), settings);
+            }
         }
         long s = System.currentTimeMillis();
         try {
             try {
-                IndexReader reader = DirectoryReader.open(directory);
+                if (reader == null) {
+                    reader = DirectoryReader.open(directory);
+                    CachedReader cache = new CachedReader();
+                    cache.indexRoot = indexRoot;
+                    cache.reader = reader;
+                    LAST_READER = cache;
+System.out.println("open new reader");                    
+                }
                 try {
                     IndexSearcher searcher = new IndexSearcher(reader);
                     List<LuceneResultRow> rows = new ArrayList<LuceneResultRow>();
@@ -412,10 +451,10 @@
                             System.currentTimeMillis() - s);
                     return new LucenePathCursor(rows, settings);
                 } finally {
-                    reader.close();
+                    // reader.close();
                 }
             } finally {
-                directory.close();
+                // directory.close();
             }
         } catch (IOException e) {
             LOG.warn("query via {} failed.", this, e);