Photo by Kristopher Roller on Unsplash
GOSPEL accounts
remind us how confronting Jesus actually was, especially the parables. The purpose
of the parable of the widow and the unjust judge (Luke 18:1-8) is exhortation.
The Lord casts a polarizing tale before the disciples to magnify the role of
persistence in prayer.
Consider this
single verse precis:
“Then Jesus
told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.”
— Luke 18:1 (NRSV)
In other words,
Every
day
no
matter how empty your cup
always
pray,
and
never give up!
***
A STORY OF STARK CONTRASTS
From verse 2, our Lord speaks a
story where the personification of powerlessness — a widow, with no rights — has influence over an iconoclast of
privilege and power — a debased judge who fears nothing and nobody, least of
all God. The widow has suffered a cruel injustice, and goes, again and again, persistently,
to the wicked judge to plead her case. Desperate to be heard she cannot rest.
Time and again, he has no compassion. Indeed, he would be bribed, but the only
currency the widow has is her courage to persist.
Listen for the stark contrasts. As
mentioned above, the judge holds the ultimate power, a seat at government, and
the widow is as powerless as any in that society. He is the image of vice, all
she has is virtue. He holds the most trustworthy position of society but
continually perverts the course of justice. She is the quintessence of
beneficence — embodying all that is good and right about life. And, finally, the
judge fears for absolutely nothing, until
now. Jesus says for the first time in
his life the judge experiences fear: that the widow might wear him out with
her endless requests.
The message behind the parable is
also a massive contrast. Something to always
do coupled with something never to do
— always pray, never give up!
HOW THE PARABLE APPLIES
Imagine if we were to think of the
unjust judge as those forces in life that prevail against us: our at-times
frail mental health, discouraging circumstances in life, the prince of this
world, and the world itself. Imagine simply having the pluck to joyfully
persist in the face of any discouragement. Imagine disregarding the weight of
the burden against us. Imagine not being hemmed-in by the power imbalances
against us. Imagine wearying the world’s processes such that persons in
authority — good or evil — would take notice. Imagine embodying hope.
This is the spirit of how Jesus
wants us to pray.
Not just that, but our Lord
commends us to the faithfulness of God — the All-Righteous, Ultimate, Eternal
Judge who judges what no human judge can. Prayer trusts the ultimate justice
giver. Prayer is the vehicle of our influence. The Judge promises to listen to
us. And we pray not as a people who are powerless; we, His chosen ones! Jesus
Himself tells us, His disciples, that God will grant justice quickly.
This is the sort of fruit of faith
He is hoping to find when He returns (Luke 18:8).
HOW MUCH MORE
If God is abundantly good, will He
not make a way for us through what we’re presently undergoing? If a wicked
judge who has no scruples will cede to the request of someone who he has
totally no regard for, how much more will God cede to us who He loves regarding
what we need? How much more influence do we have with a compassionate,
listening Lord God than does a widow over a callous judge? How much more will
God bend toward us, His chosen ones? And how much more faith ought we to have
that our petitions would be heard and answered swiftly?
David and Goliath struggles there
will ever be in life. Always pray and
never give up!
***
Parable of the Persistent Widow
18 One day Jesus told his disciples a
story to show that they should always pray and never give up. 2 “There was a judge in a certain
city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. 3 A widow of that city came to him
repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ 4 The judge ignored her for a while,
but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, 5 but this woman is driving me crazy.
I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her
constant requests!’”
6 Then the Lord said, “Learn a
lesson from this unjust judge. 7 Even he rendered a just decision in
the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people
who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will grant justice to
them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the
earth who have faith?”
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