Persistent prayer...persistent faith! Thoughts on Luke 18:1-8

This is a one of the few parables of Jesus that provide us with a basic interpretation. At the very beginning of our Gospel reading today Luke records for us:

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to teach them that they should always pray and never become discouraged.

It is a good place to begin as we listen and reflect on this parable, but I want to encourage you to listen for yourself. This parable may speak to you in a very unique and personal way as well. So let’s look at the parable.

To set the scene...imagine if you will a judge...sitting on cushions surrounded by officials and secretaries...voices clamouring to be heard while other litigants hold whispered communications with secretaries...passing bribes (fees)...until the secretary or underling are satisfied. Then the judge is approached and a name whispered in his ear and he calls such and such a case. Not surprisingly the judgement goes in favour of the one who paid the most.

This is what Jesus is describing. Here is a judge...nothing shames him...there is no spark of honour remaining in him. What is maybe a little shocking to his hearers is that this judge becomes the role of God in the parable. Not the sort of picture they would expect for God.

Back to our scene...

In this Middle Eastern culture women did not go to court. The court was a man's world and women were not expected to participate. The fact that this woman is even present in the court indicates that she is entirely alone and so her total helplessness is emphasized. So what do we find?

She is not helpless! Here is this woman on the outside of this group. She is continually shouting and calling out and perpetually interrupting proceedings with loud cries for justice. She is told to be silent. More than likely she is warned off from coming every day, to which she replies that she plans on continuing to come every day until she gets justice.

Now just because she is a widow don't assume she is old as women were often married at the ages of 14-16.

In this situation the words Isaiah 1:17 would be in the minds of Jesus’ hearers.

“See that justice is done – help those who are oppressed, give orphans their rights, and defend widows.”

On this basis Jewish convenant law dictated that the suit of an orphan must always be heard first; next, that of a widow, so in this case the woman’s legal rights are clearly being violated. With this knowledge Jesus’ hearers get a clear picture of just how dishonest and unjust this judge is.

However finally comes the day when the woman wins out. The judge admits to himself that though he holds no fear of God or men, he is very afraid of this woman. He believes that she will "finally wear me out!” There are several ways to translate these words...such as..."give me a headache...do me in...finish me off.”


So now Jesus provides an interpretation of this parable for us. You can hear the humour in his words. The comparison between the unjust judge worn out by the persistence of the widow and the loving God is laughable. If this woman can get justice from someone as corrupt as this judge, then imagine how a loving God will act on behalf of and for his own people. It will not require a war of attrition or endless repetition. In fact just the opposite is true. Jesus says:

“I tell you, he will judge in their favour and do it quickly.”

Of course the struggle in this is that to you and me, this does not always appear to be true. Difficulties and problems in life seem endless. Prayers seem to go unanswered. God remains silent. What do we then take from this parable and teaching?

That is found in the very last line of verse 8.

“But will the Son of Man find faith on earth when he comes?”

It is not just a call to persistence in prayer and not becoming discouraged. It is a call to faith. A call to opening our eyes and finding God present in the middle of this world’s corruption. It is a way of affirming we do not have to be God. That we are not alone. That faith and hope are possible because we have a gracious God who loves us, dwells with us, walks with us, and knows us.

As always then, after hearing the parable and reading the story, Luke leaves the question with us...

Do you have real faith in God? A faith that will endure the silence? A faith that will persist, trusting that God is and will continue to act even if we don’t see or understand how? A faith that will lead us to prayer time and again, and keep us praying people?