Luke 18:1-8 The Parable of the Persistent Widow Have you ever been bullied or persecuted? Have you ever given up and stopped praying? Today's lectionary passage teaches the necessity of patient, persistent, and persevering prayer. Much like the Parable of the Persistent Friend in Luke 11, a mention of prayer precedes both parables. Though delivered in different situations, they both show the absolute, immeasurable contrast between God and men, and provide evidence that God yields to the saints' pleading and urging. Both parables depict a person granting a request because of his selfish motives. The Persistent Friend's persevering prayer is for necessities, while the Persistent Widow's is for protection. Both parables conclude that God will not fail us, as our friends and acquaintances often do. The background for this parable is found in chapter 17. Some had asked, When will the Kingdom come? In response, Jesus told them that one day soon they would long to see one of His days but would not be able to see it. First Jesus had to suffer and die. Then there would be a succession of false Messiahs and still it wouldn t be time. But when He finally did come it would be suddenly and it would catch many people off guard. They would have given up and stopped praying. Widows in that society were the lowest of the low. They no longer had their man to stand by them and do everything for them. They were isolated and often destitute, with no money, no power, no clout, no nothing. Not only were they grieving the loss of their loved one, but they were also often reduced to poverty and were treated extremely harshly. To add insult to injury, the widow in today's story was also being persecuted. Someone in her world had become adversarial and it was very disconcerting to the widow. Try as she might, she could not get this individual to stop pursuing her. She was being tormented on a daily basis with no relief in sight. This woman had someone who was taking advantage of her. This was an enemy to the woman. This bad behavior was ongoing and the woman was sick of enduring it. She sought the judge out to help her. Well the widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious, and he answered her request just to get her off his back. In another E:\The Parable of the Persistent Widow.doc 1
case, the Lord told of a man who had unexpected guests arrive late at night, and him with no food in the pantry. Hurrying to his neighbor s house, he pounded on the door asking for three loaves of bread. The neighbor was already in bed. The Lord explained that it wasn t the neighbor s friendship that got him out of bed to give the man what he needed, but his boldness or persistence in asking. Here we have a persistent widow, and yet the man she seeks out for help refuses to honor her request. He had no conscience and was impervious to shame. He didn t want to get involved; it wasn t any of his business. She was just a pain to deal with and he did not want to be bothered by her. She was a nuisance. A nudge. A whiner. He didn t have time to deal with her nonsense. This woman had no rights and was treated with contempt by this unjust man. But she wouldn't give up, pestering him night and day. Finally, exasperated, the judge gave in. He decided that he d get rid of her by granting her request. How many of us have given into people and done things just to get them off our backs? I have. We don t really want to do it but it s just easier to do it to get the person to go away. Sometimes we don t act out of compassion or because we want to help, but rather because the person will then leave us alone and hopefully they will be satisfied and we'll be done with it! Jesus told the crowd, if this unjust man can do that, imagine what God will do for those he chooses? Jesus' point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a lowly widow, someone without standing or influence in their day, how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His followers? Jesus tells all of us through this parable to always cry out to him day and night in prayer. If you cry out to me day and night, I will bring you justice," he claims. He goes on to proclaim, "If you are one of God's chosen, you will get justice, and soon." All you have to do is keep praying. Jesus assures us our prayers will be answered fast. What does the word "always" express about the dedication we need in praying? "Always" does not mean we should pray every single minute of the day. If this were so, the faith involved in prayer would be a dead one, as we would never have time to do the works required with it. "Always" means that we should be faithful to our regular times of prayer. Concerning the time of prayer, "always" includes the fact that we should pray in both good and bad times. Sadly, some pray only in a crisis, and others forget to offer a prayer of thanksgiving when God has E:\The Parable of the Persistent Widow.doc 2
intervened to solve a problem or provide a blessing. Regarding the spirit of prayer, "always" means we should be continually ready to pray, praying whenever a crisis hits or a need arises. Because they reveal our priorities, good habits of prayer show dedication to God and strengthen our relationship with Him. Jesus' last statement is rather curious. To drive home the point He began in the widow s story, the Lord closed with a question. He was very fond of asking questions. He asks, "When the son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" Though His return is certain, will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes? The Parable of the Persistent Widow is especially linked with the final crisis of the last days and the painful circumstances the faithful remnant will face. Prayer will be a major resource for them. Since vengeance is God's alone, they know He will judge their oppressors, but as they wait for deliverance, persevering prayer will be their refreshment and supply of patience. The parable is preceded by Jesus' exhortation on the Christian duty to pray, dedication in prayer, and resisting the temptation to discontinue prayer. It concludes by indicating that prayer is a matter of faith. Praying with doubt is faithless, making the prayer useless. Doubting the inspiration of Scripture and the power of God hinders prayer. As prayer and faith go hand in hand, so do unbelief and not praying. Prayer must sometimes be done at dangerous times. Danger weeds out the coward from the courageous. Daniel faced real danger in praying, but kept on praying, even though it led to the lion's den. Today, our dangers are varied, but the danger of embarrassment often affects people more than danger of physical harm. What causes people to discontinue praying? Satan is a master of causing distractions, especially during prayer time. Probably every saint has experienced his mind wandering, causing him to think about everything except what he should be praying about. Few things cause us to lose heart in praying more than delays in answers to our requests. Jesus uses this parable to teach us that, though answers often appear to take a long time in coming, we should persevere and not grow weary in praying to God. "Not lose heart" or "faint" means to grow weary, to give in to evil, to turn coward. We must resist the human tendency of growing weary in prayer. We have a duty as the elect of God to pray. There are several major causes of losing heart: defilement, doubt, danger, distractions, and delay. The defilement of sin kills E:\The Parable of the Persistent Widow.doc 3
interest in spiritual exercises like prayer. Sin does not promote a good prayer life in fact, it will stop it dead. Why does Jesus compare the dealings of God with a corrupt judge? Jesus compares God, not with a good man, but with a godless man to emphasize the vast difference between this unjust judge and the righteous God. The conduct of the unjust judge exposes the chaotic and corrupt judgments in which he had prostituted himself. No one can compel him to do anything because he feels no regard for anyone, including God. He acts purely out of self-interest. If this unjust judge could avenge a widow whom he distained, how much more will the righteous God avenge his elect? This parable reveals God's willingness to hear and answer the supplications of His elect, responding when they are offered according to His will. The word "avenge" implies the working out of His vengeance in justice, not in retaliation. If God's elect are wrongly treated, they can be sure of vindication. So, if the unjust judge because of a selfish irritation avenges a troublesome widow, how much more will the selfless God come to our aid? We can expect substantially better treatment from a God of loving kindness than from a heartless judge. The widow, who speaks only five words, does not prevail because of her persuasive plea but because of her persistence. Sometimes too many words reveal a scarcity of desire or a lack of purpose. Jesus tells us long prayers and useless repetitions will not make God hear us any better. He already knows our needs. Like our widow in today's story, will you persevere no matter what happens or how bad things get? God has assured us that He hears and answers prayer. We must have the faith of Christ that God can provide what we need, enjoys hearing us ask according to His will, and desires to give us abundantly what we should have. God can be counted on to vindicate the oppressed. God won't turn a deaf ear to our prayers. Pray without ceasing, Paul wrote in 1 Thes. 5:17. That's good advice. Earlier the Lord had given us similar instruction. Ask and it will be given to you; He said, Seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Nothing is impossible with God." Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to E:\The Parable of the Persistent Widow.doc 4
give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! In both cases the lesson is the same. If even those who are evil can be moved by persistence, how much more so the Lord? It s funny in a way, how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan. His return is a foregone conclusion, the decision made before the foundations of the world were laid. Yet He encourages us to keep praying for it, and to never give up till the day it happens. It s almost as if He s saying our prayers could influence the timing. He also alluded to this in Matthew 24, where Jesus, through his disciples, told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near, to pray that it not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter. That's rather odd. I wonder why he said that? Would God actually alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority? Does prayer really have that kind of power? James 5:16 says that the prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective. They are sufficient to save the soul, heal the sick, raise the dead. And, if the above examples are any indication, influence the timing of God s Plan. If so, why don t we see more evidence of the miraculous today? If the Age of Miracles really is over, as some would have us believe, is it just because we ve stopped praying for them? Ask and it will be given to you. Pray without ceasing. Be bold and persistent, especially when praying for His return. Let the Lord know that at least in your heart, there s still faith on Earth. Maybe if enough of us persist in this, we can hasten the day of His coming. There s no such thing as too much prayer. When things look bleak, pray. Pray all the time no matter what the circumstances. Amen! E:\The Parable of the Persistent Widow.doc 5