As we continue our walk through the parables of Jesus, we come to a parable that doesn’t make a lot of sense on the surface, but this is because we may easily miss Jesus’ key opening statement that frames the purpose of this parable, and with this frame in mind, we are better able to trust God with the details.
Our parable and passage are found in Luke’s gospel, chapter 18, and we will read from the New Century Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 1, Luke tells us:
1 Then Jesus used this story to teach his followers that they should always pray and never lose hope. 2 “In a certain town there was a judge who did not respect God or care about people. 3 In that same town there was a widow who kept coming to this judge, saying, ‘Give me my rights against my enemy.’ 4 For a while the judge refused to help her. But afterwards, he thought to himself, ‘Even though I don’t respect God or care about people, 5 I will see that she gets her rights. Otherwise she will continue to bother me until I am worn out.’”
6 The Lord said, “Listen to what the unfair judge said. 7 God will always give what is right to his people who cry to him night and day, and he will not be slow to answer them. 8 I tell you, God will help his people quickly. But when the Son of Man comes again, will he find those on earth who believe in him?”
As we read this passage just now, three parts of this passage stood out in my mind.
The first part of our passage that stood out as we read it is how Jesus frames this illustration in the first verse. Luke tells us in verse 1 that “Jesus used this story to teach his followers that they should always pray and never lose hope.” While the details in this parable can lead us to many different conclusions, we must not forget the framing that we have here, because any conclusion we have from this parable must amplify the value of persistent prayer and keeping our hope alive.
The way I understand this framing is that we should pray about anything and everything that is on our minds and trust God that He will take care of it. In some cases, if we do not see an answer or resolution right away, we should not lose hope. Instead, we should have faith and trust in God that He knows what the best timing is for answering our prayer. While we might think now is the best time for our prayers to be answered, God understands the implications of every possible way He could answer our prayer and His goal for us is eternity with Him in heaven for as many people as possible.
The second part of our passage that stood out in my mind is an interesting parallel in the thoughts of the judge. In verses 4 and 5, the judge thinks, “Even though I don’t respect God or care about people, I will see that she gets her rights. Otherwise she will continue to bother me until I am worn out.” As I read this statement, the thought entered my mind that this idea subtly parallels God’s Holy Spirit working on peoples’ hearts and minds. When we pray for someone, the Holy Spirit begins working on their hearts and lives and also on our hearts and on our lives. In an interesting twist, when we persist in our prayers and let the Holy Spirit work in the lives of those we care about, He is much more effective than if we were to try to help guide them in any other way.
In this illustration, through the unjust judge’s words, we discover a parallel in how the Holy Spirit works in peoples’ lives, and we discover how the Holy Spirit is one of the most effective ways of drawing people to God.
The third part of this passage that stood out as we read it is the two statements in the last verse. The first of these statements counters the unjust judge’s attitude. Jesus tells us in this statement that “God will help his people quickly.” When we pray, God is more than willing to give us an answer right away. However, the answer might not be the one we want or the one we expect. While we would love a fast “yes” answer for every prayer we pray, sometimes the fast answer we receive is a “no”, a “not yet”, or a “no, but here is something better instead”.
These four possible answers are the big ways God answers prayers, and Jesus tells us in this passage that God will not be slow to answer our prayers and He will be quick to help His people. God promises to help His people quickly, but I don’t believe God will help us in any way that would ultimately result in our choosing to leave Him and forfeiting our salvation. I also don’t believe God is interested in making our lives in sin so comfortable that we would prefer this life to the one He has promised us in the New Heaven and New earth.
The very last phrase in our passage is both fascinating and challenging in my mind. Jesus looks forward to the time of His return and asks the almost rhetorical question, “When the Son of Man comes again, will he find those on earth who believe in him?”
This question is fascinating, and for some of my life, I thought this was a ridiculous question to ask, especially because when Jesus returns, He is returning for His people. While many of God’s people will be resurrected at that time, the Bible talks about people being caught up in the clouds to meet Jesus who have not faced death. Everyone who is saved when Jesus returns, both dead and alive, will be saved because they placed their hope, faith, and belief in Jesus.
However, as I see the culture declining, and Christians focusing more time on things other than Jesus, I begin to see Jesus’ words here as a challenge for all of His followers to keep their faith in Him strong. In this passage and this unique parable, Jesus emphasizes the importance of persistent prayer, unwavering hope, and unyielding belief in Him. In many ways, these characteristics help define who God’s people are, and these characteristics help us grow a solid relationship with God as we prepare for eternity!
As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:
As I always challenge you to do, continue to seek God first in your life and to keep your belief in Him strong. Accept Jesus’ challenge in this passage to be persistent in your prayers and to never lose hope. Intentionally trust God with answering your prayers in His timing, and know that when God tells you to wait, it is because He knows something we don’t know in the big picture of eternity.
Also, keep praying and studying the Bible for yourself to grow closer to God each and every day. Growing a strong relationship with God here on this earth simply prepares us for a strong relationship with God throughout eternity, and a strong relationship with God is the only way we will face the challenges of this life without letting our faith be shaken.
And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or abandon where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!