Parable The Persistent Widow

21/07/2009 by John Marsden.

The Persistent Widow

Luke 18:1-8

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ 

 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’ ”  And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

• The point of this parable is stated clearly in the first sentence: we should pray always and not give up praying.
• In this parable there is a woman who is seeking justice from someone who is treating her wrongly, and she goes to the only person who can help her—a judge.
• Jesus promises that God will hear and answer us as we persistent in faithful prayer, we just need to stay faithful in prayer.

An Unconcerned Judge

In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men.

·         The judge in this story was not so good as a judge, as he did not care about anyone but himself. While a judge is supposed to uphold what is right and just, this judge cared nothing for those things.

·         Regardless of his character, this judge had a position of authority and had the power to grant justice, so the widow sought justice from him.

An Unwavering Widow

 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him…

·         Although the judge was unconcerned and indifferent to her problem, the widow was undeterred in her cause. She had nowhere else to turn but this judge, so she came to him continually, reminding him of her need.·         Though the judge obviously did not care for her or justice, the widow did not criticize him or take matters into her own hands. She respected the authority that had been given him and continued to make her plea.
 

THE REALITY 

A God Who Hears

I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.

• Unlike the unjust judge who did not care to make things right or to have mercy on a poor widow, our God cares very much for His children and is a totally just God who will make all things right.
• Our God hears the prayers of his children and is moved by their need for Him and their dependence upon Him to make things right in their lives.
• If an unjust judge who cares nothing for people or justice and only about himself will give an answer to a woman simply because she keeps asking him, how much more do you think a God who hears and cares will answer His own children who call out to Him for their needs?

A People Who Pray 

…his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night…

·         The children of God must learn this lesson from the widow in this parable: we must be persistent in our praying and in our seeking of God. If we do not get an answer the first or second time, we must be willing to keep praying in faith, knowing that our God hears and answers.

·         Prayers in not just asking God for whatever we want and then leaving it at that, it is seeking God’s face in faith, seeking intimacy with Him above all else, demonstrating our utter dependence on Him for all our needs, and claiming the promises in His word for our lives and the lives of others.

WHEN JESUS RETURNS

Will We Be Praying?

…they should always pray and not give up.

• God’s children are to be children of prayer. Not just ones who go to Him whenever they want something, but who live lives fully surrendered to Him, seeking His face and His kingdom above all else in the quiet place of prayer.
• Without prayer, we are basically saying we can handle everything on our own and that we don’t need God’s help. Prayer demonstrates our faith in His provision and justice.
• Praying with persistence is not simply praying vain repetitions; it is coming before God with urgency and fervency, reminding Him of our need for Him to act. There are many forces at work against us—demons, our flesh, worldliness—so we must persist in spite of these things until we come to that breakthrough in prayer where we receive the peace of God that surpasses all comprehension.

Will We Be Faithful?

…will he find faith on the earth?

·         Why does Jesus end this parable with such a question? “Will he find faith…?” In this parable Jesus has promised that God hears the cries of His children and will swiftly bring justice to them as they pray to Him. However, it is conditional—we must first pray to Him with faith and desire and enthusiasm, and continue to pray until we receive our answer.

·         Many people will pray once, or maybe twice, for something and then say, “See, God doesn’t hear my prayers or care about me” when they do not receive an answer right away.

·         Faith is trusting God completely, knowing that He is the One with absolute power and authority to change things and make them right for us. We must be like the widow who had faith enough in the position of the judge to keep asking him for justice, except we can have faith in God’s authority and His mercy. Let us not give up hope.

Matthew 7:7-8

“Ask and it will be given to you; 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. 

·         Jesus promised that if we ask for anything and seek God for it and knock at His door to get it, we would surely get it. So, if we do not see the answer to our prayers right away, we continue to ask, seek, and knock until we do, knowing that
God will bring the answer.·         Prayer demonstrates our faith God rather than dependence upon our selves or others or material possessions. Answered prayer builds our faith.·         If we start to place faith in other things or people, then we will lose faith in God and stop believing that He is the One who hears and answers.Have a great day

John

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