Continued Perseverance

Let’s consider one of those parables of Jesus that seems a little off what we expect. ‘There was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man.’ Hmm, doesn’t seem to fit our idea of a role model, does he? Remember: a parable only has one point and Jesus tell us at the very beginning this one is that disciples ‘ought always to pray and not lose heart.’

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. ¹  

Then Jesus introduces the one ‘always praying and not losing heart’ and the effectiveness of her continuing to seek justice:

And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ ²

It is fundamental to the parable that what the woman is persisting in seeking is justice and she keeps coming to the one who has the authority to give it to her. ‘And will not God give justice to [her] his elect, who cry to him day and night?’ Justice agrees with God and is dispersed through the judge. Her cry to the judge is in her persistent faith in God’s ability to provide what is just in God’s eyes. Persistence before God is not to get Him to do something apart from His will but to keep us mindful and dependent upon Him and not ourselves. We trust God to move the hearts of men to accomplish God’s justice.

And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily.” ³

Interestingly enough, Jesus finishes this glimpse of God’s working through people with the observation that too many give up on God and don’t persist.

“Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” ⁴

Shall we persist in continuance with God even when appearances seem futile? Can we believe God to move circumstances to what is Just in His heart?