Amy C Walters

The Parable of the Persistent Widow | Luke 18:1-8

One of the things we have to wrestle with is the gap between what Jesus says and what we see. He says he will act swiftly with justice and yet we see injustices that have continued for a long time. But this story shows us that Jesus will return with justice.

One of the things that we need to wrestle with in this story is the tension between what Jesus is saying and what seems to be reality. Jesus is talking about how God is just and will act swiftly to bring justice for his people. And yet, as we look at the world today, we see ongoing injustice, which in some cases has lasted for generations.

Believers across the world are persecuted for their faith and have been for decades. In the US, we have African American brothers and sisters who have faced racism in many different forms for a long time. You and I deal with injustice on a regular basis.

So how do we square these things? How do we line up what Jesus is saying and what we are seeing? We’ll tackle it by looking at the full story and the full context. 

With the full story, there’s something that Jesus says right at the very end: “Nevertheless, will the Son of Man find faith on the earth when he comes?” The “Son of Man,” this is a term that Jesus used to refer to himself. It has Old Testament roots and Messianic connections. So Jesus is talking about himself. Will he find faith when he comes?

Why is he saying “when he comes?” Jesus was right there, he had come. Why put it this way? It’s because he’s talking about a second coming, when he returns. 

And what will Jesus be looking for when he comes again? Faith on the earth.

Now let’s look at the full context and back up to just before this story starts. This story is found at the beginning of Luke 18. At the end of Luke 17, Jesus is talking to his disciples about the coming of the Kingdom of God and the conditions that will exist when he returns. 

So taking those two things together, we see that this parable is ultimately looking forward to Jesus’ return. When he comes again, that’s when we will see his judgment that is perfect, swift, and without appeal. 

God’s answer to injustice in this world is Jesus. When he came the first time, Jesus died on our behalf, taking God’s just wrath towards sin on himself, making a way for us to be justified. And when he returns again, the whole world will see his justice. 

Jesus acknowledges that we live in a world of injustice. He experiences it himself in the continual attacks of the Pharisees, and ultimately, with his bogus trial and execution.Jesus understands the injustice that we feel. But one day he will make it all right. 

The thing is, we don’t know when that will happen. We don’t know when he’s coming again. Ever since the days of the disciples, Christians have been looking for that return, expecting it at any moment. We’re told that Jesus’ second coming is imminent. That means it could happen at any time.

This also helps us make sense of that last statement, “will he find faith on the earth?” Will his people be faithfully awaiting his return? Will they be like this widow and persisting in pursuing justice, persisting in praying to God until he comes again? Or will they lose heart and give up? 

Our key truth for today is that Jesus will return with justice.

He is coming again, and when he does, he will make all things right. So this story is not about getting everything that we want right now. It’s not about God giving us justice at this moment. We may get it. He may answer that prayer. But we might have to wait.

This story is about trusting him to bring justice when he returns, knowing that it will come when he comes. 

So what do we do in the meantime? Just what Luke told us at the beginning of this story when he says that Jesus told them this parable “to the effect that they should always pray and never lose heart.” That’s what we do. We persevere in prayer. We don’t lose heart, and we look forward to Jesus’ return.