Luke 18:1-5 1And he was telling them a parable in order that they should always pray and not be discouraged, saying 2“A certain judge was in a certain city who neither feared God nor respected people. 3And a widow was in that city who repeatedly was coming to him saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4For a while he was not willing, but after these things he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect people, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not wear me down by her continual coming.’”
One might feel discouraged after listening to what Jesus said in chapter 17. His coming may be delayed, so meanwhile, the disciples must not be discouraged. Luke next records Jesus’ response of encouragement to his disciples and gives the meaning of the parable right at the start. Persistent prayer connects disciples to the source of hope. The parable and its application are given in an a fortiori style, from the lesser to the greater. The human response in verses 2-5 compares to the divine response in verses 6-8. Luke emphasizes prayer in his writings. Prayer connects us to God’s power. Through prayer, the Holy Spirit grows within us hope (Romans 15:13).
The parable has two characters. The judge looks like he did a poor job because he did not fear God or respect people. From the Bible’s perspective, these are two essential qualities for a just judge (Proverbs 9:10). He refused the two basic commandments of loving God and loving one’s neighbor. Not fearing God leads to not respecting people. Unfortunately, there are unjust judges like this today. The intention of verse 2 is to be a shock to the listener and create tension and expectation in the story. The other character is a widow who was being taken advantage of by an adversary. Widows were in an especially vulnerable position and could be easily taken advantage of (20:47). There are many stories today of widows being swindled out of money and possessions. The contrast between these two characters is vivid and significant.
The widow appears to be in a desperate situation and seeks justice from the judge, who refuses to intervene because he does not care. Like some people, perhaps he was in the position for the power or prestige but not because he cared or had a calling from God to ensure justice in the city. Jesus does not give other details about the judge, but the judge was not kind to the widow. The point of the story appears in the responses of the two people. The widow is persistent and does not give up. The judge finally relents and intervenes in the situation because of the widow was wearing him out by her constant asking. Any parent can understand how constant requests can wear on us and lead us to change our minds. The theme of the parable is that persistence can lead to a result. Not giving up on a project or petition will eventually lead to completion. Jesus gives the spiritual application in the following verses.
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