Jesus, you tell these stories so we’ll get a better idea of what God is like. Like that  Father who waits and watches for his wayward son   to come home. Or there’s the  Friend who is awakened in the middle of the night by a neighbor wanting bread. Then there is the one about  the Master who hires workers at different times of the day and pays them all the same wage.  All of them take some unpacking, but we get what you’re doing.

But this one? An unjust judge who won’t listen to a poor widow until she wears him out? God is like this? And we’re to come out saying that sometimes you must not give up when you ask God for something? You sound like he’s too busy for what’s important in our lives and will only do something when he gets around to it. Sorry to be so critical of your Father, but this one spells NOT FAIR!

God is Great, God is Good…

Listen, Jesus told this story to his disciples. He knew what they thought God should be, like always on their side. First point of adjustment needed. Next, it would be only days from then they would enter into Jerusalem for the last time together. Their faith would be stretched beyond belief. Jesus knew they needed to understand some things most people don’t want to look into hard. So put away those childlike thoughts that come with prayers for children.

The story begs the question, if God is good, then why….? Why do people suffer, bad things happen to good people, evil in the forms of oppression and war never seems to end? A good God would take care of all that it would seem. If not, what does that tell you about your God.

The judge in the story fits that mold. “Godless” is how Jesus describes him. He openly declares that he’s not afraid of God and cares not a whit for humanity. Jewish law specifically warns against exploitation of widows, orphans, even foreigners, 

Exodus 22: 21-22 "You must not mistreat or oppress foreigners in any way...You must not exploit a widow or an orphan."

But this creep is above law that is not of his own making.

Jesus tells his guys this story so they would understand the need for constant, persistent prayer. That’s easily seen in this poor widow who comes up against this judge who operates with impunity. When he won’t hear her case, she appeals with constant pestering. She becomes a pain in his you-know-what. Finally, he relents, gives her justice. You may read she drives him crazy, but a better wording is her badgering gives him a black eye. She successfully makes her case a problem for him and gets what's right for her.

How Much More…

Ok, this is the kind of story that gets under the skin. So Jesus is saying you’ve got to pray forever for what you need, and eventually God will comes through because if he doesn’t, it’s going to make him look bad. Who needs a God like that?

Remember, this story is made to stretch faith which requires consideration from another side. Not long before this, Jesus had thrown out this thought. If children were to ask their father for a fish, no father likely would give them a snake instead. Thus,  if human, fallible parents know to give good things to their kids, how much more would God then give   to those who pray for their needs. (Luke 11:11-13)

Take from that to keep on praying. If evil judges relent to persistent widows, how much more will your good God hear your needs and quickly answer.

Is that supposed to make you feel better about your God?

If making you feel better about your God is what Jesus came to do, let’s remember what God would be doing in Jesus within the next couple of days as he headed into Jerusalem for his trial. It wouldn’t be pretty. And feel-good stories about the divine are downright lame when realistically looking at what’s going on in the world.

Reverse Your Assumption

So you came at this thinking the judge is God? Where’d you get that idea? Yeah, that’s right, you’ve heard this thing about God as judge sitting on a celestial throne ready to say who’s good, who’s bad, who gets in and who stays out. For a blessed moment, would you please scrap that?

Here’s a little secret: Jesus is playing with you. He knows what you think about God and what you want from God. And he’s here to tell you what God really is like and what God really wants to do.

So do some head spinning and look at it like this. The widow is calling for justice. Who is most concerned about justice (remember those widows, orphans, foreigners, that sort of thing)? God considers that  true justice. It’s written in the law, for goodness’ sake.

Deuteronomy 16:19-20 "You must never twist justice or show partiality. Never accept a bribe, for bribes blind the eyes of the wise and corrupt the decisions of the godly. Let true justice prevail, so you may live and occupy the land that the Lord your God is giving you."

Justice is God’s passion.

Here’s a thought. In this story, this widow is the real representation of God. Sit with what that means. In all, God won’t let up on calling for justice and will go at it until it is achieved.

Then what’s with the judge? The forces that lack any smidgen of compassion, who don’t care in the least for those with little to no resources for any kind of life that affirms and brings dignity. These are the powerful, the godless who have great contempt for anyone not like them.

Prayer may at times seem ineffective, nearly useless, only a wisp of hope for what could never be. But God says No to all that. God isn’t going to give up on the pursuit of justice, so neither should prayers. Even against the biggest and bad-est, the corrupt and the superpowers, God is going after them aiming to deliver a black eye driven by faith.

Pray without Ceasing

Now you can take this as your bowing head and closing your eyes if you want. Even so, we all know “thoughts and prayers” are often expressed as sentiment and soon forgotten. As in the story, earnest prayer brings an urgency to the need. After the Amen though, it needs more.

How much more? More as in hands and feet and voices. More as in unrelenting in the call for justice. More for supreme efforts not only in changing laws, not only adherence to the law, but in changing hearts and minds. More as in full recognition of God-ordained morals to devise a culture that affirms the least, the last, the lost  whom Jesus healed and loved, the child-like losers.

Jesus threw out a challenge as he ended his story, “how many will I find who have faith?” Good question for the one going up against the worst evil and injustice. Or was it a prayer of his own?

Prayer is not a whispered wish. It's more.

Luke 18:1-8

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