The Parables of Jesus - The Persistent Prayer

Introduction

Today we are going to look at a parable that speaks to all of us, and that concerns prayer offered with persistence and faith.

The example that Jesus gives us in this parable will also be a comparison, between one person who is morally unjust and another person who depends on him to obtain justice, as we have already seen in previous parables. 

For example, in the parable of the persistent friend, a man comes at midnight to ask his friend for help, and because of his persistence, his friend finally gets up and opens the door to him.

This injustice and this justice will indeed be at the center of the message, or rather, the justice of the world and the justice of God, the justice that comes from the righteous Judge of our souls, our Creator, but through prayer, which is this essential element that allows God to have first place in our life on earth, so that we may represent Jesus Christ, His only Son, in whom He has placed all His affection, on this earth, to save all those who will believe in Him and repent toward God, and to give Him all the glory.

But if Jesus uses the example of an unjust judge to speak to us about prayer, it is to show us a clear contrast: if even an unjust judge eventually responds to the persistent request of a widow, how much more will God, who is just, good, and sovereign, answer those who depend on Him and cry out to Him with perseverance.

This perseverance will also show us in what context we will be called to put it into practice: not out of obligation or religious duty, but in a real relationship with our heavenly Father, in whom we keep our hearts, through the power of His Holy Spirit who lives in us, for the glory of God.

For if there is perseverance in prayer, it is because there is dependence on God. We continue to pray because we know that we need Him, that we can trust Him, and that we know He listens to the prayers of those who belong to Him. Let us read the passage together.

Teaching — Reading — Luke 18:1–8

Context of the Passage

If we take into account the context of chapter 17, we can see that Jesus tells His disciples to be watchful when they hear that He is here or there, and especially not to pay attention to it.

For in the last days, He will return like lightning across the sky, in an instant, just as in the days of Noah and Lot, when judgment fell upon the earth and the separation of people took place.

The disciples of Jesus could not yet fully understand the power of God, because the coming of the Holy Spirit to the earth, at Pentecost, had not yet taken place to come and live in them and lead them into the truth and will of God.

But Jesus is preparing them for times to come, which will be both times of glory and persecution.

They will then have to remain attached to Him, waiting for His return, in the middle of the difficulties and trials they will have to face, just like all those who belong to Him.

This is exactly why, in what follows, Jesus will now speak about prayer, the prayer that we must exercise without ceasing, night and day, in the hope of His return, during the difficult moments they will have to face, so that, in their complete dependence on God, they may continue to trust Him and seek His glory among those who love Him and trust Him.

The Command to Pray

—“And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” v.1

Jesus clearly tells His disciples two things: first, to pray, and to pray without ceasing, that is, at all times and on every occasion. This implies complete dependence and faith in the One who watches over them, that is, their heavenly Father.

For us who are here today, this means that it is important to maintain this relationship with our heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, by the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in us, at all times and in all circumstances.

Yes, it is possible to pray to find a parking space in a supermarket, but far beyond that, we must pray in difficult moments, moments that are impossible to understand or overcome, because of our lack of understanding and our human limitations.

So, what is prayer? 

It is a dialogue expressed by our mouth, but which comes from the heart, with God. They are thanksgivings and requests addressed to the One who holds everything in His hand, even the universe.

To whom should we address it? It is addressed to God, our Father who is in heaven and who, through His Holy Spirit, lives in us.

In what circumstances? All circumstances. There is nothing that should make us believe that we are independent from God on this earth, but rather that we are children, even when we reach an advanced age here on earth, but still children compared to the Creator of the universe.

Are all prayers answered?

—God gave us, through the apostle John, this beautiful passage to answer this question:“I have written these things to you so that you may know that you have eternal life, you who believe in the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have before Him: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked of Him.” 1 John 5:13–15

As soon as we have eternal life, we have passed from the domain of darkness into the Kingdom of light (Col. 1:13), and it is by faith that we have been forgiven and saved in Jesus Christ by the grace of God.

This reconciliation with our heavenly Father must lead us to this firm assurance of His love for us, in His providence toward all those who belong to Him.

What is the will of God? The whole Bible speaks about it and reveals it, but if we ignore the Bible, we also ignore the will of God.

So, what does the Bible tell us about the will of God? The will of God is that His people glorify Him and obey Him when He tells us in His Word to love Him and to love others, not only in words but in actions, which will confirm our love for Him and for others.

This love was manifested in the world in Jesus Christ, who gave Himself on the cross of Calvary, in order to do the will of the Father, and to drink the cup of the wrath of God that was reserved for us for the day of judgment, which will come like lightning, as in the days of Noah or Lot.

Therefore, through this prayer, we express our dependence on God. It guides us through the Holy Spirit in our requests and makes us humble toward others, because we understand that we depend on God and that we want to seek His will in this world around us.

Let us now look at the heart of the parable.

The City and the Corrupt Judge

— “He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. ” v.2

How can we think that there is a judge who should be impartial, according to the law and the rules, who has no fear of God, that is, of divine supremacy over man, and no respect for man, that is, no respect for others? Without any responsibility, or even any account to give to anyone?

Having such a man as a judge in a city is a disgrace for people who are seeking justice, because we cannot place our trust in such a person who has authority and power over others, and who can even have the power to decide over someone else’s life or death, freedom or imprisonment.

Jesus gives us only a glimpse of this character, corrupted in his heart, hard and arrogant, doing whatever he wants, according to his own will, to help us understand that despite his position of authority, he will have no love for those he should protect on earth, unlike God.

Jesus is leading us toward what He will tell us later: that God loves and protects those who pray and wait for His justice.

The Widow Seeking Justice

— “And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’” v.3

The fact that Jesus uses a widow as an example is also significant, because she is a vulnerable person.

She no longer had her husband, who, in the society of that time, was normally the one who provided protection and defense for his household. In a society that could be hostile toward vulnerable people, a widow could therefore find herself particularly exposed and in need of protection.

Her request does not tell us precisely what this widow is asking this judge to do, but there is clearly an action being taken so that she can obtain justice, because of the circumstances that she experiences as unjust or difficult.

The adversary means that she is facing a conflict or a person who is causing her harm, and she comes to ask the judge to give her justice.

This is the whole message that Jesus will use to help us understand that this widow is seeking justice from a judge who will not care about her, but that His disciples, through prayer, can turn to God, who will hear them and take care of them according to His sovereign justice and His infinite love.

Now, we are going to see how this judge will treat this widow, and in what state of mind he will answer her request.

The Judge with Wicked Thoughts

— “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.’” v.4–5

The judge refused to deal with this widow, first because of his lack of compassion, because he had no fear of God and no respect for people, important or not, because he thought he had all the keys to the lives of others in his hands because of his position and authority.

Secondly, the thoughts of the judge also show us what his heart is like, and his actions will also come from that heart. Having such a hard attitude toward a vulnerable widow shows a heart of stone.

The fact that the widow bothers him shows us that her persistence before this judge finally brings an answer.

Here, in this example, Jesus shows His disciples that persevering in prayer keeps them in a certain hope: God the Father hears them, and He will bring justice according to His will, beyond the things that can be seen and understood by the natural man.

The judge agrees, not because of integrity, not because he is convinced of her innocence, and not because of compassion toward this widow, but because he wants to get rid of her. He simply wanted her to stop bothering him, so that he could move on to something else, even though he was supposed to represent justice in the world.

So, the question naturally arises: should we trust justice in the world?

The answer is yes, as far as God remains sovereign over authorities and over the justice of men. But the subject here is not whether we should trust justice in the world or not, but rather to compare the request of this widow with the requests that the disciples and His Church today must bring before the Father.

A second question would then be: should a Christian appeal to justice?

This will have to be a subject for another sermon. Let us continue with this parable.

Justice Given by the Unjust One

— “And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says.” v.6

Luke makes something clear in his account. This sentence could mean: “Did you understand what the unjust judge said? He finally decided to judge the widow’s case because of her persistence!” And: “Did you see how strong and courageous this woman was in front of this corrupt judge?”

Insistence and perseverance can even bear fruit in this world. God loves those who persevere with faith.

What a beautiful message of encouragement Jesus is going to give His disciples! For the unjust judge, corrupt as he is, grants a favor to this widow, while God is God, and He can do everything for those who belong to Him.

Do we understand that this unjust judge “responded favorably” to the requests of the widow? That even in a corrupt world, a request can sometimes receive a favorable answer?

So, let us now see what God can do with the requests of those who belong to Him.

Justice Given by the Righteous Judge

— “And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?” v.7

Now Jesus speaks openly about God to His disciples and gives them this reassuring and comforting statement for when they will be in adversity and in need.

Yes, God loves His people, “His elect,” those whom He has chosen for His glory, by His holy sovereignty and His perfect purpose. The apostle Paul tells us: “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.” Romans 8:33

Crying out day and night expresses prayers in moments of suffering and discouragement, continual supplications to God the Father, like King David, in this supreme recognition of God toward men, and of men belonging to God, through an upright attitude, in this sincere and perfect communion with our Father.

Sometimes, we might believe that God has forgotten His people, that He is no longer at our side. His purposes are accomplished according to His perfect wisdom, even when painful situations seem to continue for a long time or when oppression seems no longer bearable.

Jesus directs His disciples and all those who belong to Him beyond their immediate circumstances, toward the certainty of God’s coming justice, which will be fully accomplished and completed when the Son of Man returns and openly establishes justice.

Let us now look at the last verse, which will lead us toward the conclusion of this parable.

The Justice of God in a World Without Faith

— “I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” v.8

Here, Jesus shows His divine authority — When He says: “God says.” — The Bible tells us: “He who has ears, let him hear.” Matthew 13:9

God will quickly give justice to His elect, to those whom He justified by faith, in the time of Abraham as in the time of Jesus. Nothing has changed in the salvation of mankind. The Bible tells us that “The righteous shall live by faith.”

However, when Jesus returns, there will be an important issue, which also has a prophetic side, because we know that when Jesus returns, the question will be whether He will still find faith on the earth.

So, in this parable, we are speaking about a faith that allows us to persevere, to continue the race even though the times that were coming would be difficult, especially when Jesus would be lifted up and seated at the right hand of the Father.

This faith, which submits us to the will of the Father through fervent and sincere prayer, in order to have this peace in our hearts, this justice and this faith that move mountains.

So, if this prayer of faith is not yet a reflex in our daily life, let us begin to practice it with fervor, so that we may submit to the will of the Father and so that He may be glorified when He brings His justice in the darkest moments of our lives.

Conclusion

Jesus shows us through this parable that the justice of God is very real and a direct consequence of prayer offered in faith by those who submit to Him, the legitimate children of His grace. For God hears the prayers of the righteous, and He responds according to His holy will and sovereign purpose.

May our prayers remain fervent and a priority in our life on this earth. May they be sincere and full of faith toward our heavenly Father who hears them and answers them according to His holy will and sovereignty, at the time appointed by Him alone.

Let us pray that our faith in Jesus Christ remains strong and grows every day, so that our testimony of the grace of God may be visible around us, and that it may bring all the glory to God the Father, to whom we submit, to whom we are attached with infinite love in the Son, Jesus Christ, through the powerful work of the Holy Spirit.

As the apostle Paul reminds us when he wrote to the church in Thessalonica during difficult times: “See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:15–18 . 

Amen.