Pray persistently (Luke 18a)

Pray persistently

Luke 18:1-8
Key verse 18:1,7

There are so many things in our society and in our life that do not make sense. Recently, an 81 years old man was exonerated from a murder charge after a 50 year’s legal struggle. The prosecutor offered him an apology but that did not compensate anything for the old man’s agony and his lost days. Last week, there were shootings at the Westfield Mall in Bethesda and the Aspen Hill Shopping Center. Some innocent people were victimized. They were all precious family members to some people. Some workers have lost jobs all of sudden without wrongdoings while someone else was promoted. Some people have lost their lives in the battlefield while some others were having a party in a luxury hotel. Life seems unfair. We believers suffer more unfairness and injustice in the world. People are allow to practice their religions in the public place but we Christians are not. How should we deal with unfairness and injustice in our life? Through today’s passage, we can learn how to view all this and what Jesus wants us to do. 

In the previous passage, for the first time Jesus revealed how the kingdom of God would come. The kingdom of God has come through Jesus and will be fully displayed when Jesus comes again. But his death must precede all this. He will come again at an unexpected time when people are unprepared. Everyone will see his coming and he will judge the world. In the meantime until he comes, we believers should live on earth, waiting for Jesus’ return. And it will be a hard time because we will suffer unjustly. So in Luke 17:22 Jesus said, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.” What should we do then and how? In today’s passage, Jesus tells his disciples to pray persistently for justice. Why? I pray that the Spirit of God may help us pray persistently.

1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought.

There lived a judge in a town. He neither feared God nor cared what people thought. As for God he had no fear; as for man he had no respect. He had authority and power and he was arrogant and obstinate. The judge was not the type of person who would be persuaded or moved by anyone and by any means. In verses 6, Jesus said that he was an unjust judge. As a judge, he should have done right things for people. But he did not hear those who were in need. He ignored their suffering and turned his face away from them. The judge was a hard person to talk with and expect mercy from.

3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

Meanwhile, there lived a widow in the same town and she greatly suffered injustice. In ancient time, many widows were poor and vulnerable since they had no husbands who could protect them and provide for them. This widow must have gone through many difficult times. She was harassed and oppressed by her adversary. We don’t know what happened to her but she greatly suffered bitterness and sorrow. She desperately wanted to see justice for herself. But she had no power to avenge her injustice. No one would and could help her. She was frustrated in anger. She spent so many sleepless nights. Her only hope was to see the judge but he was unjust. It was obvious that the judge would not listen to her. She would not see justice from such a judge. She knew all this. Nevertheless, she went to the judge because he was only one who had authority and power to grant her justice. She pleaded with the judge, “Please grant me justice against my adversary.”

But the judge refused, saying, “Get out of here!” The next day the judge saw the widow again. The widow cried loudly, “Grant me justice against my adversary.” He ignored her again. The following day the widow came back again, “Grant me justice against my adversary.” The judge was distressed by the widow and went to some other place to avoid her. But the widow appeared there too, asking again, “Grant me justice against my adversary!” Every day wherever he went, the widow came to him and asked him for justice for her. She even haunted him in his dreams, saying, “Grant me justice against my adversary!” The widow never gave up. She kept coming to the judge regardless of the judge’s rejection. She badly wanted to see justice for herself. And she had no one else who was able to give her justice. The more she was rejected the more she became persistent. She came to see the judge every day and pleaded desperately, shamelessly and ceaselessly. She never gave up. She could not stop her plea. Her persistence was her only way of seeking justice from the unjust judge.

4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”

He was an unjust judge. He had no fear of God and no respect of man. At first the judge ignored the widow and then he was annoyed and then troubled and then got exhausted and then even afraid of her. He was afraid that the widow would attack him if he continued to refuse her. Here “attack” means to strike under the eye or to beat down. He was afraid that the widow would beat him down. In modern American terms, he thought she would appear in front of him and shoot him. He could not bear it anymore. The judge was so much stressed out that he even lost his appetite and suffered paranoia. He was at a point where he had to do something to resolve this matter. It was so stressful that he changed his mind. Finally, the judge was willing to give her justice not because he was righteous but because he was exhausted by the persistent widow. Finally, her persistent plea moved even such an unjust judge.

6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

Jesus told his disciples to pay attention to what the judge said. He said, “Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!”

Even the unjust judge granted the widow justice because of her persistence. Why wouldn’t God bring justice for his people who cry out to him persistently? God is willing to grant us justice to his people at any time because he is righteous and merciful.

Now my parents are visiting my family. They were over 80 years old and have gone through many difficult times. About 25 years ago, my mom found out that she had cancer and needed an immediate surgery. But the problem was that she had to wait for several months to get surgery from her doctor because there would be no patient rooms available for her for months. It was so desperate a situation. My father pleaded with her doctor to admit her somehow and have a surgery for her, saying, “Please save my wife!” But he said he had no authority to do so. But my father did not give up. My father came to him again and again and each time the man said no. Later my father followed him wherever he went, even to the restroom, and kept saying, “Please save my wife.” Finally, the doctor got tired and tried all possible things for my mom. And then miraculously my mom got the surgery much earlier than expected. My father’s persistence moved the doctor and made a miracle. I believed God heard my father’s persistent plea even though my parents were unbelievers back then because after my mom’s successful surgery my parents began to go to church. Our God heard even an unbeliever who persistently pleaded. How much more with believers? Our God is gracious and merciful.

Our God never turns a deaf ear to his people’s pleas. Our Father cares for us. He never ignores or rejects his people’s prayer like mother who cannot refuse her baby crying for milk. How much more then when we pray desperately and persistently?

By saying this, Jesus told his disciples to pray always and not give up like the widow. We sometimes feel that our prayer is not strong enough to catch God’s attention, thinking God is so busy with some other people and stuff. We hope we can pray powerfully like Elijah, thinking that God answers well to powerful prayer. But the prayer he answers better is constant and persistent prayer. God hears those who pray always and not give up rather than those who pray fervently but not persistently.

Do you have something unresolved that you have still prayed for? Jesus encourages us to pray continually and to not give up. Even if God seems quiet, he already knows your sorrow and trouble. He wants you to believe and patiently wait for his time. Even if you do not see his answer yet, continue to pray day and night and do not give up and then God will answer your prayer for sure.

Psalm 88:1 says, “Lord, you are the God who saves me; day and night I cry out to you.”

Psalm 40:1 also says, “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.”

I have also something unresolved I still pray for. Sometimes I wonder if miracles can happen. But Jesus encourages me to keep praying, believing that my God is gracious and powerful. Let’s pray persistently until we see his answer. We will surely see his answer. God is pleased with our persistent prayer and will not delay his answer.

Today’s passage teaches us that we should pray always and not give up. But more importantly it teaches us for what we should pray persistently. And that is also the motivation that enables us to pray persistently. What do you think is the thing Jesus wants us to pray for? It is God’s justice. In the passage, the word justice appears four times (NIV). As the widow prayed for her justice, we should pray more earnestly for justice. Why?

When are you frustrated or angry the most? I think it is when you are treated unjustly. One of the major reasons for employee turnover is unfairness. Children get mad when they are treated unreasonably and unjustly by their parents. There are so many people who suffer from injustice in the world as I mentioned at the beginning of this message. We Christians suffer more from injustice in this world. We suffer from persecution. Some lose their job, their properties, and even their lives for their faith. Injustice is one of the key factors that causes troubles and make people unhappy. Conversely speaking, justice is the foundation of our happiness. Without justice, we cannot be happy. However, this world is not just because of our sins and no one can fix it. Only God can fix this problem.

God is the God of justice. Justice is the attribute of God whereby he carries out judgment to the evil and saves the good. In some sense, we can say that God’s salvation is to bring justice to the world that is cursed by its sins. That is his ultimate desire for this sinful world. That is why he sent Jesus and let him die for our injustice. This is his promise: He will surely bring about his justice to the world. Do you suffer injustice? Are you harassed and oppressed by your adversary? Pray to God for justice like the widow in the passage. Pray to God until he will grant you justice. Then our God will show his justice for us. However, we are not praying that God may punish our adversaries. Instead, we should pray for God’s justice to be revealed to us and to our adversaries and thus his glory.

When we pray for God’s justice, we always remember that it has to do with the kingdom of God. Today’s passage was given in the context of the kingdom of God that will come at Jesus’ return. The previous passage is about the coming of the kingdom of God. The following passages are also about the kingdom of God. So, Jesus taught his disciples to persistently pray in the hope of the coming of the kingdom of God where God’s justice prevails and we will not suffer from injustice anymore. The coming of the kingdom of God is our true hope. When Jesus comes again, we will no longer suffer from all kinds of sorrows and bitterness due to injustice in this world. No more tears. No more sorrows. No more bitterness. We will not see injustice anymore because the kingdom of God is the kingdom of righteousness and justice. Our God, who is gracious and just, will reign forever. This will be realized when Jesus comes again. And his day is coming closer.

8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

When Jesus comes again, he wants to see many people who have such faith that God certainly exercises justice for them. So, Jesus wants his disciples to pray always and persistently for God’s justice not only for them but for the world. We should pray more that God’s justice may prevail in this unjust and sinful world even now. When Jesus comes again, God’s justice is fully displayed on earth. So, when we pray for God’s justice, we pray for the coming of the kingdom of God. So, in Matt 6:9-10, Jesus taught his disciples to pray like this:

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

That should be our prayer all the time. Let’s pray always and persistently so that God’s justice may prevail in us and in this world. God answers speedily such a prayer. When we pray for his kingdom, God answers our prayer quickly without delay. The reason our ministry has grown so quickly for the last 55 years is that we prayed for the world mission as our first priority from the beginning. Our ministry began with a couple of believers who had the vision for the world mission and the kingdom of God on earth and God has blessed us so abundantly. Likewise, God blesses one individual who prays for the kingdom of God and lives for it.

Overall, Jesus encourages his disciples to pray always and persistently for justice for themselves and for the world. They would go through a hard time without Jesus. Rev 6:9-10 tell how much the saints would suffer.

9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”

This is our suffering in this unjust world. But we must not give up. Sometime we feel that God takes long to grant us justice. But what is his answer?

“Look, I am coming soon!... Yes, I am coming soon.” (Rev 22:12,20)

God exercises justice for us even now. But when Jesus comes again, he will give justice to everyone and his justice will prevail in the whole world. Therefore, we do not give up in our prayer. Again, remember that even the unjust judge granted justice to the widow. How much more and how quickly will not our God give us justice? God wants you and me not to be overcome by injustice in the world but to pray persistently for his justice in anticipation of the coming of the kingdom of God.

By David Yun