Chapter and verse divisions can be incredibly helpful. But they can also impede our ability to truly understand what is happening in some passages of Scripture. This is especially true given the way in which we typically read our Bibles — a chapter at a time.
It’s not hard to imagine an avid Bible reader sitting down to read Luke 17, stopping at verse 37, going about their day, and then tomorrow morning starting afresh at Luke 18 and the story of the persistent widow. In doing so, you’d likely miss some of the connections between the two chapters.
We will not fully understand the parable of the persistent widow apart from understanding Jesus’ words about the coming kingdom in Luke 17:20-37.
What Is the Parable of the Persistent Widow?
The persistent widow is a parable that Jesus tells us about a widow who wants justice. We don’t know many details, making the details we do have stand out all the more. We do not know the name of the widow, the name of the judge, or the name of the city.
But the story itself has played out numerous times throughout history. A vulnerable woman needs help from a corrupt man. This powerful judge holds the fate of this woman in his hands.
We know how this story typically plays out. Powerful people don’t tend to give up that power or fight for the vulnerable unless it directly benefits them. The judge in this story does what we would expect.
He continues to deny her justice. But she doesn’t give up. She keeps coming. Over and over and over again. Eventually, she wears the judge down. He gets so tired of hearing her case that he relents and gives her justice.
Take note of how the judge acquiesces: “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” (Luke 18:5).
Jesus tells us to listen well to what this judge says. And then he compares this judge to God. If this wicked judge finally gives justice, what do you think a loving Father, who delights in giving the kingdom (Luke 12:32), will do for his children who cry out day and night? Will he not give justice speedily?
What are we to make of this passage, though? There is a clue in verse 1 and verse 8. Luke tells us specifically that this parable is told: “to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”
And verse 8, Jesus asks the penetrating question, “when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” This parable, then, is about not giving up. But there is, I believe, a specific application that we can find by looking at the context.
What Is the Context of Luke 18:1-8?
In a local community, one church gives a conference called Unlocking the End Times, and another church gives a conference called Learning to Love Your Neighbor Well. Which one of these will be more populated?
You and I know that there will be plenty of empty seats in the “how to love your neighbor” and it will be standing-room only for the conference on the End Times. We like to get wrapped up in these things.
We learn from Luke 17 that this really isn’t a new phenomenon. The people in Jesus’ day were asking similar questions. “When is the kingdom coming?” or “When is God going to boot out Rome and give us back the land? When will we be rescued?”
In some ways, they were asking questions similar to the persistent widow. They wanted to know when they would see God act and bring them justice.
Asking questions like this puts you in an incredibly vulnerable position. And when you ask the wrong questions, some people are all too ready to give you the answers you think you need.
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were asking about when things would happen, and this focus caused them to miss the Rescuer who was right in front of them. That is Jesus’ point in Luke 17:20-21.
Jesus then turns to his disciples and warns them that this longing will put them in a position where they will be vulnerable to accepting error. Come back to the persistent widow for a moment.
Imagine that a smooth-talking lawyer hears her story. He’s a shyster. He doesn’t care about her any more than the wicked judge does, but he tries to convince her that if she entrusts her few remaining resources to him, he will finally give her justice. “Rescue is over here!” is quite appealing when you are desperate for justice.
The disciples will be in a similar position in a few years. Many of the disciples Jesus is speaking to in this passage will be martyred within a few years.
They will be longing for rescue, and that will put them in a vulnerable position because they are going to deeply desire to see Jesus’ return. They are going to want to see things a certain way, and so this will make them susceptible to error.
Bad people know about this vulnerability, and they take advantage of it. What happens whenever you are longing for justice, and a false prophet or false teacher sells you on his End-Times scheme, and then it doesn’t come to fruition?
When he told you that rescue was “over there” (v. 23), and it ends up being smoke and mirrors, your faith will be harmed. But Jesus tells them that it will not be through some secret and esoteric teaching that the kingdom will come. It will be obvious, it is inevitable, and it will be inescapable.
It is on the heels of this teaching, then, that Jesus shares the story of the persistent widow. Do you see the connection? Longing for justice and longing for rescue puts you in a vulnerable position. And it can be very easy to lose heart.
Especially when there are plenty of charlatans offering quick fixes, and when rival kingdoms are promoting justice through sordid means, even the strongest of believers can be tempted to sell the slow-plodding gospel for a bowl of political stew.
This is why Jesus asks what he does in 18:8. Will there still be faith when the Son of Man returns?
Not without persistence. That is how the parable of the persistent widow is connected to the coming kingdom. But what does it all mean?
What Does it Mean?
It might seem strange that in the parable, God is represented by an unjust judge. But this is intentional. God is not unjust, and He always judges and rules with righteousness and justice. We also know that God’s heart is for the widow and the orphan and not against them.
And that’s why Jesus’ argument works so well because he is arguing from greater to lesser. If a wicked judge will do the right thing eventually, what will happen if you are asking night and day to a loving God who delights in giving you the kingdom?
The point of the parable, then, is not that God doesn’t want to give something, and we have to wear him down with our persistence. But it is to say how much more should we be persistent in pleading for justice with a God who delights to give justice and mercy?
As the coming of the kingdom tarries, disciples will be tempted to lose heart and give up. We are tempted to turn to other means of rescue. Prayer can feel so inactive. But this is precisely what Jesus calls us towards.
We must be like the persistent widow who knows that justice will only come from this one source, and so she keeps pleading until it happens. Likewise, we know that our only rescue is from the hand of the Lord.
Jesus tells them this parable to encourage them to always be praying and not lose heart. Don’t be discouraged. Don’t be dejected. Don’t give in to cynicism. Or bitterness. Or overcome with negativity. Keep on hoping. Will the Son of Man find faith when he comes? That’s the question.
For further reading:
What Were the Parables of Jesus?
How Did Jesus Treat Women in the Bible?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/EllenaZ
Mike Leake is husband to Nikki and father to Isaiah and Hannah. He is also the lead pastor at Calvary of Neosho, MO. Mike is the author of Torn to Heal and Jesus Is All You Need. His writing home is http://mikeleake.net and you can connect with him on Twitter @mikeleake. Mike has a new writing project at Proverbs4Today.
