The Unrighteous Judge
TRANSLATION
(1) And Jesus told them 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 about what people thought. (3) And in that town there lived a widow who kept on coming to him saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ (4) And he did nothing (to help her) for a time. But later he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor care about what people think, (5) yet, because this widow keeps on bothering me, I will see that she gets justice so that she doesn’t wear me out by her continual nagging.’” (6) Then the Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says. (7) And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you that he will see that they get justice quickly. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
OBSERVATIONS
Jesus introduced this parable by telling his disciples its meaning first so that they would not fail to understand the importance of persisting in prayer. Repeated words emphasized the point of the story: “town” (vss. 2 & 3), “judge” (vss. 2 & 6), “fear(ed) God nor care(d) about what people think/thought” (vss. 2 & 4), “widow” (vss. 3 & 5), and “justice” (four times in vss. 3, 5, 7, & 8). Because of the widow’s persistence, the unrighteous judge finally did what she asked just to keep her from pestering him. Jesus used this negative example to teach a positive lesson. If an unrighteous judge will finally relent and give satisfaction to a poor widow out of self-interest, how much more will a righteous and loving God bring about justice for those who persist in asking him to respond to their needs?
We should also consider the brief question that Jesus posed at the end of his story about finding faith on earth when he returns. Clearly the Lord desired to encourage those who were tempted to give up praying to carry on despite his return being delayed.
OUTLINE
I. Principle: persist in prayer even when the answer is delayed. (1)
II. Parable: the unrighteous judge did finally grant the persistent widow’s request. (2-8)
IDEA STATEMENT
We will persist in praying even when the answer is delayed if we are convinced that a loving God will eventually respond.
APPLICATION
We should heed Jesus’ exhortation, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says” (vs. 6), and spend time probing the reasons why he finally granted the widow’s persistent petitions for justice (vss. 4 & 5). Having identified three motives that normally undergird human actions, a fear of God, a respect for others, and self-interest, the judge readily admitted to himself that he had no respect for God, no regard for others, but only a concern for himself. By finally giving the widow the justice she desired, he rid himself of a personal annoyance.
When we consider what motivates us to act, we have to admit that self-interest plays a larger role than we would like to admit. Even our best decisions tend to arise from a mixture of altruism and selfishness. We give to help those in need but, at the same time, we derive a sense of gratification in knowing that we have played the role of a benefactor. We pray because God commanded us to pray, but, in the process, we wonder how impressed God and others are with our piety.
We need to remember the warning that Jesus gave in his Sermon on the Mount: “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven” (Mt. 6:1). We should also remember Jesus’ balanced answer regarding the greatest commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt. 22:37-39). Those last two words, “as yourself,” remind us that we can never completely divorce self-interest from our altruism. However, we can put self-interest in its rightful place as Paul exhorted the Philippians: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Phil. 2:3 & 4). When we pray, we should keep our intercession focused on God’s glory and on the privilege we have in ministering through prayer to others. Paul Oakley’s lovely worship song helps us maintain the perspective we need as we pray:
It’s all about you, Jesus.
And all this is for you, for your glory and your fame.
It’s not about me as if you should do things my way.
You alone are God, and I surrender to your ways.