Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, 2 saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. 3 There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ 4 For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; 7 now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? 8 I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” — Luke 18:1-8, NASB

Persistence in prayer is the emphasis of this parable, which follows Jesus’s prophetic teachings related to the end times. While its general message is the same as the parable of the friend at midnight appearing earlier in Luke, the context here shows that its specific purpose is to encourage followers to maintain their faith and build endurance through prayer while awaiting His second coming.

The story is straightforward. A widow endlessly harangues a local judge to grant her legal protection from an adversary. The judge, who has no regard for anyone and no specific inclination to do anything, nevertheless relents and gives her what she asks just so she will finally leave him alone. While his motive in granting her request is entirely self-serving in that he won’t have to listen to her anymore, she is still rewarded for her tenacity.

Jesus’s point is that if this indifferent, unrighteous judge can do right by bringing about justice for the widow just because of her persistence, how much more will God, who perfectly loves His elect, do right by them when they show the same persistence? The ‘if X does Y/then how much more will God do Y’ or similar phraseology is commonly found in the New Testament to emphasize the responsiveness and extent of God’s grace. This comparison of the lesser act to the greater is meant to reassure believers, and from the example used here we should be confident that God will bring about justice—or whatever else is needed—in response to the prayers of the faithful.

The passage concludes with a disarming question from Jesus to His followers: will there be faith on the earth when He comes back? Just prior, the Lord was telling the disciples about His return in the final days, a return that he knows will seem long delayed from a human perspective. When He does come back, it will be as a thief in the night and most will be caught short. True faith in God, even among professing believers, is a diminishing quantity in the world today. With respect to the purity of faith in the modern Church, Martyn Lloyd-Jones said:

Those who know their Bible should not be surprised at the state of the world as it is, nor at the state of the Church. There is nothing at all which is so false and so far removed from the New Testament picture of the Church as the idea that the Church of God, from the beginning, should go on to develop and increase, so that every century should see the Church stronger than she was before, and that this should go on until you arrive at a state when the whole world has become Christian. There is no passage anywhere in the Scriptures to support such a view.*

Through prayer however, one’s faith may be maintained and strengthened regardless of trials, persecution, and the falling away of the masses. In the final days its sustaining power will have even greater importance for those “who cry to Him day and night” for His return. Like the widow, they will be vindicated when He brings about His assured justice to the earth.

Throughout scripture, believers are instructed to pray continuously and in faith. While we must be persistent in prayer, we also must always maintain an attitude of humility and sincerity, knowing that how one values and approaches the act indicates the true condition of their heart. Prayer’s underlying purpose is to glorify God, and we must be certain to come to it in the proper spirit. His promise to us is that the prayers of the righteous will be heard and will avail much.

Quotation reference:
* Lloyd-Jones, Martyn; Life in Christ: Studies in 1 John, p. 235 (2002, Crossway)

Image:
Webbe, William J. (1830-1904)