THE PARABLE OF THE WIDOW AND THE JUDGE

The Holy Bible says, “But will the Son of Man find faith on earth when He comes?” (Luke 18:8)

As Jesus was teaching and explaining certain truth to his disciples, the Pharisees came inquiring about the Kingdom of God.  Jesus continued his teachings by citing few parables.

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to teach them that they should always pray and never become discouraged.  “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in the same town who kept coming to him and pleading for her rights, saying, ‘Help me against my opponent!’ For a long time the judge refused to act, but at last he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or respect man, yet because of all the trouble this widow is giving me, I will see to it that she gets her rights. If I don’t, she will keep on coming and finally wear me out!’ “

And the Lord continued, “Listen to what the corrupt judge said. Now, will God not judge in favor of His Own people who cry to Him day and night for help? Will He be slow to help them? I tell you, he will judge in their favor and do it quickly. But will the Son of Man find faith on earth when He comes?” (Luke 18:1-8)

Through this parable of the widow and the judge, Jesus educates us on the importance of a constant prayer. Let us delve deeper into the personality of the central characters of these parable.

A judge is always expected to do his duty wisely and with a sense of responsibility, but the judge mentioned in this story is a man who feared neither God nor man and was irresponsible towards his duty.

Those days’ widows were considered as a victim of God’s punishment and were treated as outcasts in a society. They were subjected to humiliation and disgrace and held no respect in society. May be due to their oppressed plight, Jesus might have chosen her as a protagonist in His parable.

Here the widow is seen continuously and tirelessly intervening to remind the judge her petition because she is quite sure of her rights. After a long time, the judge decides to look into her matter, not because of his sense of duty, but because he sees her approach as a nuisance. He has no other way than to favor her petition.

Heavenly God, unlike the judge in the parable- judges, accepts and pleases the righteous needs of a person.  We are the chosen generation of a Righteous God. “You descendants of Abraham, His servant; you descendants of Jacob, the man who chose …..remember…that the Lord is our God.” (Psalms 105:6)

Although the judge does not consider her petition initially, her continuous act of reminder is a lesson and aspiration for those who pray for their petitions unceasingly.

St. Paul reminds us, “Be joyful always, pray at all times.” (1 Thess. 5: 16)

At times there may be a delay in revealing an answer to your prayer, but cease not to pray and file your complaint to God.

Let us take the example of the two sisters who prayed fervently for the healing of their only brother Lazarus, but he died.  They got discouraged and stopped their prayer but unexpectedly Jesus appears and raises Lazarus back to life.

Dear ones, never lose heart or put an end to your good deeds. You need to have patience to be with God always, so that He can reveal His divine plan to you.  

Let us refer to Luke 2: 36-38, which mentions about a 84 year old prophetess Anna, who never left the temple; day and night she worshiped God, fasting and praying which helped her to see the Savior. Her patience and faith in prayer ought to be an inspiration.

The Apostles spent all their time in the Temple giving thanks to God.  (Kindly Refer to Luke 24) 

God approved it and descended the Holy Spirit upon them. 

Being thankful in all circumstances in union with Christ keeps one safe in His Shadow.  The Lord who changed plain water to wine will surely change all our miseries of our life to blessings.  Initially you may feel discomfort, but by acknowledging His grace and proclaiming His glory, your faith will automatically draw you to God’s Love which is the most powerful medicine for everything.

St. Paul was given a painful ailment to keep Him from being puffed up with pride. He prayed many times and asked the Lord to take it away, but the Lord knew it is essential for him to be humble at the sight of God. He answered to Paul, “Pray for my grace, which is sufficient for you.”

Similarly God may act in our life also. Lord Jesus concludes the parable with a heart piercing sigh. “But will the Son of Man find faith on earth when He comes?”

The overact of the devil trying to wash out from the world the True Faith in Christ-who conquered him. The need of your unceasing prayer gives the power to overcome the continual flow of the competition, perishable pleasures of the world.

Lord says, “Whoever holds out to the end will be saved.” (Matt. 10: 22)

The above verse silently instructs us to hold onto Him by continual worship.  Let us learn to whisper a word of Thank You to the Lord in anticipation because His plan for our life and fortune is already engraved in His Hands.

As how Moses was sent repeatedly to Pharaoh, a stone-hearted King who disobeyed the Will of God. A repeated action as such may shake stubbornness, pride and evil -some.  Only constant prayer can bring repentance to self as well as others.

Similarly, St. Francis was also continuously troubled by St. Ignatius Loyola. “Will a person gain anything if he wins the whole world but loses his life?” (Matt. 16:26)

Thus the parable insists in instilling these ideas to disturb someone who is badly in need of repentance. The healthy way of the widow troubling the judge can be taken into account.

God trains His loved ones, by allowing hardships, sickness and loneliness at times to humble and turn us to God closer. God answers all our righteous needs.  

Seeking the Will of God in your petitions is the perfect way of a prayer. If we pray for some injustice or to harm self and others, He will not answer but will surely inspire us to change the intentions.

The Holy Bible says, “When you ask, you do not receive it, because your motives are bad; You ask for things to use for your own pleasures.” (James 4: 3)

When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, after a while He changed the pattern not because it was selfish or His desire, but because it was against the Will of God.

Similarly Paul too changed his pattern to praying for God’s grace than for his ailment healing. 

May Lord Jesus give us the grace to be joyful always and to pray in all circumstances with a thanksgiving in anticipation!