Keep on Praying—Lectionary Reflection for Pentecost 19C (Luke 18:1-8)

Luke 18:1-8 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

18 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. ² He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. ³ In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my accuser.’ ⁴ For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’ ” ⁶ And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷ And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? ⁸ I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

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                Why pray? That is a question that often gets asked. What good does it do? After all, prayers (and thoughts) are offered up every time there is a mass shooting. Yet, despite the prayers (and thoughts), mass shootings keep happening. I’m not saying we shouldn’t pray. I’m just taking note of the questions people keep asking in light of what keeps happening in people’s lives. When we pray, most of the time we’re expecting or at least hoping that God will do something either on our behalf or on behalf of someone else. When God doesn’t act, we start wondering why. Could it be that God is ignoring our prayers? Or perhaps, we’re asking the wrong way (wrong ritual or words?). Or it could be that we don’t have enough faith. Or, maybe, God simply can’t do anything. That is, God doesn’t have that kind of power.

                I am not a master of prayer. In fact, I struggle with it. I don’t think I’m alone. Because I believe that God is loving and gracious, I don’t think the issue is one of a lack of faith or the use of the wrong words. It could be that God doesn’t have that kind of power to fulfill my request. But part of me hopes that isn’t true. So, we’re back at the beginning—why pray? This is a good question, but perhaps not a question that this passage seeks to answer.

                The reading from Luke 18 takes up the question of prayer, and the parable Jesus uses raises its own set of red flags. The message seems to be one of persistence in prayer, but the central characters involve an unjust judge who doesn’t fear even God, along with a widow seeking relief. The judge, who doesn’t fear God or respect anyone else, seems unmoved by the woman’s plight and request for justice. This is not the kind of judge any of us would want to face. As for the widow, she keeps showing up in his court, annoyingly demanding justice. We’re not told who the opponent is or what kind of relief she is seeking. That’s beside the point. The focus is on the widow’s persistent presence, which clearly bothers the judge. You might say that she is badgering him (I’m reading between the lines). So, finally, when he can no longer take her badgering, he gives in and provides her with the justice she seeks. He grants her petition because she wore him down with her refusal to give up her claim. We all shout hurray because the widow received justice from this unjust judge.  

                Now that we’ve heard this parable, what does it have to do with prayer? Is Jesus suggesting that God is like the unjust judge and only gives us what we ask if we wear God down with our demands? With that question in mind, we can turn to Jesus’ follow-up message. He simply asks: If the unjust judge grants the widow justice because of her persistence, won’t God do the same for those who cry out day and night? The answer to that question is, of course, yes. In fact, would God delay answering the requests of God’s people? The expected answer is, of course, no. Of course, God will answer the prayers of those who cry out without delay. Nevertheless, the question remains. Does God need to be cajoled into answering? The parable seems to suggest that persistence is the key. If that is true, then does that mean you get what you ask for because you wear down God?

                Now, it is true that Jesus likes to use comparisons and contrasts to get his point across. So, perhaps he wants us to think about the contrast between God and a human judge. Surely, we’re not expected to wear down God, so we get what we want. At the same time, persistence in a relationship is important. Persistence isn’t the same thing as wearing someone down. It involves staying in the relationship no matter what happens. When it comes to prayer, what takes place between us and God can be something of a mystery. After all, none of us has seen God face to face. We may feel at times like we’re talking to ourselves. Yet, we are called to pray, and to do so with persistence.

                Perhaps it’s worth going back to the parable for a moment, to bring it up to our time and place. The two parties in this parable are not equal. While we claim that justice in the United States is equal, is that really true? If you can afford a good lawyer, you have a pretty good chance of getting off. If you’re poor, that may not be true. If you’re the President, it appears you can quickly jump to the Supreme Court and get an emergency ruling. Money may not buy us love, but it does appear that it can buy “justice.” This is the human justice system at work, and too often those without means simply give up. That is often true, but in this case, this widow, who likely was poor, did what she could. She persisted; she got what she needed. Good for her, but wouldn’t it be nice if justice were truly equal?  

                Now this parable isn’t really about getting justice. It’s supposed to be about prayer and the need for persistence. The parable seems to muddy the waters when it comes to how Jesus presents God’s character. While Jesus seems to suggest that God is not like the unjust judge and that God will act quickly on behalf of those who are God’s chosen ones, it does raise the question of why we need to be persistent in our prayers. Perhaps the answer is found in the closing verse of our reading, when Jesus asks whether the Son of Man, when he returns, will find faith on earth. Perhaps this is the point here. It’s not that we need to where God out with our many prayers, so we get justice like the widow. Perhaps the message of persistence involves staying true to the calling until the Son of Man comes. If the message starts with the premise that God is faithful, then perhaps the question for us is whether we will stay faithful to the end.

                In Luke’s Gospel, we are drawing closer to the defining event of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Jesus has been teaching his followers what the realm of God involves. The question is, will they remain faithful despite what is going to happen in the near future? That last sentence does suggest an eschatological edge to the passage. So, perhaps persistent prayer is less about getting what we want and more about staying in relationship with God, no matter what happens. There is also embedded in this last question a question of accountability and judgment. As Arland Hultgren points out:

The church is reminded by this parable and its application not only of the need to be persistent in prayer, but also to be accountable. The Son of man will come in judgment. The question of “faith on earth” will be paramount. Evidence for faith on earth will be a church that prays with persistence, even in the face of possible persecution. [Hultgren, The Parables of Jesus, p. 260].

As we ponder this possibility, we might add to the equation these closing words from Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians:

¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not despise prophecies, ²¹ but test everything; hold fast to what is good; ²² abstain from every form of evil. (1 Thess. 5:16-22).

Persistent prayer would seem to involve staying true to the relationship that God seeks to forge with us. So, will the Son of Man find faith upon his return? Let us hope so, because that involves following in the way of Jesus.