Rev. David Holwick
First Baptist Church
West Lafayette, Ohio
March 18, 1984
The Unjust Judge
Luke 18:1-8, KJV
Most people have problems with prayer. You know, those times when you wonder if anyone is really listening to you. At other times we wonder why certain prayers aren't answered or why it can take so long. These problems are serious enough that some people come to question God's good character.
In response to these kinds of questions, Jesus gives the parable of the Unjust Judge. Jesus says a certain city had a judge who didn't care about religious principle or public opinion. Apparently he just cared about himself. Now there was a widow who came into his court. The Greek says she "kept coming" - she was there every day. To be a widow was synonymous with being poor. They had no power and lived on the fringe of society. Her request was very simple - Avenge me of my adversary. The NIV puts it even better - "Grant me justice against my adversary." She doesn't want someone punished, she just wants what is due her. Most scholars feel her case would have involved money matters.
Verse 4 says the judge ignored her for a long time. No reason is given but it's not hard to figure out. Just like modern courts in Chicago, bribes can make justice move faster. Then again, he may have just been lazy. So each time she came, he would put her off but she kept coming. Finally he couldn't stand it anymore. He says to himself, "Even though I'm not afraid of God and don't care about people, this widow bothers me enough that I'll grant her request. Otherwise, her continual coming might hypopiazô me." Nobody likes to be hypopiazô-ed. The translation "wear me out" is kind of weak. It literally means "to give someone a black eye." So this judge is either afraid she will finally punch him out, or, figuratively speaking, that she'll ruin his career.
In verse 6 Jesus remarks, listen to what the corrupt judge says. Something can be learned from him. What? Apparently Jesus is saying that in some way God is like this Judge. Many people feel there's a very close connection. They say God isn't fair. He doesn't want to answer our prayers, even when we're in a crisis. So the only way to get through to him is to pester him with repeated prayers. If this is how you interpret the parable I think you miss Jesus' point. In verse 7 he asks a question that demands the answer "Yes." He asks, "Won't God bring about justice for his own elect disciples, who cry out to him day and night in prayer?" Of course he will! A contrast is clearly established between this human judge and God.
The second part is much harder. One scholar came up with nine possible interpretations but I'll give only two. One view, supported by the King James Version, says - "Won't God bring about justice - even though he'll make them wait for it?" The other way is supported by the NIV, which makes it into two questions - "Won't God grant justice to Christians?" (Yes) "Will he keep putting them off? (No).
Verse 8 clears up any problem. Jesus says God will give them justice, speedily, and he won't make them wait. So the point this parable makes is, if even a corrupt judge can be brought to listen to a widow, how much more will God help his friends? He will not put them off but will answer them quickly.
No parable answers all our questions about prayer but this one helps with a few of them. I would like to stress five applications. First, the most essential ingredient of prayer is that you must be a disciple of Jesus Christ. This parable was not given to the crowds but only to his close followers. Also, in verse 7 Jesus identifies the widow's request with the prayers of the elect. People who are elect are those who are saved by God. It's another way of saying they're Christian. If you feel like prayer is totally useless the reason may be that you haven't accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior. Of all the other factors that affect prayer, your salvation is the most crucial.
The second application is that to understand prayer we have to understand the character of God. When most people think of this parable they focus on the widow because she corresponds to people who pray. But who does Jesus focus on? The Judge who is a contrasting figure for God is the focus. To pray effectively we have to view God correctly. If you think of God as a distant bully you probably won't have much confidence in praying to him. Jesus always showed God as a Father who loves us and wants the very best for us. He knows how many hairs are on our heads and what we need to be truly happy.
The third application is that we should pray continually, as Jesus says in verse 1. This does not mean you have to pray twenty-four hours a day but that you should pray about any concern whenever you have the opportunity. He is saying that we should be as persistent in prayer as the widow was. There is one difference - the widow had to be persistent to break down the judge. Christians don't have to be persistent because God wants to help us. For this reason some people feel persistence is inappropriate for prayer. They say you should have enough faith to pray about it once and leave it at that. They say bringing it up again shows you're immature. The best argument against this criticism is that Jesus prayed persistently. The night before he died he prayed repeatedly for God to take the cup of suffering away from him, if it was his will. This doesn't mean Christians should babble the same prayers over and over. Some cults teach that repetition forces God to answer your prayer. Jesus condemns this. But persistence shows God you are sincere about your request. The lack of sincerity probably keeps many prayers from being answered.
St. Augustine was one of the greatest theologians of all time. He lived around A.D. 400. Just before he became a Christian he found himself in a terrible predicament. He wanted to be saved but he also wanted to keep living in sine with his concubine. As his inner turmoil increased, he would fall on his knees and pray, "Oh God, make me pure! Please make me pure but not yet, not yet!"
The fourth application is that we should not give up in prayer, or as the King James put it in verse 1, we shouldn't "faint." Every Christian knows that some prayers never seem to be answered, no matter how persistent you are. Some people have asked me, when do you stop praying for something? Jesus answer is - you never have to. A good example of this comes from George Mueller. He was an extremely dedicated Christian who ran an orphanage in England. He was known for having a lot of faith in prayer. Early in his life he prayed for five of his friends to be saved. After five years one of them became a Christian. After ten years two more accepted Jesus. Twenty-five years went by and the fourth was saved. For the last one he prayed until the year he died and three months after he was buried this one was also saved. For this last friend, George Mueller had prayed fifty-two years. You never have to give up in prayer.
The final application from this parable deals with why God sometimes takes so long to answer. The parable never really answers this. In verse 8 Jesus says, God will answer Christians quickly. But that verse also says some of our prayers must wait until the Second Coming of Jesus. Till then, we will always have things to pray about and the answers won't always come right away.
One reason God seems to delay his answers is that he knows what we really need. Scholar A.B. Bruce wrote, "Delay may be the result of love taking counsel with wisdom." If we always got what we prayed for the results might be disastrous. As it says in Psalm 106:5,
"He gave them their request but sent leanness to their soul."
If God immediately answered every prayer who would you be married to right now? God may be waiting until we are ready. Hindsight shows that many of our prayers are unwise, so let God give his answers in his own time.
When Jesus returns will you be faithfully praying?
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