The Parable of the Persistent Widow

Today's Reflections

                                                                                 

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

Lk 18:1-8

¹[Jesus told his disciples] a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, ²“There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. ³And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’ ⁴For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, ⁵because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’ ” ⁶The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. ⁷Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? ⁸I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

LEST SHE FINALLY COME AND STRIKE ME. The parable of the persistent widow is a story not only of the power of persistent prayer but also of God’s sense of humor. On one hand, the judge is a figure of authority and power. He is described as “dishonest,” neither fearing God nor respecting any human being. He is likely remiss in his calling to be a protector of the poor and a defender of widows. On the other hand, the widow is powerless, without anyone to support or protect her. But she has persistence.

It must sound funny to Jesus’ listeners that a powerful judge can be worn out or beaten by the relentless pursuit of a poor, powerless widow. Though fearing neither God nor man, he clearly cowers before this woman who is bent on getting a just decision. Her verbal threats, perhaps her physical presence, so fill the judge with fear that he delivers a just decision for her.

 

Jesus says that while the judge acts more for a personal reason (to avoid being attacked by the widow) than from a sense of doing the right thing, God will do justice speedily (the right thing) for “his chosen ones”—people who constantly and steadily communicate their just demand, truly and honestly praying for it, every day, with patience, with respect, and with confidence that their request will be heard.

“More things are wrought by prayer than

this world dreams of” (Alfred Tennyson).

God is the source of the power of prayer,

but human effort is also important.