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Luke 18:1-8 And {Jesus} spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 4 And he widowwould not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. 6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. 7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? 8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

When we read our Bibles we often miss the little words, the garnish on the plate of the text. The little words matter. In our text today the first little word is the word And. The And ties this parable to what Jesus was saying before the parable. What Jesus was saying is so very important. In the previous chapter Jesus was telling His disciples that He is coming again. Jesus told us that the condition of the world would get very bad. He said:

Luke 17:22-24 The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. 23 And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them. 24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.

Jesus said that the day that He comes will be “like the days of Noah”, where no one had time for God. They were so busy.

Luke 17:27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

People were busy seeking their own happiness and not the face of God. They were busy satisfying themselves physically, but ignoring God spiritually.

Luke 17:28-30 28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

Jesus uses the illustrations of Noah and of Sodom and Gomorrah to show how far people will draw away from God before He comes again. It is going to be rough for those who are followers of Christ.

It was rough for Noah.
It was rough for Lot.
It will be rough for us.

It is in the midst of this “end time preaching” that Jesus gives us an And followed by a parable on prayer.

The things that we are seeing in America and in the world today are but precursors to the coming of our Lord Jesus. The end of time is not far from us. What should we do as we wait on our Lord? PRAY!

The Key To The Parable Is Given Before The Parable

The commentator Matthew Henry said: “This parable has its key hanging at the door.” Jesus usually spoke parables – earthly stories with heavenly meaning in a certain way. He would give the parable then, when the disciples looked puzzled, Jesus would explain the parable. This particular parable is the opposite of Christ’s other parables. In this parable He gives the key – then He gives the parable. When Jesus does something unique we need to stop and pay particular attention to it. So let’s start with the key.

Luke 18:1 And {Jesus} spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

As times get darker and trials seem greater Jesus tells us men ought always to pray, and not to faint. The word translated faint is the Greek ἐκκακέω ekkakéō, (pronounced ek-kak-eh’-o) which means “to be utterly spiritless, to be wearied out, exhausted, to lose courage”. Jesus knew as the times got darker and the world more evil and far from the love of God that His disciples would be tempted to give up, to quit. In the Middle Ages many committed Christians became “monks”, withdrawing from the world and building fortified towns where they could keep the world out. Even today many who profess Christ separate themselves into cloisters. The most extreme view we have of this in our area are the Amish believers. They withdraw into closed communities and block out the world, preferring to follow the old paths rather than reach out in the name of Jesus.

If the Christian hides his light under a bushel because of the evil days, or hides from the world rather than be the salt of the earth, then how can the Kingdom of God grow?

This is why Jesus asked at the end of the parable:

Luke 18:8 … Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

If God’s people “faint” or give up, just quit trying, then the darkness will grow greater because there is no resistance to the darkness. The only way to combat darkness is to BE LIGHT. The Apostle Paul knew this. Commissioned to go among the Gentiles with the Gospel, Paul was attacked by both Jew and Gentile for the ministry he had been given. Yet the Apostle said:

2 Corinthians 4:1-4 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; 2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Though being the Light of God in the midst of a dark world is tough we keep on going through prayer. We do not serve God in our power, but in HIS power. The Apostle said:

2 Corinthians 4:14-18 … Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. 15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. 16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Pastor Adrian Rogers once said, “Prayerlessness is a spirit of independence from God.” If we are going to survive as Christians and as Christ’s Church in this devilish world we must keep on praying. We do not have the power necessary to overcome the darkness … but God does.

2 Thessalonians 3:13 … But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.

Be Persistent In Prayer Regardless

Hebrews 4:16 encourages us to “come boldly to the throne of grace…”. Old time preacher and Puritan Thomas Watson wrote:

“Prayer delights God’s ear, it melts His heart, it opens His hand:
God cannot deny a praying soul.”

In this parable Jesus speaks of an unjust judge. He said:

Luke 18:2-3 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

Now our God is not unjust. Our God is perfectly righteous in all His actions. Our God does not show favoritism, nor can He be bribed:

Acts 10:34-35 … God is no respecter of persons: 35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

Our God never mistreats us, nor does He condone mistreating anyone

Zechariah 7:9-10 Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: 10 And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.

Our God will one day reward us for our works for Him, just as He will punish the evil doer:

Hebrews 6:10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

Colossians 3:24-25 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. 25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.

There is coming a payday someday. The good you did that was never recognized by any will be rewarded by your Lord. The evil that was done under the table, or the good you refused to do, will also be rewarded. There is a payday coming someday, and we will receive from our Just God our due. So God is not unjust.

So WHY did Jesus use the picture
of an UNJUST JUDGE in this parable?

It’s very simple. Look at who is going to the unjust judge.

there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying,
Avenge me of mine adversary

In Jesus’ day the person who would have the least influence in society was either a widow or an illegitimate child. Women had little power in the ancient Jewish world. Women could not inherit, as a rule, lands. Women did not serve as Senators, nor on the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of the Jews. Many men misused women, divorcing them for any cause. The only true power a woman had was through her husband. The widow was absolutely helpless. She had nothing. This particular widow had no adult children, else the sons would have stood up for her rights. The widow had only one resource. She could talk. She could petition. She could pray.

When we are weak and unable and bring our petitions to God, we are to persist until God gives us an answer!

This widow persisted in her request until the unjust judge answered her prayers. Now God is not unjust – but He expects us to pray. Jesus wants us to keep on praying, to keep on seeking His face, to keep on relying on Him and Him only for the answer. The Bible is filled with illustrations of people who were helpless but who prayed – and God blessed them through their prayers.

The delays and the darkness that we see should not be our focus. We need to focus on the Problem Solver, not the problems. We need to be persistent in prayer. When we are tried and we are weary, when we are like this widow in this parable, we need to keep asking, keep seeking, and keep trusting. E.M. Bounds wrote of a woman named Hannah who was childless, and prayed to the Lord to give her a child. Bounds wrote:

“If Hannah’s prayer for a son had been answered at the time she set for herself, the nation might never have known the mighty man of God it found in Samuel. Hannah wanted only a son, but God wanted more. He wanted a prophet, and a savior, and a ruler for His people. Someone said that ‘God had to get a woman before He could get a man.’ This woman He got in Hannah precisely by those weeks and months and years there came a woman with a vision like God’s, with tempered soul and gentle spirit and a seasoned will, prepared to be the kind of a mother for the kind of a man God knew the nation needed.” (W. E. Binderwolf)

Our God hears. Keep on praying! May God touch your hearts with His Word!