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Luke 18:1–8
“Will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?” (v. 7).
Continuing to describe the final journey of Jesus to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51–19:27), Luke in today’s passage gives us a parable that our Lord used to emphasize that we should not lose heart in prayer (18:1–8). Because we often fail to persevere in praying when God seems to delay in answering our prayers, we do well to heed Christ’s words.
Jesus’ parable features a judge who “neither feared God nor respected man” and a widow who pleads with this judge for justice (vv. 2–3). The judge is slow to respond to her request, and her widowhood serves to highlight the injustice of the judge. Scripture marks out care for widows and their plight as particularly indicative of true justice, so a failure to attend to them constitutes one key mark of an unjust judge (Deut. 27:19; Isa. 1:17). Thus, the parable paints a picture of a judge who has no disposition to show justice or pay heed to the widow.
Yet the widow eventually prevails on the judge because she will not stop asking for his help. Even though the judge has no fear of God or man to induce him to action, he responds to her because she has wearied him with her constant requests (Luke 18:4–5). Jesus then draws a parallel with God and us, noting that if the unjust judge can be persuaded to act by persistent appeal, the Lord will certainly give justice to His elect (vv. 6–7). Our Savior employs a stark contrast here to emphasize the importance of persevering in prayer. Our Creator is not unjust like the judge in the parable; the point is that if an unjust judge can be prevailed upon, how much more will God respond to us if we persevere in our intercession? Jesus’ parable calls us to exercise persevering faith such that when the Lord returns He will find a praying people who have not given up seeking Him (v. 8).
In His sovereign purposes, our great God does not always immediately answer our prayers but sometimes waits to respond clearly until after we have prayed for a long time. Our faith then grows as we learn to never give up trusting in God’s goodness even when He seems to tarry. John Calvin writes, “God does not all at once grant assistance to his people, because he chooses to be, as it were, wearied out by prayers; and that, however wretched and despicable may be the condition of those who pray to him, yet if they do not desist from the uninterrupted exercise of prayer, he will at length regard them and relieve their necessities.”
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Cyril of Alexandria comments on today’s passage that “the present parable assures us God will bend his ear to those who offer him their prayers, not carelessly nor negligently but with earnestness and constancy.” Let us continue praying even when an answer seems slow in coming, for persistent prayer pleases our God and is often the means by which He works His will.
for further stury
- Daniel 6:10
- Romans 12:12
the bible in a year
- Psalms 148–150
- 1 Cor. 11:17–34
- Proverbs 1–4
- 1 Corinthians 12