Luke 18:1-8
Scripture
1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man.
3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’
4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’“
6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Devotion
Luke tells us the purpose of this parable before Jesus even begins to tell it, explaining that it was given so that His followers would always pray and not lose heart. The story comes right after Jesus spoke in Luke 17 about the days leading up to His return, a time when His people would long to see Him and would be tempted to grow weary in the waiting.
The two characters in the parable could hardly stand further apart. The judge is a man who neither fears God nor respects people, which means he has no inner reason to care about justice, and the widow belongs to one of the most vulnerable groups in the ancient world, a woman without a husband to speak for her and likely without the means to influence the court. All she has is her persistence, so she keeps returning with the same request until the judge, worn down by her visits, finally grants her justice.
Jesus then draws out the meaning by reasoning from the lesser to the greater. If an unrighteous judge will eventually act on behalf of a stranger who keeps bothering him, how much more will God give justice to the people He has chosen and loves, who cry out to Him day and night. The parable sets the indifference of the judge beside the faithfulness of God so that we can see how much more confidence we should have when we bring our requests to our Father.
Read alongside James 5 and 1 Kings 18, this parable fills out the picture of the kind of prayer God honors. Elijah sent his servant to the sea seven times, the widow returned to the judge again and again, and James calls the church to keep praying for one another through sickness, sin, and suffering. Jesus closes the story with a searching question about whether the Son of Man will find faith on earth when He comes, and the answer is shaped in large part by whether His people keep praying while they wait for Him.
HEAR About It
Explain
How does Luke 18:1-8 change how you read James 5:13-18? What does Jesus’ parable reveal about the character of God and the way He hears His people? What stood out most to you?
Prayer and Reflection
Take a few minutes to sit quietly and reflect on the passage you read today. Let the Holy Spirit bring to mind what stood out to you and why. Then spend some time in prayer. Pray for the people around you, for your outlook on this day, and for the needs you are carrying in your own life.
Lord Jesus, thank You for teaching us to pray and not lose heart. When I am tempted to give up on a request I have carried for a long time, remind me that my Father is just and good and that He hears His children who cry out to Him day and night. Help me to be found faithful in prayer until You return. Amen.
