Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not become discouraged. [Luke 18:1 (NASB)]
Jesus told two parables about persistence. In the first, a man went to his neighbor’s home at midnight. Waking him, he asked for three loaves of bread because a traveler just arrived and he had no food for his hungry guest. Initially, the neighbor refused to open the door but, after tiring of the man’s persistent knocking, he finally gave him the bread. In the second parable, a widow kept badgering a corrupt judge with her appeals for justice against a man who has harmed her. Finally, worn down by her persistent pleas, the exasperated judge granted her request.
When we focus on the two people’s annoying doggedness rather than their just causes, it’s easy to misinterpret these parables. Hospitality for a traveler was more than good manners; it was required and a matter of honor for the host and his village. The man had a legitimate need that he couldn’t fulfill. With an empty larder and no quick-marts, he had to depend on his neighbor’s generosity.
Although the law commanded that widows be protected, they often were exploited. The judge (who “neither feared God nor cared about people”) expected a bribe that she couldn’t pay. Wanting the fairness, protection, and justice the law promised, persistence was the widow’s only weapon against the corrupt man. Having just causes, both people persisted in their pleas because they were powerless on their own.
We also misinterpret these parables when, rather than contrasting God to the reluctant neighbor and vexed judge, we compare Him to those men. Neither man was responsive and both had to be hounded before they’d even listen. Neither man cared about friendship or justice; rather than granting the requests out of love or concern, their motives were self-serving. The heartless neighbor and the godless judge just wanted the bothersome pleas to stop so they could get back to their own lives.
In contrast, God is neither a sleepy, grouchy, uncaring neighbor nor an unresponsive, greedy, corrupt judge. Jesus’ point was this: if an unwilling man can be convinced to meet the needs of a troubled neighbor and a dishonest judge can be induced to give justice to a poor widow, consider how much more willing our loving Father is to meet the needs of his children! He always has time for us and He hears us the moment we speak to Him. While others may fail us, God never will.
Although several Bible translations use “persistence” in describing these people’s pleas, the original Greek words were egkakeó, meaning not to lose heart or grow weary, in the parable of the widow, and anaideia, meaning shamelessness, in that of the neighbor. Rather than telling us we must pester God until He acts, these parables tell us that pestering God is unnecessary. It’s not because we haven’t gotten God’s attention that we pray steadfastly; it’s because we have! These parables tell us to pray with the tenacity and shamelessness of a believer who refuses to be deterred or discouraged by fear, disappointment, or dissuasion.
There is a difference between a fleshly stubbornness and a godly perseverance. The former insists on getting one’s will done in heaven, and the latter determines to get God’s will done on earth. [William Thrasher]
English philosopher Francis Bacon defined “old age” as “always 15 years older than I am.” He would have liked it here in southwest Florida because there always seems to be someone fifteen years older. Nevertheless, having recently celebrated my 77th birthday, it’s getting increasingly hard to find them! While I enjoy being told I look good, I don’t like hearing the “for your age!” ending that sentence! Hearing that qualified compliment, being called “Hon” or “Sweetie” by a waitperson or nurse less than half my age, or people assuming my grey hair means I’m computer inept and/or hard of hearing remind me of the subtle ageism in today’s society.
Back in in 1586, during the Eighty Years’ War, Sir Philip Sidney was fighting for the Protestant cause against the Spanish when he noticed another soldier was without leg armor. Believing that he shouldn’t be better protected than his men, Sidney gave the man his cuisses (armor that covered the thigh). During the Battle of Zutphen, Sidney was fatally wounded in his thigh during the final charge and, three weeks later, he died of gangrene from the injury. While heroic, his death was avoidable if the man had worn his complete set of armor!
God’s armor includes the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation. No soldier, however, would go into battle without a weapon. While a soldier might go into battle without armor as did David when he met Goliath, he’d never go without a weapon. The young shepherd’s weapon was a handful of stones but the Christian’s weapon is the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
As a young child, I loved singing “Onward, Christian Soldiers” in Sunday school. My enthusiasm for the hymn waned as I grew older and learned about the evil and horrors of the Crusades and the World, Korean, and Vietnam wars. With its mention of war, soldiers, mighty armies, battles, and foes, the hymn seemed to glorify war. Even though the martial imagery comes from Biblical texts, the hymn’s combination of soldiers marching into battle and Jesus (the Prince of Peace) has caused controversy and some denominations have eliminated it from their hymnals.
Described as a “preaching genius…like no other preacher you have ever heard,” the late Rev. Fred Craddock was well-known for including stories in his sermons. He told one that took place during the early 60s in a diner in the deep South. Although the white Craddock sat in a booth and was served with courtesy and consideration, he silently watched the diner’s manager treat a Black man at the counter with rudeness, disdain, and open contempt. Although offended by the man’s racist behavior, Craddock remained silent. It was when he walked out of the diner after finishing his meal that the preacher heard a rooster crow. A signal of his betrayal, the crowing told the preacher that, by ignoring one of the “least of these”, he’d ignored Jesus! His silence was as much a betrayal of the Lord as were Peter’s denials!
Devotions of the Heart 