Justice But Not For Us

A) Always Pray and Don’t Give Up (18:1)

“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” (18:1)

Verse 1 starts with “Then.” Notice that this teaching on prayer follows directly on Jesus’ teaching on the coming of the Son of Man. Indeed, verse 8 ends with that theme. So, we should think of verse 1 as an exhortation to disciples who may be undergoing a struggle just prior to the coming of the Son of Man not to give up hope, but to pray, expecting a speedy answer.

Characteristically, Jesus instructs his disciples with a parable, a story to make a spiritual point. Luke reveals the point of the parable in advance: “that they should always pray and not give up” (18:1b). The word translated “always” is Greek pantote, “always, at all times.” The word “prayer” is the common Greek word proscheuomai, “to petition deity, pray.” Jesus is teaching continual prayer, again and again, rather than continuous, non-stop prayer. To “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 1:3; 2:13; 5:17; 2 Timothy 1:3) is to pray repeatedly, time and again.

I’ve heard Bible teachers say that once you’ve asked God for something that is displays lack of faith to ask for it again, since you ought to believe you already have received it (Mark 11:24). But Jesus teaches clearly that we are to continue to pray until we receive the answer. That continued pray is not a sign of little faith, but of persistent faith.

The danger is that we get discouraged and quit praying. The word translated “give up” (NIV) or “faint” (KJV) in 18:1 is Greek enkakeo, “to lose one’s motivation in continuing a desirable pattern of conduct or activity, ‘lose enthusiasm, be discouraged,’ “from en, “into, entering into” + kakos, “base, wrong, wicked.”

B) Here Comes the Unjust Judge (18:2)

Now Jesus introduces the characters in his story.

“He said: ‘In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men.’ “(18:2)

The phrase “feared God” refers to piety, faith in God, and recognition that He will judge the sons of men. The judge had no regard for God’s justice. The phrase “cared about” (NIV) or “respected” (KJV) is Greek entrepo, “to show deference to a person in recognition of special status, ‘turn toward something/someone, have regard for, respect,’ “in this context “who showed deference to no human.” [4] The judge a man-pleaser, but neither did he respect the special needs of the poor and oppressed. He was independent or thought he was. He wasn’t overly concerned about public opinion.

He was concerned with himself -- his own opinions, his own comfort, his own income. In verse 6, Jesus calls him “unjust,” Greek adikia, “wrongdoing, unrighteousness, wickedness, injustice.” Though it isn’t explicit, there was probably a reason that the judge wouldn’t give the widow justice -- it probably had to do with money. I consider it likely that the judge was either taking bribes to fatten his purse or had an “arrangement” with a wealthy citizen who stood to lose if the widow won her case. The judge was arrogant, self-absorbed, and unjust, a powerful man facing down one of the weakest members of society -- a widow.

C) The Persistent Widow (18:3)

“And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ “(18:3)

Widows had a difficult place in Palestine -- around the world, in fact. Normally, the wife of a deceased husband had no legal right to inherit her husband’s estate, so when her husband died, she couldn’t take for granted living in his house on his land. If her deceased husband had no children, the estate reverted to her husband’s male relatives on his father’s side -- his brothers, his father’s brothers, and then the nearest family kinsman. If she had grown children things would be easier; they would take care of Mom. But a widow with small children might just as well have to contend for property rights with her in-laws,

and if they didn’t happen to like her, things could be difficult. In some cases, she might manage the estate to be inherited by her young children as a trustee, but that was by no means a sure thing.[6]

We don’t know how the widow was being cheated, but her judge was on her opponent’s side. She didn’t have money for lawyers. She was probably holding on by a hair. But there is one thing we know about her -- she was persistent.

The phrase “kept coming” is the common Greek verb erchomai, “come.” Here it is in the imperfect tense, indicating repeated or continued action in the past. She hadn’t come just once, but many times. The word translated “grant me justice” (NIV) or “avenge me” (KJV), here and in verse 5, is Greek ekdikeo, “to procure justice for someone, grant justice.”