THE CRY OF MY HEART (LUKE 18:1-8)
Prayer is a way of life and inseparable from life for most people.
A Newsweek poll several years ago (“Is God Listening?” Newsweek 3/31/97) indicated that 54% of those the magazine surveyed prayed on a daily basis - 25% said they pray to God once a day and 29% more than once a day. 87% believed that God answers their prayers at least some of the time. Even so, unanswered prayers did not deter them from praying. 85% insisted that they could accept God’s failure to grant their prayers. Only 13 percent declared they have lost faith because their prayers went unanswered. 82% answered they did not turn away from God even when their prayers went unanswered. 54% maintained that when God did not answer their prayers, it means it wasn’t God’s will to answer.
The things people pray for include health, safety, jobs and even success, valid or not. 82% said they ask for health or success for a child or family member when they pray. 82% believed that God does not play favorites in answering prayers. 79% said God answers prayer for healing someone with an incurable disease. 75% asked for strength to overcome personal weakness. 73% answered that prayers for help in finding a job are answered. On the lighter side, 51% agreed that God doesn’t answer prayers to win sporting events. 36% never prayed for financial or career success.
Jesus used a unique expression to urge believers to take prayer seriously. The phrases “should always” and “always pray” are one-time Greek expressions in the Bible. Jesus lived a life of prayer. Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He would get up, leave the house and go off to a solitary place to pray (Mark 1:35-36). It was not uncommon for him to go up a mountain to pray by himself (Mark 6:46, Matt 14:23).
In this parable, Jesus reveals that troubles have the opposite effect, not an adverse effect, on God’s children. Believers have a friend in Jesus. They can take their troubles to Jesus, unload their troubles to Him, and leave their troubles to Him.
Why is prayer not a waste of time and effort? How does prayer draw us closer to Him? What kind of prayer honors God?
Know When to Act
18:1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ’Grant me justice against my adversary.’ (Luke 18:1-3)
The cartoon strip ’’Peanuts,’’ which reaches readers in 75 countries, 2,600 papers and 21 languages every day, was perfect to many of its readers and fans in every way except one since its 1950 debut. When Charles Schultz started drawing Charlie Brown, he was astonished at the number of people who wrote to him saying, “Why can’t you create happy stories for us? Why does Charlie Brown always have to lose? Why can’t you let him kick the football?” It did not help that his biggest tormentor, Lucy, was the one yanking the ball from his feet as he was about to kick, sending him tumbling in the air and landing on his back.
Schulz responded: “Well, there’s nothing funny about the person who gets to kick the football. Drama and humor come from trouble and sadness, and mankind’s astounding ability to survive life’s unhappiness.” Shultz continued, “Charlie Brown’s daily life is a struggle, and we can empathize with him, since he is the person that everything bad seems to happen to. He is likable, however, and would probably make a good friend. He’s decent and kind. He never gives up trying to fly his kite, win a baseball game or kick a football…Even after his worst days, though, in a way, he triumphs over adversity. He realizes, like the rest of us, that it is amazing how rapidly things can turn around, from good to bad” (Shultz, Charles M. “Charlie Brown, Snoopy and Me,” Doubelday, 1980, pp. 36-37, 55).
The widow could have called it quits, hardened her heart and cursed her misfortune. Instead she took that as an opportunity and a challenge to do what she had never thought of: to make an appointment with the judge. Troubles did not faze her. Unlike most people, she had nothing to lose, nothing to fear, nothing to apologize for and to be ashamed of. Troubles made her more courageous, not lose courage; more vocal, not vulnerable; more resourceful in her thinking, not resigned to the fact. She did not retreat into her shell, play the pity game and second-guessed her widow status.
If the widow had confided in others her plan, they would surely say to her, “Forget about it,” “Perish the thought” or “Die the heart,” as the Chinese say. She was at the bottom of the class society and he was at its top. The chance of the two meeting, if not for her misfortune, was slim, if not remote or hopeless. People were unlikely to stick their neck out for her, especially knowing the reputation of the judge. His very name (v 2) raised concerns, struck fear, and melted resolve. Most people dared not cross swords with him, play games with him or risk offending or angering the man. They certainly did not want him judging their case if they have the misfortune of being taken to court, and they most certainly did not envy the person who ended up in his court, the attorneys who misbehaved in his presence and the prosecutors or defendants with weaknesses in their case, bribes in their hands or stakes that were high.
The widow, however, saw the judge’s stern mannerism and strict behavior as her ally and to her advantage. She would rather trust her case to someone stern, thorough and perfect than to someone lenient, sloppy, or tired. At least the man had a reputation for being an equal opportunity offender and making everyone sorry, suffer and sleepless for drawing him as judge. Hopefully, his intolerance of people applied only to shoddy cases, unscrupulous lawyers and unfair practices.
Undeniably, many people pray when they are in trouble, feel like it or have a request. Unfortunately, many do not recognize the wake-up call to pray; some even resent the situation they are in and reject the God who nudged them.
Know Who to See
4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ’Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’“(Luke 18:4-5)
I met Deacon Fan, the unofficial Chinese doctor to many Chinese pastors in Southern California, the back-door way. The first mention of his name was by Rev. Wu, whose wife was treated by him. Rev. Wu added that he was a student at a seminary where I had taught previously and was serving in a church with a pastor I know. He also said that Brother Fan was so swamped with patients that he was not taking in new ones. At that time my knees were in bad shape and even though another doctor looking at my case would not hurt, I was not that stubborn or thick-skinned to ask someone I do not know.
The second time I heard of Brother Fan’s name was when I was having lunch with a minister who said he had to leave after lunch for a 2 p.m. appointment with Deacon Fan. My ears flapped open at the mention of that name again. Instinctively, I said to him, “I’ll go with you to see if he would treat me.”
I introduced myself to Deacon Fan and we talked while he treated the minister. At the mention of the name of the friend in church he was working with, he immediately called him and told him that I was at his office, and passed the phone to me. He did that again when I told him I know his two pastors, whom he also dialed up. After I had passed the reference tests and after he had treated the minister, I asked him if he would treat me. I was his patient from that day on.
When I kidded Fan one day about how I sneaked into his care and the difficulty of signing up, he protested, “Eh, even though I said I will not take new patients, I have never turned away anyone who called or turned up at my door!”
The parable setting was a city, “polis” in Greek, and village or country. NIV translates it both as city and town, because the city then qualifies for “town” today.
The widow knew whom to turn to in the community, even though getting the judge’s attention was never easy. No city or town was big enough for the judge to hide from the widow or avoid bumping into her. The widow was not a stalker who pestered the judge in his court chambers or in his front yard whenever she had the chance, but she did not give up or go away either. She looked into what she could do as an ordinary citizen and what process and recourse were available to her. The judge had a fierce reputation, but she had a feisty attitude herself. Nothing could stop her as long as she did not violate any town ordinance, trespass into his property or intrude into his personal privacy; nor did she block his path or ins and outs. Exercising caution, she did not grab his arm, briefcase, or robes; she just yelled from a distance and exercised her right to speak and observe the limits thereof (v 3). The judge, knowing his and her legal rights, could not have her arrested, because she did no wrong. Threats, curses and obscenities were not heard. She was not obnoxious or threatening. No violence or vandalism was reported. Neither did she yell in his ear, spit in his face or offer him a bribe. The woman was a pest but not a troublemaker, and she did not cross the line and was not out of control.
The widow, though one person, had the strength of many and did the work of many. The cry in verse 7 is the same word for the “shrieks” of evil spirits (plural) - not spirit, that Philip cast them out (Acts 8:7), the “shouting” of the mob - not one person, when they could not find Paul and Silas (Acts 17:6), and the “uproar” of the crowd - not an individual, at the Jerusalem temple when the Jews accused Paul of bringing Gentiles into the temple (Acts 21:34). The intensity of her shriek, shout or uproar was only matched single-handedly by John the Baptist’s “call/cry” for people to repent (Matt 3:3, Mark 1:3, Luke 3:4, John 1:23), Jesus at the cross when he “cried out” in a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34), and the blind man who “shouted” all the more for Jesus when he was rebuked to be quiet (Luke 18:39).
The point was that she kept coming and was relentless even though her heart had doubts, her voice was coarse, her shoulders sagged and her feet was tired and felt like lead, but there was not an ounce of self-pity, self-condemnation or self-restraint in her. She did not dread the lonely nights, the long days or the hot afternoons. Those times were just as good as any other for prayer.
Know What to Say
6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:6-8)
Here is a collection of less-than-perfect prayer requests:
“Lord help me to relax about insignificant details, beginning tomorrow at 7:41:23 a.m.”
“God help me to consider people’s feelings, even if most of them ARE hypersensitive.”
“God help me to take responsibility for my own actions, even though they’re usually NOT my fault.”
“God, help me to not try to RUN everything. But, if You need some help, please feel free to ASK me.”
“Lord, help me to be more laid back, and help me to do it EXACTLY right.”
“God help me to take things more seriously, especially laughter, parties, and dancing.”
“God give me patience, and I mean right NOW.”
“Lord help me not be a perfectionist (Did I spell that correctly?).”
“God, help me to finish everything I sa..” (sentence unfinished)
“God, help me to keep my mind on one th -- Look, a bird -- ing at a time.”
“God help me to do only what I can, and trust you for the rest. And would you mind putting that in writing?”
“Lord keep me open to others’ ideas, WRONG though they may be.”
“Lord help me be less independent, but let me do it my way.”
“Lord help me follow established procedures today. On second thought, I’ll settle for (cut me some slack for) a few minutes.”
www.pastornet.net.au/jmm/articles/6766.htm
The widow did not ask for revenge, but justice. It’s been said, “Vengeance begets vengeance.” Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth will leave the whole world blind and toothless.” The Chinese say, “If everyone takes revenge, when will it end?” The word ek-dikos (v 3) means carrying justice out, from the Greek word “ek” for “out (Exodus) and “dike” means “judgment/justice.” She wanted judgment, not punishment. She was interested in the verdict, not the vengeance; the finding, not the fines; the ruling, not the recompense; the decision, not the damages.
Revenge is born of rage, bitterness and hatred but justice is borne of faith (v 8). She was not mean, nasty, bitter, offensive or obnoxious. The English language makes a difference between the word “avenge” and “revenge.” Avenging somebody or something is supposedly righteous and revenge is supposedly personal. Unfortunately, the Greek language does not differentiate between revenge or avenge; it is the same Greek word (see Rom. 12:19); but the difference in usage or context of usage is between taking things in your own hand or letting someone else, especially God, handle the matter and do the job (Acts 7:24, Rom 12:19, 2 Thess. 1:8, Heb. 10:30, 1 Peter 2:14). The only credible way and the best way to apply the Greek word revenge or vengeance on oneself is to live godly, worthwhile and dignified lives (2 Cor. 7:11-12)
The judge, on the other hand, did not say, “I will see that she gets what she wants.” He did not make her case go away, put her adversary in jail, or promise her that everything’s alright, been cleared or taken care of. He promised her that he will look into her case, examine it in detail and check into its merit. The man didn’t give his word he will bump her case up next, get back at her enemy or put everything else on hold. Her case did not become priority number one overnight and neither was her enemy blacklisted the next day. The only assurance was that she had done her part, exercised her right and made herself heard.
The woman had incredible faith (v 8). She never thought she would lose her case just because she was poor, single and female. The widow had no lawyer on her books, no friends in high places and no bureau to monitor her case, but she needed nothing of that sort. She did not need an elaborate scheme, a circus act or a watchdog group. All she needed was a brave front, a strong heart and a vocal stand.
Finally, justice is coming shortly, soon and surely, but not immediately, presently or magically. The word “quickly” (v 8) has been translated as “shortly” in KJV and “soon” in NIV in five instances (Acts 25:4, Rom 16:20, 1 Tim 3:14, Rev 1:1, Rev 22:6). Also, while his return is imprecise, it is not indefinite. It may be delayed, but it is not deferred. It is never late. Another word the Bible uses for His coming is the word “near” or “approaching.”
Conclusion: God is not a town meanie or a grumpy old man. His concern is that we come or run to Him and turn things over to Him. Prayer is power for the powerless, voice for the voiceless and hope for the hopeless. There is no magic in praying; there is only faith, faith that truth will prevail, justice will triumph and God will hear. Our responses when we are down are many. Do you sleep over it, fall into depression, cry out loud or turn to medication? Have you considered failed relationships, unmet expectations and financial, professional or personal setbacks as a wake-up call from God? Have struggles and setbacks start you thinking of drawing to Him and returning to Him instead of living without Him and depending on yourself, your instincts, your resources and your survival guide in life?
Victor Yap
Other sermons in the series and other sermon series:
www.epreaching.blogspot.com
