“And the Lord said, ‘Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now shall not God bring about justice for His elect, who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?’.”
Luke 18:6-8
Jesus had just related the parable of the unrighteous judge and the persistent woman. You can read it in the first 5 verses of Luke 18.
The point He was making was that if we would expect a sinful man to grant us the justice due us just because it’s in his power to give, then shouldn’t we be confident that God, the righteous Judge, will bring justice for those who are His...and in good time?
But here is the sentence that causes me concern; and I believe it should scream out for the attention of anyone who names the name of Christ.
“However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”
Now we know that Jesus referred to Himself numerous times as “Son of Man”, and we know that in the ears of His hearers that was a claim to be the Messiah; the One spoken of by Daniel the prophet. We can also ascertain that since He was here on the earth saying these things, His reference must have been to His second coming.
Since evangelical Christians everywhere look forward with anticipation to His coming, and agree that He could come to claim His own at any moment, look again at this haunting question.
“However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”
I did some research on this word ‘faith’. The same Greek word is used throughout the New Testament, and it implies a trust and confidence that manifests itself in obedience and faithfulness.
Ok, now let’s back up a step and remember that Jesus was saying this in conjunction with the promise that God, the righteous Judge, would speedily vindicate His elect (believers). Doesn’t this say to us that there would have to be something to vindicate us for? Persecution, slander, mistreatment, abuse, rejection,...
I think so.
So what I’m seeing here, is that Jesus was expressing doubt (frightening thought) that when He returns, He would find the lives of Christians expressing faith through obedience and faithfulness that incites persecution and rejection from a Christ-hating world.
Look at the lives of the patriarchs and the prophets. Read the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. The world hasn’t changed, except to become darker in sin. God’s truth hasn’t changed.
So why are we so comfortable in Sodom?
I don’t know what else to say in a short article. But please read this question one more time; remember it came from the lips of the Lord of the ages; and pray about it. OK?
“HOWEVER, WHEN THE SON OF MAN COMES, WILL HE FIND FAITH ON THE EARTH?”
