The Parable Of The Unjust Judge

The Parable of the Unjust Judge

Luke 18:1-8

Parables are useful stories in that they present simple points. In the case of this parable, one can see the value of persistence. It is similar to what Jesus says in The Sermon on the Mount where He says: “Persist in asking, and you will receive. Persist in seeking, and you will find. Persist in knocking, and the door will be opened. We hear of another parable where a man seeking bread to feed his guest at midnight pesters his neighbor until he opens the door and gives him bread. So it seems that persistence is an important concept to Jesus. The question remains: “Persistent in what?”

Parables can be somewhat misleading in that it stops the thinking process once one has discovered the main point, or what one thinks is the main point. We must remember that parables are illustrations which shed light on a deeper truth. Therefore, when we look at a parable we need to ask the question: “What is being illustrated?” So with this in mind, let us look deeper into the Parable of the Unjust Judge.

The first thing we need to observe is the surrounding context. Jesus had just been talking about the end times. He mentions the days of Noah. Noah spent 120 years building the Ark which God had commanded Him. The Bible indicates that many of Noah’s contemporaries mocked him. It had not rained on the earth as the morning dew was sufficient to water everything. What is rain? What is a flood? Surely to a wicked people this seems all nonsense. But Noah persisted. It also mentions Lot. He was a mixed bag at best, but angels persisted in dragging Lot and his family from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. So by looking at the context, we see this parable is not just about persistence, but specifically persistence in the face of persecution in the light of the coming judgment. The fact that Jesus mentions a judge and judgment in this parable reinforces this.

Now we can look at the parable. It is straightforward enough and does not require a lot of analysis. But some background information might be useful. If this was a Jewish judge adjudicating a matter between two Jews, the judge was to be fair and equitable and not favor the rich and powerful in deciding a case. Roman law also held strictly to equity in judgment. Justice was to be blind. In fact, a combination of The Old Testament, Roman law and English common law provides the basis of the American legal system under our Constitution. But as we all too often see, our ideals are dashed by hard reality. We clearly see that the rich and powerful have distinct advantages over everyone else. Injustice is nauseating in the face of God. It was unjust judgement which was one of the major motivators for God delivering Israel over to the Assyrians and Judaea to the Babylonians.

Justice was bought and sold in Jesus’ day as well. Judges were paid by the litigants. This was not to cloud the judgment, but it does not take much imagination to see that it was quite a temptation to cloud one’s judgment based upon who paid the judge more. Unjust judges were cursed in the minds of common people who were all too often the victim of such “justice.” So the question comes up why God who is the most just would be compared to an unjust judge? One sees that the woman in this parable got her justice through totally annoying the judge. Is that the way God hears us? Should we annoy God in prayer until He answers our plea?

Another question can be asked alongside this. This judge did not care for neither God nor man. Does that mean that God does not care for us either. The pagan Gods were such as these, immersed in their own pleasure and caring little for humankind. Surely our God is not like that! So how do we answer these charges?

The Bible asserts that God is supremely just. But God is more than fair. God is also merciful, something stated again and again in the Bible. So whatever is being compared here between God and the unjust judge has nothing to do with the moral quality and motivations of each. When one understands that Jesus is using a Rabbinic less to greater argument, the fog begins to clear. What is being said is that if an unjust and self-serving judge who does not care can be persistently petitioned to answer, how much more will a personal, merciful and just God hear the petitions of those who call upon Him?

So as we have seen, Jesus is teaching us to be persistent in our petitions to God in an unjust society in the light of the coming judgment. Jesus promises that His believers will be the subject of vicious slanders and attacks on account of the Gospel. The martyrs in Revelation cry out for justice day and night from under the altar of God. They are told to wait just a little longer. God will answer, but in His own appointed time and way. So we can rest assured that God will answer and vindicate his people.