Luke 18:1-8 (NRSV)
Read Luke 18:1-8 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 18Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. Verse 2He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. Verse 3In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, 'Grant me justice against my opponent.' Verse 4For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, 'Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, Verse 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.'" Verse 6And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. Verse 7And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? Verse 8I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
Devotion
We can only guess at the extent of the widow’s annoying tenacity. She is persistent to a fault. She claws at the unjust judge and grates on his nerves until he can’t stand it anymore. He must dole out the justice.
The widow knows two things: 1) Eventually the pressure will get to be too much and even an unjust man will cave and be just; and 2) When it comes to widows and orphans and the poor, God has promised to show mercy —- even if it means working through strange and unjust means.
Prayer
Thank you for working through the strange means of the cross for our salvation. Grant us your mercy. In the name of Christ Jesus we pray. Amen.