Persistence
Luke 18:1-8
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18 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ 4For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’” 6And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:1-8)
One who has striven with God – this is the literal meaning of the name Israel – the new name given to Jacob after wrestling all night with a mysterious stranger at the edge of the Jabbok river, a mysterious stranger who declares to him that he has striven with God and with humans and has prevailed.
This kind of striving - this literal wrestling - in our first reading this morning, now spills over into our gospel reading where we encounter a story told by Jesus about a widow who keeps on striving and refuses to give up – to the point that the unjust judge she daily petitions is fearful of getting a black eye from the woman (as the literal Greek words imply).
Now, the stereotype of widows in Scripture is that they were a powerless class in need of protection. And while it is true that within the patriarchal social structures of the ancient world, a woman without a man to speak for her was indeed quite powerless, we know better than to underestimate the strength of these women who dot the pages of Scripture with tenacity and faithfulness.
We think of Ruth, who steadfastly stayed by her mother-in-law, Naomi’s, side, leaving everything behind in the pursuit of a secure life for her.
We think of the widow at Zarephath who, in an act of faith, fed the starving prophet Elijah from the little food she had and was blessed with an abundance of flour and oil to make enough bread for herself and her son.
We think of the prophet Anna who opens up Luke’s Gospel with her 84 years of waiting and watching for the Messiah at the Temple, and her subsequent sharing of the good news to all who would listen.
So, by the time we hear this story of the widow and the unjust judge, we probably shouldn’t be too surprised by her strength and tenacity!
This woman is a force to be reckoned with. Every day she gets up and against all odds, marches herself to the courthouse to confront an unjust judge who refuses to grant her justice. Every day, she faces a system she knows is stacked against her, and against all hope she continues to show up, and to show up with such unrelenting commitment that the unjust judge finally grants her petition, not because of a change of heart, but out of sheer weariness (a feeling I can relate to the thirtieth time my toddler asks for cheese puffs for breakfast…)
When I think of the persistence of this widow against such obstacles, I think of the persistence of so many who have worked tirelessly for justice up against systems that, like the judge in Jesus’ parable, neither fear God nor respect people.
I think of civil rights leaders, I think of those who led (and still lead!) the fight for women’s rights and lgbtq equality, for vulnerable farm workers and desperate asylum seekers. And right now in particular, I think of the brave persistence seen in the women of Iran, standing up against oppressive powers and systems in their fight for justice and equality.
The persistence of the widow modeled in this story resonates with anyone who has continued to show up and stand up in the face of enormous obstacles. In this story we recognize a truth about the way our world often works and the hard work it takes to make it better.
Today happens to be World Food Day, a day marked by the United Nations to both acknowledge the vast problem of hunger in our world, and to recognize the difficult and creative work people are doing to address it in order that nobody is left behind.
Here in New Mexico, perhaps you already know that we rank last in the country when it comes to childhood hunger. According to recent studies, 26% of children in this state experience food insecurity.
The problem can feel overwhelming. Unjust systems can feel impossible to change, but like the tenacious widow, so many good people get up every day to do the work of feeding, advocating, and working for change against all kinds of obstacles. People like those at the Rio Grande Food Project who have been showing up every day for over 30 years, who we’re glad to welcome with us here today.
In this short parable told by Jesus, we are emboldened to persist and we are encouraged to join the long line of people before us who have done the faithful and difficult work of justice – who, like the widow, keep on showing up even when the system is stacked against them.
But let’s step back for a moment – as a rule of thumb, if a parable seems to be clear and obvious, I’m going to guess that we’re missing something. So let’s see if we can muddy the waters here a little…
If we zoom out from Jesus’ story, we notice that Luke just could not help himself from offering his own interpretive frame around Jesus’ parable. You see, he began this passage by saying, “Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.”
Wait…This is a parable about prayer? Well now I have some questions…
Did Jesus himself say this was a parable about prayer? Or was this Luke’s idea?
If this is a parable about prayer, is Jesus comparing the unjust judge to God?
If the point is that God is nothing like the unjust judge, then why does it so often feel like prayer really is an exercise in persistence and disappointment?
If this is a parable about prayer…Does God require a certain amount of pleading and wrestling before hearing our cries for justice?
Luke’s framing certainly raises a lot of questions here!
It helps to recognize that Luke places this parable right after a section where Jesus had just shared many difficult things about the challenges and suffering of the last days, so it makes sense that he would feel the need to offer a story now about praying always and not losing heart, even when things get tough.
But taken on it’s own, I’m not sure I would have identified this parable of Jesus as a parable about prayer.
So, what did Luke have in mind? Is this a parable about prayer? Or is this a parable about the work of justice?
You can find opinions from scholars coming down on either side, but I think the answer is simply – yes. It’s a parable about both, and I think this could be Luke’s point.
If this is a parable about prayer, then here we see that prayer is active - it’s not just words, but it’s marching down to the courthouse, it’s standing up to unjust systems, prayer is the work of justice and prayer sustains the work of justice. The two must go together.
A quote attributed to Pope Francis sums it up nicely when he said, “You pray for the hungry, then you feed them. That is how prayer works.”
It’s the same sentiment in the words of American abolitionist, Frederick Douglas who said, “praying for freedom never did me any good til I started praying with my feet!”
So, perhaps, Luke (and Jesus) are saying something here about the active, participatory nature of prayer and the need to persist in the face of challenges, sustained by faith in the God who hears our cries and acts for justice, even if not on our preferred timelines.
But once again, I don’t want to end here making you think there’s one right way to read the parable, so I’d like to also share with you maybe my favorite window into this parable, offered by the Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber who wondered: if this is a parable about prayer, then perhaps God is more like the Widow here. In her writing on this passage, she says, “Maybe prayer isn’t the way in which we manipulate God but is simply the posture in which we finally become worn down by God’s persistence—God’s persistence in loving us. God’s persistence in forgiving and being known. And God’s persistence in being faithful and always, always, always bringing life out of death.”
Maybe God is the persistent one. The one who keeps coming back to humanity seeking justice, looking for faith on earth. Maybe we are the ones who are slow to act and short on “fear of God and respect for people”.
Maybe God is like the widow in the parable.
Maybe sometimes it feels like God is more like the judge.
Maybe this is a parable about the work of justice,
or perhaps a parable about prayer,
or about persistence.
I don’t know what this parable speaks to you today, or what you see reflected back when you hold it up to the light, but whatever it is that you needed to hear or wrestle with in Jesus’ parable, may you know the persistent, steadfast love of God and be heartened for the work God has given you to do.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.