Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost 2025

Persistence in Prayer: A Reflection on Faith, Hope, and Justice
Luke 18:1-8

Revd. Neli Miranda           

            Throughout the Old Testament, the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the stranger are consistently identified as vulnerable groups deserving of special consideration. They are presented not merely as objects of pity, but as recipients of God’s direct care and protection. The Law of Moses contained strict statutes for their defense. In God’s eyes, it was crucial that their legal rights were not ignored, as Deuteronomy 24:17 commands: “You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan of justice; you shall not take a widow’s garment in pledge”.  Specific instructions were also given for communal care, such as setting aside a portion of the tithe to support these groups (Deuteronomy 14,28-29). Ultimately, God Himself is their defender: “[God… who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing.”  (Deuteronomy 10,18).

            It is against this rich theological backdrop that the Gospel of Luke presents us with a parable about a vulnerable widow. She has no power or influence, yet she persistently seeks justice before a powerful figure in society: a judge. Luke clarifies that this is not an ordinary judge. He is characterized by a profound corruption, for he “…was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people” (Luke 18,2). This description implies a man who, though he may know God’s commandments concerning justice, has consciously chosen to ignore them, making him a law unto himself.

            Imagine the scene: a poor, powerless widow confronting a judge called to be the very embodiment of God’s justice on earth, but who is, in fact, the opposite. While we are not told the specifics of her legal case, we understand her precarious situation. In that society, a woman without a husband or adult sons often lost her financial support and was at risk of extreme poverty. Widows were frequently subjected to exploitation, and their legal rights were easily trampled. The widow in this story, however, acts with a conviction that defies her circumstances. Her relentless pursuit of justice demonstrates a profound belief that she has rights—rights grounded in the Law and in God’s justice! She persists in her pleas, creating pressure that the powerful judge cannot ultimately ignore.

            The parable thus stages an unequal fight: the judge, a personification of power, bound by neither divine law nor public opinion; and the widow, an embodiment of societal powerlessness. The genius of the parable lies in how this conflict is resolved.

            When the judge explains why he finally relents, he uses a phrase that many translations dilute. A more literal translation of his complaint in verse 5 is that the widow’s persistence threatens to give him “a black eye”.  It is not just about physical weariness; it is about public humiliation. The judge fears that this woman’s ceaseless badgering will not only exhaust him but will also publicly shame him, chipping away at his authority. For this reason alone—to save face and rid himself of a nuisance—he grants her justice.

            Herein lies the crucial interpretive key: this unjust judge is not a stand-in for God. Rather, this parable contrasts this evil judge with a just and loving God. If even an impious and corrupt judge will eventually deliver justice, albeit for selfish reasons, to a persistent widow for whom he cares nothing, how much more will our loving and righteous God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night?

            Read this way, the parable is a profound encouragement for those suffering injustice to persevere in their cry, in their persistent actions seeking justice.  It encourages our efforts as believers. The widow teaches us that it can sometimes take extreme, even socially disruptive, persistence to effect change. The Bible has consistently insisted that God gives special attention to the cries of the vulnerable; therefore, we are called to persist in our own prayers and actions, even to the point of “embarrassing” the powers that be into doing what is right.

            When we persistently cry out to God for our own needs and for the needs of our world, we are participating in this sacred act of demanding justice. When we continue to pray for an end to war, violence and injustice, whether in Guatemala or in the world, we are standing with the widow against every unjust judge and every system that delays or denies justice.

            This parable fuels our belief in a new world, in a coming order of righteousness. Yet, Jesus concludes with a question that hangs in the air: “And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18,8). The parable is not a guarantee that we will always see justice in our lifetime. It is a call to continue in a persistent, unwavering faith the widow embodied—a faith that continues to cry out, to hope, and to act, trusting that the righteous Judge of all the earth will set all things right.

We believe in a new world, in a new order of justice!

Justice leaves a mark