Month: June 2022

The Unjust Judge & the Widow (Luke 18:1-8)

The Text

Luke 18:1-8 (NKJV) “Then He (Jesus) spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart. Saying: ‘There was a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.’ Now there was a widow in that city: and she came to him, saying. ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he (Judge) would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ Then the Lord said, ‘Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?’ I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes will He really find faith on the earth?”  

1. The Setting

In Luke 18:1-30 we find the last events in the public ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, as recorded by Luke prior to the final journey to Jerusalem – Luke 18:31 “Then He took unto Him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished.” In Luke 18, there are two Parables on Prayer (Luke 18:1-8; Luke 18:9-14): 

  • Perseverance in Prayer (Luke 18:1-8)
  • Right Attitude in Prayer (Luke 18:9-14)

2. The Moral of the Parable

The Moral of the Parable is found in Luke 18:7-8 “And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes will He really find faith on the earth?”

  • This Parable teaches that God will avenge His people in answer to their prayer, though He is longsuffering in dealing with mankind.
  • Our prayer should be consistent and persistent (1Thessalonians 3:10) and that we should not lose-heart (faint-hearted – Luke 18;1) because sometimes God does not immediately answer our prayers – Luke 18:1(NKJV) “Then He (Jesus) spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart (faint).” The word “faint” describes a person who loses heart and gets so discouraged that the person wants to quit

3. The Background

This Parable is set in its Eastern-Setting – the “Courtroom” is not in a permanent building but a tent that is moved from place to place as the Judge covers his circuit. The Judge not the Law sets the agenda; he represents the Authority; he is surrounded by his Assistants. Anybody could watch the court-proceeding from the outside, but only those who are accepted and approved could have their cases tried. This usually mean bribing one of the Judge’s Assistants so that the case could be called to the Judge’s attention.

4. The Widow’s Dilemma

The widow has three obstacles to overcome: First, woman in the Eastern-Setting at the time of Christ has little standing in society and also before the Court and the Law and thus a woman does not go to Court. Second, the woman is a widow, and thus, she has no husband to represent her or stand with her in Court. Widows are a traditionally vulnerable group in Palestine society. Girls are regularly married at the age of thirteen or fourteen, and so a widow could be quite young. For a wife to lose her husband is to lose her position and status in society, and her natural protector.  Finally, she is a poor widow, and she could not pay a bribe, even when she wants to, and as such she does not get the protection of the Court and the Law.

5. The Widow’s Petition

Widows are often easy game for the ruthless Exploiter – “devouring widows’ houses” (Mark 12:40b). The widow shouts out her petition, outside the tent (Court), seeking the unjust Judge to avenge her of her adversary – Luke 18:3 (NKJV) “Now there was a widow in that city: and she came to him, saying. ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’”  

  • Legal Transaction – Prayer is more than meeting physical needs; it is “a legal transaction,” recognized in the Court of Heaven, as the word “adversary” (Gk: “antidikos”) means “an opponent in a lawsuit.” The widow is seeking vindication – it is a legal case needing justice, vindication and avenging of her adversary, her enemy. Prayer initiates legal action in Heaven’s Court which affects the outcome of matters in the earthly realm. In essence, prayer has a legal perspective. Prayer is not just a religious act; it is a binding legal transaction.
  • Divine Decree – Prayer is also “seeking vindication” – the term “vindication” (Gk: “ekdikeson”) is not a request for punishment of her adversary, but for a decree that would provide protection from his (adversary) injustices.  Thus, prayer is about the manifestation of God’s decree in the lives of His children, setting something in order, or making something right.    
  • Persistent – Luke 18:5 (NKJV) “Yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.” The word “came” (Luke 18:3 – Gk: “ercheto”) is in the imperfect tense, which implies that she keeps coming – the widow walks around outside the tent (Court) and shout out her petition. The widow persistently and consistently keeps coming to the unjust judge appealing for justice, for him to take up her cause.

    The widow is imploring for justice, to set things right on her behalf, which is one of the important purposes of prayer; prayer has a binding legal transaction, asking God to reconcile every situation and circumstance in the earthly realm with His will and purpose – Matthew 6:10 “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven!”

6. The Unjust Judge

Luke 18:2 (NKJV) “There was a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.” The unjust Judge’s three characteristics: First, he (unjust Judge) is unjust –unjust in all his dealings. Second, he (unjust Judge) does not fear God, that is, he does not uphold the first four Commandments of the Decalogue. Finally, he (unjust Judge) does not have regard or respect for man – that is, he is contemptuous to the people and thus does not uphold the last six Commandments of the Decalogue.

  • Worn-Down – “And he (unjust Judge) would not” (Luke 18:4a) – The verb expresses his (unjust Judge) state of mind rather than a single act. The unjust Judge is worn-down by the widow’s persistent, consistent and insistence petition – Luke 18:4-5 (NKJV) “And he (Judge) would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’” Even though the unjust Judge would not pay-attention to her for a while, he is finally worn-down with her persistency, consistency, and insistence.
  • Ruined Reputation – The word “weary” (Gk: “hypopiaze”) literally means “give me a black eye” or “damage reputation.”  

7. Application

The Parable does not teach that God must be “argued” or “bribed” into answering our prayer. Jesus uses a form of logic that reasons from the lesser (unjust Judge) to the greater (God, the Righteous Judge) – Luke 18:6-8 (NKJV) Then the Lord said, ‘Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?’ I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes will He really find faith on the earth?” If the unjust Judge eventually responded to the widow’s persistent appeals, how much more will God, the Righteous Judge respond to His people. The parable of the persistent widow teaches us two things:

  • Pray or Faint – Luke 18:1 (NKJV) “Then He (Jesus) spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.” If a person does not pray, he will faint (lose-heart); there is no middle-ground. The word “faint” means “to lose-heart and gets discouraged.” Jesus teaches us that we should not give up but be persistent in prayer.
  • Faith on Earth? – Luke 18:8b (Amp Bible) “However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find persistence in the faith on the earth?” The implication, at the End-of-the-Age, unbelief will abound in the earth; whereas, the Son of Man (Jesus) will find faith in His people, as demonstrated in the widow woman – her persistency not only in her fortitude but also persistent in faith that she would be heard by the unjust Judge; so should the Individual Believer has this persistency of faith before the Righteous Judge, expecting answers to our prayers.   

8. Post-Note

Judges in the Nation of Israel are to be righteous and impartial in their judgements, underpinned justice with mercy (Exodus 18:13-22; Leviticus 19:15; Deuteronomy 16:18; 1Kings 3:9; Psalm 9:8; Genesis 18:19; Psalm 89:14). Widows in Israel are to be care for, protected (Exodus 22:22-24; Deuteronomy 10:18; 24:17; Psalm 68:5; Isaiah 1:23; James 1:27; Malachi 3:5); with Divine judgement on those who opposed the widows and the fatherless.

Loving our Neighbour as Ourselves (Second Commandment) (Matthew 22:34-40) (Part 2)

The Law and the Prophets

“All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:40, NIV). Mark 12:31b (NIV) “There is no commandment greater than these.” 

  1. To the Jews this means that the entire Old Testament centres about these two Commandments (“love God and love neighbour as yourself”) – All the teachings in the Old Testament are summarised by these two Commandments (“love God and love neighbour as yourself”).
  2. These two Commandments (“love God and love neighbour as yourself”) combined all the Laws in the Ten Commandments:
    • The first Four Commandments deal with man’s relation to God.
    • The last six deals with man’s relationship to others.
  3. The “love for God and neighbour as yourself” must permeate obedience to all the other Commandments in the Law and Prophets (Matthew 22:40). The two Commandments are basic, touching all of life’s relationship. The precepts of the Law and the preaching of the Prophets are simply expositions of the two Commandments.  
  4. We might add that the teachings of the New Testament’s Epistles reinforced Jesus’ declaration. If a person has a right relationship with God, he should have no problem relating to others.
  5. Love is the basis of obedience and relationship. In fact, all the Law is summed up in love – Romans 13:8-10 (NIV) “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the Law. The commandments, do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet, and whatever other, commandment there may be, are summed up ion this one rule: Love your neighbour as yourself. Love does no harm to its neighbour. Therefore, love is the fulfilment of the Law. 

Instead of giving the Pharisees a loophole that allowed them to obey one Commandment while ignoring the other 612 Commandments, Jesus gave them two Commandments that contained all the 613 Commandments. By this, Jesus puts aside the Pharisees’ multitude of meticulous rules and sub-divisions of the Scriptures. The Pharisees became entrenched in a system that they missed God’s Revelation in the Scripture.

Application

When Jesus calls forth the Commandment to “love our neighbour as yourself,” the definition of “neighbour” is defined in the “Parable of the Good Samaritan – the “neighbour” is anyone who needs our mercy, anytime, anywhere. Furthermore, “love” is not merely emotion but a commandment to be obeyed.  Leviticus 19 provides the 11 Practical Ways of “loving our neighbours as yourself,” each end with the Divine Declaration: “I am the LORD:”

  1. Respect for our Parents – Leviticus 19:2b-3a (NIV) “Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy. Each of you must respect his mother and father……I am the LORD your God.” Holiness is linked to our respect for our father and mother, which is the 5th Commandment (Exodus 20:12; Matthew 15:3-6; Ephesians 6:1-4).
  2. Respect for the Elderly – Leviticus 19:32 (NIV) “Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD.” God is concerned about the elderly (Isaiah 46:4; 1Timothy 5:1-2, 4, 8; 1Peter 5:5), and we should be, too.
  3. Concerned for the Physically Handicaps – Leviticus 19:14 (NIV) “Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind but fear Your God. I am the LORD.” God is also concerned for those with physically handicaps. Jesus healed the blind and the deaf; we must help to protect them and enable them to live better lives.
  4. Concerned for the Poor and Needy – Leviticus 19:9-10 (NIV) “When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien (stranger). I am the LORD.” God’s concerned for the “poor and the needy” is seen in the “harvest laws” (Leviticus 23:22; Deuteronomy 23:24-25; 24:19-22; Ruth 2).
  5. Concerned for Strangers in our Midst – Leviticus 19:33-34 (NIV) “When an alien (stranger) lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien (stranger) living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens (strangers) in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.” God is concerned for the strangers, and He often reminded the Israelities that they had been strangers in Egypt (Exodus 22:21; 23:9; Leviticus 25:23; Deuteronomy 10:19).
  6. Pay the Workers’ Wages on Time – Leviticus 19:13b, 14b (NIV) “Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight…..I am the LORD.”” Since workers were paid daily, any delay would cause hardship (Deuteronomy 24:14-15; James 5:4), and employers must never take advantage of their Employees.  
  7. Rich and Poor Stands Equal – Leviticus 19:15, 18b (NIV) “Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favouritism to the great, but judge your neighbour fairly…….I am the LORD.” Rich and poor stand equal before God and the Law, and justice must not be partial (see also Exodus 23:3), because God hears the cries of the poor when they are oppressed (Psalm 82:3-4). 
  8. Do not Cheat in Business – Leviticus 19:35-36a (NIV) “Do not use dishonest standards where measuring length, weight or quantity. Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah (dry measure) and honest hin (liquid measure). I am the LORD your God.” We must be careful to have “just weights and measures,” lest we rob innocent people (Proverbs 11:1; 16:11; 20:10, 23; Amos 8:5; Micah 6:10-11).
  9. Respect for Truth and Property – Leviticus 19:11 (NIV) “Do not steal, do not lie, and do not deceive one another. Do not swear falsely……I am the LORD.” The 8th Commandment states: “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15); the 9th Commandment warns against “lying” (Exodus 20:16). Both are included in Leviticus 19:11. Respect for truth and property is the foundation for a just and orderly society.
  10. Do not be a Slanderer – Leviticus 19:16 (NIV) “Do not go about spreading slander among your people……I am the LORD.” “Liar and Talebearer” are a menace to public safety and peace, particularly if he or she is a lying witness in court.
  11. Do not Seek Revenge – Leviticus 19:18a (NIV) “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people……I am the LORD.” When someone offended us or hurt us, we need to seek clarification and not revenge. The word “grudge” (nafar) means literally “to watch for” and thus to bear malice in the heart towards the person who offended us. The Word of God commanded us not to do so – that is not to have grudge (or malice) in our hearts. 

Lawyer’s Response

The Lawyer was impressed by Jesus’ answer. Mark records that he spoke approvingly of His words – Mark 12:32-33 (NIV) “Well said, teacher, the man replied. You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but Him. To love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” Thus, a critic of Jesus became His Admirers. In turn Jesus responded with words of kindness and hope – “When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, He said to him, you are not far from the kingdom of God” (Mark 12:34a).