Scripture Reflections

There is an inherent tension in the parable of the persistent widow (Lk. 18:1-8), which we read on Sunday. On the one hand, Jesus says that God will give justice speedily—he won’t delay long over the pleas of his people. And yet the people are described as those who “cry to him day and night,” and the parable concludes with the question, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

How do we reconcile these two things? God won’t delay, but some people will lose faith while waiting! God will act speedily, yet his people cry day and night! The two perspectives—God’s quick answer and our wait in faith and frequent prayer—seem to be at odds with each other, and we need the preceding context to see how they fit together.

This parable is the end of Jesus’ answer to a question about when God’s kingdom would come. The beginning of his answer is, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed…, for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you” (Lk. 17:20-21). In other words, when asked about the coming of the kingdom, Jesus says, “You won’t see it with your eyes; in fact, it is already among you!”

Jesus says a lot more, but his answer begins with a premise—the kingdom is coming and is already here, yet you can’t see it with your eyes. It is this premise that explains the tension in the parable. God is not delaying, because the kingdom is already here, and yet his people must wait in prayer, because the kingdom is not yet fully visible. It takes faith to see the kingdom of God.

This answer explains the life of the Christian. We are new creations, fully forgiven, joined to the body of Christ, and filled with the Spirit! Yet we can’t see all of this visibly, and we must wait in prayerful faith for the time when these things will be revealed to our eyes. God is not delaying, because the kingdom is already here! These things are already true, yet we still wait for when what is true will be seen.

Living in this tension is difficult! Jesus’ final question (“Will the Son of Man find faith on earth?”) reveals that he understood the difficulty of living according to what cannot be seen. It is easy to lose faith when we cannot see what has already occurred. But his reassurance is also clear: Even a bad judge can be coerced into giving justice. Therefore God, who alone is good (Lk. 18:19), will certainly answer your prayers! Keep praying in faith!

Steven+