Every church over time creates a certain culture or ethos in their life together, that is largely a reflection of the people that makeup that church. This tends to create certain commonalities among the people, like common values and common interests and common language. Here at SonRise you’ll often find us speaking about ‘the already but not yet.’ This phrase isn’t found anywhere in the Bible but it draws attention to a reality that is thoroughly biblical. It refers to God’s Kingdom and the time we’re now living in. ‘Already’ means the Kingdom has already come, has already dawned, and has already begun in our midst. The ‘not yet’ refers to the fact that though the Kingdom has truly come, it has not yet come in full measure, which means we’re a people living in tension between what God has done and what He will soon do. It really is a phrase used to describe the time between the first and second coming of the Lord Jesus.
So question: what is life supposed to be like here in the ‘in-between’, in the ‘not yet’? Answer: Jesus is clear, life in the ‘not yet’ is hard.[1] As I said we live in a time of tension, where we’re truly redeemed, saved, filled with the Spirit of God, and growing in His image, while simultaneously we’re still dealing with the fallen nature of the world around us as well as the fallen nature of ourselves…and all the baggage that brings along with it. One day our struggle with sin will be over, and we’ll finally and fully enjoy sweet fellowship with Christ, but not yet. For us, living in this tension is our present reality.
Well, our text today addresses these very things. The already, the not yet, and what our life is to look like here in the tension of the in-between. Turn with me to Luke 18, we’ll look at v1-8. I’ve broken this up into three headings for us, so see first…
The Point (v1)
“And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.”
To really lean into the glory of v1 we must look before it and dip into chapter 17. There in Luke 17 Jesus was asked when the Kingdom of God would come, and when He would return. Jesus’ answer is hard but honest and encouraging. In v22 Jesus answered saying, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.” He goes on to say that the days of His return will be like the days of Noah and the days of Lot. Where so many reject the Lord, give way into sin without abandon, and will be suddenly swept away like the generations of the flood and Sodom and Gomorrah. So before Christ returns there will be times of great pain and suffering, and we His people will eagerly desire His return, but we’ll have to wait in faith until that great day and not lose heart.[2]
Go back to Luke 18 here before us. In v1 Jesus has much to say to us about this. Directly after speaking about His return, you know what we find? We find the words of 18:1, “And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” That 18:1 comes after the content in chapter 17, means, in this ‘already but not yet’ time we’re in right now, we will suffer, unbelief will rise, and we will face many temptations to stop praying and lose heart. Reasons outside of us and reasons inside of us. Outside of us, the world and its persecution will cause many to lose heart and abandon the faith. Also the wickedness of sin could cause many to lose heart as well. It’s not an easy thing to see the world wink and hint at sins one day only to celebrate them the next day. Those reasons are more outside of us. Inside of us, we’ll also face many temptations to stop praying and lose heart. We might truly desire to pray for all the lostness we see in the world, but we could very easily grow callous to it all, becoming more eager to see God’s judgment come down than God’s grace and mercy to be embraced. Or, we may truly desire to pray, but we lack faith and might slowly become convinced that God doesn’t want to do anything anymore. Or, we may truly desire to not lose heart, but we sense our heart growing more inclined to the sinfulness of the world and so our desire to pray simply evaporates. Or, we pray for God to provide and as far as we can see it doesn’t seem like He has heard us. Or, we pray for a loved one to come to Christ and they grow in their hostility towards Christ. Or, we pray for our own growth and yet we just can’t seem to get out of certain ruts.
Putting all of this together, despite all the other reasons we can think of, we all could very easily lose heart. Jesus knows this. And so He kindly gives us this parable to enable us to keep heart, and to help us to keep on praying even when we might want to give up. That’s the main idea here today. Don’t you love how it’s just given to us right there in v1? It’s clear as day what this is all about. Well, now that we know the point, let’s hear the parable.
The Unjust Judge (v2-5)
“He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’”
Every good story has easy to spot main characters, and here we have just that, a judge and a widow, a man and a woman, one in a position of power and the other in a position of great need.[3] We learn about the judge first, and from all we see he looks less than promising.[4] So much so some even call this parable, the parable of the unjust judge. Clearly then, the character of this judge is in sharp contradiction to his calling. 2 Chronicles 19 is often used as the standard for all judges when it says in v6-7, “Consider what you do, for you judge not for man but for the Lord. He is with you in giving judgment. Now then, let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the Lord our God, or partiality, or taking bribes.” The description we have of this guy here shows he lacks what is needed to be a judge at all. He could care less about fearing God and could care less about respecting man. Now I’ve never been too law school, I’ve never been a judge and very likely won’t ever be a judge, but it seems to me this guy isn’t a good judge. If it’s justice you’re after, clearly the fearing and honoring the God of justice on one hand and respecting men and women enough to see no one suffers from injustice on the other hand would do a great deal of good. And ironically enough, this judge is aware of how unfit he is. In v4 he admits to these very things! So this is the judge.
We learn about the widow next. From everything we see of her, it’s easy see how desperate her situation is. So much so some even call this parable, the parable of the persistent widow. She is a bit more complex than the judge. The main thing to see is that she is a widow, which in this culture would’ve made her one of the most helpless and defenseless people in society.[5] Widows were often abused, oppressed, neglected. Think of the some of the more well-known widows in Scripture, and Naomi and Ruth come to mind. Both of them were in a dire situation, and if it weren’t for the kindness of Boaz they would’ve likely met a quick end. This widow here is similar.
Now do not miss one more thing about this widow, because it creates the conflict Jesus will use to teach us about prayer. This widow was wronged. It says she ‘kept coming’ to this judge for justice and it mentions her adversary/enemy in v3. So we know that she had been the victim of injustice somehow. Whatever it was that happened, she had been the victim of grave injustice. But she was a poor widow, so she couldn’t bribe this judge, and no one else came to her defense, so she did the only thing she could do, plead for justice, and plead she did.
In v5 we see it happening. She was so persistent in her pleading it prompted a response from the judge. He speaks in v5 saying, “Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.” The judge was bothered by her continual pleading with him about her case. But there’s more to it than just him being bothered. The phrase here ‘beat me down’ is an unusual Greek phrase which literally means to strike or blacken one’s eye.[6] See what Jesus means for us to understand in this? The widow came to the judge and pleaded so much with him that he began feeling beat up by her, as if they were in a boxing match and she was winning. And so even though she came to him pleading her cause, she pleads so effectively that the judge actually gives in, pleads with her to stop, and executes justice on her behalf.
That’s the parable. Now see where Jesus takes it.
The Just Judge (v6-8)
“And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Now we come to it, the grand lesson of the parable for all who read it. But perhaps its best to begin with a caution. Please do not interpret this is a manner that makes God out to be like this judge. As if the point of the parable was simply that if we pester and bother God enough, like this widow, God will give into our requests because he’s so sick of our persistence in prayer. Don’t do that. The parable isn’t meant to be a one-to-one correlation, but a lesson of contrast.[7] A ‘how much more’ kind of argument. Meaning if even the unjust judge grants the request of the widow, how much more will God, the Just Judge over all, always and ever more give justice to His people? How much more can God be relied on than this wicked judge who only doled out justice when it served his own desires and comfort? If there is hope in such a case as this one before us, how much better will it go for us when we are coming before the Lord and we are His people?
You see, God is not like this judge. The judge here is described in a manner that undermines all our confidence in him. Being one who doesn’t fear God nor have any respect for man he is exactly what a judge shouldn’t be![8] God on the other hand…is exactly what a judge should be. God is good. God is gracious. God loves His own. God is just. Abraham was right when he confidently spoke the words of Genesis 18:25 saying, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” Yes He shall! The early Church father Cyril of Alexandria, speaking on this parable said, “How will not he who loves mercy and hates iniquity, and who always gives his helping hand to those that love him, accept those who draw near to him day and night and avenge them as his elect?”[9]
Church, this contrast between the unjust judge and God is meant to do something to us. Remember v1? “And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” Church, what we learn of God in this parable is meant to encourage us toward a deeper and more fervent and more persistent prayer. Consider how some of the content of this parable does just that.
First, God is just. For God to be just not only means He always does what is right. It means what He does is always the standard of what is right. This means no one ever receives injustice from God. If one believes in Christ and is redeemed they receive mercy from God, and if one rejects Christ and is damned they receive justice from God. The one thing no one ever receives from God is injustice. Why? Because God is just.
Now apply this to prayer. In this world even though judges and lawyers work hard, sometimes cases end unjustly. Maybe the wrong guy gets punished, maybe the bad guy goes free, maybe no one gets what they deserve. That God is just means we always have One who will hear us, One who will defend us, One who will work to right wrongs done against us, and One who will always bring matters to a just end. Even if the whole world turns against us, we always have God’s ear, and we can always trust that He will bring every matter to conclusion in the end. Thus, we can always pray in great hope.
Second, God is sovereign. How fascinating that God’s sovereignty is included in this parable? In v7 we are referred to as God’s elect, God’s chosen people. This is not really the time or the text to go into a massive explanation of the doctrine of election and predestination. But I will say this. Many people take issue with this doctrine, saying it robs us of our free will, that it makes it robots, and that it drains the desire to evangelize and to even pray. Don’t miss it Church. Jesus Himself uses the truth of our election to spur us onto deeper and more fervent and more persistent prayer. How does this work? What does election mean for how we pray? Our election ought to remind us that we are not like this helpless widow. We are the chosen of God, the very ones He set His love on from before the foundation of the world.[10] That we’re saved isn’t some accident, or result of any decision we’ve made, no. Our salvation is from the Lord, rooted in God’s grace in Christ given to us in eternity past, that carries us into eternity future. This widow was truly helpless, we are not. Prayer brings us before the God who knows us, cares for us, greatly loves us, and the God who has promised to never us let go! Sovereign election drains our desire to pray? Hogwash! God’s elect are not only described here as a people who cry out to God day and night[11], but see it, election gives us great confidence in prayer![12]
Third, God is our Father. Look at the v7b-8, “Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily.” In these words I hear the reminder that God is our Father. Just as any good earthly father desires to hear their children’s concerns and do whatever is in their power to help them, so too God, as our Father, loves to hear us and wants us to know He’s working speedily for us. You see that little detail there? He will not delay long, but will come through! Yes, His timing is not our timing, true. Yes, God doesn’t always answer our prayer exactly as we desire Him to. And yes, He may delay in answering us. But any difference in answer or delay in timing from God doesn’t mean denial or dismissal.[13] After all, in the gospel God becomes heavenly Father.
Church, though much can cause us to lose heart and give up on prayer in this ‘already but not yet’ time we’re living in, here is what this parable teaches us: don’t lose heart, but keep on praying. Why? Because God is just. God is sovereign. And God is our Father in the gospel, who will always hear us and come to our aid.
Conclusion:
There’s one more matter to attend to here isn’t there? See it in the end of v8? “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
What is this? It’s so like Jesus to end a parable with a surprising twist. But on further thought, it’s not all that surprising.[14] He had discussed His return in chapter 17, and had just told us here to keep persevering in prayer until that day. Now though, we find a question about the state of things at His return. Here’s the gist: when the Son of Man comes as He promised in chapter 17, will Jesus find His people praying like He taught us here in chapter 18? In one sense this question is easy to answer. Yes, Jesus will find robust and prayerful faith when He returns because He will keep His people till the end. But in another sense, here is the most pointed question for us: when Jesus returns, will He find such robust and prayerful faith in you?
[1] R. Kent Hughes, Luke: That You May Know the Truth, Preaching the Word Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015), 617–18.
[2] R.C. Sproul, Luke, St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust Publishing, 2020), 453.
[3] Philip Graham Ryken, Luke 13-24, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2009), 246.
[4] John Nolland, Luke 9:21-18:34, WBC (Dallas, Texas: Word Books, 1993), 867.
[5] Hughes, Luke: That You May Know the Truth, 619.
[6] Nolland, Luke 9:21-18:34, 868.
[7] Norval Geldenhuys, The Gospel of Luke, NICNT (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1972), 446.
[8] Nolland, Luke 9:21-18:34, 871.
[9] Quoted in Ryken, Luke 13-24, 248.
[10] Hughes, Luke: That You May Know the Truth, 620.
[11] J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on Luke, vol. 2 (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2015), 189–90.
[12] Ryken, Luke 13-24, 249.
[13] Ryken, 250.
[14] Ryken, 253.
