Justice Delivered

Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’ ” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?

 

In this Parable of the Unjust Judge, which is also known as The Parable of the Persistent Widow,  Jesus tells the story of how a poor, powerless woman persists in nagging a powerful, corrupt man to deliver her justice until he finally does so. While this parable, obviously, has spiritual lessons to teach us, it also offers encouragement to those among us who struggle in the world against odds that seem stacked against us. Now, without getting into the technicalities of the story, let us talk about a few important things we can reflect upon.

 

God expected powerful people — people in power — to work justly, especially on behalf of those who were unable to look after themselves. This included widows, who had no legal right to the husband’s property after his death. If she didn’t have children, the estate automatically went to her husband’s family! Even if she had children, there was a good chance that her in-laws would challenge the inheritance resulting in a legal battle. This was probably what the woman in this story was fighting for.

 

The judge, a powerful man, should have supported her, but those who have power seem to care little for anybody but themselves, and in this story, he could very well have been friends with the husband’s family. You know how this goes. He expected the widow to give in — how long can one fight powerful people — but he doesn’t count on the woman’s formidable spirit, and her persistence not only wears him down, it begins to embarrass him because it begins to expose him for what he is. Eventually, he capitulates — he gives in. 

“So, will not God grant justice to those who seek it,” Jesus asks. The point Jesus was making was that if persistence pays with an unjust judge with limited power, how much more will it pay with a just judge of limitless power! We are, consequently, encouraged to persevere in faith against all odds, and be assured of victory eventually. I know that sometimes the challenges can be daunting. There is so much corruption in the world, so much injustice, so much hopelessness. Our enemies mock us threatening to take us down. But God promises us victory. The condition, of course, is faith. Do we have it? This is whyJesus concludes by saying, “And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on  earth?.

Let him find faith, and we will be blessed for it.

Watch a video of this reflection by Aneel Aranha here: https://youtu.be/YnMXz1P2OxU0