Time after Pentecost – Lectionary 28
Luke 18:1-8

Dear friends in Christ,

This fall we’ve been working on the theme “Get Ready.” Fall is the “Get Ready” time of year, as we move ever closer to the harsh, cold days of winter. We’ve been talking about getting ready spiritually, getting ready to walk more deeply with God each day. We’ve been mainly focusing on lessons from Luke’s gospel and touched on such ideas as full obedience to God, finding the lost, the proper use of money, living by faith alone, and welcoming all. Next week we’ll wrap up this series and in November spend the month focusing on the end things that are part of faith and life, particularly death, resurrection, and the promise of Christ’s second coming.

This morning we’ve read a parable that really functions on two levels. It is about prayer, but it is also about justice. I think it urges us to both pray, and work for justice in the world, and so I’d like to talk about both this morning.

The parable about the widow and the unrighteous judge is first of all a lesson on prayer. Luke, the writer of the gospel, tells us so as he introduces it. He says, “Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.”

A widow is in some unnamed dispute with an adversary. She takes the issue before a corrupt judge who initially refuses to listen or act. The widow refuses to give up. She goes back to him again and again, until finally this judge gives in. He’s weary of her and her complaining, and finally decides to grant her justice. The point is not that God is somehow like the unjust judge. Rather the point is that if even a corrupt, unrighteous judge will eventually listen to the pleas of another, how much more will our loving and just God listen when we continually come to him in prayer.

We all know, in our heads, that prayer is important. We’ve been taught that from the time we first learned a table grace or bedtime prayer. But that doesn’t make it easy, or even natural. There are all kinds of barriers that keep us from prayer, including wondering if our prayers are being heard or will ever be answered.

One of the values that I personally have found to be important in life is that of persistence. It is working towards a particular goal and not giving up when things get rough and discouragement sets in. I’ve always liked the Old Testament lesson read today, Jacob wrestling all night with the angel, not giving up until he received a blessing and a new name, Israel. In this parable the widow does much the same thing with this corrupt judge. She verbally wrestles with him until she finally receives what is due her.

There is an element to this in prayer. If we have a legitimate concern, and we’re not receiving the answer or guidance we are seeking, then we bring it again, and again, and again to the Lord. We do not lose heart, although that’s easier said that done, but trust that God is listening and will ultimately answer in God’s time and in God’s way.

Part of what this lesson teaches me is to keep on praying, no matter what, because in the very act of prayer I’m connecting with God. In some ways the actual answer is secondary. God will do what God wills, and God knows best. But in the act of prayer I am brought into God’s presence, and that is a good thing.

If you’ve been around this church for awhile, you know there is a pattern to the prayers we offer on Sunday morning. We always pray for people with special needs in the congregation, the sick, the grieving, the troubled. We pray for healing and for hope. Does it always come in the way we would want? No. But we pray nonetheless, knowing that God is finally in charge and that prayer brings us and the people we are praying for into God’s presence in a special way. We pray every week for our partner church in Tanzania. We know they are also praying for us. Do we know each week what the needs and concerns are over there? Do we know for certain where this partner relationship is going? No, but we pray for each other and trust we will both be shown enough of what we need to know. Each week we pray for peace in the world, especially where we are at war, in Iraq and Afghanistan. As I sit at my keyboard and type out that prayer, am I ever discouraged, do I ever wonder if we should even bother, since it doesn’t seem to be making any difference? Yes, but like Jacob and the widow, we keep praying, keep trusting, that one day the prayer will be answered and peace will come. At one level this parable is about prayer. It is about being persistent and not losing heart, knowing that prayer always draws us into God’s presence and that God will answer in God’s time and way.

But on a second level, this parable is about justice in the world. This is clear near the end, where Jesus says, “And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night?” The widow represents the poorest of the poor. Throughout the Scriptures, the writers of various books of the Bible talk about the central importance of paying attention to the widows because they usually were the most vulnerable to poverty, abuse, or neglect. She’s not being treated right. Everything is stacked against her. The judge represents the forces of injustice in the world. He has no moral values. He cares only for himself. He doesn’t fear God or care about other people. All that matters is if he gets what he needs to live comfortably, by whatever means necessary.

When you study the roots of the word justice in the Old Testament, it can best be defined as “bringing back into balance that which is out of balance.” God desires that appropriate balance happen for people on earth. That male does not dominate female, that Jew and Greek have equal regard for each other, that those who have much are brought back into balance with those who do not have enough or anything at all. God is constantly desiring and working toward that type of balance in our world.

Pastor Ed Markquart of Seattle tells a story of two brothers, Billy and Bobby. Billy, the older brother, has everything going for him. He is smart, popular, athletic, and handsome. And he is always in charge at home. What he says, goes.

Bobby, on the other hand, does not receive the blessings that we assume make for a happy life. He is clumsy, shy, not athletic. Nothing comes easily for Bobby. Bobby always lives in the shadow of his brother’s successes.

One day, the boys’ mother makes three cinnamon rolls for breakfast. This is the boys’ favorite treat. They each have one roll, but it’s not enough to satisfy their craving. When Mom steps out of the room, Billy announces that he is taking the last cinnamon roll. He is older and smarter and he gets to choose. And so he snatches that roll off the plate and devours it in front of his disappointed little brother.

Before we go on, let’s get one thing straight: Billy is not a bad person. He is not out to intentionally hurt his brother. He is like all of us much of the time--determined to look out for #1, so focused on our own fulfillment that we don’t notice the injustices we leave in our wake. Billy used his age and strength to get what he wanted, without looking out for the needs of his weaker brother.

But the boys’ mother soon became wise to the situation. She knows that it is important to treat both boys fairly. She also understands that sometime the Bobbies of this world need to be protected from the Billies. So the next time she cuts the third cinnamon roll in half and gives one half to each of the boys. She ensures that they are both treated equally, and that no resentment or aggression springs up between them. Likewise with God, God is just; God’s will is that the Bobbies of life will be treated fairly and protected from the Billies of life. (2)

Because God’s heart always desires justice and this balance, the prayers of those who are suffering under the imbalance of the world touch the heart of God. That is why Jesus tells us that God will not delay in helping those who suffer under this imbalance. God desires to bring back justice to those who are suffering injustice.

So, what can we do to work for justice in the world? Well, one thing we can do is pray for that. Prayer is one of the central ideas in this parable. Be persistent in prayer for justice. A poor widow pleaded for justice, and eventually the corrupt judge granted her just that. If a corrupt judge can eventually bring justice, how much more will God respond to our prayers for justice. The work for justice begins on our knees, praying for those in need of justice and that many will respond to their needs.

And then there is a call to action. A young black man asked his minister why their people had to suffer so much poverty, hardship, and oppression. “Why doesn’t God do something?” he wailed. “He has,” said that wise pastor. “He has created you.”
And so Desmond Tutu, now the archbishop of South Africa, whose name has been in the local news recently, became the answer to his own question.

That’s a good lesson for you and me. While we are waiting for God to bring in a perfect and just society, you and I are called to be part of the solution to the injustice in our world. We have the responsibility to do what we can to bring life into better balance, so that all are treated justly.

In preparation for the adult class this morning, I learned of a website, globalrichlist.com. On that site you can type in your annual income and see how that ranks relative to the whole population of the world. I typed in the annual household income for zipcode 55092, which is $75000. If that’s you, you are richer than 99.18% of the world’s population. 85% of the world’s population earns $2100 or less a year.

Everyone in this church today is rich relative to the rest of the world. We are fortunate to be so blessed. But with that comes the responsibility to do good for others by sharing from our abundance. God desires justice. We can’t save the whole world, but we can certainly do something by sharing what we have so that others might benefit. It is one way to be actively involved in God’s desire for justice for all.

Today’s parable functions on two levels. It is a call to persistence in prayer, and it is a call for justice in the world. May we all, through both prayer and action, seek to work for the just world God desires. Amen