Luke 18:1-8
Chapter 18
1
Jesus told them a parable to illustrate that they should pray constantly and not lose heart.
2
He said:
“In a certain town, there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about people.
3
In the same town, there was a widow who kept coming to him, saying, ‘Defend my rights against my adversary!’
4
For a while, he refused, but finally he thought, ‘Even though I neither fear God nor care about people,
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this widow damages my reputation, so I will see that she gets justice; then she will stop coming and wear me out.”
6
And Jesus said:
“Listen to what the evil judge says.
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Will God not do justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night, even if he delays in answering?
8
I tell you, he will quickly do justice for them. But, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Commentaries
Parable of the Persistent Widow and the Unjust Judge.
The widow symbolizes those who are excluded from society, who, over time and battered by injustice, come to believe that no one will listen to their cause. Jesus’ message is that the excluded, like the widow, should be convinced otherwise; that is, they should feel and accept that the first person interested in their cause is God himself. With the support of that God, who defies injustice and oppression (cf. Ex 3:7-9), they must persist in their fight for justice.