For the Least of These

Text: Luke 18:1-8 The Message

Focus: justice

Function: to help people seek justice

^1-3Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit. He said, “There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people. A widow in that city kept after him: ‘My rights are being violated. Protect me!’

^4-5“He never gave her the time of day. But after this went on and on he said to himself, ‘I care nothing what God thinks, even less what people think. But because this widow won’t quit badgering me, I’d better do something and see that she gets justice—otherwise I’m going to end up beaten black-and-blue by her pounding.’”

^6-8Then the Master said, “Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying? So what makes you think God won’t step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won’t he stick up for them? I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?”

This is one of those parables that has two meanings and two applications.

It is introduced with a phrase about the fact that we shouldn’t give up in our prayer even though it seems as if God isn’t listening because it is taking a long time for an answer.

And, it is concluded with a thought provoking question, by Jesus, directed at perhaps even us, His disciples of 2,000 years later. The question reverts back to the introduction to the passage when He speaks of the need for consistent prayer with Jesus wondering out loud of when He return there will be that kind of faith in the disciples.

Do we have a persistent faith? It appears that Jesus wants us to ask ourselves that question.

So, one meaning, and the reason why Jesus tells the story, is Jesus provoking us to a persistent faith.

But inside of that meaning is Jesus’ statement in verses 6-8 when he says that if unjust judges can get around to giving justice finally, then how much more will God, who actually cares about justice, do something about injustice on your behalf?

So, let us put the story in the context of the relevant Jewish experience in that time that marked the difference between the common era and before.

That being the incarnation of Jesus. But I use common era and before common era when I talk about times and dates since we are not the only religion on the planet. The prophet Micah said that God, while we love mercy and seek Justice also wants that kind of humility that respects other peoples and their cultures.

Jesus mentions injustices happening to this woman.

And all of a sudden, He gets the attention of the people because they are living in completely unfair and unjust circumstances. The Romans have a sword at their belly, the cross as punishment for rebellion and their boots on the necks of the people.

And not only that, but the wealthy landowners are collaborating with them and the whole system is designed to milk whatever profit and chance that the poor have to get a better life.

The people are living with injustices happening to them all the time.

And remember, Jesus told His disciples to preach the good news that a new kingdom, a new way of doing things was at hand.

Jesus was talking about people being filled with the Spirit of God and giving up their greed and selfish ambition.

And it was a radical message. And it was political. It was so political that the politicians had Him killed because He was upsetting the status quo.

Jesus, like many other times, speaks to the human condition that they are facing at the time and it appeals to their senses that there is a new way of doing things and they do not have to be oppressed by the wealthy any longer.

In the story, Jesus promises them that God is indeed listening, watching and will ultimately judge on behalf of the poor and the oppressed.

Please God, let us not be part of the oppressors, that is one of my consistent prayers.

I don’t know what the judgment for the oppressor will be. I have often said that Jesus is Lord of both the oppressed and the oppressor. But woe to the oppressor! Jesus promises that God will give justice on behalf of those who are abused.

And He opens and closes the story with the reminders that we are to keep on praying earnestly, and that we are to ponder if we have given up faith and hope, or if we are still seeking the justice that God has for the world.

He is asking us to live by faith. Live by faith in the justice and the mercy of God. Well, “the mercy” isn’t mentioned in this passage, except the assumption that God is always benevolent and merciful.

God calls us to persistently have faith in God’s justice for the world.

We sing the hymn, “This is my Father’s World” and there is a line in there that I love: “And tho the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.”

In the story, we are both called to persistent faith in prayer and reminded that God is also committed to the justice that we seek.

And the call to action that we have in this passage is to be consistent in prayer. God is faithful, Jesus tells us and God cares about the suffering of the oppressed. And God will indeed rule against the oppressor, if not now, then when it is time to get our reward in heaven.

And I hope that prayer is a beneficial process for you. James 5:17 says that Elijah was human, just like us. Nothing special about him, and God was faithful in answering his prayers. We should rest in God’s answer to ours.

So, I rest on God’s promise of justice. It is the promise of justice on behalf of all who call out to God for it. Oftentimes the ones who need justice are what Jesus refers to as the least of these. The prisoner. The refugee. The Aslymn seeker at our border, people of color who are abused by the system. We often think less, and are told to think less of these people. We hear some of them derogatorily called “illegal,” but God promises to answer their prayers. We need to be on the side of the oppressed, not the oppressor. But those who are marginalized are the least of these, and Jesus said that whenever we care for the least of these, we care for Him. And when we ignore them, we ignore Him and lose our reward. It is serious stuff we are talking about here.

I don’t understand how God can be love and forgive as He commands us to forgive. I don’t understand how God’s justice will and does work. But I believe that God can sort it all out and be fair to all of God’s children.

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus might help us understand. Lazarus’ never expresses faith in God, but is comforted in heaven while the rich man suffers. I don’t know how God will be and is fair.

I don’t know. But when I ponder it, it reminds me of my own call by God to do justice.

Let us seek the justice that God so desires.