Persistent Few

Unrighteous Judge

In Luke 18, we have a recording of Jesus telling a parable. In this parable, there is a crooked judge who doesn’t value justice at all. However, through the persistent badgering of a widow who was wronged, he was convinced to give her justice anyway. Not because he cared about doing well, but just to make it stop.

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.’”

Luke 18:2-5

We’re told the lesson of this parable before the parable itself is given.

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.

Luke 18:1

The logic is, if an unrighteous judge will even give justice to those who are persistent in seeking it, will the righteous God of the universe not even more so?

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? 

Luke 18:6-7

Will We Persist?

Nearly everyone in the world has a desire to see more justice than they currently see. Some have a perception of justice so corrupted by sin that what they think they want is actually greater injustice, but it’s still undeniable that we do not have justice often in this life.

The question Jesus asks here is: Are we diligently seeking justice in prayer? There are entire social movements determined to force man’s “justice”. Do those who crave God’s justice seek as diligently in prayer for actual justice?

He promises here that if his people are seeking his justice with diligence in prayer, they will receive it. However, he also implies that there are not many who will be until the end.

I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Luke 18:8

Faithful Remnant

Many believers look around us today and, seeing all the suffering and people acting against the righteousness of God, proclaim that Jesus must be coming soon. Think about what Jesus said though. When he returns, will we be found faithfully seeking God’s justice? The rhetorical question at the end implies that very few will.

When we see how openly lawless and anti-Christ our world is becoming, it is reasonable to assume that God must do something to restore order. Whether that is his ultimate judgement to make all things new or if it will be another limited judgement against the wickedness to restrain it for a time, we don’t know.

However, what Jesus says here is that, when he does return, there will be very few who are still seeking him and you will know them by their persistent desire for justice evident in their constant petitions to the judge of all creation. I recently saw a social media exchange asking how believers can prepare for Christ’s return. Like a good watchman in the night or the virgins who brought extra lamp oil, the faithful will be diligent in seeking God’s justice until it is fully realized.

Many will grow weary as things go from bad to worse. They will either fall asleep like a night watchman who cannot keep vigilant until morning (giving up that justice will ever be done) or will need to wander off looking for more oil (give up on God’s justice and seek a solution in some godless movement or religion).

When Jesus returns, will he find you still longing, praying, and hoping for a world restored to perfect righteousness, or will you have given up or wandered off seeking another path? Will you be the faithful few?