Hard Sayings

Pastor Dave continued his sermon series on the hard sayings of Jesus, an excellent sermon on Luke 18:1-8: "The He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: 'There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.' And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.' Then the Lord said, 'Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?'"

The judge is a law unto himself; he does not fear God or respect men. The widow is helpless, probably not rich or powerful, and is seeking justice on a grievance against her adversary. The judge's initial response was refusal, but because of the widow's persistence,
he eventually gives her justice, primarily to keep her from bothering him and ruining his reputation as a judge.

Jesus told his hearers to review what the judge said, then asked rhetorical questions, drawing comparisons between God and the judge, God's elect and the widow. God will give justice to the elect. His eye is always on us, He is always gracious to us, and He is always just toward us. In the scheme of redemption, it doesn't make sense for God to abandon His elect. We were bought with the price of Jesus' blood, and God promised in the covenant that He would be our God.

The question in verse 8, "when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" refers to the nature of the relationship between God and the elect. When Jesus returns, will He find people who actually believe God is a righteous judge who will always be there for us? Our daily lives should reflect this relationship. Ultimately, this parable is about our prayer lives, and our persistence in prayer over life's matters. Pastor Dave shared some areas where we may have become complacent in prayer over the years, such as praying for the salvation of loved ones. To cease praying is actually a mark of unbelief, and rank unbelief impugns the character of God.