Pray without ceasing

What does doing something constantly look like?

For kids time, what is something that you have been begging your parents for? This is part of what we are going to talk about this morning. Sometimes the thing we want most in life, seems to be the hardest to grasp.

Callie is gone this weekend so she can’t defend herself. But if she was here she would agree with what I’m going to say. I love technology. Let me rephrase that. I have an obsession with phone tech. I can go months at a time without thinking about a new phone and then all of a sudden, I see one and that’s all I think about. Once I have spotted my next target I find “creative” ways to bring it up. See, I can’t buy a new phone whenever I want. The phone I currently use, I have had for 3 years which might not be that long for some of you, but for me, its a long time with one device. So I “causally” bring it up whenever I can. Callie usually ignores me and I eventually quit nagging her about it. But every once in a while, she gives in and I go buy whatever I have been obsessing over. She doesn’t do this because she wants me to have something else, but because I have annoyed her about it long enough.

This is like our text this morning. Lets dive in.

(CEB)

Justice for the faithful

The Parable of the Widow and the Unjust Judge

18 Jesus was telling them a parable about their need to pray continuously and not to be discouraged. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected people. 3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him, asking, ‘Give me justice in this case against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused but finally said to himself, I don’t fear God or respect people, 5 but I will give this widow justice because she keeps bothering me. Otherwise, there will be no end to her coming here and embarrassing me.” 6 The Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 Won’t God provide justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he be slow to help them? 8 I tell you, he will give them justice quickly. But when the Human One comes, will he find faithfulness on earth?”

18 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ 4 For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’ ” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8 I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

There is a lot going on here. On the surface it is a just another story of Jesus instructing his followers to pray, but deeper, it becomes more than that. How many of us can say that we have begged God for an answer? We know what it’s like to pray repeatedly for the same thing without a response. Look at verse 3 again. “In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him (the judge) and saying ‘Give me justice in this case against my adversary.’ We don’t know how long she has been coming to him and we don’t know the specifics of the case. What we do know is that for a length of time, she has repeatedly come to see him. That takes conviction. That takes courage to continue to ask for something when so far, all you have gotten is the cold shoulder. To know that the thing we want the most may not happen is a hard pill to swallow. This is not the first time we see Jesus pray with his followers. Look over in chapter 9 verse 28 and following.

28 About eight days after Jesus said these things, he took Peter, John, and James, and went up on a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed and his clothes flashed white like lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, were talking with him. 31 They were clothed with heavenly splendor and spoke about Jesus’ departure, which he would achieve in Jerusalem. 32 Peter and those with him were almost overcome by sleep, but they managed to stay awake and saw his glory as well as the two men with him.

28 About eight days after Jesus said these things, he took Peter, John, and James, and went up on a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed and his clothes flashed white like lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, were talking with him. 31 They were clothed with heavenly splendor and spoke about Jesus’ departure, which he would achieve in Jerusalem. 32 Peter and those with him were almost overcome by sleep, but they managed to stay awake and saw his glory as well as the two men with him.

33 As the two men were about to leave Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it’s good that we’re here. We should construct three shrines: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—but he didn’t know what he was saying. 34 Peter was still speaking when a cloud overshadowed them. As they entered the cloud, they were overcome with awe.

35 Then a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, my chosen one. Listen to him!” 36 Even as the voice spoke, Jesus was found alone. They were speechless and at the time told no one what they had seen.

Those closest to him would know by know that prayer is important to not only the Son of God but that prayer is vital for them as well. They would be trying to figure out the point to the parable that Jesus is teaching them.

Lets return to our text. We pick it up in verse 4. “For a while he refused but finally said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or respect people, 5 but I will give this widow justice because she keeps bothering me. Otherwise, there will be no end to her coming here and embarrassing me.’”

It is important to understand who this judge is and the role he had in the community. He was most likely an older man that the rest of the community trusted to settle their disputes. By saying he neither feared God nor respected people indicates that he only did what was in his best interest. Not exactly the person you want making important, community wide decisions, is it. And yet, that is who is at the heart of this story about how we should pray constantly. Let’s look at the the widow for a moment. We don’t know what her request is, only that she has one and has been begging for an answer for some time. According to Deuteronomy, judges were extra careful to be fair to widows, orphans, and immigrants. So not only is this judge not being fair to her, he has to deal with the daily embarrassment of here coming before him. Judges sat in the middle of the public space where they could be visible to the whole community. So, everyday, she comes in front of him and whoever else happens to walk by and is not given an answer.

Raise your hand if at this point, this how you want our relationship with God to be like. Yeah, me either. However, it’s important that we don’t associate this Judge with being God in this story. We will come back to this.

Thankfully this story doesn’t end with her being told no. Let’s keep going. Verse 6-7, “6 The Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 Won’t God provide justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he be slow to help them?” I said a moment ago that we cannot put God in the place of the judge. The judge is concerned with one thing and that is for the embarrassment he is feeling to stop. In order for that to happen, he finally gives the woman what she has been asking for. If an unjust judge will give out of public humiliation, how much more will God who is full of justice give out of his goodness?

I love history. Like, I collect old Life magazines from different events that have happened in history. (Hint hint) My favorite era of American history is the time of World War 2-to the start of the Korean conflict. I can’t explain why it is, but I have always been fascinated by it. I was doing an interview at another church a few years ago and was teaching a class on faith when I stumbled across this story. Before I begin, on of my favorite phrases in the entirety of scripture is “But if not” from the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as they are thrown into the furnace in . Anyways, back to our story.

The time was June 1940 and the place was Dunkirk. The British Expeditionary Force, sent to stem the Nazi advance into Belgium and France, had been pushed steadily back to the sea.

A pall fell over England. Hitler’s armies were poised to destroy the cornered Allied army. But as the British people waited anxiously, a three-word message was transmitted from the army at Dunkirk: “And if not.”

The British people instantly recognized what the message meant: “Even if we are not rescued from Hitler’s army, we will stand strong.” “And if not” was found in the Book of Daniel, where Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego defied Nebuchadnezzar, putting their trust in God.

The message galvanized the British people. Thousands of boats set out across the Channel in a gallant bid to rescue their army. And they succeeded. Nearly 350,000 troops were saved.

“But if not.” This was the attitude of the widow. “I will keep coming back even if he won’t hear me.” This is the mark of faith. When we are trapped by a firery furnace, the sea and an army, or No as the answer to our cry’s, will we keep coming back to God, who as Jesus tells us, longs to give them justice quickly? That is the challenge for today.

If you would like to make a public declaration of faith or are in need of prayer, we are here for you as we stand and sing.

Let me leave you with this blessing.

“May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing, once again, into our doors.

Before we continue