Parables - Persistence

What is the difference between persistence and stubbornness?

Persist: to go on resolutely or stubbornly in spite of opposition, importunity, or warning

Stubborn: unreasonably or perversely unyielding

So how do we view these two parables about people who refuse to yield?

Persistent Friend

Luke 11:5–7 NKJV

And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’?

I don’t know if you’ve had a knock at the door in the middle of the night, but you’ve probably gotten that phone call.

You know, the one that starts out “I’m OK”, or “Don’t worry, everything is fine”.

People say that because middle of the night interruptions are rarely good news.

Now imagine your nights sleep is interrupted by a friend that wants to borrow something.

Maybe a loaf of bread, or a cup of sugar, maybe your new lawn mower.

You’re probably not pre-disposed to lend to them under those conditions,

Rather like the man in our parable.

“The door is shut, we’re all in bed. Leave us alone.”

But that is not what this “friend” does.

Luke 11:8 NKJV

I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.

The friend keeps knocking at the door,

Over, and over, and over again.

Until he says “ENOUGH”, I’ll give you your darn bread!

In other words, you get up and give him what he wants,

Not because he is your friend and needs something, but because he won’t leave you alone.

Luke 11:9 NKJV

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Jesus is not using this parable to teach us to be rude, or stubborn,

But to be persistent when dealing with God.

Ask God, and it will be given to you,

Seek God, and you will find,

Knock, and God will open the window for you.

All of these phrases have become modern parables, twisted to man’s point of view.

James 4:1–3 NKJV

Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

So today, these parables are used today to justify covetousness and greed, rather than patience and persistence with God.

Ask whatever you and and God is contractually obligated to give it to you.

Seek whatever you want, and God is contractually obligated to show it to you.

When God closes a door, He opens a window.

Rather than what Jesus says throughout the Gospels.

Ask God, and He will give you what you need, when you need it, if you will trust in His love.

Seek God, and you will find Him, not where, when, and how you expect, but as He really is.

Knock, and God will open to you what is best for you.

The question this parable implies is, will you wait on God?

If you don’t get what you ask for, do you give up and say “There is no God”?

Do you blame God when you don’t get the answers you seek right now?

Do you complain to God about your sore knuckles from knocking on the door that leads to destruction?

Woman and the Judge

Then we have the parable about this judge and a woman who comes to him for justice.

Luke 18:1–3 NKJV

Then 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.’

Arrogance is not a pretty feature in anyone, especially someone with a position of responsibility.

Remember, in Scripture, power is merely the ability to fulfill your responsibility.

Yet here we have a judge who feared no one.

I believe this is one of the reasons our governments were setup the way they were,

So that, no matter what position you held in government, there was always some above you whom you should fear.

And here we have a woman, going to the judge to get justice for her.

Just: acting or being in conformity with what is morally upright or good

This is the judge’s job, to look at the facts of a case and seek justice under that law.

But what does this judge do?

Luke 18:4–5 NKJV

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.’ ”

The judge is stubborn,

He would not do his job and get justice for this woman.

We are not told why, only why he relented.

Not because he feared God or man,

But because she persisted.

She kept asking the judge to do his job until he could not take it anymore and relented.

Luke 18:6 NKJV

Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said.

Jesus tells us to hear what this unjust judge said, then He makes His point.

Luke 18:7–8 NKJV

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?”