Twenty Ninth Sunday October 16, 2022
Exodus 17:8-13; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2; Luke 18:1-8
In ancient Jewish society a woman depended on her husband
for sustenance and social status. To lose a husband meant to be poor and
defenceless, especially where the widow had no grownup son. That was as close
to a hopeless situation as one could ever get. The greatness of the widow in
the parable lies in her refusal to accept the oppressive and abusive situation
in which she found herself in the pretext that "That's the way things
are." Some other less courageous, pious woman would even have told her to
submit to the oppression as being God's will. But she knew better. She kept her
hope in final justice alive and did everything in her power to right the wrongs
inflicted on her by her oppressive neighbours. Finally her dogged determination
paid off and she was vindicated. There are no hopeless situations; there are
only people who have grown hopeless about their situations.
Two frogs fell into a deep cream bowl; / The one was wise,
and a cheery soul.
The other one took a gloomy view / And bade his friend a sad
adieu.
Said the other frog with a merry grin, / "I can't get
out, but I won't give in;
I'll swim around till my strength is spent, / Then I will
die the more content."
And as he swam, though ever it seemed, / His struggling
began to churn the cream
Until on top of pure butter he stopped, / And out of the
bowl he quickly hopped.
In the parable, we find an authority figure, a dishonest
judge. He doesn’t fear God or people, and probably has sticky fingers,
expecting a bribe. The person appealing to the judge is an irritating widow.
She keeps showing up in his courtroom day after day, demanding justice.
The focal point of the parable is patient and enduring
persistence--the true and persistent prayer that flows out from faith. John
9:31 says, “God does not listen to sinners.” Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith,
it is impossible to please God.” God will only hear the prayers of those who
have faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, those washed clean by His blood.
That’s why it’s pointless to think that an unbeliever can
truly pray. True prayer is not an exercise of unbelief; it is nothing less than
an act of faith. True prayer is trusting in God’s promise that He will hear you
and answer you. Even if your faith is the size of a mustard seed, even if your
faith is but a hairline crack in the bulwark of unbelief, you can still pray.
And God will still hear.
How many of you have seen this painting of an old burnt-down
mountain shack? All that remains is the chimney - the charred debris of what
was that family's sole possession. In front of the destroyed home stands an old
grandfather-looking man dressed only in his dressing-gown with a small boy
clutching a pair of patched overalls. The child is crying. Beneath the picture
are written the words which the old man is speaking to the boy. They are simple
words, yet they represent a profound sense of faith and hope. The words are,
"Hush child, God ain't dead!" The man or woman of faith knows that
there are no hopeless situations; there are only people who have grown hopeless
about their situations. Today's gospel presents us with another example, that
of a woman of faith, a widow, and urges us never to grow hopeless about any
situation in which we find ourselves, no matter how hopeless it may seem.
The practical implication of the parable for daily Christian
living is given, namely that we "ought always to pray and not lose
heart" (verse 1). Prayer expresses our hope and nourishes our faith. Let
us ask God today to make us strong in our faith, unwavering in our hope, and
persistent in our prayer.
Happy Sunday
🙏
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