How Long? A Parable of Persistence

Persistence

One of our newest Scriptures In Use Missionary Trainers recently presented an oral story demonstration and dialogued Jesus’ parable of the Persistent Widow and Unjust Judge found in Luke 18:1-8 (NIV). The story begins…

“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’

 ^“And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

Dialogue

As we repeated the story orally, section by section and verse by verse, and asked questions whose answers are found in this passage of divinely inspired Scripture (a method we refer to with our SIU partners as “dialogue”), we were amazed at how much the Holy Spirit was teaching us.

At one point in the dialogue, one of our team members responded, “How much more is our God NOT at all like this unjust judge. God is entirely filled with mercy, grace and love for us.” His persistence for seeking us is constant. This team member then declared, “He will NOT put us off. It says so in this story. The Lord will see that that we get justice and quickly, but it will be according to His will and perfect timing.” Then another team member stated, “But I’m not going to give up asking, just like the persistent widow who kept coming and asking. The Lord also tells us not to give up in this story.”

What do this Bible passage and parable mean to you?