The Unjust Judge
By Peter Amsterdam
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The parable of the unjust judge, often called the story of the importunate woman, is a parable about prayer. It’s sometimes referred to as the “twin” of the parable of the friend at midnight, as they have a number of similarities. Traditionally, both have been seen as primarily teaching persistence in prayer. The parable of the unjust judge does speak about prayer, yet when taking a closer look, we see that Jesus was also telling us something about what God is like when it comes to His hearing and answering our prayers.
Let’s begin by looking at the two characters of the story.
The judge
The judge in the parable is not an honorable man. Jesus describes him as someone who does not fear God or respect people. He does not accept God’s authority, nor does he pay much attention to other people’s opinions.1 As a result, people can’t appeal to him by saying “For God’s sake, judge in my favor,” because he lacks fear of God and he doesn’t care what people think about him. He has no sense of honor. He feels no shame. The appeal of “for the sake of this widow who is in need” has no effect on him.
Jesus uses the extreme case of the unjust judge, a man who has no moral scruples and lacks shame in the sight of the community, to point out that the widow, one of the most vulnerable of people in Israel, is not likely to get justice before him.
The widow
Widows in first-century Palestine and throughout the Old Testament could be extremely vulnerable. They were considered a symbol of the innocent, powerless, and oppressed. Scripture admonishes that widows should not be mistreated, and if they are, it says that God will hear their cry, as He is the protector of widows.2 “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.”3 A widow’s vulnerability is expressed by Jesus when He spoke of scribes who devour widows’ houses, which is likely speaking of some manner of financial exploitation.4
Since the widow is bringing her case before a single judge instead of a tribunal, it could be that it involves a financial matter, a debt owed to her, a pledge or part of an inheritance being withheld from her.5 That she went to a judge indicates that she probably had no son or brother or other man in her extended family to speak for her, as if she had male relatives, they would have probably gone before the judge instead of her.
In the context of the story it’s understood that the widow is in the right and seeking what is rightfully hers. The disciples to whom this parable was originally told would have understood that the woman was defenseless and helpless, with no one to stand up for her or defend her. Her perseverance was her only defense. They would have also recognized that the woman was acting out of character. As a widow, she would have been expected to act like a helpless victim. She instead steps into a man’s world before the judge, and when rebuffed, she persists.
The parable
The parable begins with Luke, providing the context: “And [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’”6
We have the unprotected yet bold widow coming before the unjust judge, asking him to take up her case, to bring her justice against her adversary. She has repeatedly returned, and for some time he has rebuffed her, refusing to help her.
“For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’”7
Eventually it becomes clear to the judge that the widow is not going to stop pleading for justice. He admits that he doesn’t care what God or man thinks, but he does care that he’s being constantly bothered by her. He decides to give her justice not because of any goodness or compassion on his part, or even because it’s the right thing to do. His decision stems from being sick and tired of the widow bothering him.
Because of her out-of-character persistence and unceasing demands for justice, he decides to rule in her favor. The judge concludes that the woman will never give up, so he relents.
Jesus then gets to the point He is trying to get across: “And the Lord said, ‘Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?’”8
Jesus draws attention to what the judge says, and then makes His point. When we pray, our prayers aren’t heard by an unjust judge who cares for no one, who only responds for his own selfish reasons. Instead, we bring our petitions to our Father, who loves us and answers the pleas of those who come to Him in prayer.
This parable speaks of the need to pray and to not lose heart if our prayers aren’t answered immediately. Perseverance in prayer is one point of the parable; however, there is more to it.
Luke places this parable right after a discourse from Jesus about the return of the Son of Man. “And he said to the disciples, ‘The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.’”9
Jesus tells His disciples that the time will come when they will long to see the day of His return, but they won’t see it. He then gives an explanation of what it will be like prior to His coming, that it will be like the days before the Flood, and the days of Lot, before judgment came upon the people. There was eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, until suddenly the judgment came. The believers will desire to see the Son of Man, but instead life continues on. But when that day comes, judgment will be swift.10
From there, Luke begins the story of the judge and the widow. The context of the parable is the unfulfilled hope of the coming of the Son of Man. The point is that believers should not lose heart as they wait for the fulfillment of God’s promises, but that as we wait, we should continue to pray in faith, knowing that God will not fail to answer. As Jesus said: “And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?”11
In the context of the return of the Son of Man, God will bring justice to His people at the time of His choosing. And while we wait, our responsibility is to pray and trust, to not give up, get weary, or become exhausted, which are other definitions of the Greek word translated as “to lose heart.”
Jesus goes on to say: “I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily.” God will answer the prayers of His children down through the ages for justice through Jesus’ return. When He comes, justice will be given speedily.
Then Jesus asks a very sobering question: “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”12 That’s a question worth pondering. At Jesus’ return, will He find those of faith, those who have persevered, who trusted and believed? Will Jesus find that we who are Christians have remained faithful to Him?
Jesus told this parable to His disciples prior to His arrival in Jerusalem, not long before He would be arrested, tried, and crucified. His disciples were about to face perilous times. They were being told to pray and to not lose heart.
Christians throughout time have longed to see the return of Jesus. Jesus is saying that it will happen. God will give justice to His elect, to those who have been crying to Him day and night, and when it comes, the judgment will be swift.
Jesus asked if, when He returns, He will find faith on earth. Through that, we can see that He understands that we are human, that our faith is tested in times of trial. By linking this fact to prayer, He’s making the point that our ability to remain in faith is linked to our faithfulness to pray, to put our trust in God.
We are meant to be persistent in our prayer lives. That means being tenacious, determined to pray, praying regularly, and continuing to pray in faith even if we don’t receive the answer quickly. Just as the woman came boldly before the judge, we are to come boldly before the Lord in prayer.
At the same time, Jesus cautioned His disciples to not be like Gentiles who “heap up empty phrases” and “think that they will be heard for their many words,” or like the scribes who “for a pretense make long prayers.”13 Jesus is not seeking lengthy prayers or repetitious prayers. What is important is that our prayers are heartfelt communication with our Father who loves us.
The idea of persistence in prayer isn’t that we are to try to wear God out with our asking over and over. We are to bring our requests before Him with faith and trust, knowing that He loves us like a father loves his child, and will give us what we ask for when it is good for us and within His will to do so. That being said, it should be understood that being persistent in prayer will not always result in God answering the way that we are asking.
We shouldn’t lose faith if our prayers aren’t answered immediately. We’re told to not lose heart. Jesus instructs us to carry on in faith and confidence, knowing that God is a fair and generous judge, a loving father, who will answer according to His will and in His time.
And perhaps most important of all to remember, God loves each of us as His children. He cares for us. He has our best interests at heart. We can and should come to Him in prayer with faith, trust, humility, and love for the One who loves us with His everlasting love.
Originally published January 2014. Adapted and republished March 2021.
Read by Jerry Paladino.
1 Kenneth E. Bailey, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2008), 263.
2 Exodus 22:22–23.
3 Psalm 68:5.
4 Luke 20:47.
5 Joachim Jeremias, Rediscovering the Parables (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1966), 122.
6 Luke 18:1–3.
7 Luke 18:4–5.
8 Luke 18:6–7.
9 Luke 17:22.
10 Luke 17:26–30.
11 Luke 18:7.
12 Luke 18:8.
13 Matthew 6:7; Mark 12:40.
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