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This text can be a personal message, but can also relate to the many Christians throughout the world who, are like the widow, have been weakened through no fault of their own, and are oppressed and even persecuted who are pleading for justice. We can join with them by fulfilling Apostle Paul’s teaching – Ephesians 6:18 “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”

God’s righteousness and the pursuit of it, is the real theme of this parable. In His interpretation of God’s parable, Jesus brings justice and the coming kingdom of God into a close connection. There is a parallel here with Matthew 6:33 “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness”. In both cases, Jesus describes an active activity. Here the fervent prayer and waiting in faith, there the striving that should be the top priority of our activities.

The wait on God’s action. Even if the wait is only in a small question “Will He [God] make them wait long, is addressed by Jesus, but waiting characterises the entire parable. The widow pleads and fights without ceasing, waiting for her justice. When the waiting stops, the goal can no longer be reached. Anyone who stops waiting capitulates and gives up their goal. One challenge is the hint that God will act quickly to bring justice to those who are waiting. Different interpretations are certainly conceivable here. On the one hand, Jesus can use a different time scale (2 Peter 3:8), on the other hand, He can also refer to the fact that the kingdom of God can come within us at any time (Luke 17).

Transmission

In the text there are different ways to look at the topic of asking for and waiting for God’s righteousness. In any case, it is important to make it clear that God’s justice is about nothing less than our goal of faith, the kingdom of God.

Jesus suggests looking at our personal situation from the perspective of the widow. Are we steadfast in our faith to reach our goal? Do we ask, pray and wait? With what passion, with what emotionality do we do this? How important is faith in our life?

But it can also be interesting to look at our attitude from the perspective of the judge. Are we (like the judge) sober and unemotional observers of the faith happening around us? When we encounter God’s righteousness and kingdom in our lives, do we decide on a case-by-case basis what priority we give to that issue? How do we respond to the apparent injustice in this world? Can we remain emotionless, or do we suffer when people are persecuted, disadvantaged, abused, and oppressed? We have enough challenges these days, not only because of the war in Ukraine.

In the end, what remains is Jesus’ promise that God will create justice in this world and in the world to come. We do not know how this will happen, but we are allowed to believe that it will happen. Until then we pray: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”