O my soul,

Isn’t the parable of the persistent widow just so very uncomfortable?

And he 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.’ 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.’” 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? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

― Luke 18:1-8

Here was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man, who only gave the widow what she was asking for to stop her bothering him.

Luke tells us precisely why Jesus told this parable, that we should persist in prayer and not lose heart. The parable provides insight into this. The persistent widow is me, crying out to God day and night, and the unrighteous judge is God himself⸺Father, Creator, Lord of All. And here’s what is so uncomfortable, so jarring. The character representing God in this parable is an unrighteous judge who cared only that the widow stop bothering him.

Is this how the Lord receives the prayers of his beloved ones, our prayers? By no means!

Let’s first see how precious to the Lord are the prayers of his saints, us, our prayers. And for that we must look into the throne room of heaven itself.

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

― Revelation 5:6-8

Here is the Lamb who was slain, the risen Lord Jesus, with eyes like a flame of fire, feet like burnished bronze, a voice like the roar of many waters, and his face like the sun shining in full strength. Praise him!

And here in the throne room around the Lamb are the twenty-four elders holding those golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints⸺our prayers. What next?

When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.

― Revelation 8:1-4

See how precious to the Lord are the prayers of the saints. They are offered on the golden altar before the throne in heaven, and are a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

So it would be a terrible mistake to infer something of the character of God from the unrighteous judge in the parable. That is not what the parable is about and that is not what it means. To make such an inference would be an example of attributing meaning beyond what is intended, and yet people make that mistake all the time. How often have you heard criticism of the father in the parable of the Prodigal Son over how he must have treated the elder son? But the father represents our Heavenly Father! That is not what the parable is about and the criticism is out of place.

But there’s a bigger problem with the parables than inferring beyond what they teach and it is this, which Jesus explained to his disciples in the context of the parable of the sower.

Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.”

― Matthew 13:10-13

Can this be right? That the reason Jesus spoke in parables was to inhibit understanding? Didn’t he come to seek and save the lost? What could this possibly mean?

Jesus continued by quoting Isaiah.

Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

“You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.”

― Matthew 13:14-15

I have wrestled with this prophecy of Isaiah before. But here I have noticed something significant. Read carefully Isaiah’s original prophecy.

And [the voice of the Lord] said, “Go, and say to this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

― Isaiah 6:9-10

The voice of the Lord is full of imperatives. Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes. Something is being done to this people and it is most uncomfortable. But Jesus is Lord of All, God before time, and fully able to clarify this. Notice how he quotes from Isaiah.

For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed.

― Matthew 13:15a

The heart of those unable to comprehend the parables has grown dull and they have closed their own eyes.

There is mystery here and grappling must continue. But in the grappling notice the grace.

But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

― Matthew 13:16-17

O my soul, many have longed for what you have, for what you have received and seen and heard and understood. Are you sufficiently grateful?

To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven.

― Matthew 13:11

Notice too that the prophecy of Isaiah is not universal.

This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled …

― Matthew 13:13-14a

Hold on therefore to what you have, guard it jealously, and be grateful.

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.

― 1 John 3:1a

And finally notice how Jesus finished his parable of the persistent widow.

Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?

― Luke 18:8b

When the Lord receives your prayers into his golden bowls in the throne room of heaven, will he find faith on earth? Will you pray in faith? And will you keep praying, believing and not doubting?

O my soul, always pray and do not lose heart, and be grateful for the love of the Father, that we should be called children of God! 🙏