What will our response be when He asks?
18 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 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? 8 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?”-Luke18:1-8
Take note of the characters. One is a
judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. As judge,
his office naturally gives him power, prestige, honor and fear. The
other one is a widow. Women, during that time, are considered second
class citizens along with children. And as a widow, she might as well
be dead if she did not have a son to look after her. What is strange
in the story is how power is being played. A powerful judge is
actually afraid of a powerless widow! But what can a widow do? What
did she say or do to make the judge fearful? And how come the judge
was afraid of her? Does her words bite so much?
The truth is, the parable is not about
the power play or the power struggle between the judge and the widow.
Rather, Jesus speaks of the power of persistent prayer. If we ask
something with all humility, trust and total surrender to God, He
will grant it. However, if what we asked for will destroy us or
others, God will definitely not grant it. Sometimes, there is a delay
before God grants our request. Maybe because we are not ready for it
or the time has not yet come for it to happen. And most of the time,
God grants our requests including those that we did not ask for,
those that are important and trivial in our lives.
But if God grants justice, how come
there is much injustice in our world? When somebody caused us much
pain, we demand for immediate justice. When wrong is committed
against us, we demand for immediate justice. I, I, I, Me, Me, Me. But
'God's ways are not our ways. Nor His thoughts, our thoughts.' says
the Psalmist. God, Who is full of love for us His children, thinks
also of the welfare of His 'other' children. Yes, God would like to
set things right for us. Yes, God would like to ease our pain by
giving us the justice that we need. However, it is not as easy as we
think being God. Apart from considering our pain, He also considers
the pain of the one who committed it. And, all of us is His beloved.
God cannot choose one side over the other.
There is a father who really loves his
children. He adores them so much. He spoils them, gives them
everything. They are the apple of his eyes. One day, Jake - the
eldest son - came home with a frog. John - the youngest son - liked
the frog so much because it was small, slimy, jumps around and has
big eyes. When Jake was asleep, John decided to take the frog. Alas!
the frog slid off from his tiny fingers and off it went away. When
Jake awoke the next morning, he saw that the frog was not there
anymore. He stormed to where poor John was asleep and demanded the
frog back. John cries and tells him, "I'm sorry." But Jake
was really angry. Going to their father, Jake demanded just
punishment for John. As a father who loves his children and does not
want to hurt them, what do you think will he do?
I, myself, was a victim of injustice. I
still cry sometimes when I remember it. But I believe, justice will
be served in the right time and place, and in a manner so far beyond
my understanding. One of the biblical figure I reflected upon was
Joseph of Jacob's twelve sons. So much injustice was done to him but
he chose to forgive. By opening himself to God, he became a savior of
his family. God knows how to make things right. God knows how to make
crooked lines straight. Jesus is inviting us to trust Him. He knows
what is right for us all.
God is Love!
Image courtesy: MMBox Production,
Johann Overbeck (Joseph sold to slavery); artists
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