Then he told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, 2 “There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. 3 And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’ 4 For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, 5 because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’” 6 The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. 7 Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? 8 I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Luke introduces this parable by saying that Jesus is teaching about “the necessity…to pray always without becoming weary” (v. 1). The story that follows is not mainly about the widow or even about the judge. It is about the difference between an unjust human judge and the living God, and about the kind of faith that keeps calling on God even when justice seems delayed.
Jesus first describes “a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being” (v. 2). In Scripture, the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and justice flows from reverence for God and care for the vulnerable (cf. Ps. 111:10; Is. 1:17). This judge has neither. He is the opposite of what a judge should be in Israel, where God had commanded the people to defend widows and orphans and warned that he himself hears their cries (cf. Ex. 22:21-23; Ps. 68:6).
Into this situation comes a widow who “used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary’” (v. 3). In the biblical world, widows often had little protection. Without a husband to defend their rights, they depended on the justice of others and on God’s care. The Law repeatedly insists that Israel must not oppress widows and that God himself will take up their cause. When Jesus chooses a widow as the main figure in the parable, he is pointing to someone weak in worldly terms, whose only ‘power’ in that society is her persistence in asking for justice.
The judge refuses “for a long time” (v. 4), but the widow keeps coming. Her request is simple: a just decision against someone who is wronging her. He is not moved by duty, compassion, or fear of God. Yet he eventually admits to himself the truth about his own character: “It is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being” (v. 4). He then decides to act, not because he has become righteous, but because her persistence has become inconvenient. “Because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me” (v. 5). The expression suggests that he fears her constant pressure like a blow that wears him down.
Jesus then draws attention to the judge’s words: “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says” (v. 6). The point is not that God needs to be worn down. The point is that even a corrupt judge, who does not care about God or people, can be moved to act by persistent appeals. If this is true on a human level, how much more can disciples trust the living God, who is just and merciful, when they call on him?
Jesus applies the lesson with a pair of questions. “Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night?” (v. 7). In the Old Testament, God’s people often “cry out” to him under oppression, and God hears their cry, whether in Egypt or in the land (Ex. 2:23-25; Ps. 34:18). Here, Jesus speaks of “his chosen ones,” those who belong to God through faith. They call out “day and night,” which signals steady, persevering prayer, not a single request. Jesus affirms that God will “secure their rights,” that is, he will do true justice in his time and in his way.
He then asks, “Will he be slow to answer them?” (v. 7). The literal experience of believers often seems to say that God delays. The Psalms contain many cries that ask how long suffering will last (cf. Ps. 13:2-3). Jesus does not deny that there can be a waiting period. Instead, he promises that when God’s moment arrives, his action will be decisive. “I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily” (v. 8). In Scripture, “speedily” does not always mean “immediately according to human expectations.” Instead, it means that God’s justice, when it comes, is not hesitant or incomplete. It is sure and final.
Within Luke’s Gospel, this promise looks forward both to God’s vindication of Jesus in the mystery of his suffering, death, and resurrection, and to the final judgment when the Son of Man comes in glory. In the Old Testament, God acts in history to deliver Israel, yet full justice still awaits the end, when God, in perfect justice, sets all wrongs right. In the New Testament, Christ’s cross and resurrection are the decisive victory over sin and death, but the complete unveiling of that victory comes at his return. The parable, therefore, holds together present perseverance in prayer and future confidence in God’s final justice.
The way Jesus ends the passage shows that the central issue is not only prayer but faith. “But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (v. 8). The title “Son of Man” recalls the figure in Daniel 7 who receives a kingdom that will not pass away. Jesus has already spoken of the coming of the Son of Man and the need for readiness (cf. Lk. 17:22-37). Here, he links that coming with a searching question about faith. Faith, in this context, is not just agreement with certain truths; it is trust that continues to pray and continues to expect God’s justice, even when circumstances seem to contradict it.
The widow, then, becomes a picture of persevering faith. She has no visible power, yet she does the one thing she can do: she keeps coming, she keeps speaking, she does not give up appealing for justice. In contrast, the judge embodies hardness of heart and indifference to both God and neighbor. By setting these two figures side by side, Jesus leads his disciples to see that God is nothing like the judge in character. We are not meant to view God as a distant official who must be pushed into acting, but as the merciful and just God who already knows the situation of his people. In that light, the widow’s persistence is a fitting image for how disciples are to relate to God in prayer: not trying to overcome reluctance in God, but continuing to trust in his justice and care even when the answer seems delayed.
Lord Jesus, you teach your disciples to pray always and not lose heart. Strengthen in us the faith that keeps calling on your Father, trusting that his justice and mercy are at work in every moment and will prevail to the end.
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Sources and References:
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011).
- Bernard Orchard et al., A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture (1953).
- Faculty of the University of Navarre, The Navarre Bible: Luke (Four Courts/Scepter).
- José Enrique Aguilar Chiu et al., eds., The Paulist Biblical Commentary (2018).
- Raymond E. Brown et al., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (1990).
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