“As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites won.” Exodus 17: 8-13
“There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say: ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’” Luke 18: 1-8
Today’s first reading makes it clear that Moses showed extraordinary perseverance in prayer, even though he needed a little help from Aaron and Hur. In the gospel-reading from Luke, we hear Jesus praising similar persistence demonstrated by a widow whose relentless pestering eventually wore down the resistance of a crabby, intransigent and corrupt judge. From the persistence of the widow, Jesus drew the conclusion: “Will God not judge in favour of his own people who cry to him for help day and night?” (Luke 18: 7)
We have all met the widow, for she lives in every parish and neighbourhood around the globe, pursuing her campaign for justice for herself and on behalf of others who are victims of injustice perpetrated by powerful organisations and individuals through their heartlessness, lack of compassion and refusal to care for anyone but themselves. The woman at the centre of today’s gospel-reading had an inbuilt sense of what was just and right that led her to advocate for all for whom justice was denied.
The modern-day counterparts of the persistent widow are those who badger insurance providers and government agencies for the provision of adequate medical care for those with terminal illness or lasting physical or psychological disability. We know them and we admire their determination. Jesus used that widow’s insistence to teach us all about persevering in prayer. But it was not prayer to change God’s mind but prayer to be alert to the grace of God that is always on hand to support, often in ways that we fail to recognise immediately.
The distinguished Jewish theologian, Rabbi Abraham Heschel, speaking about prayer said: “To pray, then, means to bring God back into the world, to establish God’s kingship, to let God’s glory prevail. This is why in the greatest moments of our lives, we cry out of the depth of our disconcerted souls, a prayer for redemption.” (A.J. Heschel: Lecture on “The Spirit of Jewish Prayer, 1953)
It’s important, here, for us to note that the widow was not going to change the attitude of the judge she pestered. But her insistence worked on his vulnerability – his need for peace and quiet. To satisfy that, he caved in and gave her the just outcome she was demanding. In the end, he made a right decision. Paradoxically, it was her style of approach rather than her case that ended up making it easier for the judge to do the right thing, and that may well have set him on the road towards a change of heart.
This story would have had a real appeal to the audience in front of Jesus. Those in the crowd knew what it was like to be under the control of powerful authority figures like the pompous judge and would have delighted at hearing that he had been worn down and deflated by a nobody such as the nagging widow.
But let’s not leave this gospel-reading before giving attention to Jesus’ concluding message to his disciples (and, of course, to us, too.): “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” In other words, do we believe that the good news Jesus proclaimed about the coming of God’s kingdom among us is really on the way and that we have a role and responsibility in bringing it to reality? Are we open-hearted enough to pray for all those who upset and seemingly treat us unjustly? Do we pray for all those political leaders who seem intent on promoting violence, destruction and mayhem on our powerless brothers and sisters in distant parts of our world? Are we willing to pray for our own political leaders with whom we disagree? Or are we satisfied merely to criticise and condemn them?
Jesus was, no doubt, conscious of leaders close to him who had no time for him and the message he preached. Yet he was insistent that those of us who follow in his footsteps pray for those who upset and disturb us. Earlier in his Gospel, Luke quoted Jesus as saying: “Alas for you when the world speaks well of you! That was the way their ancestors treated the false prophets. But I say this to you who are listening: ‘Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly.’” (Luke 6: 26-28)
Maybe we should leave the last word to Paul in today’s second reading from his letter to Timothy. Here he urges Timothy to have the kind of faith that is persistent, even if it is sometimes uncomfortable: “Proclaim the message, and whether welcome or unwelcome, insist on it…and do all with patience and with the intention of teaching.” (2 Timothy 4: 2). Living that kind of faith requires the level of persistence and determination demonstrated by the widow in today’s gospel-reading. This reading asks us if we are prepared to take a leaf out of this widow’s book.