Persisting for Justice

Photo by Alba Silvente Fuentes on Unsplash

Luke 18:1-8

A couple years ago I was staying at a friend’s in Boston.  He was recently married and his wife had a cat.  I love animals and I’d never met a cat I didn’t like, until this one.  It was the nastiest bully of a cat I ever had the misfortune of meeting.  It hissed at house guests who looked at it too long and scratched anyone who tried to pet him.  Even his owners.  My friend commented that the cat seemed to get along well with me and I joked that animals can tell I’m a vegetarian so they’re nice to me.  But after a few days the cat did eventually scratch me too. 

During the week I was there I slept downstairs which is where the cat’s food dish was.  And one night, this cat decided it was breakfast time around 3:00am.  It meowed and woke me up.  I ignored it and thought to myself, maybe if you were nicer to me I’d get up and get you food right now.  But not wanting to risk another scratch, I stayed in bed.  But as anyone who’s ever been around a hungry cat knows, the meowing was relentless. The cat did not stop. It went on and on and on, louder and louder.  Until I finally decided to get up.  But I didn’t know where the cat food was, so I woke up my friend and we both got to be mad at the cat together while it ate its fill.  The persistence of the cat annoyed us, but the cat made sure it got what it wanted.  

Like my friend’s persistent cat, Jesus speaks of the persistence of a widow in the Gospel reading this morning.  As I was reflecting on the text this week, I was reminded by a few Bible commentators that the title of these verses “The Parable of the Unjust Judge” is actually a bit of an inappropriate name.  It leads us to think of the judge as the main character and to associate him with God, even though Jesus is clear that this judge is not meant to represent God.  Instead, a better name for the parable would be “The Parable of the Persistent Widow” because she’s the character we are supposed to learn from. She’s the one we’re supposed to emulate, she’s the role model for us.  When seen in that light the question isn’t whether or not God is unresponsive like this unjust judge, but whether or not we are persistent like this widow. 

Often when I’ve read this passage I’ve been drawn to the spiritual practice of being persistent in prayer and trusting God beyond our doubts.  And I believe that’s a very important message the parable teaches us.  But today I’m more drawn to the thing that the widow is asking for: justice. 

The widow and others in Jesus’ time lived in a world where the vast majority of people experienced injustice regularly.  They were oppressed by the rich and powerful, whether the king was from their own nation like Herod or a foreign ruler like Rome’s emperor.  And they were oppressed by tax collectors and soldiers and vulnerable to anybody more powerful who wanted something from them.  Most people lived a life of poverty and barely made ends meet.  Their lives were filled with disease and hunger and the constant fear of violence.  Widows were particularly vulnerable in the ancient world.  Especially if they didn’t have adult sons to care for them. 

We don’t know exactly what the widow in this parable is asking for, but she is demanding justice.  Maybe it’s justice she’s been denied or justice for someone else.  Whatever it may be, it doesn’t sound like it’s a selfish thing she’s doing.  It sounds like she’s calling on the judge to do the right thing.  To do what he was supposed to do.  Be who he was supposed to be.  And the more he refuses, the more she persists.  Like a hungry cat in the middle of the night she doesn’t give up.  And finally, even though the judge doesn’t care about her, even though the judge has no interest in justice or doing the right thing, even though the only thing the woman can do is ask until he’s so annoyed that he gives in, the judge eventually addresses the injustice she’s experienced and grants what she longs for. 

What are the injustices we cry out for God to address?  What kind of justice do we long to see?  Are we as persistent in our demand for justice?  Or do we get quickly discouraged, or feel so overwhelmed and disheartened by injustice that we give up?  Do we feel like we’re not making a difference so why bother?  Do we lack persistence in prayer or in action? 

I know I honestly feel like giving up sometimes.  Sometimes I feel like giving up on pursuing justice in a society that seems to show more concern about enriching billionaires or admiring celebrities than about providing food for the hungry, healthcare to the sick, housing for the homeless.  Sometimes I feel like giving up on pursuing the justice Christ calls us to when the religion founded in his name seems more associated with fundamentalism, hate, and Christian nationalism than with dong justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God.  Sometimes I feel like giving up on trying to make a difference in a country that seems determined to ignore the poor, deport the stranger, and profit off the sale of weapons at home and abroad.  Sometimes I feel so sad and angry and disappointed in humanity that I think it’d be easier to just become numb, to just worry about myself and forget about helping others or trying to make the world a better place. 

And it’s in those moments that a still small voice calls to me like a widow knocking on a judge’s door.  A voice that reminds me to keep awake.  That calls me to keep persisting.  That encourages me to not give up.  In a way it’s like the persistent widow is God calling us to action.  Perhaps we should associate the persistent widow with God’s call to us, especially at times when we feel disheartened and ready to give up on pursuing justice in our world.

At the times when we feel like hope is lost, like our efforts to create positive change are futile, like the things we do don’t make a difference—it is then that this parable reminds us of a woman so persistent in her demand for justice that even an uncaring, immoral, unjust judge listens to her.  And at times when we feel like our pursuit of justice doesn’t matter, we can be reminded of the fact that widows like this lived in a world where injustice and poverty were so predominant that it was simply a fact of life.  And if Jesus’ first followers could have hope for justice in that kind of world, then so can we.  If someone like the persistent widow can pursue justice against all odds, then so can we.  And if people suffering in the world today in places like Gaza, Sudan, or Haiti can be persistent in calling for peace and justice then so must we. 

Today we’re happy to welcome our guests in Adult Forum who will talk about ministry in Haiti.  From what I’ve learned about their work so far, it sounds like they absolutely know the value in persisting in the face of insurmountable odds to promote justice and mercy for those in need.  It sounds like they understand discouragement and injustice and the importance of being persistent in striving for good.

It's amazing what the power of God can do in people committed to overcoming injustice.  It’s amazing to see how resilient people can be when they know God is on their side.  On the side of justice.  On the side of the oppressed.  On the side of those striving for a better world.  As Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. reminded us, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” 

We know this because we have a God who suffered the cruelest injustices himself on the cross.  We worship One who knows what injustice is, who endured it, and who came out the other side to resurrection and new life.  And it is because Jesus Christ willingly entered into the suffering and injustice of the cross, and overcame sin and death that we can be certain that God’s justice will prevail.  That injustice will end and goodness will win.  Our persistence will not be in vain.  God will see to it that this world is indeed transformed into a reflection of the divine.  And God will see to it that each of us partakes of divine goodness and life in all its fullness.  Even at times when this world seems full of darkness and evil, when injustice seems rampant, we know that our persistence will not be in vain.  God’s persistent cry calls us to pursue justice, and in return we lift our own persistent cry to God and to the unjust systems in this world.  God’s will shall be done on earth as it in heaven.  The persist cry is heard and the God of love is with us.  Amen.   

Pastor Brian | October 19, 2025