The 22nd Sunday after Pentecost, October 20, 2013 C Pastor Terry B. Monson Genesis 32:22-31; Psalm 121; 2 Timothy 3:14—4:5; Luke 18:1-8 Focus: After Jesus answered a question about the kingdom of God, he talked about persistent prayer, justice, and faith. Function: Persistent prayer is about relationship and coming nearer to God. Prayer; Persistence, Justice, and Faith As Jesus and his disciples walked the long dusty miles of the Jericho Road, toward Jerusalem, along the way some Pharisees, who, like Jesus, were concerned about truth and the Spirit of the Law, and so they asked Jesus, when the kingdom of God was coming. To which Jesus answered, “The kingdom of God is among you.” And then after saying a bunch of cryptic stuff about the end times, he told a parable, that Luke says, is about the need to pray persistently; using the example of an unjust judge, and a persistent widow. Now, this judge was not a good man, and by his own admission, to himself, at least, the judge did not care about anybody, and certainly wasn’t in office to help anybody but himself. Enter the widow. The word for “widow” in Hebrew means “silent one.” In the Mediterranean world of the Bible, males alone have a public voice. Women do not speak on their own behalf. So, a widow who has no married son is in a tough spot, because single women’s rights were not protected in the Hebrew laws of inheritance. Since the woman in the parable comes alone, we can assume that she has no male family member who can appear on her behalf. Further, the fact that she comes before the judge shows how desperate she is, because she could actually be put to death. Now this is a very public event. The entire community is watching to see what will happen. The Greek language translated, “where me out,” is really a boxing term that means, “To blacken one’s eye.” The judge only gives the widow justice so that he does not receive a bad name, “a black eye,” in the community. Jesus says that if a bad judge will reward persistence how much more will a faithful and good God “give justice to his chosen who cry to him day and night?” So what does this parable mean? Does it mean that if you keep praying hard enough, and if you only have faith enough, then, whatever you want will be given to you? That’s what Joel Osteen and Pastor Dollar and some other pastors would have you believe. That God wants you to have good gifts, and if you will just pray hard enough and believe strongly enough, and maybe make a faith offering to some televangelist, then all your wildest dreams can come true. Has that been your experience? Is that how prayer works? So what about all the parents who prayed for a child who didn’t get better, or all those people who lost their jobs during the last recession and prayed their hearts out, or those people who prayed for health and didn’t receive it, was that because of a lack of faith? No! Jesus was answering the question; “When will the kingdom of God come,” and he answered, “it is among you.” Does God want you to have good things? Yes! God wants you to have your daily bread. God wants you to have the kingdom of God. And, most of all, God wants you to have the Holy Spirit. And Jesus is telling you that you already have them. God put enough resources on planet Earth that every single man, woman, and child might have enough food to eat, enough clothes to wear, and gave us a creative mind so that we might create medicines and services and transportations, so that God’s chosen people might bring God’s love and blessing to all. The kingdom of God is among you. The kingdom is among you when you pray, keeping God close. And it is among you when you stand up for those silent ones who cannot speak for themselves. And, the kingdom has been coming nearer and growing stronger over the years. It grows every time social justice is achieved. The kingdom grew a little bit when slavery was put behind us, and when women were given more rights and opportunities, and when children received rights and protections under the law. When you were baptized into the kingdom of God you became a part of Christ’s body. While you walk on planet Earth, you are a part of the Church Militant. You are a part of Christ’s ministry. You are called to do justice, and to share the message of the kingdom of God. Then when your life ends; when you no longer walk on terra firma, then you are part of the Church Triumphant. Then the kingdom of God is complete. Jesus Christ is the answer to all our prayers. Jesus is God’s “yes” to us. In Jesus, God gives us peace and comfort in times of suffering. In Jesus, God gives hope to us when we mourn. In Jesus, God gives us life even when we face death. God answers all our prayers. Jesus is the answer. You are his, go and do what he does, and say what he says, and receive his Holy Spirit. Let us pray: Lord Jesus, persistence made the crotchety judge give in to the difficult old widow. No question about it, you made the fact crystal clear to us: to petition is a good thing, to pester even better. Constantly we come to you, like the widow, pounding on your door day and night. Put this widow’s kind of faith in our hearts, O God, as we wait for your speedy reply. Amen.
Posted on: Sun, 20 Oct 2013 13:03:21 +0000
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