Jesus’ parable of the persistent widow and the unjust judge is no a lesson in persistence alone, but is a story about expectant faith. The widow’s motives and methods are questionable, the judge is corrupt, and yet justice still comes.
Jesus parable challenges us to recognize how easily faith can become spiritually numb—not through disbelief, but through resignation to the status quo. Many still believe in God’s existence, yet quietly stop expecting God to make any difference. Against that accommodation, Jesus asks: “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” That is, will anyone still expect God to interfere with the way things are?
Our calling is watchfulness: to keep a candle lit over the places in our lives where we’ve stopped expecting change.
