Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?

 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying:  "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.  Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.'  And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.'"

Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said.  And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?  I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.  Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" 

- Luke 18:1-8

 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!'  For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."  Then He said to the disciples, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.  And they will say to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!'  Do not go after them or follow them.  For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.  But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.  And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:  They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.  Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot:  They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.  Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.  In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away.  And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back.  Remember Lot's wife.  Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.  I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed:  the one will be taken and the other will be left.  Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left.  Two men will be in the field:  the one will be taken and the other left."  And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?"  So He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."

 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying:  "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.  Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.'  And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.'"  Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said.  And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?  I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.  Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"  My study bible says of today's passage that it is "persistent (v. 7) and faithful (v. 8) prayer" that is the that is the remedy Jesus gives for the tribulation that was described in yesterday's reading (Luke 17:22-37), above.  It also refers us to 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, in which St. Paul admonishes us to "pray without ceasing."   Jesus poignantly asks after this teaching, "Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"  My study bible says that the Lord often uses this form of question when He speaks of characteristics that are rarely found.

After teaching about His Second Coming, and also about the times to come after His death, Resurrection, and Ascension, Jesus gives us a parable to live with in the times that may present tribulation to those who would be His disciples, who love Him:  we are to pray.  Prayer, in this particular story of the Tenacious Widow, is the answer to our survival, endurance, patience, and abiding in the times we are in now -- a time in which we look to His Return.  He doesn't promise us "a rose garden," but rather difficulties.  Just as in the parable of the Wheat and the Weeds, given us in Matthew's Gospel, we grow side by side with those who would "choke us" or make life more difficult.  We may be subject to the cares of the world and the work of the evil one, in whatever form we find it.  Life, as one of His students, isn't going to be simple or easy.  But there is one powerful weapon we have, and He names it in this story.  We have prayer.  Prayer isn't a one time wish request.  In this image, it's not just a set of things on a wish list.  It's a prayer for justice made by the widow, for a fair hearing, even from an unjust judge.  And it's a prayer made "without ceasing," with tenacity, accompanied by the inner strength of endurance, of conviction, and most especially, of faith in Christ or in God, in something much bigger than whatever it is -- even something rooted in injustice -- that the world may present us with.  Prayer is the means of survival and endurance, the answer to our need for strength, the way in which we put our faith to work, and the way in which our faith becomes shored up in us.  Nevertheless, He asks, "Will He really find faith on the earth?"  What an incredible question this is for Him to ask.  He asks as if knowing, for example, that we of 2,000 years later still await Him, we as a Body experience tribulations in this world, our brothers and sisters suffer, and there seems to be so much evil and death and injustice of every kind.  It is among us that He wishes to find that faith on the earth, and that He wonders if, at His return, He will really find faith awaiting Him and present.  So let us consider truly how important the imperative of prayer is; it is with us as something we must engage in all the time -- no matter what it is that is going on in our lives, no matter what it is that we pray for, no matter what the challenge.  I recently experienced a very difficult episode of my own, another case of injustice, a problem that lasted thirty years.  It was only prayer that gave me strength (and guidance) for seeing it through.  I confess that only through prayer I found the strength and endurance to finish and resolve, and do things God's way -- to solve a problem in which I had to be the one to step up and do what it took to finish it.  Relying on God becomes a way of life in this world as we await the great Judge who sets all records straight.  Relying on prayer gives us not in a simplistic formula what we ask for, but rather the means, the answers, the strength and courage through faith that God puts our way when we face challenges.  It is the greatest solution, and it is also the greatest necessity for our survival as faithful.  Will we be tenacious enough to see it through, to practice and to continue in practice even when we can't see the light at the end of our particular tunnel?  Will we understand God's way to pursue justice, and have the faith to carry it out?  Will we be like the tenacious widow?  Will He really find faith on the earth, after He has given, and loved, so much?  How would you answer this sad, almost wistful, question?