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 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 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "This 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 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 tells us that persistent (day and night) and faithful (find faith on the earth) prayer is the remedy for the tribulation just described at the end of chapter 17.  (See above, in yesterday's reading; 17:22-37, Jesus speaking to His disciples about His second coming.  For the prayer that is proper at all times, see also 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.)  Jesus asks, again referring to the discussion of His second coming in yesterday's reading (above), "Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"  My study bible comments that the Lord often uses this form of question when He speaks of characteristics that are really found (see 11:11; 12:42).

Prayer is frequently referred to in the Gospels.  Most often, we are given periods in which we observe Jesus going off to pray alone, and other times when the disciples request to learn how to pray (see, for example, Luke 11:1-13).  It's important that we understand Jesus' reference to prayer in the context of the "end times" He's just spoken about (in yesterday's reading, above).  In this light, these times are not presented as happy or joyful, but times of tribulation, of difficulty, and even of injustice.  This is what we read into Christ's teaching about prayer in today's reading.  The implication is about injustice that will be suffered by those who are followers of Christ.  In the poor widow, and the unjust or unrighteous judge, we're given a perspective on the need for persistence in prayer.  The judge, who doesn't really care about the values of God nor the problems of human beings, says to 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."  Jesus compares God, who deeply love humankind, to such a judge, who, although he is not a kind or righteous man, wishes to adjudicate favorably for the widow simply because of her persistence.  So Jesus is not simply inviting but insisting upon our continual prayer as response to our circumstances, especially in times of persecution and difficulty or travail or any kind.  Let us note that He begins with an assumption of circumstances that are not fair nor just.  He is teaching the disciples that they will be entering upon times in which injustice will befall the faithful on worldly terms.  The woman says to the judge, "'Get justice for me from my adversary."  While it is not clear to which worldly adversaries Jesus might be referring when He speaks to the disciples, it is clear in the context of the Gospels who "the adversary" is, and that behind all else that we see in this world, there is a spiritual battle going on into which we enter as disciples of Christ.  In the long run, because of Christ's words, warnings, and teachings, we're given to understand that as part of His Church -- that is, we who carry His Kingdom within us and among us -- we are to expect tribulation in the world.  We can expect setbacks, and we can expect injustice, unfairness.  But, again, turning to the Gospels and the teachings of Jesus, we should not let any of these things daunt us nor keep us from our mission as disciples.  Instead, Jesus offers us medicine, a remedy, a plan.  Our plan is to pray.  It is simply to devote our time to prayer.  How many of us think of prayer as the alternative when things don't go our way, or when our expectations come crashing down?  Do we think first of prayer when we have setbacks or unfairness becomes an issue in our lives?  We might think of everything but that, if social media and popular remedies to injustice in the public eye prevail in our minds.  But the truth is, if we look at the Gospels and Jesus' teachings for us, prayer is where we should start.  In fact, prayer is indispensable and eternal as a need.  Jesus speaks of this widow as so persistent that even the unjust judge has to rule for justice for her just so she doesn't pester him any longer.  This is the kind of persistent person Christ shows us as a model for our prayer.  We are to pray constantly, "day and night."  Let us keep in mind that the word translated as "avenge" more literally means to justify or vindicate.  Our prayer might not be met with the outcome we anticipated or specifically wanted, but nevertheless, we will find vindication.  In the long working out of the things of life concerning justice and injustice, and especially our spiritual lives, I have personally found this to be true -- but it took faith to recognize it.  Most poignantly, Jesus asks His final question:  "Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"  It is still His return, His second coming, that He has in mind here -- and the time in which we are now, the "end time," in which we await His return.  Remember His words about prayer, and especially about faith.  I find that both are so necessary at this time, and one isn't truly possible without the practice of the other.