NEVER GIVE UP!

9.00am and 10.30am Sunday 28 September 2003

Rev Des Botting

Readings: Luke 18:1-8; Ephesians 6:18-20

Persistence is essential to accomplishing anything worthwhile in life. This is true not only in the physical realm, but also in the spiritual, and especially in the matter of prayer. Who of us have ever found prayer easy? Certainly there have been times when our prayers were answered even before we had time to put them into words. But thats the exception rather than the rule. Most of the time prayer is far from easy, and reminds us of the fact that living the Christian life is a spiritual battle, a battle we cannot hope to win without prayer.

Jesus knew this only too well. He had just spoken to his disciples about the day of his return, and there was much more he would teach them before his death. He warned them of the difficult times ahead. He knew they would need help to persevere, and that their greatest resource would be prayer.

And so he tells them a story about how they should keep on praying and never give up.[2] Its a story about a widow seeking justice against her opponent from a crooked judge. Its clear that the judge in this story was probably one of the paid magistrates appointed either by Herod or the Romans, as this wasnt the way such matters were dealt with under Jewish law. The Jews handled such disputes by bringing them before the elders of a community. They wouldnt come into the public courts at all. The judges appointed by the Romans were notoriously corrupt and it was virtually impossible to get ones case heard without bribing one of the judges secretaries.

The odds were heavily stacked against her, because

First of all she was a woman. Luke always depicts Jesus as the champion of the powerless of society, and women were certainly in that category. Women had little status in Jewish society, and the chances of this woman getting a fair hearing, or of even being heard at all, were very slim. Jesus deliberately chose a woman to highlight what is possible if we never give up. Its worth noting that one of the distinct characteristics of Lukes Gospel is the prominent place given to women in his account of the life of Jesus. This is only one of the twenty-three places where women are referred to in his Gospel.

Secondly, this woman was a widow. Without a husband, widows were particularly vulnerable to exploitation and abandonment in societies that were largely dependent on the land for their livelihood. Their goods and households were ready prey for legal disputes. The teachers of the Law of Moses were not beneath taking this kind of action, as later in Luke, Jesus condemns them for cheating widows out of their homes.[3] Clearly this widow had no husband or son to defend her, and so she is defenseless and at the mercy of her adversary. [4] As a widow she was, in all likelihood, poor, and, therefore, unable to pay any bribe to the judges secretaries to have her case heard. It was a hopeless and unenviable predicament to be in.

But she had one thing in her favour. Thirdly, she was persistent. She wouldnt take No for an answer. She never gave up! Like the earlier story Jesus told of the person calling on their friend in the middle of the night to borrow three loaves of bread to feed an unexpected guest and who wasnt ashamed to keep on asking until they got what they wanted, so this woman would not give up until she got the help she wanted. She kept pestering the judge day after day until he got sick and tired of her constant badgering. In fact, he was beginning to be concerned for his own safety. The words translated, shell wear me out,[5] come from a word that refers to the part of the face thats under the eyes, and means to strike under the eye, that is, to give one a black eye. This could well be the meaning here as the only other place in the New Testament, where this word is found is when Paul says, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.[6] The judge may have been exaggerating, but what is implied is that he feared that her continual coming might end in personal violence. And so to get peace and quiet he sees that she gets the justice she demands.

Jesus then says to his disciples, and to us today, Think about what that crooked judge said. Wont God protect his chosen ones who pray to him day and night? Wont he be concerned for them? He will surely hurry and help them. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find in this earth anyone with faith?[7]

Jesus told this story specifically to encourage perseverance in prayer. It is a truth we need always to keep in mind. Maybe for someone here this morning this has particular relevance. You have been praying for a family member to come to Christ, or for healing. You have sought God for guidance, or for the resolution of a long-standing problem. You have persisted in prayer but nothing seems to be happening. The heavens are like brass. Your words seem to bounce off the ceiling, and you are beginning to despair.

Dont give up! Because, as has been emphasised many times throughout Lukes Gospel,

1.  Prayer is Important. It is vital to our on-going relationship with God. Jesus very clearly showed this in the time he gave to personal prayer. Rubenstein, the great musician, once said, If I omit to practice one day, I notice it; if two days, my friends notice it; if three days, the public notice it. Prayer is the same. Practice makes perfect. Because prayer is important, it needs to be a daily practice in our lives.

2.  Prayer is a Privilege. I feel very privileged when someone gives me their direct dialing line, and they say, Ring this number, and youll get straight through to me. It is amazing to think that we have a direct line to the Creator of the Universe. We must never forget, as the well-known and much-loved hymn says, what a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.

Further, as we learn from this story of Jesus,

3.  Prayer requires Persistence. A literal translation of the words at the beginning of our reading from Luke says, its necessary always to pray. Therell be times when you dont feel like praying. How we feel has no bearing on the necessity for prayer. We need to be wary of our changing moods when it comes to prayer. Luke introduces this story about the widow and the judge by saying, Jesus told his disciples a story about how they should not just pray, but keep on praying and never give up. This is only one of many times in the Bible when were encouraged to be persistent in prayer. As we read in Ephesians, Paul said, Never stop praying, especially for others.[8] And as Jesus said at the end of his story, Wont God protect his chosen ones who pray to him day and night? Prayer requires persistence.

4.  Prayer also needs to be Specific. This widow knew exactly what she wanted. She asked for, justice against my adversary.[9] God provides specific answers to specific prayers. Bob Gass, in his Devotional The Word for Today, gives an amazing example of this.[10] At 10.00pm one Saturday night, a pastor working late in his church office called home. The phone rang repeatedly but his wife didnt answer. Later when he called, she picked up the phone immediately. When he asked her why she hadnt answered his first call, she told him that the phone hadnt rung all night. Dismissing it as a misdialed number, he gave it no further thought. Next morning at the church he took a call from a man who asked, Why did you call me last night? The pastor had no idea what he meant until the man said, At 10.00 oclock last night, my phone kept ringing but I didnt answer. Suddenly, remembering the misdialed call to his wife, the pastor apologised for disturbing him. Thats okay, the man replied. Last night I was so depressed that I planned to commit suicide. But before I did, I prayed, God, if youre there and you care, please let me know. Immediately my phone rang. When the Caller ID box displayed the name Almighty God, I was afraid to answer. But that call literally saved my life! So why had this mans caller ID displayed those two words? Because the pastor was calling from Almighty God Tabernacle, but theres only space on the ID box to display the first two words. Knowing the integrity of this author, Ive no reason to doubt the authenticity of this story. Specific prayers get specific answers.

5.  Prayer requires Perseverance. This widow wouldnt give up. David Livingstone, who lived from 1813-1873 was undoubtedly one of the great missionary explorers of the nineteenth century. By unfaltering persistence and faith in God he traversed the length and breadth of much of the African continent bringing the hope and healing of the Christian Gospel wherever he went. You will find this statue, erected in his memory, on the track leading to the Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Livingstone had as his motto, I determined never to stop until I had come to the end and achieved my purpose. Prayer requires Perseverance.

6.  Perseverance in prayer requires Faith. Faith is what Jesus is looking for, because without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.[11] This widow serves as a model of faith that endures under seemingly hopeless odds. She is an example of the strength and courage of women that is an inspiration to us all. Jesus said, When the Son of Man comes, will he find on this earth anyone with faith. Will he find the faith that never gives up in you?

[1] Proverbs 6:6 NIV

[2] Luke 18:1 (All Bible references are from the Contemporary English Version unless otherwise stated.)

[3] Luke 20:47

[4] This is a point that Bruce J. Malina and Jerome H. Neyrey make in an article entitled Honor and Shame in Luke-Acts: Pivotal Values of the Mediterranean World in Neyrey, J.H. (ed.) The Social World of Luke-Acts: Models for Interpretation. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1991, p. 63

[5] Luke 18:5

[6] 1 Corinthians 9:27 NIV

[7] Luke 18:7-8

[8] Ephesians 6:18

[9] Luke 18:3 NIV

[10] The Word for Today written by Bob and Debby Gass, devotional for 23 April, 2003.

[11] Hebrews 11:6