In today’s Gospel Reading we are told a rather special parable. It is special, because whereas one of the main characters in many of the ‘normal’ parables is God, in today’s parable, none of the characters seem to be able to represent God.
Human beings are represented in many of the ‘normal’ parables alongside God. In today’s parable, human beings are represented as well – through the character of the widow.
But this leaves only the character of the judge to represent God, and truly God cannot be the judge. I guess you agree with me on that.
The judge has great power – this is like God – but the judge does not use his power. At least not to begin with. Only after the widow had begged him for an annoyingly long time and after realizing how she potentially could publicly damage his reputation, he agrees to assist her in her just cause.
That the judge is not God, but rather God’s opposite, becomes clear in the explanation that follows the parable. Here Jesus explains that if such a careless and merciless coward as the judge in the end decided to help the widow, we should not for one moment doubt that God, who is the opposite of this character, will do it as well.
Hence, the parable is about having trust in God. It still is an odd parable, I think. But let us not dwell on that any further. Let us instead dwell on what it was about: Having trust in God.
To many, the parable is a text that strengthen them in a belief that if they just pray on and on – like the widow – God will eventually give in and grant what was prayed for.
I am not a huge fan of such an understanding of the text, and I would like to argue why:
First, if you are not receiving what you are praying for, what does it then mean? Are you not good enough, are you not eager enough, are you not strong enough in your faith. The above understanding potentially gives more doubt than comfort.
Second, it underlines an aspect of prayer that I do not think one can separate from what I believe is the main aspect of prayer. The aspect of prayer that it underlines is a subjective one that asks about what God should do with or for me.
But I will argue that, when Jesus asks us to keep on praying, it is not that we all should keep on praying for subjective matters. According to other places in the gospel, God already knows what we need. Hence, asking in prayer for something like this can only be secondary.
What I believe is the primary aspect of prayer – the main aspect of prayer – is the connection that it establishes between God and us. Prayer, I would say, is the main expression of faith. That is why prayer is so important.
In prayer we show humbleness. In prayer we show trust. In prayer we give thanks. In prayer we express our deepest frustrations. And in prayer we are heard.
Not that the response is a right away granting of whatever we prayed for – the second and subjective aspect of prayer. But our faith was heard. The primary goal was achieved. Our faith was acknowledged. In that we can trust.
Getting back to today’s parable, it is worth mentioning that the judge – not representing God – could to some extent represent certain tendencies of human beings that we in faith should refrain from cultivating.
The tendencies I am thinking of are tendencies such as selfishness and laziness, arrogance and vainness.
These tendencies are all found in the judge. But they are also tendencies that we are oh so familiar with. All of us can be tempted by these tendencies – both in our private and in our professional life.
I can come with many examples. Can you?
When I think about it, it is as if we often decline to the tendencies when we are angry or upset. Then we ‘give a bip’ and start to act in a way – led by the tendencies – that not at all are constructive for the already collapsing atmosphere.
In this perspective I believe the parable also tries to teach us how it often is a lot more constructive to simply pray instead of adding to the worsening atmosphere.
Because by praying we add a divine perspective into our situation. A perspective that often uplifts us. Uplifts us and our situation because prayer makes our earthly turmoil – not go away, nor sorted out, as I argued earlier – but our earthly turmoil might seem less important in comparison to the divine.
Again: This is another reason why praying is good. In that we can trust.
You might not believe it. But when I was I kid, I always got into trouble. I had a very outgoing way of expressing myself when I felt pressured.
My class mates knew this meaning that they would often pressure me verbally waiting for my reaction. It always came. Sometimes even before they expected it.
I always got either a detention or a scolding. And little did it help back then to argue how I was bullied. As the outgoing one, it seems that I always got the entire responsibility.
I remember my math teacher telling me after one of my many detentions that I should try to count to ten before I reacted in any way. At first, I thought it ridiculous, but later I came to love doing just that.
Or to be more accurate: Not exactly that. But to me prayer is like counting to ten. And that I came to love. To me prayer is meditating. Prayer is calming. Prayer is uplifting. Prayer is dissolving. All the things that an outgoing boy must muster.
Hence, not counting to ten, but a thing a lot like that – prayer – became my salvation in more than one way I suppose.
With this said, I would like to finish my sermon. A sermon about prayer. About how prayer gives a lot more than asked for. It might not even give what one asked for, but maybe little does it matter.
Because prayer gives – gives beyond value. It is a fundamental sign of faith, and a fundamental way of bringing more hope and love into the world. In that we can trust.
Amen.