Giving God a Black-eye? - Luke 18:1-8

Luke recounts the parable of the unrighteous judge, in which Jesus intends to encourage His disciples to pray even if the breaking-in of the Kingdom seems delayed. The parable is told in the context of the previous discourse that describes the disciples’ long sighing for the Messiah’s return in what seems to be an eternity of waiting. It is a call that reminds the believer to remain attached to Jesus by faith in contrast to those, like Lot’s wife, who place their faith in the things of the world. It follows the larger context of faith and redemption taught in the previous parables (e.g. the lost coin, the Prodigal Son, the unrighteous steward, the rich man, and the mustard seed). It also fulfills Luke’s purpose for this Gospel: to steady the God-lover’s wobbly faith when pleas for Kingdom justice seem ignored by God.