The Unjust Judge and the
Persistent Widow
When I first read this
parable I wondered if the Unjust Judge was supposed to represent God? In
Luke 11: 11-13, Jesus said, if children ask their parents for a fish or an
egg, would the parents give their children a snake or scorpion? He ended
that story by noting if even imperfect parents give their children good
gifts, how much more will our Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those
who ask? In Mark 12: 28-32, someone asked Jesus what is the most important
commandment? He replied by quoting Deuteronomy 6: 4-5, “Love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and
with all your strength.” Jesus then quoted Leviticus 19:18 by saying, “The
second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” The “great commandment”
tells us to love God and our neighbors as ourselves; this is exactly
opposite of the “unjust judge” in the parable who did not fear God or
respect people. Obviously the unjust Judge is not like our Heavenly Father.
When I think of God, I
believe He is a presence that is always there, that comforts and loves us.
He is the Heavenly Father and Creator of all things. . . . But, if He is
great and all-powerful, why does He allow the suffering of his children that
He loves? A lot of philosophers have tried to answer this question, but I
don’t think any of them will ever be able to figure it out. The only person
who can answer that question is God. Today’s parable ends by assuring
us that God will bring about justice for His chosen ones who cry out to Him
day and night and that He will see that they get justice, and quickly.
So, if this parable isn’t
about the “unjust judge,” it must be a tale about the “persistent widow.”
In the story, the widow keeps asking and asking and asking for justice from
the judge, wearing him down until he does what she wants. This reminds me
of wanting pierced ears: for years my mom told me I had to wait until I was
13 . . . but last year, I was only in fifth grade when my mom and dad
finally broke down and took me to the ear piercing place. It can pay to be
stubborn, like my mom!!!!!
A typical story line for
murder mysteries has the author giving the private investigator and the
reader a lot of clues and red herrings throughout the story, but figuring
out “who-done-it” seems impossible. Towards the end of the book, the PI has
a brilliant insight that changes the focus of the story. Looking at all the
same clues with a different perspective, in the last chapter of the book the
private investigator is able to solve the mystery!
The very last sentence of
today’s parable is a little like the twist at the end of a mystery story; it
says, “However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the
earth?” When asked if she was ever discouraged, Mother Teresa said, “I do
not pray for success, I ask for faithfulness.” Like the mystery story,
maybe we need a different perspective to see how our faithfulness can make a
difference in the world. Even kids can do a lot!
Guess how old the average
homeless American is. Most people think the typical homeless person is a
single man, maybe a Vietnam vet about my dad’s age who never adjusted after
the war. A couple of weeks ago I heard a statistic that the average age of
a homeless American is NINE years old! That’s two years younger than I am!
Mother Teresa once said, “we
cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” I
thought about some people I know who do small things with great love. Patti
Bengtson is my Godmother; she co-founded Truckee Meadows Habitat for
Humanity and our local Interfaith Hospitality Network and for many years has
worked for fair housing. When Reno First hosts IHN, the Stuart/Wongs always
get to be the “Friday overnight” hosts. During those Friday nights, I have
gotten to meet a lot of children who are IHN guests; we talk, play games,
watch movies, and share popcorn. I bet this church has at least fifty
people like Paul Lowe and the McKibbens who support IHN by providing meals,
doing laundry, spending the night, making donations, loading and unloading
cots, and tidying up the kitchen.
Because my mom was on the
Habitat for Humanity board of directors for a long time, I met many of the
children of the local Habitat homeowners and helped make food for the house
blessings. I know that Jim Roberts and many other people at this church
have helped build Habitat homes.
When my mom and dad got
married, for their first Christmas they made a donation to the Heifer
Project to buy a trio of pregnant bunnies, which were given to a low-income
family somewhere in the world. That family promised to give the first-born
bunny to another family, who promised to give the first-born animal to
another family. Miss Sharon had our Sunday school raised money for Heifer
project; our Sunday school bought a goat. The goat milk helps children grow
strong; by selling the extra milk, the family has money to send their
children to school.
For many years our church
has supported Crop Walk, which helps provide food for families. We are
lucky to have people like Sandy LaSourd and Susan Bergman who organize Crop
Walk for our church. Last year I did the Crop Walk with Stephanie, Hayley,
and Kitty Glantz and hundreds of other people. I plan to walk again this
afternoon; if any of you want to make a donation, see me after church!!!
Later in the service, the
Sunday school children will be asking you to support the Reno Sparks Gospel
Mission by donating your change and dollars; you can put your money in the
little red wagons that will be pulled up the aisle. For the past two
Christmases, Miss Sharon asked for volunteers to help serve Christmas lunch
for the Gospel Mission; more than 50 of us from Reno First volunteered!
Some of kids who were there with our family include Brianna Brown, the
Olanders, the Rays, the McCormicks, and the Helmreich-Ritchies. I can’t
wait to do it again this year!
Did you know that every 40
seconds, a baby in America is born into poverty and that each day 2,539
American high school students drop out? Grandpa and Grandma Wong always
tell me that education is the only way to defeat poverty. The Chinese have
a proverb that says “Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; teach a man
to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” One good thing about America is
everyone is entitled to a public education. Many people in this church
teach or work with kids at-risk; people like Jan Lambert and Linda Brown.
Reno First has many members who are educators and school administrators like
Jerry Holloway and Pat Perry who have worked to improve at-risk school. My
dad worked at Job Corps as a teacher and now is a school counselor at Galena
High. Michael Stephenson also works at Grace Warner Elementary School’s 21st
Century After-School Program that helps tutor children.
Remember when our church
made “school packs” of paper, pencils, glue, and scissors to send to the
children in Afghanistan? After doing that, our family decided to adopt
Andrea Bengtson’s third grade class at Smithridge Elementary School and made
“kid packs” of school supplies for each of her students. At Christmas we
bought some balls, Frisbees, hula hoops, and jump ropes for recess and got
each of them a warm hat, a pair of mittens, and a new book.
Even kids can do little
things that make a difference. Huffaker Elementary, where I go to school,
has coat and book drives. Every few months my parents have me go through my
closet and bookcase to donate clothes and books I’ve outgrown. My Girl
Scout troop collects shampoo and soap for hygiene kits. Here at Reno First,
I know of two members who are involved in the Big Brother/Big Sister
Program. Dennis Harms and Katie Salo mentor two siblings in that program.
My too-small rollerblades and cross-country skis were just the right size
for Dennis’s Little Brother Dustin. If I had more time, I’d give you a lot
more examples of things that big and little people in our church do
faithfully and with great love to make a difference, such as making quilts
to give to hospitals, and buying gifts for the Salvation Army Angel Tree.
John Wesley, the cofounder
of Methodism, once said:
Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.
There are so many things in
the world that beg for justice. What is your passion? What injustice
touches your heart and cries out to be fixed? Think about a small thing you
can do with great love, so when the Son of Man comes, He will find faith on
the earth.
Remember
the widow: be persistent in seeking justice, loving kindness, and walking
humbly with our God
(Micah 6: 8).
And the children said . .
.
