DON’T GIVE UP by Jill Boyd

Jill Boyd                                                                               Year C, 29^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Text: Luke: 18:1-8                                                                                                  October 20, 2013

¹ Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. ² He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. ³ In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, 'Grant me justice against my opponent.' ⁴ For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, 'Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.'" ⁶ And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷ And will not God grant justice to those chosen ones who cry to God day and night? Will God delay long in helping them? ⁸ I tell you, God will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

DON’T GIVE UP

It doesn’t take being around me for very long to realize that I have a passion for women who are older!

My childhood was peppered with interactions with great aunts, grandmothers and elderly neighbors who touched my life in meaningful ways.  Some of them were influential in my decision to go into social work, and for more than twenty years, women – most of whom were elderly widows – were the primary population with whom I worked and served.  My husband, David, used to tease me that I was a “magnet” for these women, because for whatever reason, I am drawn to them and they are drawn to me. J

Now don’t get me wrong, I also like interacting with men, and the young as well as the old, and every age in between! – but there is something about wise and older women that speaks to my heart, and I have come to understand it as part of my calling. So when I went to the Lectionary to select a passage for this sermon, I got hooked by the persistent widow and just wanted to spend some time with her!

Unfortunately, Jesus’ parable doesn’t tell us very much about her.

Aside from the fact that she is a widow, she has a grievance, and she wants that grievance rectified, we are told nothing about her or the injustice that’s been done to her.  We don’t even really know her age.  Assuming that she is old is just me projecting my own experiences onto the text, which is something they teach us in seminary not to do, but at least be aware of it when we do!

This widow could actually be a young woman whose beloved has died an untimely death and who is now in the position of having to raise her children by herself.  Perhaps what she seeks from the judge will help her provide them with food, clothing, and a roof over their head.

Or maybe she really is an older woman -- one who has lost not only her husband, but everyone else she loves and cares about in this world.  Her health and physical abilities may be declining as well, and perhaps what she seeks will help her hold on to her independence, which is one of the few things of value she still has left.

We don’t know specifics about this woman because neither Jesus nor Luke spells it out for us and none of the other gospels include this parable. But we do know from other historical sources what life was like for a widow in biblical times, and it was an extremely vulnerable existence.

Widows lacked social status and their material needs were great.  Jewish law held that when a man died, his property and possessions went to his sons or his brothers.  His widow could remain on the land with the new owner’s consent, but she was left destitute if he refused to provide for her. 

The widow in our parable has suffered an injustice, and knowing what we know about Jewish law, it’s safe to assume that it probably relates to property or money from which she is being denied access.  She seeks to have the injustice corrected, but to add to her troubles, she has no one to help her in her quest. That’s one of the things that bothers me about this scenario.  Doesn’t anyone notice her situation? Isn’t there someone who cares about her? It appears that she is on her own and that she has no one to advocate for her.

But that doesn’t stop her from pursuing justice for herself.  Time and time again, she approaches the unjust judge -- a man whose character is revealed to neither fear God nor respect other people. That poor woman!  This is not a man in whose hands I’d want to place my well-being -- he’s a wicked magistrate who abuses his power and position without a second thought about how God wants him to live or what is right for a fellow human being.

The unjust judge initially denies the widow’s request for justice, yet still, she persists.  Her conviction for what she believes she is entitled does not waiver -- she never gives up.  Her courage and persistence are admirable, and I suspect many of us would like to have more of these traits at times. I know I would…

The judge eventually gives in to the woman’s request, not because it is the ethical and just thing to do, but because he is thinking of his own best interests. He agrees to resolve her conflict because he wants her to stop bothering him!  That actually bothers me, but that’s a whole other issue for another sermon on another day!  Our focus today is on what the widow has to teach us, for she demonstrates that even when we are at our most vulnerable, our faith and our faithfulness matters.

It seems to me this is a primary point of the parable. Luke even tells us that in the opening line when he says it’s about the need to pray always and not lose heart. But what is the connection? Why prayer and not losing hope? Why not trust? Or “hang in there?” Why not believe?

I think that it’s because prayer is one thing we can do that directly impacts the endurance of our heart. We can see this in Jesus’ life. It’s one of the things he’s been teaching his disciples throughout their journey from Galilee to Jerusalem.

While healing and eating and socializing with all manner of people, he has been telling and showing them what it takes to live as faithful disciples. While confronting the Pharisees about their interpretations of the law, Jesus has been teaching a new way of understanding and a different way of life.  He has been teaching about the importance of prayer and how to pray -- while at the same time modeling a prayer life that takes place in both solitude and community.

Jesus knows the importance of prayer, especially in difficult times. He knows what he and his disciples will face when they arrive in Jerusalem. He will be arrested and crucified, and they will flee to hide in grief and fear. The disciples will not always act in faithful ways, yet Jesus will remain in prayer with God through it all. He will rise again from the dead, and his disciples will be amazed; and he will ascend to the heavens, leaving them to live faithful lives until he comes again.

Jesus knows their wait for his return will be long. He knows they will have trials and that they will become discouraged.  He prepares them as best he can, and he encourages them not to lose heart.  Jesus knows how devastating that can be…

            This is something that is poignantly illustrated in a movie I watched recently: To Kill a Mockingbird. You know, the 1962 classic starring Gregory Peck?

It’s the story of a southern lawyer named Atticus Finch, who agrees to defend Tom Robinson -- a black man accused of raping a young white woman. The time is the Great Depression, and the place is rural Alabama.

Tom is innocent, but because of racial inequalities and tensions of the time, there is no way his high-profile trial with an all white jury is going to be a fair one.

Atticus nevertheless takes the case, and he provides a compassionate and compelling defense that exposes the truth that the victim and her father are lying about Tom. The jury still finds him guilty. Atticus assures him this was not an unexpected verdict and that he will get to work right away on an appeal, but Tom loses heart. While the marshals are transporting him back to the jail, he attempts to escape and is shot and killed.

When Atticus hears the news, he is devastated.  “The last thing I told him,” he mourns, “was not to lose heart -- I’d ask for an appeal -- we had such a good chance -- we had more than a good chance… the last thing I told Tom was not to lose heart…”

            Tom Robinson had a family who loved him, and the black community supported him in his struggles.  Atticus believed in and cared for him and wanted to pursue justice on his behalf.  Tom wasn’t alone, he had people advocating for his life and for justice; but unlike the widow in our parable, Tom lost heart, and when he did, he lost his life.

There are many tragic aspects of this story, but this is one of the greatest, for when he lost heart, there were consequences, not only for him, but for those who loved him as well.

            Like the Tom and the persistent widow, we live in a world where justice doesn’t always prevail. We hear of incidents of it in the news and we experience it in our daily lives, and it saddens and angers and wears us down at times.

And while there are differences in their stories and outcomes, the widow and Tom both illustrate what Jesus teaches: our faith and our persistence are closely connected -- our faith and our persistence matter. They keep us connected to our source of hope and life, and they affirm our relationship with the one in whom we place our trust.

            Like Tom and the widow, we too live in an unjust world: a world in which our government leaders squabble like children in a sandbox; a world in which a neighboring county boasts the highest percentage of executions in the country – some of whom have been later proven innocent. We drive on highways full of speeding drivers, yet we are the one who gets pulled over. And we worship in a place where locks have been placed on kitchen cupboards….

            The world doesn’t always work the way we feel like it should. There are voices that yearn to be heard and desires that continue to go unmet.  We all know of parents who pray every day for their child – a child who is ill… or who is bullied… or who has chosen the wrong path. We are all faced with situations and relationships throughout the course of our lives that tempt us to lose faith and give up.

            But that’s where the persistent widow has something to teach us. She reminds us that despite everything, we can keep reaching out. We can reach out to God – we can hound God and trust God – and we can know that no matter what happens, we will never be alone.

We have an advocate in Jesus Christ who has promised to be with us to the end of the age. He calls us to pray always and never give up, and he assures us that the God of creation who loves and cares will never give up on us.

            So take heart! Stay in prayer!

God is with us and for us and will be forever!

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – one God who hears all prayers, now and forever. Amen.