Passage: Luke 18:1-8 Speaker: Pastor Jon Kopp Series: The Parables of Jesus
Speaker: Jon Kopp - Though some parables may appear complex to us or difficult to understand, Luke leaves us little question about why Jesus told the parable of the unjust judge and the persistent widow. We don’t even have to get to the end of the story to find the answer. The key is in the lock. All we have to do is open the door. “And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.”(Luke 18:1) Today, my prayer for our church is that in the midst of our own temptations to lose heart and stop praying, that we would learn the lessons Jesus has for us from the story about an unjust judge and a persistent widow. J.C. Ryle, a theologian from the late 1800s, shares this helpful encouragement in his commentary on this passage. “Prayer is the very life-breath of true Christianity. Here it is that relationship with God begins. Here it flourishes. Here it decays. Prayer is one of the first evidences of conversion. (Acts 9:11). Neglect of prayer is the sure road to a fall. (Matthew 26:40,41). Whatever throws light on the subject of prayer is for our soul's health...Do we ever feel a secret inclination to hurry our prayers, or shorten our prayers, or become careless about our prayers, or omit our prayers altogether? Let us be sure, when we do, that it is a direct temptation from the devil. He is trying to sap and undermine the very citadel of our souls, and to cast us down to hell. Let us resist the temptation, and cast it behind our backs. Let us resolve to pray on steadily, patiently, perseveringly, and let us never doubt that it does us good. However long the answer may be in coming, still let us pray on. Whatever sacrifice and self-denial it may cost us, still let us pray on, "pray always"--"pray without ceasing"--and "continue in prayer." (1 Thess. 5:17, Col. 4:2.) Let us arm our minds with this parable, and while we live, whatever we make time for, let us make time for prayer.”