Prayer and Justice
Jesus explains about prayer in relation to justice. He uses parables to address this. The basis is the achievement of justice. This becomes the foundational drive for many people who have suffered from injustice and want redress. Most, if not all prayer, has foundations in justice and the lack of it. Why is this happening to this person, but not another?
The first parable regards a woman bothering a judge until he or she deals with the matter in her favour, just to have a peaceful life.
The woman is called a widow, and therefore would be deemed one of the poor in society, likely to correctly need redress. The judge is described as a person with no fear for God or respect for man. He was therefore hypocritical, enforcing laws that had the purpose he did not respect.
There is therefore a contrast here with God, who is a righteous judge requiring justice. How much more will He hear and deal with the petition.
There is no suggestion here that God needs to be spoken to on the same issue more than once. He always hears every prayer. The idea that any prayer needs to be repeated multiple times to get a response whether to be quicker or different is not supported. This only makes prayer mechanical instead of heart-felt communication.
The issue is that God hears all prayers but, particularly with regard to justice, the answer does not always come immediately. Jesus tells the parable just as he is to enter Jerusalem before his death on the cross, the ultimate injustice that addresses justice once and for all, forward and back through time, forever. See study ‘Law and Justice.’
The second parable addresses justice in relation to inequality in society. God does not distinguish between people, whether as here for example a religious person or a publican. Actually most, if not all, religious people are motivated by trying to elevate their status before God and man. The Pharisees were noted as living a different life outwardly to the reality within. Jesus justifies the person who is humble and not exalts themselves. Again there is a sense of Jesus radically turning the world upside down in his new society where the humble are exalted.
The third section addresses injustice with regard to children. Jesus provides open access to all children and those who approach him with childlike simplicity. We can often let cynicism or hardness impact on our lives and Jesus wants to protect us from such damage. The Kingdom of God should be a safe place for children or otherwise vulnerable.
Background
Luke Chapter 18 verses 1 to 17: Now he (Jesus) was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not become discouraged, saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect any person. Now there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my opponent.’ For a while he was unwilling; but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect any person, yet because this widow is bothering me, I will give her justice; otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’ ” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge said; now, will God not bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night, and will He delay long for them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
Now he also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and began praying this in regard to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, crooked, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to raise his eyes toward heaven, but was beating his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other one; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Now they were bringing even their babies to him so that he would touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them. But Jesus called for the little ones, saying, “Allow the children to come to me, and do not forbid them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”