In brief
The unjust judge and the widow are the two characters of a parable of Jesus told in Luke 18:1-8. They are teaching figures, not historical persons. A widow keeps coming to ask for justice from a judge who does not fear God. He finally gives in so that she will stop wearing him out. Jesus draws a lesson by contrast: if an unrighteous judge brings justice, how much more will God avenge his chosen ones who cry out to him. We must always pray and not give up.
What does the name The Unjust Judge and the Widow mean?
The characters have no names. Jesus himself calls the man the unrighteous judge (Luke 18:6), a judge who didn't fear God and didn't respect man (Luke 18:2). In the Bible, the widow is often a person without protection, whom God's law forbids to afflict (Exodus 22:22).
The story of The Unjust Judge and the Widow
The purpose of the parable
Luke 18:1Luke announces from the start why Jesus tells this story: to show “that they must always pray, and not give up.” The parable follows a teaching on the coming of the Son of Man (Luke 17:20-37). It is addressed to disciples who might lose heart while waiting for God to act.
A judge who did not fear God
Luke 18:2In a certain city there was a judge who didn't fear God and didn't respect man. He held an office meant to give right judgment and to protect the weak, but he cared neither for the judgment of God nor for the opinion of men. No fear and no regard guided his decisions.
A widow who keeps coming back
Luke 18:3In that city there was also a widow, who often came to him, saying: “Defend me from my adversary!” The text gives her no other means than her request, repeated again and again. She is not discouraged by the judge's indifference and keeps coming to him.
The judge finally gives in
Luke 18:4-5For a while the judge refuses. Then he reasons to himself: he admits that he neither fears God nor respects man, but he decides to defend the widow because she bothers him, so that she will not wear him out by her continual coming. It is not justice that motivates him, but the persistence of this woman.
How much more God
Luke 18:6-8The Lord adds: “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says.” If an unjust judge finally gives in, God will avenge his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night, and he will do so quickly. Jesus ends with a question that searches the heart: when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?
Test your knowledge
What The Unjust Judge and the Widow teaches us
- Persevering prayer is not a lack of faith, but its expression.
- God is not like the unjust judge: he is just and attentive to the cry of his children.
- The apparent delay of the answer must not lead us to give up praying.
- The weakest have recourse with God, even when people deny them justice.
- While waiting for the return of Christ, the decisive question remains that of our faith.
Key verses
Luke himself gives the key to the parable before telling it: we must always pray and not give up. The whole story illustrates this exhortation.
Jesus reasons by contrast: if the unjust judge gives in, God will avenge his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night. Yet he asks whether the Son of Man will find faith on the earth.
Paul sums up in three words what the parable teaches: “Pray without ceasing.” Perseverance in prayer is part of the normal life of the believer.
Bible verses to meditate on
Sermons about The Unjust Judge and the Widow
- Luke 18: Facing Injustice, Keep PrayingThe sermon sums up the text in one sentence: in the face of injustice, persevere in prayer, for God is the only perfect judge and Jesus Christ is coming soon. It stresses the vulnerability of the widow, who had only one recourse.
- Praying Without Ceasing and Following the LordThe preacher builds on the parable of the unjust judge and insists on the question of Jesus: the problem is not that God does not answer, but that too many believers no longer pray.
- Matthew 6: Your Kingdom Come, Praying for RevivalThe sermon cites the widow who almost assaults the unjust judge until he gives in: this is how God's children must pray, and this insistence is not improper before God, it is faith.
- Lamentations 3: The LORD Is Your Portion, and No One Can Take It From YouThe message compares the silent waiting of Lamentations 3 with the widow who keeps coming before an unjust judge: how much more will God do good to those who cry out to him.
Frequently asked questions
Does the unjust judge represent God?
No. Jesus does not compare God to the judge, he contrasts them. The judge does not fear God and gives in only to get some peace. God, by contrast, is just and will avenge his chosen ones quickly (Luke 18:7-8). The parable reasons from the lesser to the greater: if even an unjust judge finally acts, how much more the heavenly Father.
Did the widow and the judge really exist?
This is a parable, as Luke indicates from the first verse (Luke 18:1). The judge and the widow are teaching figures that Jesus uses to encourage his disciples to pray without losing heart. The text gives neither their names nor the name of their city.
Where is the parable of the unjust judge found in the Bible?
It is found only in Luke 18:1-8. It is followed by the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14), which also concerns prayer. For the context, read the end of chapter 17, where Jesus teaches about the coming of the Son of Man.