By Jared Warner
Willow Creek Friends Church
October 19, 2025
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Luke 18:1–8 (ESV)
1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ ” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
At the retreat we spoke about hospitality. I know not all of us were there, but I mentioned something that Saturday morning that I noticed during my study. Hospitality is everywhere in scripture. It is something I knew but most of the time we are unaware. At least that is the way I am. I did not realize just how jaded I became. I love scripture. I take it serious and I try to look at scripture for direction in my life. But when I began to study hospitality, I realized that many of the commandments, and most of the writings of the prophets were written with hospitality in mind.
This realization has caused me to reconsider my perspectives. I do this at times because I realized that some of what I once believed was not based on dependable science, reason, ideology, or faith. When I think about faith, when I approach scripture in faith, I have come to realize that this is not a book of laws and rules that if followed we can have a pass to get into heaven. It is so much more. Scripture is filled with teaching, it is filled with stories encouraging us to think deeper about how our actions and every aspect of our lives loves God and our neighbors.
I sat this week, looking at today’s passage. And I thought about the various ways I have learned about life. At times I faced harsh realities where I could not escape the consequences, at times I read something in a book. Then there were times I just happened to be sitting next to my grandpa on the tractor or in the pickup. Someone once asked me if I had ever heard God’s voice. I kind of laughed and asked them to clarify. They mentioned that I said I had sensed a call to ministry, and they wanted to know how I was sure. I did not have a ready answer.
I can tell you my story. I can mention how sure I was at the time. But I would be lying if I did not mention I have questioned that almost every single day of my life. Just the other day, a song played on my radio. I have alarms set up on my phone to go off at certain times of the day because I know that I will get so focused on whatever I am doing that I will completely loose track of time. I have the alarm set to play songs from the 90’s, because those are my comfort songs. I love the 90’s grunge rock where the singers cannot be understood because they mumble. And I like it because I cannot hear the lyrics that well anyways so when everyone else is wondering what was being said I do not feel quite so deaf. But there is one song that for some reason starts the playlist, Creep by Radiohead.
If you do not think the internet algorithms can read your mind that playlist is one that will make you a believer. It was basically my anthem in high school and college. It is a song that I completely understood, because it was what I felt most of the time. “I’m a creep, I’m a weirdo, what am I doing here, I don’t belong here.” I question, I doubt, I do not feel as if I have much to offer anyone. Why then do I feel so certain about a call to ministry? I cannot tell you, but I cannot see myself doing anything else.
That did not satisfy the person asking the question. Because when someone really wants to know, it does not matter if they want to know to prove you wrong, or if they are genuinely curious they often want an answer that is definitive. They continued to press. “How can you know if you do not actually hear?” This is where I struggle. I have a lot of teaching from various sources. When I think about things I will often hear the thoughts going through my head as if it is a conversation between me and someone that was important to me. If I am thinking about Theology, even when I read a theological book, I often read it or think about it as if I am sitting in the classroom with my theology professor Dr. Kettler. I think in that way because he was a serious theologian, but he had a superman comic hanging on one of his walls and on another an icon of St Athanasius. He gave me space to be the bible and comic book nerd I was at the time. But when I am praying about life choices, I almost audibly hear a voice. And that voice is the voice of my grandpa. That voice usually comes after a long mental struggle where I have come to the end of myself. I sit in the silence of my own contemplation and it is as if my grandpa slaps his knee and says welp. In an instant I am calm and at peace, and I know what to do.
Was this God? I cannot say for certain. But I can tell you, my grandpa taught me a great deal about life, and how to live with people. I believe that if God was speaking, he used a voice he knew I would listen to.
Welp, this is where I have been this week. Caught somewhere between hospitality and wondering why I am even up here. And while I was in this weird state, I read today’s passage.
“Jesus told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.”
I do not know how many times I have read this passage. I know I have spoken about it many times, and each time I am just uncomfortable. The point of the parable is to pray and not lose heart. All to often, I looked at this passage and because Luke says, that it is about prayer I just assumed the roles.
This week however, I looked at this from a different perspective, the perspective of hospitality. The writer of James, tells us, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (James 1:27). Throughout scripture there is a similar theme, take care of the widow and orphan, treat the foreigner as if they were a countryman. Scripture focuses on these three categories because in any of the ancient societies these were the the people at risk. They had no property, and no hope.
Jesus tells us in this parable, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man.”
I want us to imagine this character for a moment. What does it mean to neither fear God nor respect man? We know people like this, we are around them every day. They are the people who seek wealth and power above all else. They are the people that would lay off workers, to ensure that their profits exceed their expectations. They are the people that would tell a lie to your face, just to get you to agree to terms on a contract, and then change the terms as soon as you have invested too much to speak against it. Jesus speaks often about these types of people, he says to some, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.” (Matthew 23:2-4). He also says, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
The people that do not fear God, nor respect men do not care about others. They will make demands, proclamations, and laws for others, but they themselves will live by a different set of rules. We see this locally, we see it nationally, and globally. We see this all over. The rich and the poor. Jesus says that the poor will always be among us. He says this because there will always be people within society that will use their power to exploit those that do not have power. They have power because they have the money and they have the strength to force others to do their bidding. And we let them because we want to be accepted.
The football star can get away with assault because we want the team to win. The CEO can send jobs to another country because the stock holders want the dividends. The judge that neither fears God nor respects man will sacrifice anyone and anything if it will get them what they want. They will overlook the most heinous crimes as long as they profit. “It shall not be so among you.” Jesus says.
Jesus continues his parable by introducing the second character. “And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’”
Remember, James told us that pure religion takes care of the widows and orphans. The righteous should take care of those that are being taken advantage of, they should encourage them, ensure they have access to the things that sustain life.
The widow was coming to the the judge to demand justice. She was coming before the one person that was supposed to ensure the law was to be followed. She plead before this judge not for vengeance, but justice. She wanted only what was due to her. We do not know exactly what the offense was against her. Maybe she was selling goods in the market and the adversary took possession of the product without making payment. Maybe the adversary lead to to believe that he would marry her, took a dowery, and then broke off the engagement. We do not know what was done to her, all we know is that the judge did not care.
The unrighteous judge may believe that the widow was wronged, but he could not be bothered to act. If he acted what might happen? Maybe this adversary was a wealthy member of society, offering jobs to many and if he were to make a ruling, what would happen to those that were employed by this individual? What if this particular adversary was in the position to serve within the government? If this man made a ruling it might hinder their opportunity. But this omission of justice continues to cause harm. It continues to perpetuate harm. They overlook this offense, then another, and another until the foundation of society is no longer based on justice and mutual profit, but instead this widow and everyone in that city is left to the whims of a judge that rules based on their own benefit.
The kingdoms of this world are all like this. The game monopoly teaches us this. Everyone is going around the board buying property, building houses and hotels hoping that one of the other players will land on their space so that they can charge them higher rent. And nearly every game of monopoly ends the same way, everyone is upset at each other, the game board is turned over and everyone is trying to find the scattered pieces, and one person has all the money.
Every kingdom of this world has the leaders that neither fear God nor respect man. The Holy Roman Empire, Great Britain, Iran, Russia, and even our own nation. Every nation has a ruling population and then there are those that have no voice. The ones that have no voice cry out for justice, and often those cries fall on deaf ears.
Jesus tells this parable to encourage us to always pray and not to lose heart.
“For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that sh will not beat me down by her continual coming.’”
The widow does not give up. She is aware of what is right and wrong. She is aware that in her situation she has been taken advantage of and she has had enough. She goes to the city gates every day to make her plea. She stands in a place where the judge cannot will always see her, and as he walks by she voices her cry for justice. Every day without fail if the judge is to sit in court, she is there.
The judge does not care about her situation, but what he does care about is optics. Everyone see him overlooking this woman. They see here there every day and they see that every day this judge is neglecting to hear her case. At first he was fine with his omission of justice, no one could fault him because he is a busy man. But eventually it becomes clear that this is no longer an omission of justice, but active neglect.
In society when the people see that the ruling class is purposefully disregarding their duty to justice, the people will begin to make greater demands. Eventually this miscarriage of justice will grow from one singular widow, to this widow and all of her friends, and their friends. Eventually the entire city is out at the gates demanding the judge to carry out justice for this woman. Eventually, it will get to a point where those that had no voice will amass and the shear number making demands will overwhelm the leaders.
This is not merely spiritual words, but this is historic reality. Some of you were alive during the civil rights movement, you saw what happens when those in authority continually neglect justice. The giants will fall.
Jesus uses this parable to encourage us to always pray and not to lose heart. He is telling us to consider the widow and the orphan, to consider the well being of the people within our community that are at a social disadvantage, and to be mindful of their concerns.
So often when pastors, including myself, read this passage we tell those around us that we should continue to pray. To just become a constant irritant to God about the things we believe we want and need, until God relents. That is not what Jesus is telling us. He is telling us that God will not let injustice stand forever. He is telling us that we should do everything possible to be advocates for justice and change within our community. We should be asking ourselves who is being hurt, and who profits? We should consider what we would do if the tables were turned.
This is not only a call to prayer, it is a call to ministry. God will give justice to them. God will come to the aid of those that call on his name day and night. But where will we be? Are we on the side of the adversary or the one from whom justice is denied?
I often hear the voices of my teachers, in a figurative manner. I hear them, I have conversations within my own mind as I process life. But at times the voices of those teachers are silent, because I do not know what they might say. This is where my grandpa would say, “Welp”. That meaningless word, is filled with meaning. We can sit around talking forever, but we have to start somewhere. What is the first step?
Justice begins when we listen. We help, we cannot even know how to pray, until we know what is going on. Our world is boiling in tension right now, but it is as if no one wants to listen, we think we have all the right answers but we do not even know the questions.
The next step is to pray. Prayer is not us dictating to God what should be done. Prayer is a conversation where God assists us as we wrestle through the problems we face. And as we wrestle with God, we receive the answer we were seeking. It is not always a new bike, or the promotion we wanted, but more often than not God gives us an answer by changing our perspective. And once our perspective has been corrected, we can then move forward.
I come to this passage today, and I realize that the point of it has been different than I had known before. I have grown in faith. I have noticed things that I was once blind to. I have pulled greater understanding as I have listened to the various teachers I have been blessed to have. And as I have looked at this passage, I have seen the reality of our current situation. Jesus ends this parable by saying, “I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Israel was living under oppression during these days. They longed for a king that would throw off the chains that were binding them. But what they failed to see was that many of those chains were self inflicted. In their efforts to be right, they were wrong, because they missed to point of the teaching. Are we loving God with all we are and all we have, and are we loving our neighbors as ourselves? Are we Loving God, Embracing the Holy Spirit, and living the love of Christ with others, or are we neglecting justice?
As we enter into this time of open worship, I encourage you to stop and listen to the voices of the person you regard as the opponent, why are we in opposition? It is not a question of who is right and who is wrong. But is their justice? Is there faith on earth?
Previous Messages:
Ransomed to Love
By Jared Warner Willow Creek Friends Church April 19, 2026 Click here to join our Meeting for Worship Click to read in Swahili Bofya kusoma kwa Kiswahili 1 Peter 1:17–23 (ESV) 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time…
Born Again to a Living Hope
By Jared Warner Willow Creek Friends Church April 12, 2026 Click here to join our Meeting for Worship Click to read in Swahili Bofya kusoma kwa Kiswahili 1 Peter 1:3–9 (ESV) 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born…
Broken Dreams Restored
By Jared Warner Willow Creek Friends Church April 05, 2026 Click here to join our Meeting for Worship Click to read in Swahili Bofya kusoma kwa Kiswahili John 20:1–18 (ESV) 1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the…
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