NOTES for Luk 18:1-17

The Bible is an ironic book. The Lord sets before us as an example not the great righteous and prophets, but a Chekhovian widow. She is the one who can teach us how to survive in this world: any building manager or deputy prefect will confirm that characters like this never fail to get their way. We know very well from our own lives how effective this image is—for example, when the lift in an apartment building breaks down and the housing office does not want to repair it. Armed with the Gospel commandment, taking up the telephone, and starting to call the various “unjust judges” in ascending order—the district council, prefecture, and city hall—we will almost certainly solve the problem rather quickly. And if we remember that we are “calling” not officials who, in truth, do not care about us, but a loving Heavenly Father, then a wave of joy and boldness in prayer will wash all despondency from our faces and our hearts.