Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He then tells the parable of widow who keeps coming to a judge seeking a just decision against her adversary.
The Jesuit, Fr. Dennis Hamm, emeritus professor of the New Testament at Creighton University in Omaha, wrote: “That widow in Jesus’ parable who kept badgering the judge to vindicate her cause – think of what she was up against. As a widow in the Ancient Near East she is without resources. Since the court of law (the city gates?) was entirely a male realm, we are to picture her as a lone woman amidst a noisy crowd of men. An oft-quoted description of Near Eastern litigation describes a raucous crowd of clients competing for the attention of a judge, who is surrounded by an array of personal clerks. Some clients gain access to the judge by supplying “fees” (bribes) to a particular clerk. The rest simply clamor. The fact that the woman is alone suggests that there is no male available in her extended family to plead her case. She is very much alone in an intimidating situation.”
What is more, the judge is described as one who neither fears God nor is capable of shame before men. Presumably, he is moved only by bribery, and this woman is either unwilling or unable to use that means. The only strategy available to her is persistence – which finally gets through to the irreverent and shameless judge. He knows the woman is not going to give up; so, he gives in.”
John Pilch wrote: “cultural insights urge more precise translations of this story to show why its popular title, “The Persistent Widow,” is inappropriate. The word for “widow” in Hebrew means “silent one” or “one unable to speak.” In the patriarchal Mediterranean world males alone play a public role. Women do not speak on their own behalf.
A widow who has lost her husband and spokesperson to death is in an even worse condition if the eldest son is not married. Because widows were not included in Hebrew laws on inheritance, they became common symbols of the exploited and oppressed. Prophets like Isaiah and Malachi criticized the harsh treatment they received, and throughout the Bible widows are viewed as being under the special protection of God. What finally moves the judge is not her persistence but rather that, literally translated, “she will end up giving me a black eye”. The Greek word in that verse is borrowed from boxing.
The Greek language also used the word figuratively to mean “blacken one’s face,” which means to publicly shame a person. The translation “wear me down” is incorrect and misses the entire point: “shame.” By publicly badgering the judge every day, the woman repeatedly shames this shameless person. Who knows but, at some point, that she might not even poke him in the eye, literally?
After all, in a culture where law-courts were not about justice but shaming others no matter what the cost, this judge would be damaged by the gossip report that a woman has shamed him. He’d never live that down and couldn’t continue as judge.”
John Pilch helps us to see the parable in the Gospel from a totally different perspective. He continued: “The parable makes convincing sense in the Mediterranean world but may be less convincing in the modern world.” Even though the parable may not have the same impact on us today, we are still conscious of shaming.
How often do we perform an act or refrain from doing something, so we are not ashamed in front of others? Peer pressure is tremendous and often makes us act based on what others might think of us. This is especially true for young people in high school or middle school. Tragically, some of our young people have committed suicide because of being shamed and bullied by others who are like the judge in today’s parable; they don’t care what anyone thinks of them if they are in charge.
Shaming is as valid today as it was in ancient times. Social media influences us more than we are willing to admit. Realizing that our actions may be posted or ridiculed on Facebook makes us do what we would normally refrain from doing. This applies to our personal lives as well as our work lives. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
In the second reading, Paul writes to Timothy: “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, ….. proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching”.
The parable tells us “For a long time, the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me, I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’” Now we can begin to understand why praying without ceasing has results. Jesus said “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you; he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.”
Our problem is that we want justice in this world, but our battle is not earthly, it is spiritual. Our battle is against evil, and our reward is eternal life in heaven with God.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks the question: “But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Think about that question for a moment.
When Jesus comes, will he find anyone who believes in him? When we look at the world today, we see ourselves and a few other faithful servants who believe in Jesus, and it ends there.
Will we let peer, and social media pressure shame us into doing what we don’t want to do? Let’s pray that we remain faithful in our faith until Jesus comes for us.
