Squeaky Wheel Justice
How much can you bear before you give in to one who is persistent in demanding your time?
Jesus told his disciples a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, `Grant me justice against my opponent.' - Luke 8:1-3
In Luke's Gospel, we have the parable of the Unjust Judge who refuses to hear the case of a widow who doesn't take "No" for an answer.
Many have interpreted this parable to be a lesson in prayer. If we continue to come to God in prayer, eventually, He will grant our wishes, not because He is unjust, like the judge, but because He is just. If an unjust judge will eventually respond, how much sooner will God who is just respond?
It is true that the squeaky wheel, because it is so annoying, will eventually get the grease, but I think there is more to the story than that.
Jesus ends with a question that we might overlook. Talking about how God will listen, he says, "I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?
He could be asking if we will have faith in God to dispense justice, or will we continue to put our faith in some other means?
What does it mean to put our faith in God? Is he telling us not to take our demands for justice to the streets?
In the last half century, thanks to Martin Luther King Jr., we have come to believe in the power of peaceful protest as a more effective means of gaining support for justice. But King didn't abandon his faith. He sought God's help through prayer.
So, while the Civil Rights Movement has made great strides in changing the way we treat each other, imposing new rules that seek to punish those who fail to be just in their dealings with one another, has it changed the underlying belief structure of this country?
Are we a more just and faithful people today?
I believe that should Jesus return today, he would be just as frustrated with us as he was in his day. He would look at our system of justice and call out the unjust judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, defendants, law enforcement officers and witnesses, and would shake his head in shame.
We are good at passing laws that criminalize behaviors we don't like or we fear, and we lock people away for as long as we can, seeing them as evil and inhuman.
Where is the justice in that?
Perhaps if we put our faith in God rather than in a system that is subject to corruption, we will gain the wisdom to do something different.
But I digress. Most who preach about this Gospel today will focus on prayer and not our injustices toward one another. Maybe that's better. Maybe we don't want to hear the squeaky wheels and a little grease will be all that is needed.
But my prayer this day is for God's help in guiding all of us to faith in Him. That means we will not have an answer that will fix everything and make it better, but we will trust that He does. If we start by loving one another, and seek His help in that, perhaps we will find the justice we seek.
More to come...