majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 18:7-8,
"Will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to
him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will
see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man
comes, will he find faith on the earth?"
In this summation of the parable of the persistent widow, Jesus told
of the justice of God. Luke provides the purpose of the parable in
verse 1, "Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that
they should always pray and not give up."
When folks ask for justice, they are requesting what is coming as a
certainty. However, God's people need to be tenacious in their request
to God for justice. God exercises "kindness, justice and righteousness
on earth", Jeremiah 9:24, and so that justice will be coming. God will
be responding to the request of his "chosen ones" for justice. Their
persistence in prayer for justice will aid them in leaving retribution
in the hands of God. It will aid them in issues of anger, bitterness
and unforgiveness as they experience the intolerance and the harsh
treatment the world provides.
Jesus' closing remark at the end of the parable is a sobering one.
"Will he find faith on the earth?" That is the issue when considering
the justice of God. The "chosen ones" Jesus refers to are those who
are people of faith, those who have placed their trust in him. When
the Lord comes to bring justice to the earth, those who have embraced
Jesus Christ in faith will escape God's judgment and instead, find
their grievances addressed by God against those who have opposed them,
those who are not of faith.
There is no surprise that true believers find opposition from
unbelievers. John speaks to this as a natural outcome of the spiritual
forces at work in the world, "For this is the message you heard from
the beginning: We should love one another. Do not be like Cain, who
belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he
murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were
righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you."
1 John 3:11-13. This animosity expresses itself in the maltreatment of
believers by others and when it happens we are to be in prayer about
it.
As I read of the horrific nature of God's justice, I can't help but
feel a real concern for those who have not placed their faith in Jesus
Christ. The judgment scene depicted in Revelation 20:11-15 is a
frightful one!
"When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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