In the parable of the persistent widow in the Bible in Luke 18, Jesus told his disciples of a certain courageous widow who did not let a judge that did not care what the people thought, to rest until he changed his mind.
From the second verse of the 18th chapter Christ said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!”
I will start from the rear.
- Even Christ in his analogy recognized that irresponsive leaders face the risk of physical attack and they nurse the fear. The judge feared that the woman may come back and attack him and took action.
- It is the fear of a possible attack that was actually responsible for the changing of mind of the judge. Not because he suddenly started fearing God. The judge himself reiterated that “even though I don’t fear God or care what people think,…I will see that she gets justice.”
- But attacking anyone is usually not the first step of any responsible agitation or advocacy. It begins by engagement and making demands, so the widow began by going persistently to ask for justice from the wicked judge.
- While others may have warned her of possible consequences of her persistence, while others must have taunted and trolled her for going everyday to ask for justice, she knew that was what will give her result.
- “Because she keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice.” Bothering your pressure point ceaselessly brings justice. It’s biblical.
Lesson:
In our search for good governance, let us adopt the attitude of the persistent widow. Asking questions everyday and all the time. Demanding for justice without ceasing puts fear in the hearts of those who are denying us. It also makes them change their mind.
Make up your mind today to start demanding for justice from our leaders like the persistent widow.
