Persistent Proclamation

Jeremiah 31:27-34; Luke 18:1-8: 2nd Timothy 3:14-4:5

Central Baptist Church—Lowesville, VA

21 October 2007

It seems we are bombarded with messages 24/7/365. I get phone calls about the expired warranty on my car. My sons know all the major automobile insurance companies by slogan and advertising style. I know all about medicines and equipment to treat conditions I do not have. I hear about the latest sales for items I do not need to purchase. I hear about where I can find the largest selection of cars, office supplies, clothing, furniture, and sportswear. The business world has learned how to get their messages to potential customers. Among all the messages out there, where is our message proclaiming God’s reign in our lives? Do we give up on sharing the gospel before we begin?

Jesus’ parable of the persistent widow has often bothered me. It seems dissonant with the rest of Biblical teaching on prayer. Here we are told of a widow incessantly pleading her case to a judge who cares nothing for justice. We find that her persistence pays off—she finally gets her way. It would seem that Jesus is saying that if we treat God like an unjust judge, eventually God will cave in and give us what we want. The picture just does not fit my larger understanding of God, Jesus, and our proper place as beloved servants of the Almighty.

Deep down, I don’t particularly want a God who will cave in to my demands. I need a God who knows better than I. I need a Lord who earnestly desires better than my fleeting or stubborn desires. On the other hand, it is tempting to discover some means to control God. It is tempting to use God like a jinn enslaved by a magic lamp. I want to be in control, yet I am afraid that my sense of right and good is not always on target. I crave the security of being in control, yet am all too aware that I am not fit for the control I crave. How can Jesus be teaching that by persistence we can force God’s hand? Such a concept is too out of character. There must be something more behind this text. Perhaps there is. It is what we call context.

Sometimes the chapter divisions in our Bibles throw us off. This is one of those cases in which reading the passage before this parable is of the utmost importance. Rather than being a haphazard jumble of accounts, the gospel stories are arranged in meaningful ways. Understanding the point of a passage often depends on reading the passage before. That passage introduces a topic which sets the stage for Jesus’ parable. This parable is a transition passage on that topic of the coming of God’s reign.

The Jews were very interested in predicting when the God’s Messianic Reign would begin. It was a hot discussion topic akin to today’s discussions of the end of the world and the return of Christ. These may not be pressing issues in our discussions, but we are well aware of others who would debate these questions as central to the life of faith. Such was the state of discussion in Jesus’ day regarding the coming reign of Messiah. The people felt themselves oppressed, and looked to the coming reign of Messiah as their hope and anticipated rescue.

To questions regarding the when and where of Messiah’s reign, Jesus responds that Messiah’s Reign was already underway. In yearning for some external event to occur, they failed to recognize God’s reign in their midst. Jesus went on to address issues of recognizing and preparing for Messiah’s presence to be revealed. He stressed their lack of preparation to recognize Messiah. He spoke in warning of a coming judgment, but stressed the need to understand God’s reign in their midst. The coming revealing of Messiah was important, but more important is living under the reign of God’s will and presence.

As Jesus turned to the issue of prayer, it was with this discussion in mind. The Jews anticipated Messiah as being the one who would free them from oppression, granting justice. Rather than dealing with God as this unrighteous judge who will eventually break down and offer justice, we are to persist in earnest prayer to recognize God’s reign already in our midst. The problem is not that God is unwilling to act, rescue, and redeem. The problem is our lack of perception and understanding. It is for our perception of God’s reigning presence that we are to pray insistently. We need not pester God about being willing to shower us with justice, but persist in living according to faith. It is in this life of faith, after all, that God’s reign is fulfilled and visible in our lives.

Jesus closes this parable with a probing question. When Messiah is fully revealed, what kind of faith will God find in us? As long as we insist on wearing down God to force God’s hand to our will, we miss the whole point of Messiah’s presence. We have already been introduced to the reign of Messiah. Are we living in the reality of that reign, or sitting by awaiting some other experience before acting on a faith we proclaim?

Jeremiah anticipated the reality of Messiah’s reign when he spoke of God writing on the hearts of the people. He anticipated this internal reality of relating personally to God. He looked forward to a faith that did not depend so much on the external elements of institutionalized religion. He spoke of living in God’s presence, knowing God as friend and companion, as well as Lord. He spoke of Yahweh as willing to forgive, yet yearning more still for a people who would seek fellowship and intimacy with the Lord of all creation.

This is not a future reality to await. It is rather a reality to accept and experience as we persist in seeking to know and understand God’s reign. It is a reality to live as God’s reign becomes a life of faith in our daily existence. The long-awaited revealing of God is now ready to be revealed through our lives.

This is our charge. It is the good news we have to proclaim: God is present and active in our midst. Messiah has come, offering redemption, grace, forgiveness, and fellowship with God. Jesus’ question is how we will respond to God’s initiative of grace. Will we persist without losing heart in the reality of God’s redeeming presence?

As Paul reminds Timothy, we are charged to be active and persistent in sharing this great gospel with the world all around. We are charged to entrust our good news to others who will also share faith with others. It is not the question of when or how God’s reign will come. It is not when, where, or how Jesus will be ultimately revealed in glory. It is the question of how we will allow God to write on our hearts and share hope, redemption, and grace with the world in which we live. How will we share our faith in a persistent, loving manner?

Will we allow God’s covenant to reign throughout our daily activities, sharing the good news of hope by which we live? Will our lives as individuals and as church persistently proclaim faith to others? Will God provide when we seek direction for sharing our gospel of hope? We are charged with persistently proclaiming hope to a world in need. This charge requires an investment of our energy and resources. How will we be heard above the marketplace din?

—©2007 Christopher B. Harbin