And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
Luke opens this chapter with a rare thing: the Lord tells us in advance what a parable is for, and the purpose is prayer that does not quit. Prayer needs that push because of delay, because of trial, and because of the strong pull to give up.
The Lord States His Own Purpose
The setting of the parable is narrow: a scene of ruin and coming judgment. The lesson drawn from it is not narrow at all. One writer draws out why that matters:
William KellyHere is prayer in a setting of ruin and deep trial — prayer with evil close at hand, and God's judgment coming... This is all the more striking. The circumstances are clearly limited, but what He draws from them is universal. The Lord is urging prayer in view of the final trial; but He opens with a plain moral rule about the value of prayer at all times.
Prayer as the Resource of the Helpless
The widow in the story has no protector, no influence, and no second option. That is the point of the picture. It shows what "not lose heart" asks of us:
J. N. DarbyFaith would be tested. If people looked to God, and not just to the blessing, they would not give up, even when no answer came. They would go on, always looking up, though everything seemed against them. The widow stands for people who have no human help. Their one help would be steady, unbroken prayer.
What "Not Lose Heart" Means in Practice
Losing heart is not failing to pray once. It is dropping a prayer because nothing has happened. The verse calls for prayer that keeps going:
C. H. MackintoshWe must persevere. We must not lose heart and give up, even when the answer does not come as fast as we expect. It may please God to exercise our souls by keeping us waiting on Him for days, months, or perhaps years. The exercise is good. It is morally healthy; it tends to make us real; it brings us down to the roots of things.
The same writer measures ordinary prayer meetings against this standard and finds them wanting:
C. H. MackintoshI feel there is a great lack of earnestness and perseverance in our prayer meetings generally... We do not seem like men in earnest. We lack the spirit of the widow in Luke 18, who overcame the unjust judge by the sheer force of her persistence.
The Judge Is a Contrast, Not a Portrait
Some readers assume the judge stands for God — as if God must be worn down before He acts. Commentators reject that reading:
William KellyThe argument runs from the lesser to the greater. The unjust judge no more stands for God than the unjust steward in Luke 16 stands for the disciple. Even the unjust judge would rather see justice done for the most helpless and friendless person than be worn down by endless appeals. How much more will God step in on behalf of His elect against their enemies!
The two delays look alike from outside and are opposite underneath:
J. G. BellettWhy did the judge not answer? Because of his selfishness! Why does the Lord not come back? Because of His long-suffering. The Lord seems to pass by our prayers, as the judge passed by the poor woman — but the judge passed her by out of selfishness! The Lord passes by, not wishing that any should perish.
Who the Widow Pictures
Writers connect the widow to the faithful remnant of Israel in a coming time of persecution, since her cry for vengeance fits saints awaiting deliverance by judgment on their oppressors. Even so, the wider use of the verse is not lost:
William KellyThe Holy Spirit gives this call a wider reach, with the moral purpose we have often noticed in Luke's Gospel. Every saint should profit by it.
Commentators differ over the details. Some saw Jerusalem in the widow. Others saw the early Church under Roman rule. Kelly holds that the parable is meant only to encourage people to keep praying at any time.
Delay Is Not Denial
Waiting is where most people give up. Here is delay described plainly:
The Bible TreasuryThe Lord may keep us waiting a very long time and still intend all along to grant the request in the end. He may delay to make the blessing greater when it comes. We tend to think delay means denial. It is not always so.
Summary
- Purpose stated. The Lord tells us the point before He tells the story — always pray, never lose heart — so no one can make it mean something else.
- Purpose tested. Delay is the test. If we look to God Himself, and not just to the blessing, we keep looking up when nothing has changed.
- Purpose contrasted. The judge acts to be rid of a nuisance; God bears long out of long-suffering. The argument runs from the worst judge to the best Father.
- Purpose widened. The scene points to believers in a coming time of trial. Yet the lesson is general — every believer should profit from it.
- Purpose applied. Persistence is what the verse asks for. Waiting months or years is not wasted time; it is the exercise that makes us real.