Luke 18:6

6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge says.

Luke 18:6 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 18:6

And the Lord said
The Lord Jesus Christ, who delivered out this parable to his disciples:

hear what the unjust judge saith;
and take encouragement from hence to be frequent and importunate in prayer with God; for if such a cruel, merciless, and unjust judge is to be wrought upon by importunity to do justice, who has no principle to influence him, how much more will not God, who is a just judge, the judge of widows, and of the oppressed, a God of great mercy and compassion, who delights in the prayers of his people, knows their cases, and is able to help them, and who has an interest in them, and they in him? how much more will not he regard their importunate requests, and arise, and save them much such like reasoning this is used by the Jews:

``says R. Simeon ben Chelphetha, an impudent man overcomes a good man, or a modest man, (by his importunity,) how much more the goodness of the world itself F17?''

that is, how much more will a man, by his continual prayer, prevail with God, who is goodness itself? And they have another saying F18, that agrees with this:

``says R. Nachman, impudence (i.e. importunity) even against God is profitable.''

The application of this parable follows:


FOOTNOTES:

F17 T. Hieros. Taaniot, fol. 65. 2.
F18 T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 105. 1.

Luke 18:6 In-Context

4 And he would not for a time; but afterwards he said within himself, If even I fear not God and respect not man,
5 at any rate because this widow annoys me I will avenge her, that she may not by perpetually coming completely harass me.
6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge says.
7 And shall not God at all avenge his elect, who cry to him day and night, and he bears long as to them?
8 I say unto you that he will avenge them speedily. But when the Son of man comes, shall he indeed find faith on the earth?
The Darby Translation is in the public domain.