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In that city there was also a widow who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice.'
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"For a while the judge refused to do anything. But then he thought, 'This widow really annoys me. Although I don't fear God or respect people,
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I'll have to give her justice. Otherwise, she'll keep coming to me until she wears me out.'"
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The Lord added, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge thought.
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Won't God give his chosen people justice when they cry out to him for help day and night? Is he slow to help them?
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I can guarantee that he will give them justice quickly. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
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Jesus also used this illustration with some who were sure that God approved of them while they looked down on everyone else.
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He said, "Two men went into the temple courtyard to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector.
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The Pharisee stood up and prayed, 'God, I thank you that I'm not like other people! I'm not a robber or a dishonest person. I haven't committed adultery. I'm not even like this tax collector.
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I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my entire income.'
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"But the tax collector was standing at a distance. He wouldn't even look up to heaven. Instead, he became very upset, and he said, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'