Many of us are familiar with the idiom “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.” For those of you who are not familiar with the phrase, today’s gospel lesson provides the perfect definition. A problem arises, and someone makes enough noise about it that the problem is resolved. A squeaky wheel gets greased, once it has grated on someone’s nerves enough for them to take the time to grease it. Once greased, the squeak, and annoyance, goes away. A woman who has been wronged raises a ruckus in the courtroom. The judge gives in to her demands in order to have some peace and quiet. Problems are resolved, but not always for the right reasons.
Today’s parable is interesting in that it is preceded by an explanation of its purpose. If we were to simply hear the parable, we would probably come away with the understanding that “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” However, the author of this gospel completely befuddles us, or at least me, by beginning this section by saying that the purpose of this parable is to teach the disciples about the need to pray always, and to not lose heart. I completely agree that we should pray always, and not lose heart, or rather faith. However, I also think this can be dangerous advice, and seems out of place with this parable. In the story, there is no evidence that the widow is prayerful. It never mentions that she prays for justice. Rather, she is physically and verbally asserting her right to justice in the face of a corrupt judge who could care less about the people where he has been placed to serve. It does not appear that it is God who grants this widow justice, but eventually the judge, who grants justice only because it will benefit him. Where is prayer in this parable? Where is God?
You could very easily provide a solution: well Amanda, you could say, clearly this is allegorical. The judge represents God, and the widow represents God’s people. We are to pray to God persistently for our needs and wants, and God will eventually answer our prayers. This could be a solution, except that it would cause me, and should cause you, to re-examine our theology, our understanding of who and what God is. For me, God cannot be the judge, because the judge is unjust. The judge is everything that God is not. The judge is narcissistic, does not care for his people, and is not interested in enacting justice for his people. He admits that he has no fear of God, and no respect for anyone. He gives in to the widow, not because he has heard her case, not because he sees an injustice has occurred, but because she annoys him and he wants her to stop. Friends, this is not God. Jesus tells us; won’t God grant justice to the chosen ones who cry day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? God does not make us suffer needlessly. God does not dangle the promise of justice in front of our eyes and make us beg for it. God loves us! God wants justice to flow like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream! God wants us to have life and to live abundantly! God has written the law upon our hearts and claimed as God’s! God cannot be the unjust judge.
If God is not the unjust judge, then are we still the widow? I firmly believe that yes, we are. So, if we are the widow, are we supposed to pray without ceasing so that there is justice in the world? Yes. And no. We must pray; as children of God we must commune with our Creator; we must confess our sins, unburden our hearts, give thanks for God’s goodness and even scream to God because of the injustices we face in this world. But it is not enough to sit at home, or on a mountain, or even in the midst of the worshipping body of Christ, and just pray. Jesus prayed. He also did things.
Praying for those who are hungry, that they may be fed, will not fill bellies. Praying for those who have no shelter will not put a roof over their head. Praying for those who are dying of AIDS will not end the spread of this disease. Praying for the victims of rape won’t bring justice when there are close to 200,000 rape kits sitting untested in police storage in this country. Praying for victims of bullying will not put an end to their suffering. Prayer alone cannot help any of these injustices, but prayer-filled action can.
As shared in the parable, justice can come from unjust systems. The widow was a witness or victim of an injustice, and she raised awareness. She persisted in demanding justice until it was granted to her. How can we promote justice in an unjust world? As Christians, how can we bring God’s justice to a world that has tried to push God out? First, we pray. We pray by ourselves, and we pray as the church. Then, we raise awareness. What are the causes of this injustice? We must ask not only how can we feed the hungry, but also why are they hungry to begin with? Why can’t the homeless afford housing? We must ask how do we minister to those who have AIDS while also asking the question how can we prevent this disease from spreading? We have to stop wondering how many gay and lesbian teens will commit suicide because of being bullied and ostracized before the country notices, and instead ask how we can provide them with a safe, loving, affirming community so that they can live through their current nightmares. We have to get our hands dirty. We have to go to where the people are, to commune with those who are hungry, to swing hammers for those who are homeless, to wrap our arms around those who are suffering and dying. But we also have to pound on doors, and wave posters, and raise our voices about the injustices in this world so that the government and the people know that we are not ok with what is happening in the world. We have to give the church back her voice. We have to be the persistent widow. We have to be the squeaky wheel.
Jesus was a squeaky wheel. Jesus was a very squeaky wheel. He squeaked so much about the injustices of his world, and proclaimed so loudly the promises of God, that the government silenced him. And we are called to be like him. We are to be the voice for the voiceless among us, speaking to those in power on behalf of the powerless. And we are also called to be the hands and feet of Christ, to be the loving face of God, to those same people. We must pray, and we must do, and we must pray, and we must do…and we must never lose heart. After the parable of the widow and the unjust judge, Jesus asked, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” It is my prayer that when Christ comes again, he will find not only faith here in this world, but God’s kin-dom as well.
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