Wilma was a persistent woman. I used to mow her lawn when I was in high school in Swift Current Saskatchewan, my hometown. She was around 90 years old and used to perform with the Old Time Fiddlers, a music group in the area. Often she would offer me a snack after mowing the lawn. To be honest I disliked mowing her lawn in particular because the yard had never been landscaped. It was like trying to mow grass in the forest. And she had an early electric mower that required dragging a long extension cord around all the trees, laundry line, and miscellaneous objects in the yard. Her stove was a mess, she never took off her shoes, and there was a solid black line from the front door to the back. She openly admitted she despised housekeeping and never learned how to cook. She had a hatchet on her wall and perhaps a rifle hidden as well. Quite a character. Afterward she would prepare a bagged lunch for me to take home. I would eat the orange and drink the juice box, but some of the other items I wasn’t so sure about given the overall lack of refrigeration. One time I was there and someone called to talk to her and she refused to answer. I asked why she didn’t answer, in days before call display and smart phones. She answered, “Because I know who it is and she’s a *beehive*.” Always a story with Wilma. Eying the hatchet on the wall I didn’t ask too many questions. But she is someone who persisted in a man’s world and survived until old age on her own terms. And she told people off on a routine basis. Maybe you know someone like Wilma, persistent, arguing her case until she gets what she deserves.
Today in the gospel reading we meet a persistent woman in a parable that leaves us unsettled. Jesus’ parables are meant to be jarring. This gospel text is supposed to jolt us awake, figuring out what Jesus is saying. Commentator Eric Barreto reminds us to avoid making the mistake of identifying the person of power in the parable with God. In this parable the person of power is the unjust judge.
In no way do we want to say that God is like an unjust judge, but just the opposite. More helpful is if we focus on the person with the least amount of privilege in the parable, namely the persistent widow. Through her we learn about faithfulness. No matter how much the unjust judge tries to dismiss the concern of the widow, her persistence prevails. She never gives up fighting her case. And the unjust judge relents not because he’s a good person, but because he becomes sick and tired of hearing the widow plead her case to him. He just wants her to go away and so decides her case in her favour. How much greater is God’s love than an unjust judge that God listens to the widow’s plight. How much more will God respond with mercy than someone as self-serving as this unjust judge, occupying a position of power.
The Revised Common Lectionary (RCL), which we follow as Lutherans, Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and more, delivered this parable to us today. Apparently the divine knows we need to hear this message of hope this morning. It’s easy to feel powerless in the face of unjust people occupying positions of power. [No idea who this could be referring to. So hard to find real world examples these days.] The reminder here is that we are never powerless, no matter how low our station might appear. While a widow in ancient times may not occupy the lowest station in society, depending on her financial and social situation, she had far less power than a judge. And she is able to disrupt someone with by comparison a lot of power.
Consider our own experience as Jesus’ disciples. With whom do we identify in the parable? Some of us with relatively more power need to watch out we don’t become like the unjust judge. It can be easy to fall into taking the path of least resistance, doing whatever requires the least amount of work, increases personal benefit, or least risk to our personal safety. Certainly we’ve heard examples of judges who aren’t doing their jobs in rendering justice. Whether that is closer to home around granting justice for Indigenous people or in the US where para-military and military forces have been set upon US citizens, with little pushback from the judiciary in some cases.
More important is to focus on the persistent widow who is held up as an example in challenging times. She doesn’t give up. At times we think we are powerless, that protesting or challenging people in power won’t make a difference, Jesus wants us to think of the widow. God is listening to our cries. Jesus is walking with us no matter how challenging things seem. The persistent widow is given a voice and power in this parable. And the persistent widows in this congregation and world have voices and power. As people of God, Jesus is giving us voices and power. Whether we use these voices loudly, silently through sign language, through writing, art, music, advocacy, protest, prayer, and more. Whether we are children, youth, students, young adults, middle aged, or elders. We are all people of God, who experience frustrations calling upon God, pleading our case. We may not always prevail, but Jesus is teaching us that not to give up and that God is always listening, hearing our prayer.
Note what Jesus says about Christian behaviour. Often we are told that Christian behaviour needs to be courteous, calm, and collected. The persistent widow is none of these things. She is loud, angry, shouting even, demanding justice, demanding the judge rule in her favour. What is something you are angry about? What is something you demand justice? Something you want God to hear? I have a friend who would say if you’re mad at God, don’t be afraid to yell. God can take it. Just like the persistent widow, faithfulness comes through God’s enduring love for us, no matter what.
Remember the story of Wilma. Someone who keeps a hatchet in her kitchen, ready for chopping firewood or whatever trouble comes near. She’s not afraid to call people out who seem to be talking down to her. She was tenacious right to the end. Perhaps there is a Wilma in your life, someone you’ve gotten to know whether a family member, friend, neighbour, or someone you met just one time. Know that God is granting you tenacity today. And that will look different for each one of us. There is no one way to be faithful. There is no one way to be persistent. Together we give thanks for Jesus’ promise to walk with us. If even an unjust judge will hear the widow’s case, how much more will God listen to our cries. Amen.
