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Gospel Lesson for the
Week
October 21, 2007
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Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost
Then Jesus told them a parable about
their need to pray always and not to lose heart.
He said, "In a certain city there
was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people.
In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying,
'Grant me justice against my opponent.' For
a while he refused; but later he said to himself, 'Though I have no fear of
God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I
will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually
coming.'"
And the Lord said, "Listen to what
the unjust judge says. And will not
God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he
delay long in helping them?
I tell you, he will quickly grant
justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on
earth?"
. What
If?
.
I am not smart
enough to read Gods mind.
And even Jesus leaves me
puzzled sometimes.
When Jesus tells a story,
sometimes Id like to turn
the tale around.
Like in this parable about
an unjust judge
who out of personal
convenience
simply will not hear a
case.
Too tired, too late,
or some other excuse.
Jesus seems to say
that God is an unjust
Judge,
but thats only if you
read it hurriedly
and take it too literally.
This is a parable, after
all,
and the point of
comparison
is in the woman who comes
with utmost persistence
and will not quit
until her pleas are heard.
Prayer, real prayer is
like that, he seems to say,
constant,
urgent,
persistent,
unyielding
Thats how we ought to
pray --.
if thats what the story
means.
And will not God grant justice
to
his chosen ones who cry to him
day and night?
But what if we turn the
tale around.
What if the judge were you
and me,
wrapped up in our own
wants and wishes,
lost in our own desires,
and the woman in her
persistent quest
is God,
seeking, searching,
like a shepherd after his
lost sheep,
constant,
urgent,
persistent,
unyielding.
In this telling of the
tale,
would the judge you,
that is, or me
yield to the Petitioner?
When
the Son of Man comes,
will he find faith on earth?"
---
rvc
Footnote to the parable:
First Interpretation
.
Someone has suggested the acronym
PUSH
..
Pray
Until
.
Something
.
Happens!
.............
Isnt it worth a try?
*** D I S C L A I M E R ***
The Weekly Lessons are based on the lectionary
texts for the week usually the Gospel lesson. They are not designed as a
formal commentary. Rather, they are the personal reflections and original
compositions of The Relay Online editor, Rev. Robin Van
Cleef, and offer a jumping off point, using the scriptures as triggers to
thought, imagination, and (we hope) empowerment. As you read them, let your own
imagination play, and let the Spirit speak to you, leading you where it will.
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