Scripture Deep Dive: The Parable of the Persistent Widow

December 2nd, 2025
by Alex Hanson

In this blog post, we take a meaningful look at the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15—one of Scripture’s most beautiful reminders of God’s heart for every single person. Inside, you’ll find helpful background on the book of Luke, several translations of the passage, and insights gathered from trusted commentaries. And when you’re ready to reflect personally, we’ve included a simple, guided format to help you slow down, engage the text, and let God speak to you through His Word.

The Gospel of Luke Details:

Author: Though it does not identify its author, many scholars believe that Luke, the travel companion and co-worker with the Apostle Paul, is the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts.
Time: Between 60 and 80 CE
Purpose of Writing: To show how the story of Jesus fulfills the story of God and Israel and the whole world.

The Text: Luke 18:1-8

The Bible was first written in Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic, and every version we read today comes from those original languages. Comparing different translations of the same text can be very beneficial in understanding different details.

NIV
1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”

6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

ESV
1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

NLT
1 One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. 2 “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. 3 A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ 4 The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, 5 but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”

6 Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. 7 Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man[a] returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”

Commentaries

David Guzik
V1 – The purpose of the parable: that we might not lose heart in prayer

Why we lose heart:
- Prayer is hard work we often approach lightly
- The Devil hates prayer. If prayer were powerless, it would be easy.
- We are not always convinced of the reality of the power of prayer. It often is a last resort instead of a first resource.
We must remember that Jesus lived a prayerful life, and He ever lives to pray for His people (Hebrews 7:25).

V2 – The ungodly judge

He did not fear God or regard man.
This judge would have not been a Jewish judge, for disputes were brought to the elders. So this judge would have been a paid magistrate appointed either by Herod or the Romans.

V4 – In the end the judge answered the woman’s request. The only reason he gave her what she wanted was because the woman wouldn’t stop bothering him.

Jesus did not give us this parable to say that God is like this judge, but is unlike this judge.
God loves to answer our prayers and even helps is when we pray.
The woman had to overcome the judge’s reluctance to help. We often feel that we must do the same when we pray — use our persistence to overcome God’s reluctance. This misses the point of the parable entirely. Jesus did not say that men always ought to pray and not lose heart because God is reluctant, but because He isn’t, and that is our encouragement to prayer.
There are several contrasts between this judge and the God who hears prayer.
- The judge was unfair; God is fair.
- The judge had no person interest in the widow; God loves and cares for those who petition Him.
- The judge answered the widow’s cry out of pure self-interest; God loves to bless His people for their good also.

Chuck Smith
“Jesus often taught in parallels with sharp contrasts, and this is one of the those parables not of parallelism, but of sharp contrast. For surely He would not put God in the light of an unconcerned, unjust, judge, unfeeling. … The contrast is this: if a wicked man, hard, who neither regards neither God nor man, if he can be persuaded just because of the persistency of this little widow, in sharp contrast … (Luke 18:7-8).”

Matthew Henry

V2 - [regarding the judge] “… where no fear of God is no good is to be expected.”

V3-5 - Assurance in God’s closeness in prayer:
- “This widow was a stranger, nothing related to the judge; but God's praying people are his own elect, whom he knows, and loves, and delights in, and has always concerned himself for.”
- “She came to a judge that bade her keep her distance; we come to a Father that bids us come boldly to him, and teaches us to cry, Abba, Father.”
- “She came to an unjust judge; we come to a righteous Father (Jn. 17:25), one that regards his own glory and the comforts of his poor creatures, especially those in distress, as widows and fatherless.”
- “She had no friend to speak for her, to add force to her petition, and to use interest for her more than her own; but we have an Advocate with the Father, his own Son, who ever lives to make intercession for us, and has a powerful prevailing interest in heaven.”
- “She could have access to the judge only at some certain times; but we may cry to God day and night, at all hours, and therefore may the rather hope to prevail by importunity.”

V8 - Now, when he comes, will he find faith on the earth? The question implies a strong negation: No, he will not; he himself foresees it.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

V1 “always” - Compare Luke 18:7, "night and day."
V3 “Avenge me” - that is, rid me of the oppression of.
V7 “cry day and night” - whose every cry enters into the ears of the Lord

Read through the parable on your own. Use this guide to dig deeper into this scripture:

Be Still: As you read, write out the Bible verse or verses that stick out to you most.

Abide: What truth can you learn? Are there any principles or commands present? What is the overall theme of the text?

Adore: What does the text reveal about God and His character?

Apply: How does this Scripture apply to your life today? How does the truth of God’s Word change your daily perspective? How can you live differently in light of this truth?

Pray: Pray God’s Word back to Him. Turn these thoughts into prayer. Ask the Lord to show you how to meditate on and apply this Scripture to your life.

Cover photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

© Copyright 2024. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New international Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

All Commentaries and Notes pulled from Blue Letter Bible.

Subscribe Here