In this parable, Jesus juxtaposes two people, a powerful albeit corrupt judge, and a powerless widow. In the first century, women who were unmarried or had lost their husbands were particularly vulnerable. This widow apparently has been ill-treated and seeks justice from the local judge. However, the judge couldn’t care less about her plight. Undeterred, the widow bothers the judge enough that he relents and shows her the justice she seeks.

Many have read this parable and made the straightforward conclusion: “Just as the widow bugged the unjust judge to death and eventually got what she wanted, I need to bother God until He is so fed up with me that He relents and gives me what I demand.” Unfortunately, this is a very wrong interpretation…

…to read this full article, pick up a copy of the latest issue of JOY, which is now on sale nationwide in all leading supermarkets!