21. Sunday after Pentecost, 10/17/2010

Sermon on Luke 18:1-8, by Walter W. Harms

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 about men. 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 about men, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' " 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?"

Will Faith Be Found?

Christians believe that Jesus will return to this earth. It will be the end of the world as we have known it. Will there be people who trust him at that moment? What kind of "faith" do you and I have?

Will faith in Jesus as the Lord of life and the Answer, the Savior to life's adverse situations be found? Is it found now? Is it found in you and in me? Will faith be found?

Well, we all have faith. That means simply: we all trust someone, something we call truth, perhaps something which we believe will be or is the answer to all that we face in life. Our faith vacillates between different ideas or persons to whom we give our trust. Faith is the ultimate in our lives.

Some believe that a certain political party is the answer to most of our problems. Some believe that if we can get a handle on this whole immigration stuff life will be beautiful. Some believe that if I am employed again or make a few more bucks all of life's difficult situations will be solved.

While faith in science took a beating when we came face to face with environmental problems, physical ailments and diseases, and even such a small item as obesity and could not find the answer, there are still many who believe that given a few more years, perhaps decades and, to quote Stephen Hawking: "we will know the mind of God." Of course, he doesn't believe in any God, so in reality it was saying I believe: man doesn't need God to explain things, solve problems, tell us what is going to happen. We don't need some kind of wild faith. We only need faith in science.

Perhaps he will live long enough to be able to leave his wheelchair and breathe as most of us do, when science, of course, unlocks the so called mystery (it's really just something we don't know about yet) of his disease.

So we all have sometime of faith that gives us whatever we think it is to sustain life, make it better, rid it of problems, smooth things out. What do you believe? What do you trust will make life better for you, rid it of problems, smooth things out?

Almost all of us are bi-polar when it comes to faith. We trust in God maybe. We trust in science to solve some problems. We trust that money can bring us a certain kind of happiness (recent studies say that if you earn $75,000 a year you achieve a certain sense of happiness. More than that, really doesn't help. That was a scientific study, you understand). All too many of us believe that a certain person is the source of our faith, is the reason for living, is what life is all about. That person or persons may be our spouse, our children, a special friend, grandchildren or even our church community.

So when Jesus asks will faith be found when he, the Son of man, returns to bring all of this universe as vast as it is beyond our ability to grasp to its conclusion, will there be people who believe in him as the one who, in terms of the parable he told, gives us justice against our adversaries?

I guess we need to see who our "adversaries" are in order to understand just how much we need to trust "the One" who can give us relief from our enemies, or adversaries as they are called in this story.

As we look at this story, we have this judge, who was somewhat of a scoundrel who didn't give a _______ about anyone. He didn't face an electorate. He didn't have to fear removal from office by anyone whom he would have to judge. He was as independent as a hog on ice.

But his life is made unpleasant by this, this widow. A widow was a nobody at the time of Jesus. Nobody cared about a widow. She was a burden to society. If you had any kind of possessions, someone would take advantage of her. The only place she could find some kind of relief from the harassment she was receiving was this amoral judge who only pleased himself.

Like a dripping faucet, she kept pestering him. "Give me justice! Give me justice! Help me! Help me!" was her annoying, irritating, constant screech in the life of this person who had the power to make things right.

The judge finally has enough of this woman and gives her justice, mainly and simply to get rid of her.

Jesus asks us whether we believe God will bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night. Will be put them off? No, Jesus says, he will see that they get justice and get it quickly! No hesitation on the part of God. No putting his chosen ones off.

As you hear this message today, we need to know that God has chosen you to belong to him. Regardless of how you see yourself, your vision is worthless unless you see yourself as God's special person.

It makes no difference how you have lived, what mistakes you have made, what potential in your life you have failed to reach, what gross or fine flaws haunt you, you are God's special person.

You know why I can say that? Because this "Son of man," Jesus said on the cross, "Father, forgive them, they don't know what they're doing!" Isn't that you and me? How often we don't know what we're doing. We just do it and only afterward do we find ourselves asking: What in the world possessed me to do that?

We need "justice" so that our adversaries stop sticking it to us, stop pestering us with their annoying thought of : "You'll never be free of your guilt and shame!"

As we again and again plead with God to give us justice, through Jesus and his death for us, he puts an end to our shame, our guilt, our failures. Through the resurrection of our Lord, he gives us a life that is now and always pure and innocent!

I know that is hard to believe, hard to trust, hard to put into the mixer that is our lives. But it is there.

And all the adversaries we have can no longer hurt us because of us having the Son of man, God's intervening judge in our lives.

The devil? With his temptations to think of only myself is nothing more than a Halloween mask. Nothing behind that mask can hurt us. The devil is simply trying to scare us, but has no power.

Death? Ah yes, the bitter end, right? To be delayed as long as possible because we don't know what happens after death, right? Death has been conquered by Jesus who broke once and for all the chain of death and has promised that the person "who believes in me already has life that never ends."

The promises of science? About as helpful as some person in Africa e-mailing you that you've inherited millions of dollars. Science is good, but it only reveals what God has put there from the get go of this world.

Persons? If you trust that some person or persons are the source of your happiness, I can guarantee you that an imperfect person can not perfect the imperfections in yourself. You are hallucinating at best and in for disappointment when that relationship ends.

Money? The love of money is the root of too many evils. Money, as science can never love you, never did, in fact. Money can buy lots of stuff, but it cannot and does not have the ability to keep from us events that destroy us. Only a destroyed Savior can do for us what we want which is? Life and abundant life of self-sacrificing loving service to him by serving those whom he loves, who are all people everywhere.

Will faith be found when Jesus returns?

Should we not always pray and not give up that for us justice, the end to all wrongs and problems is going to be found in no one else but the Son of man? Will we turn to other sources for help and relief of pain, suffering and death?

Will faith in Jesus be found when he comes for you at the end of your time?

retired pastor Walter W. Harms
Austin, TX U. S. A.

E-Mail: waltpast@aol.com

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