Lk 18:1-8
Don’t lose heart: The parable of the persistent widow functions as an exhortation to the members of the Christian community not to lose heart while they wait for the Lord to come.
The point of the parable, as Luke situates it in his narrative, is that if a corrupt judge will grant a persistent widow the justice she demands, how much more will God “secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night” (v 7). Therefore, Christians should remain steadfast in prayer and not lose heart. Persistent prayer will maintain faith. God will not abandon his faithful and prayerful people, who wait for Jesus to come in glory.
It is because the widow continues to bother the judge that she finally receives justice. The kingdom of God is like the persistent widow; it keeps manifesting itself regardless of honor or shame. In this case, it does not come in the form of a just judge (an appropriate metaphor for God) but in the form of an unjust judge (not an appropriate metaphor for God). It does not come in the form of an honorable man (an appropriate metaphor for God) but in the form of a shameless widow (not an appropriate metaphor for God). The kingdom of God comes because God, like a shameless widow, bothers everyone!