Title: Prayer and Faith
prayer and faith
(Luke 18:1-8), October 17, 21st Sunday after Pentecost
The story of the judge and the widow
When the judge first received the widow's request, there was no reaction. It's natural. The widow's work was not of concern to him. If you start to grant such a request, there will be no end to it, and even if you solve the widow's grudge, there will be no money. Of course, personally, I must be busy. This judge represents us who, for one reason or another, ignore the demands of widows and others. The judge's mind changed when the widow, who had been in absolute isolation, came to visit her with a feeling of seeing the end. It is said that God was not afraid and people ignored it, but it was difficult for this widow to bother her. (Luke 18:5)
Prayer omnipotence and prayer cynicism
Conversely, there are those who find prayer cynical. The most extreme is to criticize prayer as a psychological self-suggestion. There is some truth to this claim. In similar psychotherapy training, the slogan “I can do it” is shouted over and over again. It is said that it boosts self-confidence. Some churches are following this. It is not the right attitude for a Christian to ignore prayer because of the wrong prayer phenomenon occurring in the church. Modest people make excuses for being busy. It is difficult to eat and live, but prayer is like, what kind of prayer is it? I think that if you just work hard, that's not enough. Others say they want to pray, but the prayer doesn't come out of their mouth. I have a lot to say about TV dramas and Superstar K2, but nothing to say about prayers to God. Everyone thinks a lot about things that everyone is interested in, and they talk a lot about them. If prayer does not come out, it means that you are not interested in God. For these people, the Bible text of today's sermon on the widow who has released her grudge is uncomfortable.
Prayer omnipotence and prayer cynicism are collided in the Korean church. You are living your life of faith at a point in the middle. Sometimes it leans this way and at other times it leans that way. You may find it difficult to decide what is right. Although most believers acknowledge the necessity of praying, they do not actually pray because there is nothing urgent in their daily life. When an urgent business arises, I will pray. When that problem disappears in some way, it goes back to a prayerless life.
Praying does not mean praying at regular times or attending prayer meetings. It is good to do so under such circumstances, but what is more important is whether you have the spirituality of prayer. If you do that, you will be able to pray according to your circumstances. The spirituality of prayer refers to the attitude of actually entrusting one's life to God. The spirituality of prayer is not an outward manifestation, but a much more inward power. A person who completely entrusts his or her life to God is a person of prayer. Such a person does not boast other than boasting that he prays a lot. It is impossible to say what has been accomplished through prayer. This is because prayer is not a means of realizing one's desires, but a spiritual ability to constantly reflect on one's life in God's eschatological reign. The prayer for the realization of desires is the discharge of self-pity. It is the epitome of idolatry. The spirituality of true prayer has its weight in wishing that God's will will come to pass. This is the essence of prayer as the Bible and the Lord's Prayer speak of. From this point of view, look again at the story of the widow who tortured the judge until the matter was resolved.
First, think common sense. Praying doesn't solve everything. The idea that all problems can be solved is no different than prayer, rather than a bunch of ignorance. It is clear that the widow in today's text persistently visited the judge of the Gentiles and harassed them. It is difficult to understand that the judge acquitted her because her behavior was bothersome. The judge is much more likely to have dealt with this widow through public authority. The same is true in today's world. Does the law solve the injustice of the poor? Sometimes it is, but sometimes it isn't. The phrase “not guilty, not guilty” is not nonsense. Especially under the judicial system that requires money to hire a lawyer like now, this phenomenon is getting stronger. This does not mean that the parable of the judge and the widow is nonsense. It's just not realistic. It can happen in very special cases, but it's not common. We cannot promote the legitimacy of listening to loudspeakers on the basis of such a special case. This parable speaks of something entirely different. What is it?
When the Son of Man comes
The second half of the last 8 verses seem a bit out of sync with the whole story. “But will you find faith in the world when the Son of Man comes?” Rather, it seems natural to end with the first half of verse 8, “I tell you, I will avenge him soon.” The writer of Luke conveys the core of the story of the widow through the verse when the Son of Man comes. The Son of Man is an apocalyptic term referring to the One who will come as the Judge at the end of the world. The Son of Man establishes true justice in the world in the last days and creates a new world. That world is completely different from this world. It's not like a world where judges can make laws by obeying laws. The “Kingdom of God” that Jesus proclaimed at the beginning of his public life is the new world that the Son of Man will establish. The writer of Luke said that it is difficult to find faith in a world like this. Herein lies the spiritual tension of the early Christian community.
The religious topic of early Christianity was about the Second Coming of Jesus, the Son of Man. They expected the resurrected Lord to return soon. Some expected the Second Coming to occur while the early Christians were still alive. There are passages in the book of Acts where early Christianity is described as a community giving up private property. As in the case of the ‘Dami Missionary Church’ that caused a great stir in Korea in 1992, if Jesus actually returns soon, there is no need to go to school or own a house. But the Second Coming is being delayed. The question arises as to what is wrong. This problem has led to an increasing number of people giving up their Christian faith. The writer of the Gospel of Luke told the parable of the judge and the widow with such a situation in the background.
The delay of the Second Coming continues to this day. We are experiencing the same spiritual tensions of early Christianity today. Have you ever had such an experience? If so, you do not yet know what the Christian faith is. Even if you don't know your faith, you can live your life of faith as much as you want. No, that's much more convenient. Look. The story of a widow about the time of the Son of Man and earnestly waiting for the kingdom of God is turned into a prayer of prayer. It is misunderstood as a magic wand that can solve anything. This is a purely religious and secular demand. People like this. We do not try to enter into the spiritual problem of early Christianity.
How should we live in the face of the delay of the Second Coming? Most of the time, they compromise with the world's demands to meet their daily needs. That seems plausible. That's why we devote all of our life's energy to developing our individual competitiveness. The church also concentrates its energy only on the growth of individual churches. So everyone sees competition as the best value. Dear saints, what we need today is the spiritual urgency of widows. It is the desire for a complete change in the world. Although the second coming of the Son of Man is being delayed in this world in which we live, and there is no sign that the world will be renewed, that is why we must live with a desire for a new world that the Son of Man will change. This desire is faith. Only with this kind of faith can we offer the right prayer.