by Frank J. Hernando
20 October 2013
Filipino Community, Zion Methodist Church, Seoul, South Korea
Scripture Text: Luke 18:1-8
18Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ 4For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone,5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’” 6And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Introduction
There were so many events that took place last week. One of these is the visit of the President Benigno Simeon Aquino III in South Korea. His state visit took place on Thursday and Friday leaving behind the desperate situation of earthquake victims in Bohol and Cebu. He and his diplomatic entourage were able to close deal on many businesses with Korean companies in the Philippines, like the construction of Lotte Hotel in Cebu, KEPCO to construct more coal fired power plants and others. There was a meeting with Filipinos in South Korea on Friday evening, but observers of the President’s speech said that his speech was hollow, not even mentioning any concern about the plight of OFWs in Korea, such as the ongoing crackdown and the executive agreement on the NPS-SSS that will force OFWs to remit their pension benefits to SSS and would not longer get their pension benefits from Korea NPS when they have completed their term of employment.
A parable on persistence in supplication and seeking for justice.
The situation of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Korea and around the world has been a continuing supplication and unceasing prayer for justice to the Philippine government. But it seems that the government is not listening to what the OFWs are seeking for and neglects justice. The OFWs can be likened to the widow who went to a judge and seek justice for her complaint.
In one of the instructive moments in the life of Jesus and the disciples he encouraged them to fervently pray and not to lose heart in the most trying times of their lives and in carrying out their responsibilities. The parable does not tell us that Jesus found the disciples’ manner of praying weak or needs improvement. The driving point of the parable is about praying and the attitude that goes with it. Jesus taught them about the widow who appeared before a judge to give her justice.
A shameless judge forced to render justice
In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. The judge in this parable is characterized as one who is intrepid, meaning fearless or shameless or walang hiya in Filipino, and has no respect for humanity. This is a very bad characterization of someone who carries out justice for the people. Psalm 14: 1 describes a fool as one who says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.
No respect for people or humanity is another characterization of the judge. No respect for humanity means that the judge looks down on other people and would not consider them worthy of life that befits human beings. The judge is a picture of impunity. There is no greater definition of impunity than someone who has power and yet has no fear of God nor regard for humanity.Yet, the widow had no other option in choosing the kind of judge who will give her justice. She had to go to the judge regardless of his religious or ethical background.
This character of the judge is not distant from what we have seen and heard about the recent corruption scandal in the Philippines where lawmakers and executives have been implicated with corruption of pork barrel funds known as the Priority Development Assistance (PDAP), Special Project Funds (SPF) and many others.
The judges belong to the judiciary branch of the government, while the office of the President is the executive and the congress and senate as the legislative branch. The judge in the first century renders justice to people based on the Scripture or Torah, and judges were expected to mete out justice as expression of God’s covenant with God’s people.
Abuse of widows and orphans are punishable violations of the covenant.
Mark Davis in his exegetical work of the text explains, “A judge whose power was in the service of fearing God and respecting humanity would not shirk the responsibility of granting justice to a ‘powerless’ widow. If the judge did fear God, then he would have known Exodus 22:22-24, “You shall not abuse any widow or orphan. If you do abuse them, when they cry out to me, I will surely heed their cry; my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children orphans.”
Or, to state the matter more positively, he would have known that his role as judge should be grounded in the character of God according to Deuteronomy 10:17-18 , “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them with food and clothing.”
The giving of justice to the widow could have been delayed because for a while he refuse or that the judge could have anticipated the persistence of the widow said, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’
Getting distracted and by a poor and desperate widow would only extend the number of hours of unprofitable business with someone who do not deserve his attention. He is not even bothered that his job as judge was a religious duty and occupies such prestigious position in the Jewish society because of his knowledge of the Scripture. He finally decided to work out justice for the widow because he doesn’t want to be bothered by the widow’s persistence and the possibility that his patience will wear out. Jesus pictures the judge like a crook; the widow, a persistent justice seeker. The widow sustained justice.
God grants justice to the oppressed and hears their supplications
And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Many people in our world today have experienced what it is to live in situations of impunity. Some have lost their loved ones others are still waiting for justice to be carried out. Mark Davies continued to say, “the demand for justice is often wearying and seems futile, because the powers that be often act with impunity – as if there is no moral order to the universe and as if there is no respect that one ought to have for humanity. However, persistence can be effective even in advocating for justice. Unlike those powers that be, God vindicates swiftly and suffers long with the elect who cry out to him day and night.”
A friend has been messaging me on the internet that his wife has been detained in a South Korea’s prison for a guilty plea to the police for assuming another name. I fully understand how my friend feels about the situation of his wife and we, me and my colleagues in the migrant workers ministry have been trying hard to respond to his requests to aid his wife and if possible make necessary intervention to lessen the penalty of his wife. I told him that legal intervention would be needed and that is the reason why his wife’s case has been referred to the Philippine Embassy for possible legal intervention.
Aside from the technical aspects of his wife’s situation, my friend feels as if God has punished both of them, alluding that this is a painful situation. I responded to him that no, God is not punishing you. Forced migration of Filipinos has been set up by the Philippine government and to me this is the cause of many problems that OFWs face in their lives. God is on the side of the sufferers as God took upon Godself the pain of the sufferers on the cross of Jesus.
Jesus stressed in the parable that God is unlike or the exact opposite of the crooked judge in the parable. God listens to his children and would grant their deepest, unceasing supplications and persistent prayers. God knows what is best for his suffering people and would mete out justice for those who have been oppressed. Amen.
Reference: http://leftbehindandlovingit.blogspot.kr/2013/10/impunity-and-persistence.html
photo credit: http://kirkmuirhillrev.wordpress.com/
