Jesus tells a parable about persistence in the midst of fear and oppression. A story, not only of angst, but of hope.
This passage begins with
Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.
Luke 18:1
Which means they were already worried. And we learn why in the gap between Propers 23 and 24.
I suspect, as is often the case, that these words of introduction are easily forgotten once the parable starts. It draws everyone’s attention (it is quite enticing). A widow pleading before an unjust judge; a judge who eventually gives in to shut her up? Who isn’t visualizing that like an intense courtroom drama?
This sounds like a story about more than persistence. Something more intense. Like the recent obsession with grit.
But Jesus doesn’t seem to be interested in his students’ grit. Nor is he a cinematic drill sergeant thinking they’re too “soft”. He tells them this parable so they don’t lose heart. It’s actually the opposite.
This is really a teaching about hope.