Will the Son Find Faith on the Earth?
by Edwin Crozier
We’ve already learned about the impudent friend who knocked on his friend’s door late at night and received help (see Luke 11:5-13). Now Jesus tells us about a widow who persistently pled for justice from an unjust judge (Luke 18:1-8). Even though he didn’t actually care about justice, he tired of her pleas. He finally gave her justice.
Jesus explained that if an unjust judge would grant justice because of a citizen's persistence, how much more will the Just Judge grant justice to His children when they persist in asking for it? But then He asked a question. “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).
We must not rip this question out of its context. This was asked in response to the parable and its explanation. The question was not simply asking, “When Jesus returns at the final judgment, will He find people who believe in Him?” The question is: when the Son of Man comes to bring justice, will He find people who are faithfully praying for justice from the Son of Man? That is the question.
It seems to me that even some who believe in Jesus do not have this kind of faith. Too many aren’t praying for God to bring justice. Instead, they are taking justice into their own hands. Even though God tells us our weapons are not of this world (II Corinthians 10:3-4), they tell us those are precisely our weapons. They even look at supposed Christians throughout history who have taken up the sword and spear as their weapons to spread the faith and preserve the kingdom, and declare we must do the same. They tell us it is the way Muslims and atheists will act, so we better act that way also. They tell us we must take over countries through political machinations. They strike fear in our hearts by saying if we don’t, we will face awful injustice. And, no doubt, we will. After all, the earliest Christians did.
But what are we to do in the face of this injustice? Certainly, I know we, like the widow, can plead with the unjust judges around us for justice. Like Paul did when he was about to be unlawfully beaten, we can make use of the laws of our land to expect just treatment (see Acts 22:25-29). No doubt, we can vote and campaign for a more just nation. Let us never forget, however, that the Son of Man will bring justice for His kingdom. But when He comes to bring that justice, will He find people on their knees day and night pleading with Him to bring the justice? Will He find people who really believe our King will bring justice? Will He come finding people who still believe in the God who parts seas, topples cities, and makes the sun stand still? Or will He find people who have decided they can’t rely on God to act; they must take matters into their own hands and seek justice for themselves?
What kind of person will you be?
