Parable #36. Persistent Widow and the Judge:

1. Today is Day #36
2. The Thirty-sixth Mashal of Messiah
3. Adonai our God is the only One who is worthy to Judge alone
4. The Judge in the mashal was appointed by a Sanhedrin
5. A Judge in Israel was required to “fear Adonai (our God)”
6. Adonai demands that all judges must help the widow and the fatherless
7. Rabbinic Hint: The widow is not bound by her old written Wedding Agreement
8. Messiah’s mashal of the “Persistent Widow and the Judge” applies to Modern Israel
9. Israel’s remnant is warned of the kind of unjust judges we will face in these Last Days
10. Messiah redirects our attention away from the world and solely upon Elohei Mishpat

Today is Day #36

1. Today is “Day #36” in the forty-nine day Countdown to Shavuot.

2. Today is Thirty-six days in the Omer.

Today is six and thirty days, which are five weeks and one day in the Omer.

היום שישה ושלושים יום, שהם חמישה שבועות ויום אחד בעומר. פ

Haiyom shishah ushloshim yom, shehaym chamishah shavuot veyom echad ba’omer.

“You shall count for yourselves — from the day after the Shabbat, from the day when you bring the Omer of the waving — seven Shabbats, they shall be complete. Until the day after the seventh sabbath you shall count, fifty days.” (Leviticus ). “You shall count for yourselves seven weeks, from when the sickle is first put to the standing crop shall you begin counting seven weeks. Then you will observe the Festival of Shavu’ot for Adonai Eloheinu.” (Deuteronomy).

“Blessed are You, Adonai Eloheinu, King of the universe, Who sanctified us with Your commandments and commanded us to count the Omer.”

ברוך אתה, אדוני אלוהינו, מלך העולם, אשר קדשנו במצוותיו וציוונו על ספירת העומר.פ

*Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, melech ha’olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al sefirat ha’omer.

The Thirty-sixth Mashal of Messiah:

Mashal

וַיֹּאמַר שׁוֹפֵט הָיָה בְּעִיר אֶחָת אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָרֵא אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִים וְלֹא־נָשָׂא פְּנֵי אָדָם׃ וְאַלְמָנָה הָיְתָה בָּעִיר הַהִיא וַתָּבֹא אֵלָיו לֵאמֹר דִּינָה אֶת־דִּינִי מִמְּרִיבִי׃ וַיְמָאֵן יוֹם וָיוֹם וּמִקֵּץ יָמִים אָמַר בְּנַפְשׁוֹ גַּם־כִּי לֹא אִירָא אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִים וְלֹא־אֶשָׂא פָנִים לְאָדָם׃ אֶעֱשֶׂה אֶת־מִשְׁפַּט הָאַלְמָנָה הַזֹּאת עַל־הַלְאוֹתָהּ אֹתִי פֶּן־תָּבוֹא תָמִיד וְדִכְּאַתְנִי בְּמִלִּים׃

שופט היה בעיר אחת; את אלוהים לא ירא ובאדם לא התחשב. ובאותה עיר היתה אלמנה שנהגה לבוא אליו ולומר, ‘שפטני נא מאיש ריבי. זמן מה סרב, אבל אחרי כן אמר בלבו, אף שאינני ירא את אלוהים ובאדם אינני מתחשב, הרי מפני שהאלמנה הזאת מציקה לי אעשה את משפטה, שאם לא כן תבוא תמיד ותיגע אותי. פ

He (the Messiah) said:

[Lukas 18:2] There was a judge (שׁוֹפֵט-shofet) in a certain city that did not fear Adonai (הָאֱלֹהִים-the Almighty) and did not lift a person’s face (respect man). There was a widow in that city who came to him, saying, “Judge my case against  my opponent.” He refused day after day, but at the end of several days he said to himself, “Even though I do not fear God and do not lift the face of anyone, I will carry out the judgment of this widow on account of her wearing me out, so she does not keep coming constantly and upsetting me with words.”

וַיֹּאמֶר הָאָדוֹן שִׁמְעוּ אֶת־אֲשֶׁר אֹמֵר דַּיַּן הָעַוְלָה׃ וְהָאֱלֹהִים הַהוּא לֹא יַעֲשֶׂה מִשְׁפַּט בְּחִירָיו הַקֹּרְאִים אֵלָיו יוֹמָם וָלָיְלָה וַאֲלֵיהֶם יִתְאַפָּק׃ אֲנִי אֹמֵר לָכֶם כִּי־עָשׂוֹ יַעֲשֶׂה אֶת־מִשְׁפָּטָם בִּמְהֵרָה אַךְ בֶּן־הָאָדָם בְּבֹאוֹ הֲיִמְצָא אֱמוּנָה בָּאָרֶץ׃

הוסיף האדון ואמר: שמעו מה שאומר השופט הרשע. והאלוהים, האם לא יעשה את משפט בחיריו הקוראים אליו יומם ולילה? האם יתמהמה בענינם? אני אומר לכם שיעשה את משפטם מהר. אך כאשר יבוא בן-האדם, הימצא את האמונה עלי אדמות? פ

Nimshal

The Master said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says! But will God Himself not carry out the judgment of His chosen ones who call to Him day and night? Will He restrain Himself regarding them? I say to you that He will surely carry out their judgment quickly. But when ben Ha’adam comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

Adonai our God is the only One who is worthy to Judge alone:

“In a certain city there was a judge [appointed by the Sanhedrin] who did not fear God and did not respect man.”

The Sanhedrin (literally, “sitting together”) was an assembly of men appointed in every village and city in the land of Israel. In Jerusalem there was the Great Sanhedrin that consisted of seventy one members. In the villages, where there resided at least one hundred and twenty men, there was a Lesser Sanhedrin, composed of twenty-three men. In a village where there were less than one hundred and twenty men, three judges (shoftim) were appointed. There existed no judicial body of less than three because only one – HaShofet, Adonai – was deemed worthy to judge alone. However, it was in the power of a judicial body (Sanhedrin) to authorize a single person to be licensed to act on ‘their’ behalf. Such a judge (shofet) was authorized to make judgments on behalf of the court for as long as the other justices agreed.

The Judge in the mashal was appointed by a Sanhedrin:

Therefore, for a limited time and purpose a single person could be licensed to administer judgments on behalf of one of the Sanhedrin bodies. The judge of the widow is just such a one. He has been authorized to act as a judge on behalf of one of the (Israeli) judicial assemblies. It was possible for an individual to act as an arbitrator in a dispute by the consent of two conflicted parties; however, unlike today, in ancient times this person would not have been addressed as being a “judge.”

A Judge in Israel was required to “fear Adonai our God:”

All of this aside, what really seems most odd here is that this particular judge did not “fear” God. This lack of awe and reverence for The Almighty (הָאֱלֹהִים) most certainly should have disqualified the man from service on behalf of the Sanhedrin.

It has to be assumed, therefore, that through common deceit this wicked judge (הַשּׁוֹפֵט הָרָשָׁע) had succeeded in securing and maintaining his official status as a judge. Certainly in ancient times if someone was willing to ‘lie’ at the time of their oath of office and no evidence was ever obtained to prove that he lied, then a person of this sort could continue to hold the position of a judge.

The judge did not fear God; so he did not concern himself with knowing God’s will and administering ‘His’ justice.

The Judge who neither feared God or man—who only had respect for himself—only cared about his own personal preference for hearing cases and pronouncing judgments on people and the financial compensation that he might receive for acting as a judge. As such: this judge likely took bribes (Proverbs 15:27). This means:

It is quite possible the judicial council that appointed the wicked judge was corrupt too.

In any case something was definitely spiritually and morally wrong with the judge; otherwise, he would have disqualified himself as being unfit to be a judge. He did not possess a fear of God (יִֽרְאַ֣ת-“reverence,” “awe,” “fear“). The fear of God was the most basic qualification of any of our ancient Jewish judges (shoftim) of Israel (1, 2, 3).

Question: Why is the Judge in Messiah’s mashal of the “Widow and the Unjust Judge” depicted as a wicked secular judge?

Answer: The Messiah is addressing (modern) Israel which is ruled by secular judges who do not “fear God.”

It is important that we point out at this point in this *prophetic study that the judicial system (בתי המשפט בישראל) of modern Israel (Judiciary of Israel) consists mainly of secular courts, with secular judges. So in relation to this messianic prophecy about modern Israel—-the circumstance of this (future, now present) widow (AmIsrael) being importunate with a secular judicial system does make good sense.

*Prosphecy: the all-knowing Presence of the Spirit of God permeates every word of the Messiah. Everything the Messiah says is endowed with the supernatural power of God and His omniscient knowledge. This means the meshalim of Messiah are prophetically inerrant (perfect). These truths are supernaturally applicable to both the failed Israel of the past (old Israel) and our modern Israel of the present (modern Israel).

Adonai demands that all judges must help the widow and the fatherless:

“There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ For a while the corrupt secular judge was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’”

In ancient days no one was more vulnerable than widows and orphans. Throughout the Tanakh Adonai (the LORD), the One Judge of us all, has uniquely declared Himself to be a “helper” to the widows and a “father” to the fatherless. For this reason it is written:

זֺאת הִיא עֲבוֹדַת אֱלֹהִים טְהוֹרָה וּתְמִימָה לִפְנֵי אֱלֹהִים אָבִינוּ: לִפְקֺד אֶת הַיְתוֹמִים וְהָאַלְמָנוֹת בְּצָרָתָם, וּלְהִשָּׁמֵר נָקִי מִטֻּמְאַת הָעוֹלָם.פ

“Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of God is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

We read in this mashal that the unjust judge at first gave no consideration to the repeated cries of the widow. This was proof positive that the unjust judge did not fear the Holy One. This secular judge also demonstrated that he did not care one bit about social justice or about human suffering. This wicked judge was a narcissist. However, there was one thing that did matter to him.

He cared very much about his own self-interest. He completely cared about his own comfort and well-being.

This narcissist judge very much disliked the regular anxious and persistent petitions of the widow. She discomforted him with her constant appeals for justice. Her regular access to the judge was the only persuasive power she had. This access was an empowerment that the widow knew God had given her. She was wise in her understanding of how to motivate a secular (corrupt) judge who did not fear God or man and who only was interested in his own self-interests.

The widow faithfully used her access to the secular judge to great advantage.

So what did the unjust judge do? He granted legal protection to the persistent widow. This he did solely on the basis of his own sense of personal justice. What was the unjust judge’s personal system of justice? Justice for him was whatever benefited him. The widow  understood this and used it to her advantage.

Rabbinic Hint: The widow is not bound by her old written Wedding Agreement

Rabbinic hint: We all know that “under the law” a widow is a woman who was at one time bound to a husband but after the husband’s death she became free to remarry.

In messianic belief we (Israel) are no longer bound to live “under the law.”

For the law became obsolete to us (AmIsrael) when our Messiah fulfilled (for us) all of its sacrificial requirements. Through Messiah we have died to the law. We (*believing) Jews are now free to be led solely by the Spirit of the Holy One. Therefore, our first failed marriage to Adonai Mekaddishkhem (our Sanctifier) was according to the covenant of the law; which we broke; through our many acts of unfaithfulness. Although God has always been faithful to us (Israel); we have not been faithful to Him.

*Followers of the Messiah Yeshua.

We Jews are now free to be led solely by the Spirit of the Holy One.

Therefore, due to our unfaithfulness (cf. Hosea), a second “new covenant” (wedding contract) that is solely dependent on the strength and virtue of God became necessary; and has already been put into effect  (cf. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11).

אבל כעת, לאחר שמתנו לגבי מה שכבל אותנו, שחררנו מן התורה כדי לעבד את אלהים בחדשות הרוח ולא בישן של אות כתובה.   פ

But now we have been released (לאחר שמתנו לגבי מה שכבל אותנו-after we “died” from what tied us up), we are [now] freed from the Law in order to worship God (שחררנו מן התורה כדי לעבד את אלהים) in newness of the Spirit (בחדשות הרוח) and not in an old (ישן-old, antiquated) written wedding agreement (אות כתובה).

Messiah’s mashal of the “Persistent Widow and the Judge,” applies to Modern Israel:

Question:  What does this reference to a “widow” mean in relation to our nation (Israel) and our people?

Answer:  It means that our people (Israel) are the widow.

The first covenant that many of us still hold to is “dead.” Our sins and Messiah’s sacrifice have nullified the law. Those of us who are still clinging to our old (obsolete) observance of the law to maintain our place in the Book of Life are living an illusion.

In light of the fact of our death to sin (and the law) due to the redemption of Messiah this is ‘like a widow who is acting as if she is still married to her deceased husband.’

Our status as a widow will not change until Israel wakes up to two things—first, that we are already dead to the law; and second, that we must be remarried (a second time) to Adonai (the LORD) under His HaBrit HaChadashah (His New Covenant)—-then we (AmIsrael) will no longer live like a widow who is living under the delusion that her husband (the Law) is still alive; when in fact—-he is dead!

The first century Jewish judges were not secular; they believed in (feared) the Almighty:

In the previous mashal we saw that the Messiah was talking about the problems he was encountering with the elite religious leaders, the Prushim and Tzedukim (צְדוּקִים-Sadducees). Here the Messiah is talking about the problems his Jewish disciples will have with “secular” unjust leaders who will sit as judges and how he wants his talmidin to handle these very peculiar judges; who don’t fear God or respect the lives of others. The logical disconnect here is that no proliferation of secular Jewish judges ever existed in the first century of the time of Messiah’s first appearance. So what is the meaning of this difficult saying?

Israel’s remnant is warned of the kind of unjust judges we will face in these Last Days:

If you carefully examine the exact words that the Messiah spoke just before he tells us the narrative of this mashal then you will discover the answer to what deep (mystery) meaning he is assigning. Just prior to his telling us the mashal of the “Persistent Widow and (Unjust) Judge” the Messiah spoke the following word of prophecy:

אמר לתלמידיו: יבואו ימים ותשתוקקו לראות יום אחד מימות בן-האדם ולא תראו. ויאמרו לכם הנה שם או הנה פה! אל תלכו ואל תרוצו אחריהם. כי כברק המבריק תחת השמים ומאיר עד קצה השמים, כן יהיה בן-האדם ביומו. אך תחלה עליו לסבל רבות ולהדחות על-ידי הדור הזה. וכמו שהיה בימי נח כן יהיה גם בימי בן-האדם: אכלו, שתו, התחתנו, עד היום שנכנס נח לתבה ובא המבול והשמיד את הכל. וכמו שהיה בימי לוט – אכלו ושתו, קנו ומכרו, נטעו ובנו, אך ביום שיצא לוט מסדום המטרו אש וגפרית מן השמים והשמידו את הכל – כך יהיה ביום שיתגלה בן-האדם. מי שיהיה ביום ההוא על הגג וחפציו בבית אל ירד לקחת אותם; כמו כן מי שבשדה אל יפנה לאחור. זכרו את אשת לוט. המבקש להציל את נפשו יאבדנה, ומי שיאבד אותה יצילנה. אומר אני לכם, בלילה ההוא יהיו שנים במטה אחת; אחד ילקח והשני יעזב. שתי נשים תהיינה טוחנות יחדיו; אחת תלקח והשניה תעזב.  פ

“The days will come [in the future] when you will long to see one of the days of ben Ha’adam (the Son of Man), and you will not see it. They will say to you, ‘Look there! Look here!’ Do not go away, and do not run after them. For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will ben Ha’adam be in His day [when the Conquering Messiah, Messiah ben David, will return a second time to set up the Kingdom of Adonai on earth]. But first He [the Suffering Messiah, the Messiah ben Joseph] must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation (הַדּוֹר הַזֶּה). And [long after in a future era] just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days [אחרונים-“last ones, ” the last days just prior to Messiah’s second appearance in Israel] of the ben Ha’adam: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just the same on the day that ben Ha’adam is revealed [a second and last time]. On that day, the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one who is in the field must not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.”

הם הגיבו ושאלו אותו: איפה, אדוננו?  פ
השיב להם: היכן שהגוף, שם גם יתקבצו הנשרים.  פ

They [his Messiah’s Jewish talmidin] responded and asked him, “Where, *adoneinu?” He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures [and eagles; cf. dual meaning] will be gathered.”

*Where Master?.

Therefore, without getting into all of the incredible spiritual meanings of these prophetic words, we can clearly see- that the Messiah was not talking about the (first century CE) time of old Israel. He was talking about now—the distant future. He was prophesying about what our Jewish scriptures call the “Last Days.”

This means the context of the mashal of the Persistent Widow and (Unjust) Judge is exclusively about the distant future—-the time just before our Messiah comes to Israel from heaven a second time.

This specific mashal, therefore, is primarily a prophetic instruction from the Messiah that is intended to be obeyed by a future generation of his Jewish followers. It is his warning and  exhortation from the past that is directed to those of us(his followers) who live in the future—-now, today, in the time of modern Israel. He is saying to his Jewish followers, who live in Israel today:

Be as tough-minded and persistent in your dealings with (modern) Israel’s (secular) judges as was this fearless and importunate widow!

Our Messiah is prophetically informing us that he knew in the first century (CE) what kind of a materialistic, self-interested world his Jewish followers would be living in – in today’s twenty-first century. In these end of days (אַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים-acharit hayamim) we are living in a time when a growing number of Israel’s judges are lovers of self; and not lovers of God and His system of justice. It is a fact that in the courts of *Israel today that the number of unjust judges is on the rise.

*And the courts of the USA.

Messiah redirects our attention away from the world and solely upon Elohei Mishpat:

In the future new world order of today, when the fear (reverence, respect) of God is on the decline, our Messiah is saying *to his Jewish followers in Israel don’t give up—-be like this fearless, persistent Jewish widow:

*And to all his gentile (God-fearing) followers.

“Don’t give up and give-in to the evil world system of our adversary (the devil).”

Be like this tough, courageous Jewish widow. Fear no one but Avinu Shebashamyim; who is the Judge of all! Stay engaged and aggressively continue to be an advocate for His will being done here on earth as it is in heaven. Trust in Adonai Avinu (cf. Isaiah 64:7-8)—-“My Father and Your Father, My God and Your God!“

So, today we must remain strong and forceful in our faith. At all times we must not be afraid or lose heart.

We (believing Israel) will never lose heart! We shall never cease to boldly make ourselves known to the unjust rulers and justices of the world; who today do not fear God; who only pursue their own selfish interests and not the righteousness of Elohei Mishpat (the God of Justice).

We shall continue to aggressively and passionately advocate for the righteousness of Adonai—-until our Messiah returns. Then He Shofet haChayim v’hametim will personally take up this matter of national and global justice Himself!

Therefore, in his follow-up (nimshal) remarks to this mashal the Messiah is directing modern Israel—-this generation of Yehudim (Jews) to hear, understand, and have faith in what God our Father is saying to us today:

הוסיף האדון ואמר: שמעו מה שאומר השופט הרשע. והאלוהים, האם לא יעשה את משפט בחיריו הקוראים אליו יומם ולילה? האם יתמהמה בענינם? אני אומר לכם שיעשה את משפטם מהר. אך כאשר יבוא בן-האדם, הימצא את האמונה עלי אדמות?  פ

The Master added: “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not HaElohim {Elohei Mishpat} bring about justice for His elect [the believing remnant of Israel] who cry to Him day and night [in these last days], and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will do justice for them quickly. However, when the ben Ha’adam (בן-האדם-the Son of Man) comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

At this juncture the Messiah pivots our attention completely away from the Unjust Judge: Then all that He makes us to see right now is only Adonai HaShofet, The Just Judge. Our focus right now, therefore, must be redirected away from today’s unjust secular judges and toward the One True Judge.

Simply put the Messiah is saying to us right now: stay faithful to Avinu Shebashamayim (our Father in heaven) during these difficult times (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12). He has heard your persistent prayers, and He soon shall act in your favor.

All that the Messiah makes us to see right now is only Adonai HaShofet, The “Just Judge!”

So even though today it seems to us (Israel) as though we are a *helpless widow that has been left behind with no one to support us, we must remember what our Messiah has promised us here. Ha-Mashiach is reminding us that Adonai is our Father (Adonai Avinu) and that He is our one True Judge (HaShofet). For in spite of the presence of the unjust rulers and secular judges of the world today our Father in heaven even now “hears” our prayers and so very soon we can expect that He shall swiftly come to our aid!

*The main application of this mashal is definitely directed at the believing remnant of modern Israel and of the world (those gentiles who truly fear God). We must ask the question when Messiah returns to the earth will he find faith in the earth? Believing Jews throughout the world are being attacked by unbelieving judges both from within Israel and without Israel. And yes, thus far the wicked judges of the nations of the world have been a great deal more trouble for our people and our nation than our own corrupt (secular) judges. Nevertheless, we must have faith to confront both; we must advocate for justice everywhere; both at home (Israel) and throughout the world.

We must and we shall remain vigilant in our efforts to continually pursue justice for all until our Messiah returns to us (Israel) to firmly and permanently establish the kingdom of God here on earth!

NEXT, PARABLE #37, THE PARUSH AND THE TAX COLLECTOR…

Messiah in Yom HaBikkurim Chapter 56 >>