Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-02-08

Golden Text. Ihe SacrInceS or
God are broken spirit; broken
and contrite heart; o, God, thou
vii tho tdesp;se"-PsaIm SILL
There has been a great deal of SUI
perfcial reading of the Bible. Only
one other thing is more conducive
of misunderstanding of the Book
isolated study. To take an isolated
passage, apart from its setting, and
then to read it superficially-the
combination is disastrous. This is
just what has been happening with
the two parallels before us today,
the parable of the unjust judge and
the parable of the Pharisee and the
publican. We have been taught that
Jesus gave them to teach the value
OF persistency and of humility IN
prayer. We are told that persist
ency in praying will force an I'M
willing God to give what you ask;
or that persistency in praying Will
force a willing God to give what we
could not have had without praying.
Neither of. these two latter state
ments are true, but are taught as
to prayer in general in these para
bles. In Luke II, it seems to be
taught that persistence will get
from a willing God what we could
not otherwise have had; but it is
only apparent. There, as here, Jesus
was teaching by contrast. There
the friend will get up and give to h '
friend what he asks because of his
Importantly, but God giVes-and
how much more!-simply for the
asking. Here the contrast is between
an unrighteous judge, who far sell
fish reasons gives to get ride of his
petitioner, and the holy and right
eous God who will surely give to
those He loves, who are praying eV-
eryWhere.
The contrast in this parable is
very marked The unrighteous
judge has no regard for God or man;
he thinks only of himself. The wild
ow is not able to pay him a bride,
and therefore, he turns a deaf ear
to her pleas. He is in office for what
he can get out of it. But the widow
will not take no for an answer; Jshe
keeps coming to him until the scoun-
drel says Notice the hu4nor of Jesus
when He puts these words into his
MOUTH: although | have no re-
gard for God or man, yet [ shall
have to see that this woman gets JUS
tice, or else she will give me black
eye. This is the literal translation
OF the Greek. You see that his mo-
tive was entirely selfish; he hoped for
a bride; when he saw that he was
not going to get that, he refused to
do anything, until fear of physical
punishment prompted him to act.
ana rear that a helpless widow wOuld
90 1t out of sheer desperation.
In marked contrast to this wick
ed judge, Jesus sets up the 1ovino
rather who will surely see that His
loved ones will get justice when they
are crying to Him day and night.
HIS delay is not denial; nor is it an
unWllllngness to help; but because
lie wants to give the unrepentent
| ones another chance, to/Tepent.
49, Special Prayer
Just here is the milk in the cocoa.
nut-Jesus is not talking about
prayer in general. Read carefully
and study the parable in the light
OF the content, and you will see that
lie is teaching them to be persistent
! IN a particular prayer. He had just
| peen taking about His cOminA He
had told his disciples that they
would long to see one of the days
of the Son of Man. He had told
| them some of the characteristics of
the time before His coming-the
Wickedness, the Indifference, the
Worldliness that would be almost I'M
bearable." And He spake unto them
a parable, that men ought always to
pray and not to faint"-to pray for
what and not give up? Why, to
pray for His return to see that His
loved ones get justice; and not to
give up but to keep on praying for
this particular thing. His delay
would not be an unwillingness on
His part, but only that His marvel
Gus love would give the impenitent
ones another chance.
And yet-"and yet, when the Son
of man cometh shall He find faith
on earth?' "In His day" about
which He has been speaking, when
He comes as the lightning shines
Vfrom one part of the heaven to the
other, will He find His own people
believing Him or turned aside to