Jesus often used dramatic situations to emphasise his teaching. The steward in the parable, who could not pay his debt, owed ten thousand talents, which would be billions in today’s money. The wiping out of the debt by the king is a colourful illustration of the extent to which God is willing to forgive. Likewise, in today’s story, the contrast between the unjust judge and our loving God is stark.
In the time of Jesus, widows who had no male relative were very vulnerable. They had protection under the law (Deut. 10:18-19 and 24:17-21). The judge in the parable was probably not a Jewish judge but one appointed by Herod or the Romans; these did not have a good reputation. Unlike God, the judge was not concerned with justice and had no interest in the widow. All he wanted was not to be bothered by the persistent woman. Pestering could involve much more than merely nagging. Obviously the widow was making herself felt.
Unlike the judge, God wants what is best for us and he is just. Prayer is our spiritual lifeblood. When we ask him for things, we begin to reflect on what we are asking for and whether it is really what we want at a deeper level. The widow was quite clear on what she wanted and kept on asking for it. Sometimes, however, we are not so clear. God may respond slowly or not at all, though every prayer is heard. Often we look back and see how, in his wisdom, God has answered our request in a different but better way, or has refused us for reasons that we now see were for our own good.