I tell you, He will cause justice to be done to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man arrives, will he really find the faith on the earth?”​—Luke 18:1-8.

“See That I Get Justice”

9. What theme stands out in the illustration of the widow and the judge?

⁹ The central theme of this vivid illustration stands out clearly. It is mentioned by both characters in the illustration as well as by Jesus. The widow pleaded: “See that I get justice.” The judge said: “I will see that she gets justice.” Jesus asked: “Shall not God cause justice to be done?” And of Jehovah, Jesus stated: “He will cause justice to be done to them speedily.” (Luke 18:3, 5, 7, 8) When in particular will God “cause justice to be done”?

10. (a) When was justice meted out in the first century? (b) When and how will justice be done for God’s servants today?

¹⁰ In the first century, the “days for meting out justice” (or, “days of vengeance,” Kingdom Interlinear) arrived in 70 C.E. when Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed. (Luke 21:22) For God’s people today, justice will be done on “the great day of Jehovah.” (Zephaniah 1:14; Matthew 24:21) At that time, Jehovah will “repay tribulation to those who make tribulation” for his people “as [Jesus Christ] brings vengeance upon those who do not know God and those who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus.”​—2 Thessalonians 1:6-8; Romans 12:19.

11. In what way will justice come “speedily”?

¹¹ How, though, should we understand Jesus’ assurance that Jehovah will cause justice to be done “speedily”? God’s Word shows that “even though [Jehovah] is long-suffering,” he will quickly execute justice when the time is ripe. (Luke 18:7, 8; 2 Peter 3:9, 10) In Noah’s time, when the Flood arrived, the wicked were destroyed without delay. Likewise, in Lot’s day, when fire rained from heaven, the wicked perished. Jesus said: “The same way it will be on that day when the Son of man is to be revealed.” (Luke 17:27-30) Again, the wicked will experience “sudden destruction.” (1 Thessalonians 5:2, 3) Indeed, we can be fully confident that Jehovah will not allow Satan’s world to exist for one day longer than justice requires.

14. Why should we not lose faith in the coming of God’s day of judgment?

¹⁴ Therefore, those who lose faith in the coming of God’s day of judgment commit a grave error. Why? By giving up their firm belief that “the great day of Jehovah” is near, they question, in effect, whether Jehovah can be trusted to keep his promises faithfully. But no one can rightfully question God’s faithfulness. (Job 9:12) A valid question is, Will we personally remain faithful? And that is exactly the subject that Jesus raised at the end of the illustration about the widow and the judge.

“Will He Really Find This Faith on the Earth?”

15. (a) What question did Jesus pose, and why? (b) What should we ask ourselves?

¹⁵ Jesus posed the intriguing question: “When the Son of man arrives, will he really find this faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8, footnote) The expression “this faith” indicates that Jesus referred, not to faith in a general sense, but to faith of a particular kind​—faith like that possessed by the widow. Jesus did not answer his question. He raised it so that his disciples would think about the quality of their own faith. Was it gradually weakening, so that they were in danger of returning to the things they had left behind? Or did they have the sort of faith exemplified by the widow? Today, we should likewise ask ourselves, ‘What kind of faith does “the Son of man” find in my heart?’

16. What sort of faith did the widow have?

¹⁶ For us to be among those who will receive the justice of Jehovah, we need to follow the course of that widow. What sort of faith did she have? She showed her faith by persistently “going to [the judge], saying, ‘See that I get justice.’” That widow persisted in order to receive justice from an unrighteous man. Similarly, God’s servants today can be confident that they will receive the justice of Jehovah​—even if it takes more time than they had expected. Further, they show their confidence in God’s promises by persistent prayers​—yes, by ‘crying out to Jehovah day and night.’ (Luke 18:7) Indeed, if a Christian were to stop praying for justice to be done, he would show that he had lost confidence that Jehovah is going to act in behalf of his servants.

17. What reasons do we have to persevere in prayer and keep our faith in the certain coming of Jehovah’s day of judgment?

¹⁷ The particular circumstances of that widow show us that we have additional reasons for persevering in prayer. Consider some of the differences between her situation and ours. The widow kept approaching the judge even though no one gave her any encouragement to do so, but God’s Word gives us much encouragement to “persevere in prayer.” (Romans 12:12) The widow had no assurance that her requests would be granted, but Jehovah has assured us that justice will be done. By means of his prophet, Jehovah stated: “Even if it should delay, keep in expectation of it; for it will without fail come true. It will not be late.” (Habakkuk 2:3; Psalm 97:10) The widow had no helper to plead for her in order to add force to her petition. But we have a powerful helper, Jesus, “who is on the right hand of God, who also pleads for us.” (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25) Hence, if the widow, despite her challenging situation, kept pleading with the judge in hopes that justice would be done, how much more so should we keep our faith in the certain coming of Jehovah’s day of judgment!

18. How will prayer strengthen our faith and help us to receive justice?

¹⁸ The illustration of the widow teaches us that there is a close link between prayer and faith and that our persistent prayers can counteract influences that could weaken our faith. Of course, this does not mean that a mere outward show of offering prayers is a remedy against loss of faith. (Matthew 6:7, 8) When we are moved to pray because we realize that we are fully dependent upon God, then prayer draws us close to God and strengthens our faith. And since faith is required for salvation, no wonder Jesus found it necessary to encourage his disciples “always to pray and not to give up”! (Luke 18:1; 2 Thessalonians 3:13) Granted, the coming of “the great day of Jehovah” does not depend on our prayers​—it will come whether we pray for it or not. But whether we will personally receive justice and survive God’s war or not definitely does depend on the faith we have and the prayerful course we pursue.

19. How do we prove that we firmly believe that God will “cause justice to be done”?

¹⁹ As we recall, Jesus asked: “When the Son of man arrives, will he really find this faith on the earth?” What is the answer to his intriguing question? How happy we are that millions of faithful servants of Jehovah around the earth today prove by their prayers, patience, and perseverance that they do have this faith! Thus, Jesus’ question can be answered in the affirmative. Yes, despite the injustices that Satan’s world presently inflicts upon us, we firmly believe that God shall “cause justice to be done for his chosen ones.”