By Francis Frangipane
It is significant that Jesus compared His elect to a widow harassed by
an enemy. The image is actually liberating, for we tend to conceptualize
the heroes of the faith as David or Joshua types -- individuals whose
successes obscure their humble beginnings. But each of God's servants
has, like the widow, a former life that is brimming with excuses and
occasions to waver.
Look at the widow: She has legitimate reasons to quit, but instead she
prevails. Indeed, she refuses to exempt herself from her high potential
simply because of her low estate. She makes no apologies for her lack of
finances, knowledge or charm. Giving herself no reason to fail, she
unashamedly plants her case before the judge where she pleads for and
receives what is hers: legal protection from her opponent.