In the Gospel of Luke, the concept of the kingdom of God is discussed in various stages—both in the future tense as well as the present. When Jesus said that “the kingdom of God is in the midst of you” (17:21), He was referring to His presence and all that His life would bring. This current manifestation of the kingdom of God includes such things as salvation by grace through faith, the free offer of forgiveness, the defeat of evil by the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross, the indwelling power of the Spirit in the life of a believer. All of these things can be experienced in the present manifestation of the kingdom.

We also discussed some principles for how to live in the present kingdom of God—how to deal with temptation, the tremendous need for both forgiveness and rebuke, and the continual need for gratitude and humility. But sadly, many are living their lives as if God doesn’t exist and His judgment is not real. We, however, must remain alert—looking for His return at any moment.

To further illustrate His point, Jesus continues His teaching to His disciples in Luke 18 by sharing a parable with them—the parable of the persistent widow. This parable is unique to Luke’s gospel, and it is one of the most misinterpreted of all Jesus’ parables. The crazy part is that the author, Luke, gives us the meaning of the parable even before sharing the parable itself. The key to understanding this passage is to remember that the unrighteous judge does not represent God here—but that Jesus uses this man to over-exaggerate His point.