A positive reading of “when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8b)

Dear in Christ,

When a basketball coach asks his team: “Are we going to win this match or not?” he expects a positive and affirmative answer. He doesn't imply that his team won't/can't win the match. If you were the franchisee of a basketball team, will you ever employ a coach who instills negativity in the players? I don’t think you will.

The question in the title of this post has been interpreted with negative connotations by millions of theologians and preachers over the last two millennia. They claim that Jesus was predicting the apostasy that would set in at the time of his coming. If Jesus were the coach of the basketball team we have mentioned above, he was telling his team that they are destined to fail, even before the team is formed!

Now, let us read the passage in context:

Luke 18:1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. ⇉ the passage is about the need of persistent prayers and NOT about the end of the world.

Luke 18:2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ ⇉ the woman has been persistent in prayers.

Luke 18:3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.'

Luk 18:4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” ⇉ God will respond to persistent prayers.

Luke 18:6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says.

Luke 18:7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? ⇉ God will respond to persistent prayers.

Luke 18:8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” ⇉Has the passage anything to do with apostasy at the end times? NO. (The Greek word translated as ‘nevertheless’ in this verse is translated as ‘but’, at many other instances. Either form has not much relevance in the passage. It should be part of usage or language style.)

The point that Jesus is attempting to drive home is: Have you seen the persistence of the old widow? Can I expect the same kind of persistence in faith from you while I come back?

The purpose of the passage is to motivate the followers to be persistent, and not to demotivate them by telling them ‘no matter how hard you try, you are destined to fail’.

Jesus is not a bad basketball coach!

In Christ,

Tomsan Kattackal