WHEN THE SON OF MAN COMES

All of this takes place in an atmosphere that could be described as the end of the world! Luke told us earlier that Jesus is on the "road to Jerusalem": he is walking towards his Passion, his death, and his Resurrection ; the disciples don't quite know what will happen in Jerusalem, but they sense a tragic and mysterious outcome. A short time before, they implored Jesus, "Increase our faith," which clearly reflected their distress. And just before today's parable , Jesus spoke at length about the coming of the Son of Man. The Son of Man is precisely the one awaited for the end of the world; we know the origin of this expression: in the book of Daniel (chapter 7), the prophet recounts that he had a vision of a man (whom he calls a "son of man") who comes on the clouds of heaven; he is admitted to the throne of God and receives kingship over all creation; an eternal and universal kingship. Daniel clarifies that this "son of man" is actually a collective being, a people he calls "the people of the Saints of the Most High." Daniel's readers understood that this vision would be fulfilled at the end of the world. God would finally reign over all creation, and the Son of Man would reign with him. Jesus often presents himself in the Gospels as the Son of Man; this inevitably intrigues his listeners, who know that the Son of Man is a collective being, the people of the Saints of the Most High, finally established in the glory of God. They may not know what to think when Jesus speaks this way, but they hear this message of definitive victory. Now, since he openly announced his Passion, Jesus has frequently used this expression, the Son of Man, always when speaking of himself, as if to reassure them about the outcome of events. This also proves that they were indeed in need of reassurance. We are therefore in an atmosphere of the end of the world. Moreover, the theme of judgment (“God will avenge his chosen ones”) is very much in the same vein; now, if we look at the context of this parable in Luke's Gospel, we find the Gospel account of the healing of the ten lepers that we read last Sunday: the healing of the ten was a sign that the Kingdom of God had already begun; at the same time, the disciples had glimpsed the mystery of salvation rejected by those to whom it was first offered (here, the nine lepers who had not recognized Christ): the mystery of the Cross was already looming on the horizon; but the conversion of the Samaritan (the only leper who returned to worship Jesus) foreshadowed the entry of all, even the Gentiles, into this kingdom. The Pharisees understood all these implications perfectly well since, immediately after the healing of the ten lepers, they asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come, and Jesus responded with a whole discourse on the coming of the Son of Man.

Always pray without getting discouraged

And so Jesus abandoned his serious tone to tell what at first glance seems like a simple story: the story of the widow who pursued the judge with her demands until she obtained what she wanted. Yet she had every reason to be discouraged: her case seemed hopeless from the start, since she had the misfortune of encountering a judge who utterly disregarded justice. But she persisted because her cause was just, of that she did not doubt for a moment. It is she whom Jesus gives us as an example; first, the example of humility: if she bothered the judge, it was because she was in need; the first condition for participating in the Kingdom of God is to recognize our poverty; here we find the first beatitude: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Luke 6); then, the example of perseverance: in our waiting for the Kingdom, we must be as tenacious as this determined widow. Our cause is even more just than that of the widow, since it is God's own cause. The parallel with the first reading for this Sunday is very suggestive: in the plain, Joshua was waging a difficult battle against the Amalekites who had attacked the people by surprise; meanwhile, on the hilltop, Moses prayed steadfastly, certain of obtaining God's help; and supported by his helpers, he held firm until sunset. Moses' strength lay in his certainty that God desired the salvation of his people. Centuries later, the first Christians, facing difficulties and persecution, found the Kingdom long in coming; they were tempted by discouragement; they too must remember that God desires their salvation. Luke reminds them of this parable in which Jesus praised perseverance. To believe is to refuse to give up; and the final sentence: "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" This is a warning, valid for all Christians of all times: 'Beware, if you are not vigilant, you will have ceased to believe.' Christians, those of Christ's time as well as those of today, are therefore urged 'not to give up.' Jesus knows well that, from the morning of his Resurrection , that first morning of the coming of the Son of Man, until his full and final return, faith will always be a struggle, a test of endurance. There will be no shortage of doomsayers to sow doubt, no shortage of masters of suspicion. This waiting for the Kingdom seems so endless… Is God truly in our midst? The example of this poor widow is timely: we are as destitute as she is; let us strive to be as steadfast.

Complement

Is Luke writing to a community threatened by discouragement? One might think so, judging by the last sentence, "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" It's a curious phrase: "When the Son of Man comes" is an affirmation, a certainty; but the second part of the sentence, "will he find faith on earth?" which seems quite pessimistic at first glance, is in fact a warning, a call to vigilance. It is clear, in any case, that this text is a lesson on faith: since the last sentence poses this question about faith, and the first sentence precisely defines what faith consists of: "We must always pray and not give up." We thus have an interconnectedness; and between the two, the example offered is that of a widow treated unjustly, but who does not give up.