The Black Eye of Justice: Ancient Boxing, the Persistent Widow, and a King’s Wicked Legacy
Mass Readings for October 19, 2025
A nameless widow keeps knocking on the door of a judge who’s notorious for neither fearing God nor caring for man—sound familiar? Some scholars suspect Jesus is riffing off the infamously wicked King Jehoiakim, and today we won’t just brush past the parallels: we’ll bring biblical history and rabbinic lore together to color in every detail. Along the way, we'll decode ancient boxing jargon straight from the Greek and discover what it reveals about persistent prayer. Finally, we'll dig deep into why Jesus ties this parable to faith, and how daily mental prayer can bring God’s swift justice into your life.
Diving deep into our Gospel, we'll spend our episode looking closer at:
The curious parallel between the judge in Jesus's parable and the wicked King Jehoiakim, including how Josephus and rabbinic literature paint Jehoiakim as a tattooed, law-breaking monarch who forced his own Jewish people into labor and even reversed his circumcision to fit in with pagans [00:03:21]
How Ezekiel's original Hebrew tells us the princes "devoured men and knew their women," connecting to the tradition that Jehoiakim murdered husbands, raped wives, and stole inheritances, filling out the judge's characterization in the parable [00:22:50]
Cultural insights from scholar Joachim Jeremias about why the widow likely brings a money-related case alone, what this signals about her age and isolation, and how widows were often forbidden from representing themselves in court—meaning her perseverance is even more remarkable [00:23:59]
The surprising use of an ancient boxing term—hupo piaze—meaning "to give a black eye," borrowed by Jesus to describe the judge's fear of public shame from the widow's persistent appeals at open hearings [00:32:37]
Luke's emphatic Greek which underscores that God will absolutely bring about justice for his chosen ones, and the only instance in Luke-Acts where "the elect" appears [00:39:47]
The connection between relentless prayer and faith, featuring St. Augustine's insight, the Catechism’s wisdom on mental prayer, and the challenge to practice daily Lectio Divina, especially on the feast of St. Teresa of Avila, master of contemplative prayer [00:42:31]
References
"He was neither religious toward God nor good natured towards men." (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews)
"You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord." (Leviticus 19:28)
"You shall not wear cloth of wool and linen mixed together." (Deuteronomy 22:11)
"He devoured men and he knew their women." (Ezekiel 19:6-7, referencing the original Hebrew)
"He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow." (Deuteronomy 10:18)
"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean, remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes, cease to do evil, learn to do good, seek justice, correct oppression, defend the fatherless, and plead for the widow." (Isaiah 1:16-17)
"Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees and the writers who keep writing oppression, to turn aside the needy from justice, and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil." (Isaiah 10:1-2)
"Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not defend the fatherless, and the widow's cause does not come to them." (Isaiah 1:23)
"But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him." (Luke 15:30)
"But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified." (1 Corinthians 9:27; quoted as "I pummel my body")
"If faith fail, prayer perishes." (Sermon of St. Augustine)
"We cannot pray at all times if we do not pray at specific times, consciously willing it." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2697)
Discussion Questions
The episode discusses the possible link between the parable's judge and King Jehoiakim. How does understanding Jehoiakim’s background help deepen our understanding of the judge in Luke 18:1-8?
Katie explores the cultural context of widows in the first century. How does learning about the vulnerability and societal position of widows enhance the meaning of the Parable of the Persistent Widow?
The episode mentions that the judge uses an ancient boxing term (“to give a black eye”) to describe the widow’s persistence. What does this vivid imagery add to our interpretation of her actions and the judge’s response?
In discussing Jehoiakim, the episode lists several of his notorious actions. Why do you think the Gospel might subtly evoke such a wicked figure to parallel the judge, and what impact does this have on hearing the parable?
Katie draws attention to the fact that the widow is likely representing herself alone, an unusual occurrence in the first-century context. What might this detail suggest about her situation, and what implications does it have for the message of the parable?
The episode highlights how the parable is directly connected to the concept of persistent prayer. How does this parable challenge or affirm your own approach to prayer?
Katie reflects on the difference between how the judge and how God respond to persistence. What do you make of the contrast between God and the “unjust judge” in how they handle petitions?
The podcast discusses Lectio Divina and mental prayer as ways to fulfill Jesus’s call to “pray always and not lose heart.” How might setting aside daily time for mental prayer influence your spiritual life?
At the end of the parable, Jesus asks, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” How do you interpret this concluding question, and what does it mean for the connection between faith and perseverance?
The episode suggests that real happiness and fulfillment come from ongoing, persistent relationship with God in prayer. In what ways does this align or conflict with your own experiences or expectations of prayer?