„A szemérmetlen Isten országa” A hamis bíró példázatának botránya (Lk 18,1–8)
The “Shameless Kingdom”. The Scandal of the Parable of the Unjust Judge (Lk 18:1–8)

Summary/Abstract: The parable of the unjust judge has traditionally been interpreted as conveying the assurance that persistent prayer will be heard – a reading that integrates seamlessly into Luke’s theological trajectory. Yet, this does not necessarily imply that such a message constitutes the parable’s original intent. The allegorical construal of the judge’s figure – despite its scandalous implication of likening God to a negative character – has the effect of smoothing over interpretive tensions and eliding the inner contradictions that resist such a straightforward resolution. Crucially, however, the parable does not foreground the judge but rather the widow, who presses her demands with shameless persistence and even aggressiveness, transgressing multiple moral and social boundaries of her time. While the judge’s identity is unambiguous – he is “unjust”, and his behaviour corresponds predictably to that designation – the widow is not explicitly evaluated. The interpretive burden is thus placed upon the audience, who must assess her and determine an appropriate stance toward her actions. This study concludes – in agreement with Bernard Brandon Scott’s thesis – that the widow functions as a figure of the Kingdom of God, embodying its disruptive and even violent incursion that insists upon being heard and acknowledged, despite its scandalous form of approach by the standards of its cultural setting. Such a reading finds clear resonance in the preaching of Jesus: the kingdom he proclaims demands uncompromising decision, asserts its claims with force, and positions itself as a direct rival to the political prerogatives of the powerful.

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