The parable of the widow and the unjust judge is prefaced by a Lukan annotation which provides Jesus' ostensible rhetorical purpose. The parable which follows, Luke announces, is "about their [the disciples'] need to pray always and not to lose heart" (v. 1). However, Luke's thesis statement and the concluding comment of verse 8b do not seem to relate with apparent ease to the parable. Most scholars regard these two statements as Lukan additions and, indeed, the parable's original setting is lost to us. They are additions, however, which make perfect sense if one interprets the pericope in light of the heavy eschatological tones present throughout. That this is the proper hermeneutical direction is further indicated by the fact that Luke places this parable immediately following an explici…