In Luke 18 Jesus presents prayer in adversarial terms. The three players in the unfolding drama, are a poor widow, an unrighteous judge and an unnamed adversary. The word for adversary, ἀντίδικος (antidikos) was used in the ancient world in a precise way to describe someone who was bringing an accusation in court against another. In that regard the widow is seeking to defend herself in an undescribed struggle, the severity of which is indicated by her desperate approaches to the judge to find reprieve

After feeding the four thousand, Jesus got into a boat with his disciples and ‘went to the region of Dalmanutha’ (Mark 8:10) – a region probably to the north west of the Sea of Galillee. However, he is tracked down by a group of Pharisees who began to question him and ask him for a sign, ‘To test him’ (Mark 8:11). The attitude of the Pharisees did not impress Jesus and after a sharp confrontation, and probably in an attempt to get away from them, Jesus got back into the boat and ‘crossed to the other side’ (Mark 8:13). The conversation that followed between Jesus and his disciples is an intriguing one.