11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” ~ Luke 11:11-13
Today's text is the continued response of the Lord Jesus to His disciples who had asked Him earlier to teach them to pray. In teaching the disciples to pray, the Lord Jesus utilized a parable that included a promise which is: Fathers do good to their children.
Whereas the Lord Jesus gave us an illustration in v.5-10 of how the Father in heaven responds to the request of a friend, in v.11 we read, “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?” Here, the Lord Jesus highlights the father heart of God. The principle that is underscored is: fathers care for and give good gifts to their children.
Then, in v.12 we read, “Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?” In biblical days, there were these yellow scorpions that resembled the color of an egg. These scorpions would curl up in a little ball and they looked like a small egg. The Lord Jesus is giving us another glimpse of the Father who is trustworthy.
According to v.13, “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
God is a loving Father who gives the best gift to His children The best gift is the gift of the Holy Spirit who reveals to us God's Father heart and who guides us into all truth. We ask for comfort and the Father gives us the Comforter. We ask for help and the Father gave us the Helper. We ask for truth and the Father gave us the Truth teacher. You see, this is the generosity of God. We ask for the gift, He gives the giver. We ask for the effect, He gives the cause. We ask for the product, He gives the source. That is the generous heart of God revealed.
Everything that has happened to us as believers is a product of the work of the Holy Spirit. We were given liberty from the law of sin by the Holy Spirit. We are able to walk in righteousness by the Holy Spirit. We are indwelt by and filled by the Holy Spirit. When the Lord Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit, He gave us everything. By His presence, by His power, by His grace we are permanently the possessors of everything we need in order to know the Father who loves us immeasurably.
In today's text, the Lord Jesus argued from the lesser to the greater: if an earthly father gives what is best to his children, surely the Father in heaven will do even more. It is the Holy Spirit who helps us best in our walk with the Lord. It is the Holy Spirit who leads us into truth. It is the Holy Spirit who reveals to us the Father!
This is what prayer is, it's the seeking of the Father, it's the deepening of our personal relationship with Him. Since we are on a never-ending ride on a runaway rollercoaster, it is imperative that we lean on the Holy Spirit in our relationship with the Father. It is as if this programmed rollercoaster called life speeds us through the abrupt corners of life. It jerks us over impossible summits. It propels us through incredible valleys. We find ourselves trapped in and we begin to lose perspective as we focus on the dangers that are all around us. The more we worry, the more helpless we feel.
God knew that anxiety could do this to us. That’s why He gave us His resource of the Holy Spirit who heralds to us God, your Father can be trusted. He quietly and calmly calls out to us daily with these precious words: trust me. It’s the only way to hit the brakes and bring anxiety to a halt. Once halted, the director of this seemingly out of control ride is revealed to be none other than our Father who loves us beyond measure.
