5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. 9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. ~ Luke 11:5-10
Today's text teaches us one principle among many: the primary way to spiritual maturity is through the word of God. It is through the word of God that we gain a better understanding of God as our Father. Our view of God is really the benchmark of our spiritual maturity. Understanding the father heart of God is critical to spiritual maturity because in the end we rest in the reality of our God. A superficial knowledge of God contributes to limited understanding, faith and trust.
The God of the Bible is above all and is beyond all and outside all of that which we know in the realm of the created. He is all powerful and transcendent. And, He has everything under control all the time. In Job 42:2 we read, “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.”
Previous to today's text, we have been considering the Lord Jesus' response to the disciple's request about teaching them to pray. Prayer is the means by which we access God’s infinite wisdom, power, and perspective on life. In fact, coupled with the word of God, prayer is our way of seeing His father's heart for us. We cannot enjoy the goodness of God in this life without participating in His unfolding purpose through our prayers and through our service to Him. This is what we see in the story of today's text.
This parable is told by the Lord Jesus in the context of teaching the disciples to pray. In v.5 we read, "Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread."
After being taught to pray, it is as if the disciples had a question: Shouldn’t we be reluctant or a little ashamed to bother God with our troubles? This is why the Lord Jesus teaches the disciples using a story of a man who has a neighbor and goes to him at midnight which is the worst time for a visit.
This man has a need and asks, “Lend me three loaves.” These weren't loaves, these were three pieces of flat bread. He requests three pieces of flat bread, which would be a normal meal dipped in olive oil, or a spread with some kind of fruit. This would be sufficient for an evening meal.
But, this was not an emergency. In fact, in v.6 we read, “a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.” In those days, the people traveled at night due to the heat of the day. And, according to this parable, his friend arrived unexpectedly in the night.
According to v.7, “the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.” This is the response one would expect at such a time at night.
And then in v.8, the Lord Jesus says, “I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.”
The neighbor gets his request because of his "shameless audacity." The emphasis here is on this man's boldness. It isn't so much on persistence, it’s the boldness of asking at such a ridiculous time. It took a lot of gall to do this.
The point here is of shameless nerve, boldness, things that seem almost ludicrous to us going into the presence of the God of the universe. But the Lord Jesus is teaching us to be invasive, to be bold in our prayers. This friend responded not for friendship, but for irritation.
This parable leads to the incredible promise in v.9-10 which reads, “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Every now and then I get a call from a couple guys asking for something that I have and they need. I do not bat an eye in responding in the positive because these guys are my sons. It is a GREAT joy, as a father, to provide for my sons. I love doing it because I love them so much. It is none the different with God. He loves us so much that a request at an hour which makes the request irritating is no big deal to Him.
In v.9-10, there are three present imperatives. Keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking. The believer in Christ must be bold, we must be in the habit of asking, seeking, and knocking. We must be aggressive banging on the door of heaven.
But, the key in all of this is the investment of our hearts. God is not playing games with us. No, He wants our hearts to be invested because that which requires much of us is precious to us. The fact is, if a believer is not investing in the kingdom, he will have no heart in the process. The way God gets us to be invested in the kingdom is by investing in us, yet, all the while, He doesn't give us everything without our investment in it. This is where bold prayer enters into the formula.
The generosity of God detailed in v.9-10 is absolutely amazing. What comes out of this is an experience of the goodness of God, a deepening of our intimacy with Him. This guy finally got out of bed and gave the man what he wanted because of his shamelessness. He was somebody who was brash and bold, somebody who had a lot of nerve, like a son to his father. If we want the life that God wants for us, this is the way we must pray, informed by His word.
