Greetings, thanks to the warm days my small garden is producing. I’ve gotten quite a few green beans and my cucumbers have kicked in. Soon they will be coming out of my ears. Our text for Sunday continues on in Luke from last Sunday.
V1-4 Jesus is praying and his disciples are observing him. The disciples ask to learn how to pray just as John the Baptist had taught his followers to pray. Jesus then gives them the words to use which has become the foundation for the Lord’s Prayer. They are to honor the Father’s name and ask for his kingdom to be present on earth. They are to ask that their needs for today be met. They are to ask for forgiveness for the sins they have done and just as God will forgive their sins they too are to forgive the people that have wronged them. We cannot request that God forgive us without extending that same kind of love to those who have done wrong to us. They are to ask for protection from the evil one.
V5 Jesus then goes on to tell them an example about praying to their Father. Suppose is a mistranslation and should read “Can any of you imagine”… a friend has come to you at midnight and you have to provide the communities best for him; the best food, dishes, glasses so you start to collect these things. You wouldn’t knock at anyone’s door but you would call out to the man inside. By calling out he could recognize your voice and help you. Only a stranger knocks.
V6 In this culture honor is everything and a guest must receive the best the community has to offer. They never receive guests individually but as a community and this still goes on to day according to Ken Bailey. The guest cannot have leftovers put before him so the host must collect bread from someone who did their baking that day and has a full loaf which would be known by the community and more food than the guest can eat must be put before him. Even if the guest wasn’t hungry he must eat. To say the host had nothing to put before the guest means that he still had food just not the right kind to honor the guest.
V7 The host starts to collect the supplies and encounters a man in the community who offers up a bunch of lame excuses as to why he can’t help provide for the guest – the door is locked, the kids are asleep and I can’t get up. At this point in the story the listeners would be horrified as this is not what one does to a member of their community. This is outrageous.
V8 However, even though the man will not get up for the host, because maybe they have had a conflict and aren’t on good terms, the man will get up because his and the villages honor is at stake. Here again is a mistranslation with the word “persistence”; it should be translated “sense of honor”. The man in bed will get up and help because of his sense of honor not because the host is persistent in bothering him. The man giving the host “whatever he needs” indicated that he gave him everything for the meal. Had the man not helped the story would have been all over the village by morning as others would have heard the host calling in the night and they would shame him because he had brought shame on the village. The sleeping man acts for the sake of his reputation.
According to Ken Bailey verses 1-8 have 2 theological themes. 1. The nature of God-this said to the people; even though everything is against you the God you pray to has integrity and will not violate it and beyond this he loves you. 2. If you are confident your needs will be met by a neighbor how much more so will God meet them.
V9 After the story of upholding honor in the previous verses Jesus continues to tell the disciples to ask God for help; continue to search for help and you will find it; knock and the door will be opened.
V10 If the neighbor in the story helped the host how much more will your Father in heaven, who loves you, help you if you seek him.
V11-12 Is there anyone who would give his child something dangerous and other than what he asks for? If he wants fish you don’t give him a snake or if he wants an egg you don’t give him a scorpion.
V13 If we who are “evil” meaning sinners give our children good things how much more will our Father who is “honorable” give us the Holy Spirit to guide us. God is begging for us to come to him, he will never give anything bad if we pray in the mind and matter of Jesus. God will always listen and not make silly excuses like the sleeping man did in the parable.
I think praying is one of the most difficult things for me to do. I want to use lofty words and sentences but can’t so I sometimes just give up. I have to keep reminding myself that God doesn’t care if I use the correct words or not, he just wants me to come to him and talk with him.
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