Sermon from July 30, 2006
So have you ever prayed for anything, for days, maybe day after day after day, praying for something and getting no answer? Maybe praying for months? Maybe years for something? And no answer, no response. When do you give up praying? When do you stop asking?

How long should you keep praying when you don't receive an answer? That's hard enough as it is. But our culture doesn't help us. Maybe it hurts us in this because we live in an instant society. We want instant results, instant success, instant answers, and instant gratification. And so with that pressure of our culture bearing on us and the intensity of our demands, sometimes we can pray once, twice, over and over and then when nothing happens, we put it aside and move on to other things.

Sometimes we get impatient with God and He becomes the problem. Sometimes we just give up on prayer all together. But God's will for our lives is very clear. And God's will for this church is very clear. And as much as anything that you can do and as much as anything that this church can do, we are to pray.

One of the marks of the people of God is that they are, as is stated in Acts 2, devoted to prayer. They are devoted to prayer, and Jesus desires His followers to place themselves in the flow of God's power by praying. And so with that in mind and that being His intent, Jesus tells this story.

Several weeks ago, we talked about the Lord's Prayer and in this passage we know it is set up this way. Jesus was praying. And His disciples noticed he was praying and one of his disciples, unknown to us, we don't know which one, said, Lord, teach us to pray. And at that time, Jesus said, Pray in this way, and gives one of the versions of the Lord's Prayer. And then in Luke 11:5 and following, it says:

Then he (Jesus) said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.' Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness (or shamelessness) he will get up and give him as much as he needs. 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. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 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!"

When Jesus tells a story like this, and He's drawing from a life situation, we're at a disadvantage, because this is imbedded in a particular culture, a particular way of living, with its own norms and values and expectations on how people should act, how social interactions should function. This is unique to this particular time and place, this Middle-Eastern society.

In Jesus' day, hospitality had a very high value, much more important in that society than we tend to think of hospitality. In our minds, hospitality is something we can choose to do or not do. But in that time, it was the heartbeat of community. There were certain expectations. It was sacred duty, to provide hospitality. When people traveled, there was no place people could stop on the side of the road to grab a quick meal and then keep moving. And so hospitality was essential for survival. People learned to give and receive hospitality.

Now in the story, with that value of hospitality first and foremost in the minds of the people, they would think, "I know what He's talking about." The hour of arrival that the guest comes is irrelevant. Because the key is, no matter what time the guest came, the host must provide the meal whether he wanted to or not. And the guest arriving must eat the meal prepared for him. That's what had to happen. It was what was expected. To not do either could have been considered an offense to the other in that culture.

And so, the people hearing Jesus talking about this are already leaning in and understanding what is going on here. That traveler who arrives here is not just the guest of that particular home or host; he was the guest of the entire village or community. And so the meal that was offered to the guest, regardless of the time, had to be the best meal the host, or village, could offer. All their reputations were at stake. "Just barely enough" was not acceptable here. The honor of the village was at stake. That's what these people are hearing as Jesus tells this story.

And so this guest arrives. The host is not prepared to entertain him. So the host goes to a neighbor and tells him, "I have nothing to set before my guest."

Now, he didn't mean, "I literally have no food to set before him." That's not what he's saying. To put it in a modern setting so you can understand some of the emphasis behind this statement, just imagine if your friend or spouse, on an evening when you are planning on going out, says to you, "I have nothing to wear!" Does that mean that they literally have no clothes? No. What does it mean? It means that they have nothing to wear that won't make them look like they're fashion-challenged. Or, what that means is that they have nothing to wear with which the honor of their family will be upheld. That's the idea that Jesus is communicating in this story. "I have nothing to serve this guest that will uphold my honor and the honor of our village."

 And so, out of politeness, this man who has the guest asks for the minimum. He says, "Would you give me three loaves of bread?" That's the bare minimum, just out of courteous. And bread is more of a utensil, for they would use bread like we use knives and forks and have a common pot, and he said, "Would you just give me the bread that we can use to eat with?" Each person would get a loaf of bread and they'd tear off a piece and dip it into the common pot, and that was the way they ate.

And so he asked his friend for the bare minimum, with the understanding that his friend would give him everything that he needed. He's trusting in the generosity of his neighbor. And if you were the neighbor, you'd consider it a great honor to have this request placed before you – it meant that you were a person of substance and generosity and had a reputation of giving. And since this was happening in public, particularly in the middle of the night, other people would be hearing this, and to say no to this request would disgrace yourself publicly. Because that's not how life worked in the village. And that's what everyone's hearing.

And that's why, when Jesus starts out this story, in verse five, he goes, "Just suppose..." Imagine if you will that your neighbor comes to you and he says he can't help you. When Jesus' listeners hear these excuses, you can start to hear the laughter from His crowd. It's inconceivable to them that this person isn't willing to help their friend who has this need.

He says, "Just suppose the guy is unwilling to help. What should you do?"

Jesus says, "I'll tell you what to do. You still stand there and keep asking." To the point where the friend's objection is overcome not out of honor or friendship or moral obligation, but because he doesn't want to be embarrassed. He doesn't do it out of honor and duty; he does it because he doesn't want to be embarrassed as being that kind of person in that society. He is giving out of shamelessness, when he ought to have given out of honor.

Now it's very important when we hear a story like this, when Jesus spins off a parable like this because you'll notice that, unlike some other parables, Jesus doesn't start this one out by saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like..." This time, He starts out, "Just suppose." He's setting up a contrast here.

He's not saying that God is like the reluctant neighbor who won't get out of bed to answer the question – He's not saying that at all. He's saying the complete opposite, and it's so very important for us to understand that. For if we begin to think that God is reluctant or that God is into making us jump through hoops when it comes to prayer, then we'll try to search and find the right technique to crack the prayer code.

There are various ways, if you think God is reluctant or into playing games when it comes to communicating with Him and receiving things from Him, that you'll start thinking things like this.

 "The only way to get my request answered is if I have perfect faith." That's when you hear, "You didn't have faith. You don't have enough faith." That's one misguided way.

Another way might be to say, "You've got to name it and claim it. Stand on the promises of God." You tell God – that is His promise and He's got to do it.

Yet another way is that if you could figure out the right words, if you could just string the right words together the right way, then that would be the right way to turn the key in the lock on prayer.

But God doesn't withhold gifts until you find the secret technique. The Bible tells us that we need to approach him with simple, childlike faith. That's it.

Jesus is using a teaching method called "from light to heavy." That's what He's using to help us understand. It's saying that when you go to this neighbor, everything is against you – the door's locked, it's late, everyone's in bed, yet you still go to him, knowing that he will eventually give you what he's supposed to. And if the stubborn, inattentive, uncaring neighbor can be moved to answer your pleas, how much more – the key is in verse 13 – how much more will your loving heavenly Father give you what you need when you need it.

If that's the case, then this other guy, who really doesn't care and is only doing it because he doesn't want to be thought of as a bad guy, how much more should you persist with God who is never asleep and always attentive to you. And right now, as we talk about this and approach the heart of God, God Himself is closer than your next breath, leaning into us and loving us, desiring to be with us. He wants to give us what we need. That is the heart of God. How much more should we go to God! Because that's His heart towards us.

If you persist with finicky friends, how much more should you persist with the One who loves you, and listens to you and cares about you and gives you what you need? The point here is not the likeness between the neighbor who won't get out of bed and God, the point is the contrast between the neighbor and God. That's the key.

And Jesus says in verse 9, So I say to you. Jesus is not moving into His divine authority. It's like the phrase, "Verily, verily," where He shifts into being the teacher. He says, "So I say to you."  Then He gives them an imperative – keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking.

Then in verse 11, He gives yet another image, this time of paternal concern. He says, Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?

It was thought that there was an eel-type creature in the Sea of Galilee that was inedible. That was probably what Jesus was talking about. If a child says, "Father, I'm hungry, will you give me a fish?" What father would give him an eel?

The next was a scorpion for an egg. It was thought that a scorpion when it was balled up looked like an egg. You could grab it mistakenly, thinking it was an egg. What kind of parent would give his child a scorpion instead of an egg?

Then He makes a remarkable statement, almost like cold water in the face. He says, If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts... Though you are evil. We need to pause at this.

When it comes down to it, that is the truth about us. You and me – we are evil. Not the whole truth, but it is a truth. Because in reality, in the moment, I can be completely self-serving and selfish, petty, unresponsive, lazy to the needs and requests of others. That's what Jesus is saying. He's saying that even a guy like me could do something like that.

Haven't you ever looked at your children and just because they are your children, you desire to give to them? I learned early on that inversely appropriate sense of joy on Christmas morning to see the faces of my children receive something they so desperately and dearly wanted. I had traversed over miles and miles to find it, stood in long check-out lines to get them this gift just to see that.

Jesus is saying that if you have ever felt that, you've just gotten an inkling of the heart of God towards you. Because in God there is no fallenness, there is no quandary, there is no disparity in His desires and delight in us. Jesus is saying, when it comes to prayer, this is what we must know and believe about God. There is nothing reluctant about God. Nothing but sheer goodness and generosity. That's the secret.

So if you've felt any joy in giving, maybe with your kids, or friends or spouse, take that feeling, purge it of all selfish interests, and magnify it ten thousand million times and spread it through eternity, and you just get a glimmer of the heart of God towards you.

Jesus is telling the disciples that they are to ask in the time of need and be persistent, believing that underlying their prayer is a listening, caring, loving Father. Keep asking because He loves and cares for them. That's the basis of their prayer. Keep asking. Keep knocking with confidence because you can't approach God, not on the basis of your performance, not on your technique, but solely on the basis of the sheer goodness of the Father. So don't stop praying! Don't stop asking.

So today, when you drive home, pray. When you go to bed tonight, pray. When you get up in the morning, pray. When you go through your day tomorrow, pray. Jesus said, My house shall be called a house of prayer. He says that His people shall be a praying people.

In Acts 2, it says, They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. And it goes on to say that, Everyone was filled with awe ... and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Those were real people in a real place with real needs and real families. It has happened before. It can happen again. And it should happen again, and it must happen again and it will happen again! So whatever you do, don't stop praying.