Meaning of Luke 11:5

This parable, found in Luke 11:5-8, illustrates the persistence and importunity required in prayer, contrasting human reluctance with God's willingness to give. Jesus' listeners, familiar with the social customs and hospitality norms of their time, would have understood the awkwardness and potential offense of such a midnight request. The friend's initial refusal is not necessarily due to a lack of friendship, but rather the inconvenience and potential disruption of his household's sleep. However, the parable hinges on the persistence of the one asking, who will not be deterred by the initial reluctance, and the eventual capitulation of the friend not out of affection, but to avoid further trouble or embarrassment. This scenario serves as a human analogy for approaching God, highlighting that while human relationships might operate on reciprocity and convenience, God's response to persistent prayer is driven by His character and desire to bless His children.

Context and Background

Jesus tells this parable immediately after teaching His disciples the Lord's Prayer (Luke 11:1-4). The Lord's Prayer provides a model for what to pray, focusing on God's glory, kingdom, and provision, and confessing our sin and need for forgiveness and protection. Following this, the parable of the persistent friend addresses how to pray, emphasizing the importance of unwavering perseverance. The cultural context of the time would have made a midnight visit for a loan of basic provisions highly unusual and disruptive. Hospitality was important, but it was typically extended during daylight hours. The parable therefore uses an extreme scenario to make its point about prayer.

Key Themes and Messages

The central theme is persistence in prayer. Jesus is not suggesting that God is reluctant or unfeeling like the friend in the parable; rather, He uses this analogy to encourage His disciples not to give up when they pray. The parable highlights:

• The necessity of importunity: The man asking for bread doesn't stop after the first refusal. He continues to knock and plead.
• God's character vs. human character: While the human friend eventually yields to stop annoyance, Jesus implies God responds to genuine need and persistent faith, not to "wear Him out."
• The certainty of receiving: The ultimate point is that God will respond to those who ask, seek, and knock, as stated in the verses immediately following (Luke 11:9-10).

Spiritual Significance and Application

This parable serves as a powerful encouragement for believers to engage in prayer with tenacity and faith. It teaches that:

• Prayer is not passive: It requires active engagement, seeking, and knocking.
• Faith is active: Persistence in prayer demonstrates a deep-seated faith that God hears and answers.
• God is more willing than we are to give: The parable is meant to bolster our confidence in God's goodness and readiness to provide spiritual and material blessings, far exceeding the willingness of a reluctant human friend.

Relation to the Broader Biblical Narrative

The emphasis on persistent prayer resonates throughout Scripture. We see examples of individuals who prayed relentlessly, such as Hannah (1 Samuel 1-2) who prayed for a son, and Jesus Himself who prayed with great earnestness, particularly in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46). The New Testament repeatedly urges believers to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and to persevere in faith. This parable is a foundational teaching within the broader call to a consistent and fervent prayer life.

Analogies

• A child repeatedly asking a loving parent: While the parable uses a friend, a more fitting analogy might be a child persistently asking a loving parent for something good. The parent may not grant it immediately, perhaps for reasons of timing or to teach patience, but the parent's ultimate desire is to provide for the child.
• A student seeking knowledge: A student seeking to understand a difficult concept will often ask the teacher multiple times, rephrase their question, and keep seeking clarification until they grasp it. Their persistence is key to their learning.
• A persistent widow: Jesus later tells the parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8), which also emphasizes importunity in prayer, but there the answer comes from an unjust judge who eventually gives in to stop her annoyance. This contrasts with God, who is just and righteous and answers out of His perfect love and will.

Relation to Other Verses

• Luke 11:9-10: "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; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." This directly follows the parable and clarifies its ultimate meaning: God's willingness to answer prayer.
• Matthew 7:7-11: This is a parallel passage where Jesus teaches the same principle of asking, seeking, and knocking, concluding with the assurance that "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 good gifts to those who ask him!"
• 1 Thessalonians 5:17: "pray continually." This verse exhorts believers to maintain a constant attitude of prayer, which the parable of the persistent friend illustrates the spirit of.
• Romans 12:12: "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Persistence is a key component of faithfulness in prayer.