Scripture: Luke 11:8
I assure you, even if he wouldn’t get up and help because of his friendship, he will get up and give his friend whatever he needs because of his friend’s brashness.
Thought for the Day: Jesus is presenting a story-like teaching (not a parable) about responding to a person in need. This comes right after the teaching on the Lord’s Prayer, and the title for this section (added by the editors of your unique Bible centuries later) says something like: The Importance of Persistence in Prayer. I think that skews our perspective on this section. For the story-like teaching goes something like this: A man needs bread because of some unexpected late night visitors. He goes to his neighbor, after the neighbor has already gone to bed, and begs for some bread. The neighbor doesn’t even open the door initially, but basically tells the guy to go home because it’s late. Yet Jesus goes on to say how the neighbor responds to the request because this guy is brash, or sometimes translated as persistent or shameless audacity. The word in the original Greek is: anaideian. The literal translation would be: without shame. I know my Greek teachers disagreed with my understanding of the word here, but I hold to my translation of this passage that suggests the neighbor did as he was requested because he wanted the man to be without shame. When someone came to your home and asked for hospitality, it was both the cultural and religious expectation that you provide them food and a bed. To have no food to provide the sojourner would bring shame upon you. This gives a different meaning to the words that follow: “Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.” I don’t believe Jesus was writing us a blank check to get whatever our hearts desire, but when asking for help to serve another human being, God is onboard. At least, that’s the way I read it.
Prayer: Provide me what is necessary, O Father God, to be hospitable, gracious and compassionate to those in need. Let me have an abundance, not for selfish purposes, but for the sake of others. Amen.
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