Parable of persistent friend
This is what we have heard:
Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." -Luke 11:1
After telling the prayer, the Lord said :
And he said to them, "Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves, -Luke 11:5
for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; -Luke 11:6
and he will answer from within, 'Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything'? -Luke 11:7
I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. -Luke 11:8
And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. -Luke 11:9
For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. -Luke 11:10
What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; -Luke 11:11
or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? -Luke 11:12
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" -Luke 11:13
What is the Lord trying to tell us through this parable?
For He said,”I TELL you, though he will not ....give him anything, yet because of his impudence ...give him whatever he needs. -Luke 11:8
And again we heard,”And I TELL you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. -Luke 11:9
Yes,we are told, but do we understand? Don’t we have more questions than answers ?
What actually the Lord is trying to tell us to ask ? What actually the Lord is trying to tell us what will be given to us ? What actually the Lord is trying to tell us to seek ?
What actually the Lord is trying to tell us to find ?
What actually the Lord is trying to tell us to knock ?
What actually the Lord is trying to tell us to be opened ?
If what we have asked, already given. Why we need to seek ? What else that we need to find ? Why we have to knock ? What still can be opened ?
This is what we have heard:
"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also DO THE WORKS THAT I DO; and greater WORKS than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. -John 14:12
Whatever you ASK in my name, THIS I WILL DO, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. -John 14:13
If you ask me anything IN MY NAME, I WILL DO IT. -John 14:14
Here, we understand that our Lord set condition to whoever believes in Him that we may do the works that the Lord did and greater works than what He did we can do because our Lord is going to His Father.
we understand that the Lord expect us to ask Him that we will do the works that He does and greater works than what the Lord have done we will do because our Lord is going to His Father.
This is what we should ask in His name, for this is what our Lord is willing to do, in order that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
What do our Lord willing to give us ? Isn’t that we do that what He does ? That is to do the will of the Father who sent Him.
Does that mean that we can’t ask anything else ? No. But we need to remember this :
And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.-2 Corinthians 5:15
So what our Lord wants us to ask the Heavenly Father is that we are delighted to do the works that Christ, our love does.
When we ask this, it will be given to us. What will be given to us ? Greater works that we will do, works that our Lord do.
If we already have asked and given to do the works of Christ, what do we need to seek ?
This is what we have heard:
If then you have been raised with Christ, SEEK THE THINGS THAT ARE ABOVE, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. -Colossians 3:1
SET YOUR MINDS ON THINGS THAT ARE ABOVE, not on things that are on earth. -Colossians 3:2
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. -Colossians 3:3
When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. -Colossians 3:4
Because of our Heavenly Father’s great mercy, He has caused us to born again to living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, therefore, in union with Christ, we believe that we have been raised with Christ.
As apostle Paul have said, what we need to seek are the things that are above where Christ is.
How are going to do that ? Apostle Paul has told us to set our minds on things that are above.
So what are the things that are above where Christ is ? Isn’t it the kingdom of God ? Yes, it is.
So what apostle Paul have told us about the kingdom of God:
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. -Romans 14:17
So, the things that are above is of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
In the other words, the things that are above are the things of the Holy Spirit. And this is what we have heard :
in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. -Romans 8:4
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. -Romans 8:5
For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. -Romans 8:6
So, what can we find when we seek things of the Spirit ?
We will find life and peace that Jesus was trying to tell us.
So now what the Lord was trying to tell us by knocking and it shall be opened ?
Whose door and what door has been opened ?
This is what we have heard:
But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, -1 Corinthians 16:8
for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. -1 Corinthians 16:9
Here, we heard that a door has been opened to apostle Paul for effective work.
So we can understand that all those times apostle Paul and many faithful ministers of God have prayed persistently or have knocked on a door for effective work in Ephesus.
So what our Lord was trying to tell us as children of God that we need to ask our Heavenly Father for Holy Spirit so that Holy Spirit will teach us all things and bring to our remembrance all that Christ have said to us.
This is what our Lord have said:
"But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness about Me. -John 15:26
"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. -John 16:12
When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. -John 16:13
He will glorify Me, for He will take what is Mine and declare it to you. -John 16:14
All that the Father has is Mine; therefore I said that He will take what is Mine and declare it to you. -John 16:15
So, likewise, we need to keep doing what apostles have done, that is, to keep on knocking so that the Father will open a wide door for us for effective work of Christ where the Lord sent us.
