"Give us each day... Luke 11:1-13"

The Backstory:  The Israelites were living in their land but under Roman rule and they longed for their Messiah to come and restore the kingdom to Israel. God sent them Jesus, who was announced by John the Baptist, anointed by the Spirit at his baptism, and affirmed to be God’s Son by the voice from heaven. Jesus overcame the devil’s temptations, and in the power of the Spirit he preached ‘good news’ and he cast out demons, healed the sick, cleansed lepers, feed the hungry and even raised the dead. He gathered a new 12 around himself designating them as his Apostles. When they recognized his identity as God's Messiah Jesus told his disciples that he would suffer, be killed and on the third day raised to life. This didn't really make sense to them, yet Jesus proceeded to Jerusalem to bring his ‘Exodus’ to fulfillment. Jesus sought to impart to his followers what they would need to know to follow Jesus and to be useful in the expansion of the kingdom that Jesus was bringing about through his death and resurrection.    Luke 11:1–13 

Jesus finished praying and a disciple asked him to teach them to pray as John had taught his disciples (11:1). Jesus regularly prays and to follow Jesus his disciples want to be taught to pray as Jesus did. Jesus advised them to pray to God as their Father, and to pray that God’s name be honored and for his kingdom to come. They were also to ask for daily bread, daily forgiveness and daily protection from temptation (11:2-3). Jesus was warning his disciples that they are in a kingdom battle and daily they were in need of God’s grace, his provisions and his protection.  

To encourage them to pray Jesus tells them to imagine that they needed to provide hospitality for a visiting friend, but that they had no bread. Hospitality was and is an important Middle-eastern cultural value. They go to a friend for bread to provide for their visiting traveler, but their friend won’t get up and give them what they need. Jesus says that even if he won’t give the bread because their friendship he will provide the need because of your boldness in asking. But this story goes beyond cultural expectations and is about boldly asking for needs consistent with Christ’s kingdom. The story is tied to Jesus’ exhortation for them to pray in daily dependence and to do it boldly and persistently. (11:4-8)

Jesus exhorts his disciples to ask to receive, seek to find and knock until doors are opened. Moreover, he encourages them that persistent asking, seeking, and knocking will result in receiving, finding and the opening of doors. This exhortation and promise is followed by another important encouraging statement. “What father if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake, or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you, 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?” (11:9-11)

Luke finishes this episode with Jesus encouraging them that even when sinful fathers are asked by their sons for fish or eggs they wouldn’t give them a snake or scorpion instead. No, even sinful human fathers know how to give good gifts to their children. How much more will God our heavenly Father, who knows what we need, willingly give us the good we need. Luke's version of this prayer ends with the promise that God will not withhold himself from his sons and daughters; he gives the Holy Spirit.  

So in Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer when asked how to pray (11:1), Jesus gives five essential requests. Addressing God as Father, we are to request that God’s name be honored and that his kingdom would come (11:2). Then requests are to be made for daily bread, for the forgiveness of sins and protection from temptation (11:3–4). We are to consistently pray for the honor of God's name of and for the advancement of Gods' reign (11:2c).  Each day we are to ask for daily bread, daily forgiveness and daily protection against evil (11:3-4). Seeking and finding forgiveness implies the responsibility to forgive others. Lastly, to request that we not be led into temptation is like praying, ‘Do not bring us to the time of trial’. Without God’s gracious protection in trials we're sure to fall into temptation.  

Only Luke tells this short parable (11:5–8) about a man whose midnight visitor needs bread. He goes to another friend’s home and boldly requests until he gets up and supplies his needs (11:8). The reluctant friend fulfills his cultural obligation because of his friend’s bold, shameless persistence in asking. Our gracious God, by contrast, encourages us to pray persistently because God is not reluctant to give what we need. Jesus exhorts his disciples to ask, seek and knock because God is the good giver of good gifts. In fact, God will not withhold himself  (his Spirit) from those who diligently seek him (11:9–10).

Here God is a friend and a Father, while he has his children around him he is not in bed and asleep. The friend outside has a problem, and the sleeping friend can help if he is willing. The practice in the ancient Middle East was such that if a traveler was in need of food and shelter one was culturally obligated to provide it. The friend outside knows that the friend inside would help if the roles were reversed. God, however, isn’t a sleepy friend. Jesus is encouraging a bold asking, a persistent knocking and a search that refuses to give up. 

Luke’s version of the 'Lord’s Prayer' is no routine formal prayer; it’s not a going through the motions or a ritual. There are dark powers at work in our world and we are in a struggle through prayer—for the coming kingdom and for whatever else we need. This is a planned, disciplined and persistent prayer for our good Father to provide what we need in our struggle. Effective prayers need the same determination that we would use to wake a sleepy friend to help when we’re in a difficult spot. Yet, God by contrast is a good and caring Father. God will give good gifts to his children. Even sinful Fathers will their children nutritious food when asked and something poisonous. God is a good God who knows what we need and gives us what is good for us. 

In the Exodus, God as a Father rescued Israel his firstborn son out of slavery in Egypt. To call on God as our ‘Father’ is to call on the liberating God of the Exodus. Moreover, Jesus was bringing his ‘Exodus’ to fulfillment and on the way he promises bread for the hungry, forgiveness for sinners, and deliverance from evil. These are themes that we find being brought about by Jesus in Luke gospel (5:24, 7:48-49, 8:26-39, 9:10-17, 9:37-43). Here in this story, Jesus is heading to Jerusalem and to the cross and on the way Jesus teaches his disciples to talk to their Father. It is through prayer that they and us today will experience God, see his kingdom advance and be able to meet the needs of people.