Jesus the Example

Earlier in the week, my friend Francois and I did an online Bible study (DBS) about prayer. Here is the passage:

Luke 11:1-13 (NLT)
Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. When he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."

Jesus said, "This is how you should pray: 'Father, may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon. Give us each day the food we need and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.’”

Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: "Suppose you went to a friend's house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 'A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.' And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, 'Don't bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can't help you.' But I tell you this—although he won't do it for friendship's sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.

"And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

"You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead?

Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him."

It's so familiar and yet so surprising. For the two of us, it felt like it was all new:

Jesus always sets the example!

When they ask Him to teach them to pray, He makes it so simple and short.

He then told a story to teach them further:

Someone comes to a friend's house at midnight. He invites him in but has no food.

He then goes to his other friend in town who is already sleeping and asks for three loaves of bread (he is not asking for his own sake, but for his friend at home).

The guy won't open. Said his people were already sleeping.

Then Jesus comes with unexpected advice: If he just keeps knocking, the guy will open up after all. Not necessarily because of the friendship, but "because of your *shameless persistence*".
That's Jesus' advice to them about prayer: Don’t take no for an answer.

He praises this attitude and then thickens the porridge: "Ask and keep on asking. Search and keep on searching. Knock and keep on knocking."

To drive the nail even deeper, he uses two examples of a sinful father:

1. His children come to ask for a fish and he gives what his child asks. He does not give a dangerous snake that can hurt them.

2. Then they ask for an egg and he gives an egg. He does not give a dangerous scorpion that can hurt them.

Then Jesus concludes with a surprising ending. He says: "If you sinful people then know how to give good gifts, how much more will your heavenly Father give the *Holy Spirit* to those who ask Him.”

Now where does this come from? He didn't talk about the Holy Spirit. He talked about prayer.

Think about this with us...

What makes Jesus' thoughts jump to a place where he ends up like this?

About the Author: Gerhard is leads Win a City, a ministry of All Nations International’s Reaching Cities strategic priority. He is a leading missional leader in Cape Town, South Africa and a former pastor of Logos Church. He and his wife Marinda have pastored churches for more than 30 years and have been blessed to serve in several network leadership positions.

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