by Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D.

Gospel: Luke 11:1-13

I've often heard people say that they don't want to trouble God with their petty needs and concerns. After all, he has more important things to attend to, like running the universe.

Yet, the New Testament makes God out to be a glutton for punishment. Not only does Jesus often urge us to ask for what we need, ("Ask and you shall receive" Lk 9:11), but he praises the people, like Bartimaeus, who ask in the loudest, most obnoxious of ways (Mk 10:46-52). And to top it off, he tells stories in which he showcases rude, relentless people who wake up their neighbors in the middle of the night (Lk 11:5-8). My all-time favorite is the nagging widow who won't give the judge a moment's rest till she gets what she wants (Lk 18:1-8).

The unjust judge simply wanted to get the lady off his back. He wanted the widow to stop bugging him. But God appears to want us to bug Him. And keep bugging Him. Why? Maybe because He'd rather us look to Him for assistance than to the idols of this age. Perhaps because he knows that asking Him for help strengthens the virtue of humility in us since it is an admission that we are not in total control of the universe and just might need His help. Perhaps because He is a loving Father and likes being with us, even when we come just to ask Him to open his wallet.

When I was a teen, I thought that prayer was about nothing but asking for stuff. I prayed that God would keep my parents from finding out about certain things I'd done. I prayed that the best-looking girl in the class would like me. After all, Scripture says to ask.

But Scripture also tells us what to ask for. And there is the rub. We are often wrong about what to ask for, because we misidentify what will really make us happy. God knows us better than we know ourselves, since He created us. And He loves us more than we love ourselves, because He is our Father.

So before talking to Him, which is a dimension of prayer, we need to listen to Him, which is an even more important dimension of prayer. We were given two ears and only one mouth for a reason.

But how do we listen to him? One privileged way is through Scripture. These words are guaranteed to be His, for they are inspired, breathed by the Holy Spirit, divine words in human words (2 Tim 3:16). This does not just mean that the Holy Spirit moved once, guiding the authors when they wrote the words down thousands of years ago. It means that the Holy Spirit dwells in these words as in a Temple and beckons us to enter to meet him regularly, for a life-changing rendezvous. These words are not simply a wearying catalogue of ideas we need to hold, facts we need to believe, or rules we need to observe. Instead they are meant to be a fresh, personal, energizing communication from God each time we hear or read them. They are food for our souls.

Most of us don't eat once a week. We eat daily. Several times a day in fact. So we should gather up the manna of God's word at least daily, maybe even several times a day.

So you don't have much time for quiet prayer and extensive Bible reading? Join the club. You may not have time for a daily Thanksgiving feast, but I bet you snack a few times a day. There are scriptural, bite-sized snacks called the Psalms that have been the backbone of prayer for God's people for nearly 3,000 years. The psalms are God's inspired word through which He speaks to us, but they happen to be cast as prayers that we can use to speak with Him. That kills two birds with one stone. And they cover everything that we could possible want to say to God. "Thank-you," "praise you," "why are you doing this to me?" "please help me!," etc. There are even a few asking God to smash our enemies. These would have been perfect for Moses to have used while praying during the battle with Amalek (Ex 17:8), except they hadn't been written yet.

by Rev. Dr. Alan Brehm

Gospel: Lk. 11:1-13

Prayer is a puzzle to most of us, I think. I'm not sure most of us even know why it is that we pray.[2] In this self-oriented culture of ours, many people pray as a form of sanctified wish-fulfillment. They think they can put a prayer coin in the slot machine and have all their dreams come true--if they pray the right way. Then there are others who reject prayer altogether as a remnant from the days when people thought God was directly responsible for things like the weather. They tend to think it's just a mind game we're playing with ourselves. I think the solution to the problem of prayer lies somewhere in the middle between self-interest and cynicism.

Our Gospel lesson for today contains three teachings about prayer. I think the one we hear is "Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened" (Lk. 11:9-10). We hear it, and yet I'm not sure we know quite what to make of it. Those who pray only for their own self-interest find in this statement a promise that their wishes will be granted. Those who object to that kind of thinking may simply reject it. It's problematic at best. After all, who of us hasn't had the experience of praying for something that seemed right and good, only to ask and not receive?[3] So what do we make of this?

I think the Gospel lesson gives us some clues. For example, I think that it's important to note that this passage on prayer that ends with "everyone who asks receives" begins with Luke's version of the Lord's prayer. In comparision with the version in Matthew's Gospel, this one is much shorter. And it seems to me that makes it even more clear that in this model prayer Jesus was teaching his disciples to pray for God's Kingdom to come. So I think the first clue to understanding "everyone who asks receives" is that all of our praying must be an expression of seeking first God's Kingdom.[4]

The second clue comes in the story of the friend who asks to borrow bread at midnight. He has received unexpected guests, and not to offer them food would be a serious embarrassment. So he asks his neighbor to borrow bread. Of course, the neighbor objects, but Jesus said, "because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs" (Lk. 11:8). There are a couple of things we have to understand about this. For one thing, Luke tends to emphasize the importance of persisting in prayer and not giving up in his version of Jesus' teachings.[5] That is a good thing. But the other point here is that Jesus is not saying that God gives begrudgingly when we make a nuisance of ourselves in prayer. Sometimes, Jesus' sayings are intended to illustrate the opposite of what is true about God. This is certainly an example of that. The truth is that Jesus assured us we can pray knowing that God knows our needs (Matt. 6:7-8) and is already working in each of our lives for our best interest.

I think we see this confirmed in the third clue found when Jesus compares prayer to a child asking for something from a parent. Jesus acknowledged that, for the most part, we human parents want what is best for our children. So he says, "Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion?" (Lk 11:11-12). Of course, the answer is emphatically "No." Even we who are flawed and fallible parents "know how to give good gifts to [our] children" (Lk. 11:13). How much more can we trust that God who loves us unconditionally is constantly working in our lives with grace before we even know we have a need. And so when we pray, we do so with assurance, not out of the fear that we somehow have to get God's attention or twist God's arm.[6]

In all of this, you may be thinking that the lesson is that we shouldn't pray for our own desires. I don't think that's the point. What is more natural than to turn to our creator and redeemer to express the deepest desires of our hearts. But Jesus' approach to prayer suggests that the desires of our hearts ought to be shaped not by the values of our culture, or our own selfish interests, but by the principles of the kingdom--compassion, peace, justice, freedom, and new life.[7] As we pray in that way, I think we can pray with the confidence that "everyone who asks receives."[8] And this doesn't just relate to our spirituality--part of the "Lord's Prayer" involves meeting our daily needs and protecting us from trials that may overwhelm us. Jesus assured us that we can pray for all these concerns, knowing that God knows our needs and is already working in each life to bring grace and peace, and mercy and love, and new life.

References:

[2] Barth seems overly confident when he says, "True prayer is prayer which is sure of a hearing. By 'hearing' is to be understood the reception and adoption of the human request into God's plan and will, and therefore the divine speech and action which correspond to the human request." cf. Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics, 3.4, 106

[3] Cf. Stephanie Frey, "On God's Case," The Christian Century (July 13, 2004):17.

[4] Cf. Barth, Church Dogmatics, 4.4.76, where he says "the whole of the Christian life is a form of this petition." See also N. T. Wright, "Thy Kingdom Come: Living the Lord's Prayer," in The Christian Century (March 12,1997) 269: "We are praying, as Jesus was praying and acting, for the redemption of the world; for the radical defeat and uprooting of evil; and for heaven and earth to be married at last, for God to be all in all. And if we pray this way, we must of course be prepared to live this way." Contrast John Nolland, Luke 9:21–18:34, 620, where he insists that the prayer is "unambiguously for the future coming of the kingdom of God."

[5] Cf. E. Glenn Hinson, "Persistence and Prayer in Luke-Acts," Review & Expositor 104 (Fall 2007): 721-736.

[6] Cf. Jürgen Moltmann, The Church in the Power of the Spirit, 118, where he says, "The prayer offered in the assurance that prayer will be heard therefore becomes the expression of life lived in friendship with God. God can be talked to. He listens to his friend."

[7] It might be easy to miss, but there's another clue here that our praying is to be informed by the principles of the Lord's prayer, and above all is to be an expression of seeking first the Kingdom. Matthew's version of this saying says, "how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" (Matt. 7:11). But Luke's version says, "how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Lk. 11:13). Luke presupposes that Jesus' disciples are praying for Kingdom matters--like peace, and justice, and compassion, and new life. And Jesus promises that God will freely give us the Spirit so that we can not only pray for the Kingdom but also work for its realization in our lives and in the lives of those around us. Cf. Fred Craddock, Luke, 154.

[8] Cf. Nolland, Luke 9:21–18:34, 632: "this extravagant sense of the accessibility of God and of his ability and willingness to respond to us as we come to him fit well with the radical simplicity of the faith of Jesus, and Luke would have us encounter this in all its starkness."

by Karoline Lewis

Gospel: Luke 11: 9-13

One thing caught my attention as I was thinking about the preaching of this Sunday's text from Luke -- the importance of context in the determination of meaning.

Considering the Luke text, the phrase I found fraught with the importance of context was, "how much more?" In the case of the words of Jesus, "how much more will the heavenly Father give you?"

But "how much more" in different contexts has very different meanings, doesn't it?

"How much more" can be as mundane as clarifying a monetary transaction, determining what's left to do toward the completion of a task, or the time outstanding for a meeting or event. Yet, depending on the nature of the occasion, "how much more?" can be either the question that wishes for the end to come or that hopes for time to stop still.

In the contexts of our personal lives "how much more?" might be, how much more can I keep up with the demands of my family? How much more of this strained relationship can I take? How much more loss can I survive?

In the contexts of our professional lives: how much more will this church take from me? How much more can I give before I simply lose it? How much more can I trust in the preaching of God's Word before, in the midst of the hate and violence and hopelessness of the world, the Gospel starts sounding like just a figment of my imagination?

And, speaking of our world, how much more can we hear about the manifestations of racism, terrorism, homophobia, xenophobia, before we begin to believe dystopia as the norm over the Kingdom of God?

We need these words from Jesus today; words that help us remember a context we should never forget when it comes to making meaning in our lives -- the context of God.

That whenever we say, "how much more?" from our places of hurt and pain and loss, God's response is, "how much more will I give you?"

That whenever we voice, "how much more?" from our locations of abandonment and rejection, God says, "how much more do I promise to be with you?

That whenever we utter, "how much more?" from our spaces of disillusionment and disappointment God says, "how much more do I love you?"

On the day we call, "how much more?" God answers us, increasing our strength of soul (Psalm 138:3), because for every "how much more?" we say and pray -- which we need to say, have to say, cannot help but pray in our times of need and grief and longing, God responds with God's "how much more."

About The Author:

Karoline Lewis is the Associate Professor of Preaching and the Marbury E. Anderson Chair in Biblical Preaching, Luther Seminary, Saint Paul, Minn.

Jesus' miracles were acts of compassion for those in need, sick, afflicted, cast out from society. Often we are told it is because he "has compassion on them" that he reaches out to heal. But these miracles are also his calling cards, if you will, bright flashing neon signs "The Messiah is Here!"

Some saw the signs and believed – at least to some extent. Others "kept seeking signs", that is, they refused to believe even when they saw one or more for themselves. So the miraculous sign doesn't guarantee belief. In fact, sometimes Jesus wouldn't or couldn't do a miracle – whether it was for King Herod or the unbelievers in his own home town.

Nonetheless, here in Luke 11, our Gospel for today, Jesus has to defend his miracles of exorcism from unbelieving witnesses. Oh they believed in demons. They even believed that Jesus had cast them out. But they claimed Jesus was working for the Devil – casting out demons by the prince of demons.

Jesus defends his miracles – not with more miracles – but with his words. And his words are really the main thing, anyway. He has a point to make, and it's a simple one – similar to what he's said elsewhere. It's something like this: In spiritual terms – you are either with Jesus or you are against him. There's no middle ground.

If you are against Jesus, then you are under the power of the Devil – whether you are literally possessed by a demon or not – the Devil has hold of you. You are a captive of the "strong man" locked away in his palace, under heavy guard. And this is the condition we were all in. This is the place we were born – into sin. Slaves by birth to a terrible master. Possessed by the forces of darkness for all eternity.

Not that we are terribly opposed to that. Each time we sin, our old nature is gasping and grasping for its old master. There's a part of us that is quite comfortable with evil – to the point that we're numb to it. We can even cast our sins as virtues. You can paint the prison walls pretty, but it's still a prison. And you can pretend that the devil is irrelevant or a figment, and he's just fine with that as long as his hold on you is still strong.

But Jesus is the stronger man who comes to beat up the bully. He not only casts out demons from villagers and peasants – he destroys the prince of demons himself. He shatters the kingdom of the Devil with a cross – his own cross, descending to Hell to announce his victory. He's even stronger than death – rising from the grave to live forever.

All this to bring us to himself. All this to free us from our old master. To break the bonds of sin and death and hell. To create in us a new spirit. And to make us blessed.

When Jesus had finished explaining this to the doubters and the haters, a woman in the crowd shouts out a kind of a complement – blessing even the mother that gave him birth!

Not that Jesus denies it, but he redirects the woman's attention to where true blessing is found. "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it". Yes, it's nice to be around Jesus, to see his miracles, to wonder at the wonders. It's great to see him kicking out demons and taking names, bullying the bully for our sake. But it's even better that we hear the word of God and keep it.

Of course, he speaks that word. It's a word of law – a rebuke of sin. Rules to keep that we don't. But his word is also a word of promise – a good word that cleanses and heals. And this word we keep when we treasure the promises and put our faith in them, and in him.

If we don't hear and don't treasure and don't keep that word – it won't matter what else he does for us. He could even cast out demons and the person who doesn't remain in his word will be taken in again, and be worse off than before.

But Jesus does clean house – when it comes to the temple of our body – the temple of the Holy Spirit. He creates in us a new spirit. He washes us clean with the holy waters of baptism. He continues to cleanse us with his holy body and blood. Christ dwells within us, his Spirit dwells within us – and so there simply is no room for an evil spirit. Christ is our master, how could we serve our old master, Satan? Christ is our strong champion – why should we ever worry about what the old serpent can do to us? For his head has been stomped on by the heel of the Savior. He is crushed.

Blessed are you, who hear his word, in this place. Blessed are you, even though each of us struggles with our own demons – literal or not. Blessed are you because the victory is yours in Christ, his word declares, "it is finished".

Blessed are you who have been sealed in the water of promise – baptized into his name and kingdom. That gift and those words, are also to be kept – not forgotten – not kept on a shelf – but lived and used and remembered each day.

Blessed are you who keep his words of promise that this bread and wine is his body and blood – who remember these words and do what they say. Who receive these gifts in true faith.

by John MacArthur

"I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes"
(Dan. 9:3).

The more you understand God's holiness, the more you'll recognize your own sinfulness.

People view prayer differently. For some it is a last resort after all human options have been exhausted: "All I can do now is pray for you!" Others liken it to a spiritual spare tire - something used only in the event of an emergency. Many who should thrive on prayer have been lulled into complacency by an affluent and godless society.

Daniel, however, saw prayer as an opportunity to express the passion and fervency of his heart to the God he loved and served. In Daniel 9:3 he says, "I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him." That implies he set apart a specific time to devote to thoughtful, earnest, and fervent prayer. That is further supported by the way he prepared himself through fasting and donning sackcloth and ashes—symbols of humility and deep contrition over sin.

It might seem unusual for a man of Daniel's spiritual stature to be overwhelmed by his sense of sin, but the closer one draws to God, the more aware he is of his sinfulness. We see that in Paul, who called himself the foremost of all sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). That might seem like a ridiculous statement to us but Paul saw sin for what it was. So did Daniel.

The title "Lord God" in verse 3 emphasizes God's sovereign rule over all things. Daniel knew that God had permitted the Babylonian Captivity and that He alone could deliver His people from it. Consequently, Daniel gave the Lord his undivided attention as he prayed and sought mercy for himself and his people.

Daniel's fervency is a rebuke to much of the flippancy we hear in prayer today. It was profound because it was generated by God's Word and grounded in His will.

James 5:16 says, "The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (KJV). Be like Daniel - a righteous person who prays fervently with great effect.

Suggestions for Prayer

Ask God to give you a greater sense of fervency in prayer. Be sensitive to any sin that might be hindering your prayers.

For Further Study

Read Luke 11:5-13.

What parable did Jesus tell to illustrate the benefits of humble, persistent prayer? How did Jesus contrast earthly fathers with their heavenly Father?