Jesus Ethics Part 3: Luke 11, the Widow, the Neighbour, and an Egg from Dad

Following Jesus’ utterance of ‘the Lord’s Prayer’ and in response to the disciples’ insistence that Jesus teach them to pray, he tells them a couple of parables. One is about a man who gets out of bed solely because of his neighbour’s persistence (11:5-8, cf. Luke 18:1-8); another relays how a father will not do his child harm in response to his child’s request – i.e. giving a snake for a fish or a scorpion for an egg. We must be persistent in approaching God and have faith that He will give us what is best – He will do so even more than an earthly father does for his own children (v.13). Since the Kingdom is here and will be fully realized, we must act accordingly: “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 (vv.10-11).” We must display the ethic of perseverance in approaching the Lord with the faith that he will give us what we need. So this is my encouragement for us today: never give up praying and seeking the Lord!

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