And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,’ 7 and he says in reply from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.
9 “And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? 12 Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? 13 If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
After teaching His disciples the words of prayer in the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus continues by teaching them how to pray. He tells of a man whose friend unexpectedly arrives at midnight. Because hospitality required that a guest be given food, the man goes to a neighbor and asks for three loaves of bread. Getting up would inconvenience the neighbor and disturb his household, yet the request is answered.
The word translated “persistence” (v. 8) can also carry the sense of boldness or asking without shame. Jesus therefore teaches His disciples that they may approach God confidently and continue to bring their needs before Him. Prayer rests on trust in God’s goodness and His readiness to hear His children.
Jesus reinforces this teaching with three commands: “ask,” “seek,” and “knock” (v. 9). These words describe continuing action. The disciple keeps asking, keeps seeking, and keeps knocking. Prayer is an active relationship with God in which faith continually turns toward Him and depends upon Him.
Jesus then explains why His disciples can pray with such confidence. A father whose child asks for food gives him something good rather than something harmful. Jesus reasons from human parenthood to the far greater goodness of God: if sinful human beings know how to give good gifts to their children, “how much more” will the heavenly Father give to those who ask Him (v. 13).
Luke brings the teaching to its highest point by naming the Father’s greatest gift: the Holy Spirit. The promise to “ask and you will receive” is therefore understood within the goodness of the Father, who gives His children what is truly good and gives above all His own Spirit. Throughout Luke and Acts, the Holy Spirit strengthens, guides, sanctifies, and empowers the disciples to live and bear witness as followers of Jesus (Acts 1:8; 2:1–4).
Jesus invites us to come before the Father with the confidence of children who know they are heard. We may continue to ask, seek, and knock because our prayer is directed to a Father who loves us and desires to give us the gift that draws us more deeply into His life—the Holy Spirit.
Father, give us confidence to come before You in prayer. Teach us to ask, seek, and knock with persevering faith, trusting in Your goodness. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit so that we may live faithfully as disciples of Your Son. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. Luke 11:5–13 and notes.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. 130.
- Casciaro, Jose Maria, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. 297.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. 702–703, paras. 128–129.
- Gadenz, Pablo T. The Gospel of Luke. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2018. 222–224.
- Aguilar Chiu, Jose Enrique, et al., eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. 1068.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid, OP, and Donald Senior, CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. 3rd fully rev. ed. London: T&T Clark, 2022. 1327.
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