Luke 11:1-231And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. 2And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3Give us day by day our daily bread. 4And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. 5And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; 6For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? 7And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. 8I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. 9And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 11If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 12Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? 14And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. 15But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. 16And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven. 17But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. 18If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. 19And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. 20But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. 21When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: 22But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armor wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. 23He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. (Luke 11:1‑23)
Prayer is the expression of dependence. As the perfect minister of the disciples’ souls, Christ sets Himself to teach them, and you find a form of prayer presented. The Lord suits His words to their then condition. Prayer is the expression of the heart in its present condition.
The Lord then speaks of a man going to a friend at midnight and asking for three loaves. “And he from within”—these are striking words. Are you within? It is a dangerous condition in this world. What I mean by that is losing your sympathies with the joys and sorrows around you.
Here, the Lord shows out God’s grace on the dark ground of that man’s selfishness. Believers have not to ask and seek and knock; that is importunity. But “ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” See the divine readiness in answer to human necessities. Never say importunity is needed to move God.
Remember Daniel (Dan. 10). For three full weeks Daniel was chastening his heart before God, and no answer was given. At the end of that time the answer came. The angel told him that as soon as ever he began to pray, he was heard. However, a certain transaction that was going on in heaven hindered the answer. He went on in importunity for three weeks, but as soon as ever he had prayed, he was heard. So you may have been praying for a long time and getting no answer, but be sure the interval has been well employed, if not in heaven, then in the chastening of your spirit.
There is no reluctance in God—not that selfishness to be overcome that there was in the man at midnight—but there may be reasons to delay the answer. Then, when it does come, it may be in a way you are little prepared for. Paul prayed three times, and the thorn was not taken away, but the answer came at last, and in a way he had not expected. The thorn was left until the day of his death, but he was given grace by which he could triumph in it.
After commenting on prayer the Lord enters (vs. 14) on a solemn scene. Two antagonist thoughts come up to Christ—He who was constantly enduring the contradiction of sinners against Himself.
The first, representing a perverted religion, was set of the people come to charge Him with casting out devils by Beelzebub. The second, representing infidelity, tempted Him, seeking a sign from heaven.
The Lord takes up the first of these by asking in exquisite beauty, “If Satan . . . be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand?” In answering this contradiction, He begins by showing them the folly of their thought. Would Satan be so foolish? Why are you so senseless? Then He presses in on their consciences: “By whom do your sons cast them out?” No doubt the kingdom of God had come unto them. Therefore they were to take care what they were about—take care, He says, for your faithless reasoning has put you on dangerous ground.
J. G. Bellett (adapted from Notes on the Gospel of Luke)