Importunity Wins - Luke 11:8

The beloved physician Luke wrote how Jesus asked His disciples, “Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves. For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And 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 to you”, and in chapter eleven and verse eight of his book Luke shared how Jesus said, “though he will not rise and give to him, … yet because of his importunity, he will rise and give to him” where we read:

I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give to him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give to him as many as he needs.

The verse reads, “I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give to him, ...” Luke began with the words, “I say unto you” or “I, Jesus, utter, declare and proclaim to His disciples”, “though he will not rise” which means “even so, also and indeed the friend will not be aroused, stirred up or waken” “and give to him” or “and grant, bestow, supply and furnish to the disciple” the following. Luke shared how Jesus said even “though” the “friend” would not get up from sleeping and provide food for the disciple, the following would change his mind.

The verse goes on to say, “... because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give to him as many as he needs.” Luke continued with the words, “because he is his friend” or “since and on account that the man is the disciple's fellow associate and companion”, “yet because of his importunity” or “indeed, truly and at least since and on account of the disciple's shamelessness and impudence” “he will rise” which means “the friend will raise up from his sleeping” “and give to him as many as he needs” or “and grant, bestow, supply and furnish as much bread as the disciple needs or wants”. Luke shared how Jesus said when the disciple continued asking his “friend” shamelessly and with impudence, not because he was his “friend”, but because he would not stop asking, the “friend” would finally rise from his bed and provide the bread for which the disciple asked.

When we consider Luke's words in this verse, we see how “impudence” and persistence in requesting would prevail to get what a person needs. Jesus said the “friend” would eventually rise from his bed and get the bread desired so the man asking would stop requesting it. The idea is “praying without ceasing”, and when a person desires something from God, He loves when people are “persistent” in asking. He wants them to have a personal relationship with Him through His Son Jesus, and when they yield to Him as their personal “Savior and Lord”, they may persistently come to God the Father with all their needs.

Next time Luke shares how Jesus says to, “ask … seek” and … “knock”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".