Luke 11:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’?

NIV: And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’

NASB: and from inside he answers and says, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’

CSB: Then he will answer from inside and say, ‘Don’t bother me! The door is already locked, and my children and I have gone to bed. I can’t get up to give you anything.’

NLT: And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’

KJV: 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 thee.

NKJV: and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’?

Jesus continues His question-as-parable. He has just given a basic prayer for the disciples to request what they need from God, including "daily bread," which represents the regular needs we have (Luke 11:1–4). Here, Jesus begins to explain why the disciples should trust God with their needs.

He tells the disciples about a man who must show hospitality to a traveling friend who has arrived in the middle of the night. The man has no bread, so he goes to his neighbor's house and asks to borrow three loaves. The neighbor understands the importance of hospitality, but he also understands the importance of not waking up children. At first, he refuses to disturb his kids and get bread for the man (Luke 11:5–6).

It is not the fact that they are friends that causes the neighbor to get up and give the man bread. It is because the man will not stop knocking. If he keeps up the racket, no one will get any sleep. In contrast, God will meet our needs because He loves us—even more than our own fathers (Luke 11:8–13).

Jesus isn't judging the neighbor for wanting to stay in bed or the man for waking the neighbor up. In the end, they both do the charitable thing. Jesus is merely showing the disciples why they should be bold in asking God for what they need: God loves them.

Luke 11:5–8 is often called "the parable of the persistent neighbor." This is the second of three parts of Jesus' teaching on prayer (Luke 11:1–13). Having given the Lord's Prayer, Jesus tells the story of a neighbor who reluctantly answers the request of a man because the man is persistent. Jesus finishes by comparing the neighbor to God the Father who answers prayers well because He loves His children. Luke is the only gospel author to include this parable.

Jesus teaches the disciples how to pray and explains God's intent to give "good" to those who ask. He then exorcizes a demon and refutes the claim that His power is satanic. Jesus explains that unreasonable skeptics will only see the "sign of Jonah." He then criticizes the superficial legalism of the Pharisees. In response, they plot against Him.

In what some scholars refer to as "The Travelogue to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51—19:27), Jesus prepares His disciples for His crucifixion and resurrection and the establishment of the church. The description begins with Christ teaching the disciples how to spread the news of the kingdom of God and reaffirming how they will be blessed, culminating in the Lord's Prayer (Luke 9:51—11:13). Luke 11 finishes with accounts of leaders who reject Jesus. The remainder of the travelogue gives a pattern of teaching on the kingdom of God, miracles, and explanations of salvation. Then Jesus enters Jerusalem to face the cross.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.