Luke 11:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves,

NIV: Then Jesus said to them, 'Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread;

NASB: And He said to them, 'Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves,

CSB: He also said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him at midnight and says to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,

NLT: Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: 'Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him,

KJV: And 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;

NKJV: And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves;

In Luke 11:1–13, Jesus talks to His disciples about prayer. Here, He presents a question in the form of a parable. The gist is, "If you were desperate, wouldn't you seek help from a friend, even if it would annoy him? If an annoyed friend will provide help, why think God the Father wouldn't?"

The setting is highly culturally specific. Cultures of the Middle East have taken the concept of hospitality very seriously for many thousands of years. A man is surprised in the middle of the night by a friend who has been traveling. For some reason, the man has no bread baked. He goes to his neighbor, knowing he will irritate the neighbor, but feeling even more obliged to feed his friend. The neighbor is also torn; the same expectations of hospitality apply to him, but if he rises to give the bread, he may wake his children. And even though the neighbor is only borrowing the bread and will replace it, he may not do so by the time the children need to eat.

The man and his neighbor are caught in the intersection of cultural expectations, pragmatism, and friendship. Yet they have the power to do what is right. God has no such limitations, and far more power, though no such obligation. He answers our needs because He loves us (Luke 11:13).

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.