“And Jesus asked them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him?’” (Luke 11:5-6)
Any self-respecting person listening to Jesus would have answered Him, “Well, I would!!” In Jesus example, a couple of important things are happening: a friend has come, at midnight, after a long journey. Understand the cultural context- even today in the Middle East a visitor is the responsibility of the host; every aspect to include their safety. The challenge in Jesus story is that the visitor has come at midnight, there are no stores open to sell fresh-baked flatbread and hummus. And this visitor is not a stranger; it is your friend so you will be urgent, even to the point of imposing yourself on your neighbor. But you choose wisely, you go to a neighbor who you think will most likely answer and help.
Prayer demands care.
In the previous verses, at the beginning of the eleventh chapter of Luke; Jesus teaches His disciples what we call, “The Lord’s Prayer”. This three verse prayer is in response to His disciples’ request, “… teach us to pray…” (Luke 11:1) Jesus fulfills their request and teaches them how to pray.
How to pray includes using the correct words, in the correct way and for the correct purposes; all the time acknowledging that we in fact don’t know how to pray with complete perfection, but thank God, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us.
Prayer demands care.
No self-respecting person would have listened to Jesus question and answered, “Well, I would say the prayer you just told me and then I would tell them to go to bed, the sun is coming up early.” No. No one would have answered in that way and Jesus’ point still stands- prayer demands care. We live in a skeptical culture. We live in a world hostile to the Gospel. People are watching- does your prayer for others actually come with effort on your part?
The man in Jesus story with the midnight request is Jesus Himself. Jesus is our shore and refuge from the storm; He is a safe house in the middle of the night. The bread in the story is also Jesus. When we eat the bread, we partake of Jesus Himself, we are nourished and strengthened after the weakness from our journey. Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, this means He occupies the place of power in Heaven; Jesus prays for you daily, but not only does He pray, He also cares for you. Jesus knows your need before you even give it voice or concern.
Jesus had plenty of “Midnight Prayers” in His earthly ministry. In Luke 6 we read that Jesus literally spent the whole night in prayer and then the next day He called the disciples and from them, He chose who would be His apostles. Jesus intentionally multiplied Himself through others less capable than Himself. Jesus turned prayer into care.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, we read, “He withdrew about a stone’s throw, knelt down and prayed.” Jesus made space for prayer but left no space between Himself and the cross. Jesus turned prayer into care.
When Jesus hung on the cross, He said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”Why did Jesus say this? Because under Jewish law if a man unintentionally killed another man- for example, if a man was chopping wood and the ax head flew off and killed his neighbor; then the man chopping wood would not be charged. When you speak to God, that is called, “prayer”. Jesus prayed for those who crucified Him when He said to His Father, “… they know not what they do…” God who knows all things, chooses to remember your sins no more. Jesus turned prayer into care.
The care which God provides to us in communion and baptism; in His word and through the Comforter is so much greater than any care that we can provide for others. Yet, we are holy vessels, set aside for His holy purposes. In fact, He has created truly good works in advance for us to do. Prayer demands care.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, let us not love only in word; but also in our deeds. May God richly bless the prayer ministry of your church as He leads you to turn prayer into care. Because when this happens, the world will experience the love of God in a personal way. It is through His means that Spiritual children are born; the issue is not a demographic problem but a denial of our role in His Great Commission. Prayer demands care.
Amen?
