Ministry from Galilee to Judea ~ Part 6

In our last post, we explored Yeshua’s Visit with Marta & Miryam and the Talimidim’s Prayer. In this post, we continue to learn more about Prayer as we complete our topic in His Ministry from Galilee to Judea.

Yeshua Continues to Teach More on Prayer

⁵ He also said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend; and you go to him in the middle of the night and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, ⁶ because a friend of mine who has been traveling has just arrived at my house, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ ⁷ Now, the one inside may answer, ‘Don’t bother me! The door is already shut, my children are with me in bed—I can’t get up to give you anything!’ ⁸ But I tell you, even if he won’t get up because the man is his friend, yet because of the man’s hutzpah he will get up and give him as much as he needs.”

Yeshua employs a parable to instruct His talmidim to pray with persistence and with faith. I have nothing for him to eat. In Isra’el’s culture of hospitality, hosts were expected to feed their guests. My children are with me in bed. The image is of a single-room house or a dwelling where the sleeping quarters were confined to one room – usually on an elevated platform above the main floor. Meeting the friend’s request would cause the entire family to be disturbed. Chutzpah is a colorful Hebrew and Yiddish word that means “boldness, audacity, effrontery, insolence, gall, brazen nerve, presumption, arrogance, persistence and just plain ‘guts,’ ” in varying combinations, proportions and intensities.

⁹ “Moreover, I myself say to you: keep asking, and it will be given to you; keep seeking, and you will find; keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who goes on asking receives; and he who goes on seeking finds; and to him who continues knocking, the door will be opened. ¹¹ “Is there any father here who, if his son asked him for a fish, would instead of a fish give him a snake? ¹² or if he asked for an egg, would give him a scorpion? ¹³ So if you, even though you are bad, know how to give your children gifts that are good, how much more will the Father keep giving the Ruach HaKodesh from heaven to those who keep asking him!” ^[1]

Ephesians 5:18 commands Yeshua’s followers to “keep on being filled with the Spirit.” The Ruach HaKodesh first came upon believers after they had been praying persistently (Acts 1:4, 2:4) in response to Yeshua’s promise (this verse, 24:49, Acts 1:8). Those filled with the Ruach may expect to receive spiritual gifts (Romans 12:6–8, 1 Corinthians 12:28–30, Epeshians 4:11–12), display fruits of righteousness (Galatians 5:22–23), and have the desire, love, and power to communicate effectively the Good News of Yeshua by word and deed to those who have not yet believed it (the entire book of Acts centers on this theme). Moreover, “anyone who doesn’t have the Spirit of the Messiah doesn’t belong to Him” (Romans 8:9).

In our next post, Yeshua is in Yerushalayim for the Feast of Dedication (Hannukah).

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^[1] Luke 11:5–13.