Luke 11:5–13

Bible Studies for Life
Assistant Professor of Religion, Samford University

God’s Promise of Answered Prayer

Luke 11:5–13

The story in Genesis 4 of Cain murdering his brother, Abel, has long posed a challenge to students of the Bible. Because the text never specifies precisely why God accepted Abel’s offering but rejected Cain’s, interpreters have been left to puzzle over just what Cain did wrong. Among the great many answers that have been suggested, three stand out as the most common: first that Cain’s offering was rejected because it did not involve blood; second that Cain failed to offer God his best and third that Cain offered his sacrifice with a bad attitude. Unfortunately each of these answers falls short upon closer scrutiny.

Cain’s offering may not have included blood but the Bible allows for a great many sacrifices such as the grain offering (Lev. 2) and first fruits offering (Deut. 26:1–11) that call for gifts of produce, not animals. A careful reading of Genesis 4 also tells us that Cain did give his best. When verse 4 says, “and Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock,” it reveals something not only about Abel’s offering but also about Cain’s. If Abel also gave his best so must have Cain. There also is no indication that Cain offered his sacrifice with a bad attitude. Up to this point in Genesis, God had given no instructions at all concerning sacrifices; this idea apparently originated with Cain himself. But how could Cain come up with the idea of giving a gift to God and then do so with a bad attitude? We cannot even make the claim that Abel made an offering and Cain was begrudgingly forced to follow suit. It was Cain who made his sacrifice first.

Why then did God reject Cain’s offering? Key to the text is the fact that we do not and are not supposed to know. Genesis 4 is a text that teaches us what to do when we do not understand God’s actions: we are to keep pursuing Him. Unlike the first couple who hid from God and Cain who turned his back on God, we are always meant to keep running after God. It is this lesson that Jesus shares with His disciples in Luke 11.

Keep asking because God will answer. (5–10)

In Luke 11:5–10, Jesus recounts the story of a man who comes late at night to borrow food from a neighbor. Though the man is already in bed and is loath to get up, Jesus assures His disciples that the man’s “shameless audacity” will roust the neighbor out of bed and prevail upon him to give the man what he needs. Jesus urges His disciples to have this same attitude when they approach their Heavenly Father in prayer: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” The story of Cain tells us we are to pursue God at all times. When we do so we have Jesus’ blessing to pursue Him with a shameless audacity that boldly asks Him to meet our needs.

Trust God to answer out of His goodness. (11–13)

Jesus’ encouragement to the disciples to ask boldly for God’s blessing is grounded in His assurance of the Father’s goodness. Jesus asks, “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?” His questions are meant to be understood as something absurd; obviously no father would do such a thing. Jesus then reasons: if an earthly father gives his son good gifts not bad, how much more would this be true of our Heavenly Father? Though there are times when God’s presence seems distant and times when His actions seem inscrutable our task is to continue to pursue Him.