The Shameless Neighbor

In Jesus Holy Name July 27, 2019

Text: Luke 11:5-8,13b Pentecost VII - Redeemer

“The Shameless Neighbor”

Over the past 4 weeks we have been reading the parables and teachings of Jesus as written by Luke in His Gospel. Luke collected these stories and parables to answer the question: What does it mean to “follow Jesus? What is discipleship? What does a disciple of Jesus need to know about God?

There was the story of the Good Samaritan… demonstrate mercy and care. Through Mary and Martha we learned that we need to study and read the words of Jesus if we want to know about God and His purpose for His world and our place in His plan. Today Luke answers the question “how should a disciple pray?” The disciple should trust God when we pray.

How do we pray? How should we pray? Are their special words? How does God answer prayer? Why does God sometimes seem to ignore my prayers? These questions will be rolling just beneath the surface. Luke packs into these thirteen verses: The Lord's prayer, a parable on prayer, and then reminder that the disciple can be “shameless in prayer, trusting in a God of love and mercy.

Connection is what we deeply long for as human beings. That’s why so many people join clubs, service organizations and churches. There is no connection more profound and powerful than a personal connection with God. Prayer is our opportunity to connect to God, the Creator of the universe.

Jesus said: “Ask.” “Knock” and the door to God’s gifts and resources will be opened for you. The disciple can trust God’s love. His answers to our prayers will never, never cause us harm. Luke, more than any other evangelist, stresses the importance of prayer in the life of Jesus' and in the life of a disciple.

In response to the disciples who asked: “Lord teach us to pray”; Jesus tells the parable of the friend who calls at midnight. In the culture of the Middle East, (still today) Hospitality is critical.

A few years ago you might remember the rescue of U.S. Navy Seal Marcus Luttrel. “In remote Kunar Province, along the porous and mountainous frontier with Pakistan, Mohammad Gulab and his fellow villagers harbored and saved the life of a gravely wounded U.S. Navy SEAL, Marcus Luttrel. The villagers bravely protected, gave first aid to, fed, and clothed Marcus Luttrell, the wounded Special Warfare Operator, the only survivor of a four-man SEAL patrol from the searching Taliban.

The villagers insist that they saved Luttrell out of obedience to the age-old ethnic-Pashtun tradition known as Pash-Tun-wali. That ancient code obliges Pashtuns to help and protect anyone in need, friend or enemy. “We did not rescue Marcus for money or privileges,” Gulab says. “By rescuing and keeping him safe for five nights in our home we were only doing our cultural obligation.”

In the 1st century “hospitality” was of paramount importance in the biblical world, and when a guest arrived – even if unexpectedly…even at midnight. Hospitality is required. This cultural reality enables Jesus to tell a parable about a God of love.

The characters in the story are a villager who is in bed with his family at midnight and a neighbor with a need. When the man in the story finds himself without enough bread for his guest, he goes to a friend and neighbor and asks to borrow some bread. It’s past midnight , yet he must wake up his friend’s entire household to avoid shame and to honor a cultural code.

“Do not bother me,” the friend answers from within the dark house. “The door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything” (11:7). You and I might empathize with the neighbor. The midnight knock at the door is not only worrisome but to wake an infant in the middle of the night… means a long night for the parents.

In the culture of the biblical world, the response of the neighbor to this midnight knock immediately tells the listeners of Jesus, that the neighbor is the one behaving badly. This would be unthinkable to allow your friend and neighbor to be shamed and embarrassed.

Jesus says that the woken up neighbor will eventually respond to his friend’s request, not because he is a friend, but because of his friend’s shamelessness” persistence. "Shamelessness" "persistence," at midnight implies a boldness that comes from a long standing friendship. (11:8). The man displays no shame in asking for help from his neighbor to meet the requirements of hospitality. The woken-up friend would incur dishonor if he failed to help his neighbor in this essential obligation. Jesus has made a point about the prayers of a disciple.