The Explanation

Jesus was praying, and one of his friends watched him. When Jesus finished, the friend said, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." So Jesus gave them the words. "Father in heaven," he said, "may your name be kept holy, may your Kingdom come. Give us bread for today. Forgive us, as we forgive others. Keep us from evil."

Then Jesus told a story to explain praying. Imagine a man knocking on his friend's door at midnight. "Friend, lend me three loaves! Someone has come to visit and I have nothing to feed him!" From inside, a sleepy voice grumbles, "Don't bother me, the door is shut, my children are in bed!" But the man keeps knocking. He does not give up. And because he keeps asking, the friend finally gets up and gives him what he needs.

"Keep asking," Jesus said, "and it will be given. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will open." A good father does not hand his hungry son a stone instead of bread, or a snake instead of a fish, or a scorpion instead of an egg. If human fathers know how to give good gifts, how much more will God, the Father in heaven, give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?

Right after this, Jesus healed a man who could not speak, by driving out a demon. The man spoke! The crowd was amazed. But some people said, "He does this by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons." Jesus answered them sharply. "A kingdom fighting itself will fall. If Satan fights Satan, how can his kingdom stand? But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then God's Kingdom has come to you."

Later, Jesus sat down to eat at a Pharisee's house. The Pharisee was shocked that Jesus had not washed his hands first. Jesus looked at him and said, "You clean the outside of the cup, but inside you are full of greed and evil. Didn't the one who made the outside make the inside too?" Then Jesus said hard words, one "woe" after another, to the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. They loved the best seats. They loaded people with heavy rules but would not lift a finger to help carry them. Jesus was not afraid to say the truth, even when it made powerful people angry.

What Does This Mean?

Jesus teaches that God is like a father who really listens. Not a grumpy neighbor who says go away. When you ask God for something good, he hears you, even if the answer takes time, even if you must keep knocking.

But Jesus also shows something else: it is possible to look clean on the outside and be far from God on the inside. The Pharisees followed rules carefully, but their hearts were not right. Jesus cares about the inside of a person, not just the outside.

The Common Thread

Long ago, God's people learned to trust him for bread in the desert, day by day. Jesus teaches the same trust: "Give us day by day our daily bread." Jesus himself is the one greater than Jonah, greater than Solomon, sent by God to open the door to the Kingdom. Through him, ordinary people can knock on heaven's door and be heard by the Father.

For You

The next time you want something, try praying about it more than once. Do not give up after one try, like the man knocking at midnight. And ask yourself sometimes: am I only clean on the outside, polite and tidy, but grumbly or unkind inside? Ask God to make your inside clean too, not just your hands.

Talk About It

Have you ever kept asking for something, again and again? What happened?

Why do you think Jesus cared more about people's hearts than their clean hands?

Praying Together

Father in heaven, thank you that you listen when we knock. Give us what we need today, and make our hearts clean, not just our outside. In Jesus' name, amen.