Three loaves of bread
Though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. Luke 11:8
Luke 11 tells a parable about persistence of prayer: a friend knocks on his neighbor's door at midnight to ask for three loaves of bread for his guest traveling to him at midnight. Middle Eastern travelers used to travel at night because it was cooler, but knocking on the door to wake neighbors at midnight is definitely uncommon.
The word persistence in our key verse today is anaideia in Greek, which means shameless. In spite of the neighbor's refusal at first, he eventually gave him as many as he needed due to his persistence. Jesus concludes the parable by telling us to have a persistent prayer life by keeping on asking, seeking, and knocking.
Additionally, this parable contains a number of symbols. Firstly, why did the friend ask for three loaves of bread? The bread represents Jesus, for He is the bread of life, and three represents the trinity, or three parts of the human being, body, soul, and spirit. Therefore, three loaves of bread represent Jesus, who satisfies us holistically. Secondly, midnight represents darkness, so when a traveler comes to us in the dark, it feels like they are coming to us for bread to satisfy their weary souls because their lives are in the dark or in need.
This parable may be relatable to us since we can be either the friend knocking on the door or the traveler at midnight. Have we ever prayed persistently for our loved ones or groups to receive Jesus, whether it be a prayer of salvation or healing? Were we like the traveler at midnight, like living in darkness and getting weary, but someone shared Jesus and prayed for us persistently? With persistent prayers, God will satisfy us with the bread of life.
Is there anyone or any group that you have a burden to pray? Keep on knocking. It's good news that Jesus won't get annoyed by our persistent prayers since they move God's heart and He longs to see us satisfied.
Blessing prayer: Jesus, teach us to pray and help us pray persistently for others. We are thankful for those who have prayed for us persistently so we can receive the bread of life. In Jesus’ name, Amen
