Question: Do we realize that a friend in need is a friend indeed especially in spiritual things? What did Jesus reveal to us spiritually through the parable of a friend who comes at midnight? Does persistence with God pays off when it comes to saving of souls?
Answer: Greetings in the mighty name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Luke 11:5-8 - "5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? 8 I say to you, 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.".
Plainly reading the above parable, makes us to think of certain things deeply. Is God our friend? Yes indeed, Abraham our Father of faith was called as a friend by God because of His faith in the Word of God (Jam 2:23; Isa 41:8). We too become a children of God and a friend to Him, when we start believing the Word of God that He has spoken to save us, God becomes our friend indeed when we believe Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior (Gal 3:9; Eph 1:6; 2:13; Heb 11:6).
Let us hear the Parable thrown to us as a question to answer from Jesus, ""5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’?".
In other words, think about it, will we ever go to a friends home at midnight and wake him from his sleep just to lend for our visitor friend three loaves? My honest answer is a big no. Even if we have the courage to disturb our friend at midnight for a loaf, what if he answers like this, I am asleep with all my children and the door is already shut, I cannot rise and give to you, so better get lost friend to come in the morning. It is like a slap to our face, self-respect and dignity, so better we will get lost at that moment itself. Jesus answers in the same way just like us, to a casual friend, the other friend who is in sleep will not rise up and give that three loaf to him who is in need because he is just a botherful brotherly friend. If he had been a stranger, he would have caught the attention of that friend who would have risen up from his sleep, because every stranger will be considered a thief in the mid-night time to be driven away harshly or punished, or else he must have been a mad-man to be handed over to the judge for his intrusion at midnight. Every friend have the right to privacy at the night time to sleep.
Has God Become Our True Friend To Make Us Ask For The Salvation Of The Unsaved Friends?
Then Jesus goes on to a deeper level, come let us deeply delve in to the spiritual message. A friend in need is truly a friend indeed, which means a friend who helps us when we really need help is a true friend. If we are a casual friend, we will not let go off our self-respect, dignity to intrude and barge at midnight in to a friends house who are all already asleep with his family, and then further dare to ask him for three loaves of bread. But if we let go off the self-respect and dignity and become a botherful and shameless friend, then we will venture out to ask and disturb that friend till he rises up from his sleep and gives the three loaves we have asked for. For this to happen we cannot be a stranger but a true friend who is ready to bother our sleeping friend, until we get what we want. In other words, we need a faith that persists in humility ready to get mocked by any one, a trust in the true friendship that will never fail. When we are too confident of our friendship with our sleeping friend, only then we will be able to do that unthinkable act of disturbing at midnight just for three loaves of bread and as a result of it, get it even if that is silly to know that we have become empty completely not able to supply to others who have come our way.
Think about it saints, even if we have asked for our own house that three loaves, that friend would have risen up easily knowing our need, but when he realizes that it is for another friend who has come to our house, he will not even bother to provide it at midnight. But what will make that friend to rise up and give three loaves of bread at that time is the shameless persistence of the know friend and his good heart of kindness towards others. Remember saints, the Greek word for “persistence” is actually “shamelessness” (anaideia). Hallelujah!
Three loaves are the one substance of the Trinity, who give themselves in three separate persons to give life to the dead or hungry unsaved friend to become alive in Him, who is able to do it spiritually, so that supernaturally the bread of life continues to endure in them for eternity (John 6:26-27, 32-33, 34-35, 49, 58, 63; 10:30; 6:63).
Even when it is late at midnight time before the Rapture which is the secret coming of the Lord (Rom 13:11-12; Jam 5:8; Acts 16:25; 20:7; Job 34:20; Matt 25:6; Mark 13:35), people who are seeking God even at that late hour will receive salvation when someone perseveres enough to ask God to supply the eternal bread of salvation to such friend who come to them in their spiritual need (1 Tim 2:1-4). One person at a time can be saved even up to the time of rapture freely through the Church (John 20:21-23; Matt 25:9), but the hard question is, have we persisted enough to ask the Lord and get from Him heavenly manna that could save people from sin and make them a saint in an instant (Acts 2:36-39; 16:30-34; Matt 9:37-38)?
Only people who realize that they are empty to help others of their own selves, can come to God in humility asking him for three loaves of the bread of salvation, very late even at the mid-night time for a friend who is in need.
God Delays Are Not Denials, In fact It Is His Willingness That Tests Our Worthiness?
"8 I say to you, 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."
God is amazed always at persistent faith that never lets him go, such faith carriers are so shameless enough to beg him to let His willingness be shown to others at their own cost of self-sacrifice done personally to reveal His love for them (Matt 15:28; Luke 7:9; Gal 5:6). The three loaves of bread that the friend asked the sleeping friend was not for himself, but for a visitor friend who had come to his house. God sees such sacrifice of faith, and is pleased to answer such persistent shameless demanding prayer of faith that saves, and never lets go of God's willingness to answer always at all times even when it is delayed, so that the Glory of His love for them can be testified before the whole universe for eternity! Praise the Lord!
God's delays are not denials, in fact it is His willingness that tests our worthiness to receive His answer (Luke 21:36). God always is willing to answer us, but how many of us are serious enough to claim the promises of God that are ours as God's children, and persist shamelessly to wait until we receive our answers from God (Matt 8:2; 2 Cor 1:21-22, 24)?
For those people who want to be great soul-winners, but do not have a persistent faith to shamelessly ask God to give them the three-loaves to save others of their eternal hunger and save them from sin and death for eternity cannot receive an answer from God (Jam 1:2-8). Their faith without works is useless and dead (Jam 2:26).
But those people who never let go of God's willingness, and are bold enough to dare to say to God, that I will never let you go unless you answer me for the salvation of my friend in need, even at the cost of leaving all to follow Him will receive both socially and materially from Him for the Glory of God later in this life (Mark 10:26-28). Surely they shall receive even up to a hundred fold for their faith now in this time and in the age to come eternal life of treasures in God who will reward them without fail in Glory for their faith practiced on earth (Heb 11:6; Mark 10:29-31). Hallelujah!
A casual believer cannot become a great soul-winner (John 21:18-19; 1 Tim 3:1-7), because he is just a friend of God who is not serious enough to let go of His dignity and self-respect and become shamelessly persistent before God until he answers him with the salvation of one soul at a time or many at a time because of His willingness to save them (2 Pet 3:9).
But every disciple of the Lord Jesus who bears fruit in their lives for the Glory of God by abiding in Jesus Christ and letting His words abide in them (John 15:8, 7), who consistently pay the price of denying themselves and carrying their own cross daily to follow Jesus will always become great soul winners by their shameless persistent faith that will please God and make Him to give them as many bread as he needs to collect more and more treasures in heaven (Luke 9:23-26).
GLORY TO GOD!
Have we become a disciple of Jesus Christ in our lives for the Glory of God? Are we bearing the fruits of God's character in our lives so that we could become a channel of blessing to the unsaved world in need of salvation? Are we praying shamelessly and persistently till we get the answers from God to see people saved from sin and death to receive eternal salvation faith in their lives for the Glory of God? Have we asked the bread of life from God to save others as many as we need or have very limited interest in others to be saved for eternity? Remember, faith without works is dead, may our faith be active and alive enough to save others, heal them and cause them to inherit eternal life for the Glory of God! Every soul saved through your persistent faith is a eternal testimony of treasure in Glory that will stay with you for the rest of eternity. Hallelujah!
Much Blessings....
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