Luke 11:1-13 "He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished..."

 He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name.
  Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
   for we ourselves forgive
     everyone indebted to us.
  And do not bring us to the time of trial.”
And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
“So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”—Luke 11:1-13
 

Question:

 I just had a discussion with someone about this scripture reading. How do I explain this passage metaphysically?

Comment:

The heart of this passage is Luke’s version of teachings—including the prayer—with which we are more familiar in Matthew’s Gospel, where they are part of the Sermon on the Mount. The little parable is unique to Luke, and since Luke was not with Jesus during his ministry, it’s tempting to wonder if something got lost in the transition from oral history (in Aramaic) to written story (in Greek). It seems to lack the unexpected twist Jesus loved to slip into his apparently innocent parables. The point is clear enough, though: Even in a relationship as loving as that between us and our divine Source, some persistence may be required to accomplish our goals. The response we seek may not be immediate—just as even a well-intentioned and loving friend may not leap to do our bidding if we come upon him unexpectedly in the middle of the night. The comparison doesn’t entirely hold—God is sleeping?—but it’s all made clearer in the more familiar passage that follows. “Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.” Accomplishing our spiritual work involves a process that may seem challenging. We can’t simply express a wish and wait for its fulfillment. But just as parents see to the needs of their children, so God sees to ours. We can be sure of a positive outcome so long as we are persistent in our focus and intention.   Blessings!

Rev. Ed