Thanks Scott and Klyne. As a kid I always heard the “God will finally answer if we keep pounding on the door,” interpretation of the parable. I never really considered the contradiction to God’s nature, it was just another Bible story. As an adult, though, I have wondered… This lens of intrepretation removes the cognitive dissonance and enriches the teaching that follows. It also heightens one’s appreciation for Jesus’ sharpness, wit and creative teaching methods.

I preached this text yesterday, and I am indebted to Klyne for pointing me in the right direction for interpretation. As he is fond of saying, “texts create a world,” and a better one at that!

I have found that He has already been awake all night, eager for my prayer, steady with his grace, and extravagant with His love. Such is the God who calls us friend. I weep at the thought, especially with the incessant buzzing of a world that seeks to destroy such beauty at every turn. He could simply swat us like bugs. I cannot — I dare not — imagine a world without our God.

August 2nd, 2010 1:07 pm ET
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I am only a Central Louisiana resident. No expert on any subject. I have not even been into the southern Gulf areas since the oil leak. I feel that this is what is referred to in the bible as God, turning the waters of the earth into blood. I am no religon expert, not even someone who goes around yelling to people to repent. But there are so many areas being affected, and now there is another oil leak in a lake in the northern US area. It is killing fish, and water life, plants, etc. If everyone will go into their bible and read what is to come, the things are stacking up. The fires in Russia, the continued move that Iran is making on the rest of us. The temprature rising all over the planet. Heat waves killing people, Wars in areas and rumors of wars. People, it is like buying health insurance before you get sick. Pray for us all, each other, and our earth and we are just purchasing insurance for our eternity.
Please yall, start to pray, daily, hourly if you can remember to. It can only help. The non believers can pray, just to cover all bases. What can it hurt? And those of us who believe, we know the good that can come from it. The ladies from Garabandal, Spain, Medjughore, etc are bringing messages that tell us over and over to get right. To pray, to behave. Why not make an experiment out of it. Let’s all just try to pray for each other and our government officials and see what happens

Ken Bailey suggests that in such a village people would have lived very close together. Neighbors would have overheard the commotion and dialog. The man fulfills the request to avoid shame in a culture that expected hospitality. Don’t know that it adds that much to the story but he is making the same point.

Lutsk, Ukraine
Like many, I grew up with the traditional teaching that the story was about persistent prayer. You weren’t really praying unless it was fervent and enduring. God played the sleeper (God couldn’t *really* be so unkind) in order to train us to pray. Like MWK #5, Ken Bailey exposed the error of the traditional view, and K Snodgrass exposes it even more. Oh the grace of “how much more…”