Knock Three Times

Tony Orlando and the Dawn had no idea when they wrote their song “Knock Three Times” in 1970 that it would be nearly as popular and listened to for so many generations to come. However, Jesus used a parable about the same kind of neighbor that continues to change countless lives for eternity. In Luke 11:5-13, Jesus is teaching his disciples some needs we all have, as a Christian. He illustrates these needs with a parable about a man (a neighbor) that would just not give up, our embarrassed host.

^5-6Then he said, "Imagine what would happen if you went to a friend in the middle of the night and said, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread. An old friend traveling through just showed up, and I don't have a thing on hand.' ⁷"The friend answers from his bed, 'Don't bother me. The door's locked; my children are all down for the night; I can't get up to give you anything.'  ⁸"But let me tell you, even if he won't get up because he's a friend, if you stand your ground, knocking and waking all the neighbors, he'll finally get up and get you whatever you need. ⁹"Here's what I'm saying: Ask and you'll get; Seek and you'll find; Knock and the door will open. ( the Message)

As a woman, I am sure we can all relate with our frantic Host in this parable. It never seems to fail that we forget one key ingredient out of the recipe for the dinner party or if you’re anything like me grocery lists are just a guide, I always forget something on my list.  That’s more or less what our Host did in this story. He must have forgotten the extra loaves of bread on his list. At this time in Israel, it was customary that if a traveler were to stop in you must allow them to eat and rest. So, when our Host discovered his mistake he went out to his neighbors and asked for help. 

When I read this parable, I reflect to myself the last time I felt like “I had no bread left”, what did I do? It’s so easy to just not ask when we need help. It’s just so easy to deal with it ourselves especially after knocking the first time and getting no response. We must continue to ask with boldness. See, in verse 9 the Lord tells us to ask, seek, and knock. These of which are like progression steps, the more we step the closer to God you become. If it weren’t for our Host’s persistence he would have never been given any bread. The bible shows so many great illustrations of people taking those steps of progress. Jacob wrestled with the angel until the angel blessed him (Genesis 32:22-29), Elijah prayed seven times before it began to rain (1 Kings 18:41-44), the woman from Canaan kept following Jesus until she received help for her daughter (Matthew 15:28), and Jesus prayed in Gethsemane before he was crucified for you and I (Matthew 26:36-44). We must be persistent in our walks. These are moments that grow our faith to soaring heights. “Many Christians pray that the Lord move a mountain, but you never know, He may just give you the skills to climb over it instead.”

So, the next time you are feeling frantic or in need, remember to “ ASK, SEEK, KNOCK” because “the greatest contrast between God and even humanity’s best neighbors is that God never sleeps, and He is always happy to help people.”

Ashley McDougal
Ashley is the Children's pastor for 3N1 Church in Virginia. Her passion is to see the Church being Christ's Church consistently no matter where they are and of course Children!! For more info on 3N1 you can check out their website at http://3n1church.com.