Luke 11:11-13

Luke 11:11-13. See on Matthew 7:9-11. The construction is simpler here, and Luke 11:12 is peculiar to Luke, but a repetition of the previous thought

Scorpion. Another hurtful gift.

Your heavenly Father (Luke 11:13), lit, ‘Father from heaven,' implying His coming down to us with His blessings. Opposed to the useless and hurtful things which earthly parents will not give to their children asking for food, is the Holy Spirit. From the conduct of these parents our Lord deduces the certainty that our Heavenly Father will bestow this highest, best gift upon His asking children. As this is equivalent to ‘good things' (Matthew 7:11), we may infer that all that is good for us is in a certain sense included in this one gift; for whatever we receive is only blessed as it is sanctified by the Holy Spirit's influence in us.. This is better than to find here the lesson, that we may expect unconditional answers to prayers for spiritual gifts, only conditional answers to other petitions. It is difficult to discriminate in this way between what is spiritual and what is not; and petitions for the former might also be prompted by selfishness. In all cases we must submit to our Father's wisdom the question of what is good. Else we may totally misunderstand His best gifts, deeming the loaf He gives a stone, the fish a serpent, and the egg a scorpion. Misused as well as misunderstood, His gifts may become what we have deemed them.