Parable of the Friend at Night facts for kids
The Parable of the Friend at Night is a story Jesus told. It's found in the New Testament part of the Bible, in the book of Luke (chapter 11, verses 5-8). This story is about a man who needs help late at night. He asks his friend for bread, even though it's very late. His friend eventually helps him because he keeps asking.
What Jesus Taught
Here is the story Jesus told:
Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.'
Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.'
I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
– Luke 11:5-8
In this story, a man has a guest arrive unexpectedly at midnight. He has no food to offer. So, he goes to his friend's house and asks for three loaves of bread. His friend is already in bed with his family and doesn't want to get up. But because the man keeps asking, his friend finally gets up and gives him the bread.
What This Parable Teaches Us
Jesus told this story right after he taught his followers how to pray the Lord's Prayer. The main lesson of this parable is about being persistent when you pray. It teaches us to keep asking, seeking, and knocking when we talk to God.
Jesus explained it this way:
So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
This means that if we keep praying and asking God for things, He will listen and answer us. It's like the friend in the story who finally helps because his neighbor kept asking. Another story with a similar message is the parable of the Unjust Judge.
Art About the Parable
One famous painting that shows this parable is called The Importunate Neighbour. It was painted in 1895 by an artist named William Holman Hunt. This painting is kept at the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia.
See also
In Spanish: Parábola del amigo inoportuno para niños
