Luke 11:12

Commentary on Luke 11:12 (KJV)

Luke 11:12 is a powerful rhetorical question posed by Jesus, designed to illustrate the benevolent nature of God the Father, particularly in the context of prayer. This verse, "Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?" forms part of a larger discourse on prayer that Jesus delivers to his disciples.

Context

This verse is situated within Jesus' teaching on prayer, immediately following the model prayer he gave his disciples (often called the Lord's Prayer) and the parable of the persistent friend (Luke 11:5-8). In that parable, Jesus encourages perseverance in prayer by showing how even a reluctant human friend will yield to persistent knocking. Here, Jesus shifts from human reluctance to divine willingness, contrasting imperfect human fathers with the perfect Heavenly Father. The verses leading up to 11:12 (Luke 11:9-13) introduce the "ask, seek, knock" principle, promising that those who ask will receive, those who seek will find, and to those who knock, the door will be opened. This specific verse parallels a similar teaching found in Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 7:9-11), where the examples are a fish instead of a serpent, and a stone instead of bread.

Key Themes

• God's Benevolence and Goodness: The primary message is that God is a loving and good Father who delights in giving good gifts to His children. Unlike an earthly parent who might be limited or imperfect, God's nature is inherently good and trustworthy.
• Divine Generosity: Jesus emphasizes that God is not stingy or malicious. He would never trick or harm His children by giving them something harmful when they ask for something beneficial.
• Assurance in Prayer: Believers can approach God with confidence and boldness, knowing that their Heavenly Father desires to bless them and provide for their true needs. There is no need to fear that God will respond with something hurtful or useless.
• Trust in God's Character: The verse invites us to deepen our trust in God's perfect fatherly care. If imperfect human fathers know how to give good gifts, how much more will the perfect Heavenly Father!

Linguistic Insights

The contrast between an "egg" (Greek: ōon) and a "scorpion" (Greek: skorpios) is visually striking and culturally relevant. Scorpions in the ancient Near East often curled up, especially when dead, into a shape that could vaguely resemble an egg, making the comparison particularly poignant. The thought of a parent giving a venomous creature instead of nourishing food highlights the extreme absurdity of such an act, further emphasizing God's utterly good and pure intentions towards His children.

Practical Application

Luke 11:12 encourages believers to pray with unwavering faith, knowing that God's responses are always for our ultimate good. It reminds us:

1. To Pray with Confidence: We can come before God freely, without fear that He will deny us good things or give us something harmful.
2. To Trust God's Wisdom: Even when God's answer to our prayers isn't exactly what we expected, this verse assures us that His provision is always good and perfectly suited for us. He knows what we truly need, and His answers are always benevolent.
3. To Seek the Best Gift: The passage concludes with Jesus emphasizing that the ultimate good gift God gives is the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. This suggests that while God provides for our physical needs, His greatest desire is to give us spiritual nourishment and His very presence.