Chapter

Luke 11:13

ESV If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
NIV If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
NASB So if you, despite being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?'
CSB If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"
NLT So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.'
KJV If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
NKJV If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

What does Luke 11:13 mean?

This is the climax of Jesus' teaching on prayer. Jesus has promised that those who ask, seek, and knock will find their requests fulfilled. He then says that if a child asks for a good thing, his father will not give him something harmful (Luke 11:11–12). But Jesus doesn't say if there are any limitations on God's grace until now. God is not necessarily going to give us healing or riches or even bread (Luke 11:6). He will give us something far greater: the Holy Spirit.

Jesus' teaching on prayer is in the service of His followers' mission to spread the news that the kingdom of God has come (Luke 10:1–11). To aid in this mission, He promised the disciples He would send the Holy Spirit to "convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment" (John 16:8). Ten days after He ascended into heaven, He did just that. The larger group of Jesus-followers were together when the Holy Spirit came upon them all (Acts 2:1–4). From that day until they died, the disciples dedicated their lives to spreading the news of God's kingdom offer of salvation. Although they faced many hardships, the disciples always received what they needed to serve God.

"How much more" is common in Jewish teaching as part of a "smaller-to-larger" argument. If a friend will fill a need for a neighbor, surely a father will for a son. And if a father will fill a need for a son, surely God will for His children.

This ends the first section of what some call "The Travelogue to Jerusalem," which begins in Luke 9:51. In the travelogue, Jesus prepares His disciples for His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension and trains them to build the church. This first section focuses on how the disciples can further the kingdom of God. The next reveals how the scribes and Pharisees reject Jesus (Luke 11:14–54).
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