What does Luke 11:5 mean?

In Luke 11:1–13, Jesus talks to His disciples about prayer. Here, He presents a question in the form of a parable. The gist is, "If you were desperate, wouldn't you seek help from a friend, even if it would annoy him? If an annoyed friend will provide help, why think God the Father wouldn't?"

The setting is highly culturally specific. Cultures of the Middle East have taken the concept of hospitality very seriously for many thousands of years. A man is surprised in the middle of the night by a friend who has been traveling. For some reason, the man has no bread baked. He goes to his neighbor, knowing he will irritate the neighbor, but feeling even more obliged to feed his friend. The neighbor is also torn; the same expectations of hospitality apply to him, but if he rises to give the bread, he may wake his children. And even though the neighbor is only borrowing the bread and will replace it, he may not do so by the time the children need to eat.

The man and his neighbor are caught in the intersection of cultural expectations, pragmatism, and friendship. Yet they have the power to do what is right. God has no such limitations, and far more power, though no such obligation. He answers our needs because He loves us (Luke 11:13).