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This IMMEDIATE REPETITION answers the command by one of the disciples, “Lord, teach us to pray.” The second part of His response (verses 5 to 8) is the parable about the friend needing three loaves. The third part (verses 9 to 13) is the easily remembered sequence about: ask, seek, knock … receive, find, open; for the Lord has good things for you.
1) The most famous portion of the Lord′s prayer is in the A element where the SUBSTRUCTURE SUMMARY gives reverence to the Father at the beginning. The REPETITION of an IMPERATIVE verb followed by the word us appears in the a, b and c elements..
2) The A′ element is an AMPLIFICATION of A. The SUBSTRUCTURE SUMMARY, verse 8B, lets us see that persistence is very important to prayer. It can be that there is a door which shuts the solution to our problem (verse 7B). But the persistence is what brings a resolution to the imperative response.
3) The ask, seek, knock sequence in the B element is also IMPERATIVE verbs related to the topic of prayer.
4) The two C elements and the CLOSING SUMMARY ask a QUESTION stating, in essence, ″Would you treat your own children in a poor manner?″ No. Then see how the Lord gives the Holy Spirit. Show More Rhetoric Show Less Rhetoric
IMMEDIATE REPETITION:
... how to effectively pray ...
a change of time
BEGINNING MARKER: It happened that (v1A)
teach us to pray
PRELIMINARY: while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” (v1B)
say this as you pray
A
And He said to them, “When you pray, say: (v2A)
SUBSTRUCTURE SUMMARY: You are holy, Lord
sum
‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. (v2B)
IMPERATIVE: give your bread
a
‘Give us each day our daily bread. (v3)
IMPERATIVE: forgive our sins
b
‘And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. (v4A)
IMPERATIVE: direct us away from temptation
c
And lead us not into temptation.’” (v4B)
a parable about prayer
A′
Then He said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, (v5A)
a personal address
sub-unit marker: ‘Friend, (v5B)
IMPERATIVE: the man has nothing for his friend to eat
a
lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; (v5C,6)
don′t bother me
b
and from inside he answers and says, ‘Do not bother me; (v7A)
the reason for the refusal
x
the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; (v7B)
I can′t give you anything
b′
I cannot get up and give you anything.’ (v7C)
the man offers nothing for his friend to eat
a′
“I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, (v8A)
SUBSTRUCTURE SUMMARY: his persistence caused plenty of food
sum
yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs. (v8B)
... ask, seek, knock … receive, find, open … the good things ...
IMPERATIVE: ask, seek, knock, will be opened
B
“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. (v9)
asks, seeks, knocks, will be opened
B′
“For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. (v10)
QUESTION: fish and no snake
C
“Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? (v11)
QUESTION: egg and no scorpion
C′
“Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? (v12)
CLOSING SUMMARY: the Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who pray for Him
SUM
“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?” (v13)