By George Huang
Initially given as a sermon at Chinatown Church of Christ
Scripture: Luke 11:5-10
In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus taught us to stop and help those in need. In the Parable of the Friend at Midnight, He takes the lesson one step further and asks whether we are willing to sacrifice, humble ourselves, and pay the price to help another traveler on life’s journey. This sermon explores the meaning of the bread, the midnight request, and the reluctant friend, reminding us that serving others requires spiritual preparation, sacrificial love, and a willingness to put God’s kingdom above our own comfort and pride.
Powerpoint presentations – in English and Chinese
The following are texts from the 2 Powerpoints. They are meant for the search engines to read.
English version:
The Friend at Midnight
Scripture: Luke 11:5-10
Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’
And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’
I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.
“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; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
The Friend at Midnight
Last time, in the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus asked whether we would stop and help a traveler in need.
The Good Samaritan was willing and able to help the stranger. He did it fully knowing the risk involved.
This time, Jesus asks a harder question: What if helping that traveler requires sacrifice, humility, and persistence?
A man wanted bread for his visiting friend, so he went to another friend to borrow some at midnight.
Bread was the staple food in those days. Every home normally kept bread. Yet this man had none to give.
If the host were hungry, he could wait till the next day to get some bread. But this is for a friend, and he could not wait.
The host really cares about his friend. He could have told his friend to wait until morning, but he decided to meet his friend’s needs right then.
Who is on that journey? All of us. We are all on a journey of faith to Heaven. This Earth is not our permanent home nor our final destination.
So this is a story of a Christian trying to help another Christian on his journey to Heaven. It is a noble cause.
“Bread” symbolizes truth, life, wisdom, and God’s provision. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35).
Sometimes Christians find themselves unable to help because they are spiritually empty themselves.
In this parable, this kind host had no bread himself. He could not provide what he did not have.
Many Christians may find that they cannot support other Christians because they are lacking themselves.
Bread was an essential food in ancient times because it could last a few days and could be eaten at any time without preparation.
But bread was also not something that could be made so easily. You either buy it or make quite a few at a time.
So every house must keep some bread at home, unless one is really poor.
Similarly, our spiritual health takes time to build. It is not something that can happen quickly.
Therefore, we need to follow God closely at all times, so that we have enough spiritual food to share with others when needed.
How can we keep “bread” in the house?
Pray & listen to His voice
Study the word
Live out what we learn
Christianity is a team sport. We all need to support each other. We are stronger together.
The traveler could not finish the journey alone.
Neither can we.
Midnight, the darkest hour, also symbolized a difficult time or a crisis. We should be ready to help others at midnight.
So the host swallowed his pride and tried to borrow some bread from another friend in the dead of night.
First lesson: we should always stay ready and have bread to help others. Our Christian life should be plentiful.
We should be ready not just for ourselves, but to support others as well.
Second, we should help provide for others, even if we sometimes have to ask others for help.
Serving God and others requires sacrifice, and sometimes that means setting aside our pride.
Sometimes we have to do what’s difficult to further God’s kingdom on earth. It’s a sacrifice worth making.
Sometimes the hardest sacrifice is not our money. Sometimes it is our pride.
Would you lay down your pride sometimes when you serve the Lord and others?
If you see a disabled person in a wheelchair struggling to cross the street, will you help push him across?
If you see a hungry person begging for food, would you talk to him and make him feel valued?
If someone who used to be mean to you asks for your help, would you forgive him and help him?
Unlike worldly leaders who demand respect, Christian leaders are servants who are willing to give up everything for God and others.
Christians often need to be humble and endure ridicule to serve God and people.
We can do it because we know we are really serving the Lord, not just other people.
And sometimes, the most difficult thing to give up is our dignity and pride.
“You can’t eat pride for dinner” – I learned that when I was unemployed for a brief time.
“Men will work for food but die for respect.” This is sad and stupid if you think about it carefully.
We should not die for respect, but be willing to sacrifice for a cause far greater than ourselves.
What greater example do we have than Jesus Himself? Before His crucifixion, He had to endure public humiliation and a brutal beating.
Then He endured the most humiliating death – a long and painful death on the cross.
Jesus made the sacrifice for us because he loves us. To achieve that, he put aside his pride and dignity.
God cares about our true motives above all else. God wants us to be based on genuine love, not pride.
Also, if we do something out of pride, it will not last. We will get tired very quickly when we don’t see others’ praise.
Only by basing our actions on love and focusing on eternity can we find the right motivation and energy to serve others.
Otherwise, when we don’t get the recognition or reward we want, we will get angry and quit.
We need to evaluate our motivations constantly. If we don’t have the right motivations, our good works won’t last, nor will they be pleasing to God.
This is a very common problem among Christians. Some ministries become sources of pride and profit instead of work of love.
He will reveal all on Judgment Day if not earlier. We are judged based on our intentions.
Now let’s turn to the friend who has bread. His reaction is a major lesson for us today.
The bread owner is understandably frustrated – the host and requester came at an inconvenient time for what may seem to be a very trivial thing.
He was already in bed with his children. The requester should know not to bother people at that hour.
The bread owner is not obligated to give the bread, but he eventually does so to get rid of the friend.
It is a symbol of reluctance to help – this is NOT God’s character.
。
This friend with bread represents us, NOT God.
God is telling us not to be the reluctant friend. Such reluctance is not Christ-like and does not please God.
Finally, there are some details of interest.
v.7 The bread owner answers the requester so his statement “I can’t get up and give you anything” is truly an excuse. He is already awake.
The Bible used the word “children” in 1 John to refer to a church. Could this friend represent a reluctant church in the end times?
At the end times (i.e., today), does the Church seem reluctant to help others? Only care about itself? YES!
“My children and I are in bed” – the Church and Christians are very comfortable and not working to help others.
In recent decades, we have seen more and more Christians focus on worldly wealth instead of heavenly pursuits.
Serving and sacrificing for others is no longer the focus. Instead, we focus on our own worldly gains.
We will also benefit from serving God and others, but that must not be our primary motivation.
Our primary motivation must be SACRIFICIAL LOVE. That is the mettle God wants us to have and grow in our hearts.
Worldly wealth comes from and belongs to God. He gave us wealth to serve others and to test us.
Luke 16:10 –
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much,
and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.
and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”
Jesus, on the other hand, told us to stand up for God, other people, and the correct principles.
We need to fight for righteousness. Jesus challenged the evil religious leaders of His time, and that helped get Him killed.
We need to stand up to fight evil even if it seems to hurt us.
“All it takes for evil to triumph is for the good to do nothing.”
— Edmund Burke
This parable serves to warn us:
Are we selfish and reluctant to help others?
Jesus’s final statements also seem to tell us something more.
“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; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
But in short, it’s saying that God will give us the resources to help others if we ask Him to provide.
This verse is really deep. We will discuss it in a separate sermon.
So this parable teaches us the following truths:
- Keep close to God and have spiritual provisions for both ourselves and others in need. Don’t be caught without the bread.
- Be willing to give up our pride to help others or advance God’s kingdom. Don’t let pride keep us from doing the right things.
- Be willing to support others in their spiritual journey. That will take us out of our comfort zone and require some sacrifice.
- Serving others requires willingness, humility, and sacrifice. It is based on sacrificial love. Jesus was the best example.
Also, this is good to remember even though it’s not explicitly stated in this parable:
When you sacrifice for others, you will ultimately benefit from it because we serve a just God.
So the question for today is: When another traveler needs bread, will you do what it takes to get it for him?
Jesus used two parables to teach us about loving and serving others:
“Good Samaritan” –
Are you willing to stop even when it’s risky and inconvenient?
“Friend at Midnight” – Are you willing to give up your pride and make a sacrifice to help another traveler in need?
God is already at work in our lives. When another traveler needs bread, will you do what it takes to get it for them?
Also, we need to keep “bread” for ourselves and help others:
Pray & listen to His voice
Study the word
Live out what we learn
May these lessons serve you well in our journey to eternity. May God bless you all.
The following slides are not used in the sermon but could be useful in an in-depth Bible study.
He must be poor – he doesn’t even have a single bread at home?
Was the host so poor that he didn’t have food for a friend, or did he just happen to run out of bread at a bad time?
Some Christians have wondered whether the three loaves could remind us of Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).
While the text does not explicitly say this, it is an interesting devotional reflection.
Chinese version:
午夜的朋友
經文: 路加福音11:5-10
耶穌又說：「你們中間誰有一個朋友半夜到他那裡去，說：『朋友，請借給我三個餅， 因為我有一個朋友行路，來到我這裡，我沒有什麼給他擺上。』 那人在裡面回答說：『不要攪擾我，門已經關閉，孩子們也同我在床上了，我不能起來給你。』 我告訴你們：雖不因他是朋友起來給他，但因他情詞迫切地直求，就必起來照他所需用的給他。 我又告訴你們：你們祈求，就給你們；尋找，就尋見；叩門，就給你們開門。 因為凡祈求的，就得著；尋找的，就尋見；叩門的，就給他開門。
『朋友，請借給我三個餅，因為我有一個朋友行路，來到我這裡，我沒有什麼給他擺上。』
那人在裡面回答說：『不要攪擾我，門已經關閉，孩子們也同我在床上了，我不能起來給你。』
我告訴你們：雖不因他是朋友起來給他，但因他情詞迫切地直求，就必起來照他所需用的給他。
我又告訴你們：你們祈求，就給你們 ; 尋找，就尋見 ; 叩門，就給你們開門。 因為凡祈求的，就得著；尋找的，就尋見；叩門的，就給他開門。
午夜的朋友
上一次，在《好撒瑪利亞人》的比喻里，耶穌問我們是否願意停下腳步，幫助一位有需要的旅人。
好撒瑪利亞人既願意也有能力幫助那陌生人，並且明知其中有風險。
這一次，耶穌提出一個更難的問題：
如果幫助那位旅人需要犧牲、謙卑和堅持，你還願意嗎？
一個人想要給他的來訪的朋友一點麵包，所以他在午夜時去另一個朋友家中要借一點麵包。
麵包是當時的主食。每個家庭通常都會儲備一些麵包，但這個人卻沒有麵包可以給人。
如果是他自己肚子餓，他大可以等到隔天再去找麵包。但這次是為了朋友，他不能等。
這位主人真的很關心他的朋友。他本來可以叫朋友等到天亮，卻選擇立刻滿足他的需要。
那位旅人是誰呢？其實是我們每一人。我們都正在走一條往天堂的信心之路。這世界不是我們永久的家, 也不是最終的目的地。
所以，這是一個基督徒幫助另一位基督徒走向天堂的故事。這是一件高尚且有價值的事。
「麵包」象徵真理、生命、智慧，以及神的供應。耶穌曾說：「我就是生命的糧。」(約翰福音 6:35)
有時候，基督徒無法幫助別人，是因為自己在屬靈上已經枯竭了。
在這個比喻裡，這位善良的主人自己也沒有麵包。他無法給出自己所沒有的東西。
許多基督徒也是如此。他們無法支持別人，因為自己本身就有所缺乏。
麵包是古代必不可少的食物，因為它們可以保存幾天，並且可以隨時食用而無需準備。
但麵包也不是那麼容易做出來的。一定是一次購買或自己一次作不少個。
所以每家都必須在家裡存備一些麵包，除非他們真的很窮。
同樣地，健康的屬靈生命需要長時間培養。它無法在一夜之間形成。
因此，我們必須常常親近神，好讓我們在別人需要時有屬靈的糧食可以供應他們。
如何常備屬靈的糧食？
- 禱告, 並聆聽神的聲音
- 讀經, 認識神的真理
- 順服神, 把真理活出來
基督信仰不是單打獨鬥的。我們需要彼此扶持、彼此幫助。我們團結起來會更強大。
那位旅人無法獨自完成旅程。我們也是如此。
午夜是最黑暗的時刻，也象徵人生的困境與危機。我們應當隨時預備好，在別人的「午夜時分」伸出援手。
於是這個人忍住了自尊
，在深夜試圖向另一個朋友借一些麵包。
第一個教訓：我們要常常預備好屬靈的糧食來幫助別人。我們的基督徒生命應當豐盛充足。
我們不僅要為自己預備好，也要預備好去扶持和幫助別人。
第二，我們應該為他人提供幫助，即使有時我們不得不請求他人來幫助我們。
為神和他人服務需要犧牲，有時我們得放下我們的驕傲。
有時我們必須做一些困難的事，以幫忙建立神在地上的國度。這是值得做出的犧牲。
有時候，最難付出的代價不是金錢。而是我們的驕傲。
你有時會放下你的驕傲去事奉主和他人？
如果你看到一位坐輪椅的殘障人士正努力過馬路，你願意上前幫他推過街嗎？
如果你看到一位飢餓的人在街頭乞討，你願意與他交談，讓他感受到自己的價值嗎？
如果一個曾經傷害你的人向你求助，你願意饒恕他並伸出援手嗎？
世上的領袖要求人們尊重及服從，但基督徒的帶領人是可以為神和他人放棄一切的僕人。
基督徒時常需要謙卑和忍受嘲笑才能服事神和他人。
我們可以做得到，因為我們知道我們是在服侍主，而不僅僅是其他人。
但有時，最難放棄的是我們的尊嚴和驕傲。
「驕傲不能當飯吃」— 這是我短暫失業時學到的一點。
「男人會為食物工作，
但會為尊嚴而死。」 如果你仔細想想，這是可悲和愚蠢的。
我們不應該為尊嚴而死，而是該願意為比我們自己更偉大的事業做出必須的犧牲。
我們有什麼比耶穌自己更大的榜樣？在被釘十字架之前，祂忍受了當眾的屈辱和毒打。
然後祂忍受了最羞辱的死亡 – 在十字架上漫長而痛苦的死亡。
耶穌為我們作出犧牲，因為祂愛我們。為了成就救恩，祂甘願放下自己的尊嚴與榮耀。
神最看重的是我們真正的動機。祂希望我們的行動是出於真誠的愛，而不是出於驕傲。
此外，如果我們做某事是出於驕傲，我們也不會持久的作下去。我們看不到別人的稱讚時就很快就會感到疲倦。
只有把我們的行動建立在愛的基礎上，專注於永生，我們才能有正確的動力和能量去服務他人。
否則，當我們沒有得到我們想要的認可或獎勵時，我們就會生氣或氣餒而退出。
我們需要不斷檢視自己的動機。若動機不正確，我們的善行不但無法持久，也不能討神喜悅。
這是基督徒中很常見的問題。有些事工漸漸成了驕傲和利益的來源，而不再是出於愛心的服事。
祂將在審判日或是更早時透露所有內容。我們是根據我們的意圖來被審判的。
現在讓我們來看看那位擁有麵包的朋友。他的反應也是今天這個比喻給我們的一個大的教訓。
麵包主人的不願意是可以理解的。這請求者為了一件似乎很微不足道的事情在很不方便的時間來煩他。
他已經和孩子們在床上了。他的朋友應該知道不要在那個時候打擾別人。
這麵包的主人沒有義務給那朋友麵包，但他為了擺脫那煩他的朋友最終還是給他了。
這是一個不願提供幫助的象徵。這不是神的性格。
這位擁有麵包的朋友所代表的不是神，而是我們。
神藉著這個比喻告訴我們：不要成為那位不情願幫助人的朋友。這種不願付出的態度不像基督，也不討神喜悅。
最後，還有一些有義意的細節。
v.7 麵包的主人回答了請求者，所以他的陳述「我不能起來給你任何東西」確實是一個藉口。因為他已醒了也大概離開了床。
聖經在約翰一書中談到教會時使用了「孩子」這詞。這個朋友能代表末世不情願幫助他人的教會嗎？
在末世 (即今日)，教會似乎不願意幫助他人嗎？ 只關心自己？ 真的是這樣的！
「我和我的孩子都在床上」— 教會和基督徒都很舒服，不願意犧牲自己來幫助別人。
近幾十年來，我們看到越來越多的基督徒專注於世俗財富，而不是追求屬靈的事物。
為他人服務和奉獻已不再是關注點。相反的，我們更關注自身的世俗利益。
當我們為神和他人服務時，我們自己也會受益，但這不應該是我們的主要動機。
我們根本的動機及動力必須是「犧牲的愛」。這是神希望我們心中擁有並不斷增長的性格。
世俗的財富來自神也屬於神。祂賜給我們財富是為了讓我們服務別人及考驗我們的忠誠。
路加福音 16:10 – 人在最小的事上忠心，在大事上也忠心；在最小的事上不義，在大事上也不義。
另一方面，耶穌告訴我們要為神、他人和對的原則挺身而出。
我們需要為正義而戰。耶穌挑戰了祂那個時代的邪惡宗教領袖，這也一部份的導致祂被他們殺害。
即使邪惡似乎會傷害了我們，我們也需要站起來抵抗邪惡。
「邪惡之所以得勝，只因好人袖手旁觀。」 — 埃德蒙·伯克
這個比喻警告了我們:
我們是否自私，不願意幫助別人？
最後的一句話也教導了我們更多的東西。
你們祈求, 就給你們; 尋找, 就尋見;叩門, 就給你們開門。因為凡祈求的, 就得著; 尋找的, 就尋見; 叩門的, 就給他開門。
簡單地說，這段經文告訴我們：如果我們向神祈求，祂會供應我們所需的資源去幫助他人。
這段經文蘊含著很深的真理。我們會在未來的一篇講道中再詳細探討。
所以，這個比喻教導我們以下的真理：
- 與神保持親近，預備屬靈的糧食供應自己和有需要的人。不要等到需要時才發現自己沒有餅。
- 要願意放下自己的驕傲來幫助他人或推廣神的國度。不要讓驕傲攔阻我們去做正確的事。
- 要願意支持別人的屬靈旅程。這往往會帶我們離開舒適圈，並需要付出一些代價。
- 服事神和他人需要意願、謙卑和犧牲。這一切都建立在捨己的愛之上。耶穌就是最好的榜樣。
另外，雖然這一點並沒有在比喻中直接說明，但也值得記住：
當我們為他人付出和犧牲時，最終我們也會因此得益處，因為我們所服事的神是一位公義的神。
所以，今天的問題是：當另一位旅人需要餅時，你願意付上代價為他取得嗎？
耶穌用兩個比喻教導我們如何去愛與服事他人:
《好撒瑪利亞人》 – 你願意停下腳步幫助別人，即使那樣做有風險，也會帶來不便嗎？
《午夜的朋友》 – 你願意放下驕傲及付上犧牲去幫助另一位旅人嗎？
神已經在我們生命中動工了。你該問的問題是:當另一位旅人需要餅時,你願意付上代價為他取得嗎？
還要常備「屬靈的餅」以供己用及幫助他人:
- 禱告並聆聽神
- 研讀神的話語
- 活出所學的真理
願這些課程幫助你在通往永恆的旅程中成長。
願神保佑各位。
以下內容未在本次講道中使用，但可作為進一步查考聖經的參考。
他一定很窮。家裡連一塊麵包都沒有嗎？
是他因為窮所以他沒有食物給需要食物的來訪朋友，或者他只是碰巧剛好吃完了麵包?
有些基督徒認為，這三個餅或許讓人聯想到基督。耶穌曾說：「我就是道路、真理、生命。」（約翰福音 14:6）
雖然經文沒有明確指出三個餅有這層含義，但這是一個值得思考的屬靈聯想。
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