Today's reading includes two episodes joined by the evangelist into one account. It begins with the disciples' question about prayer, in response to which Jesus offers them, and through them all of us, the "Our Father" (vv. 1-4). Luke, as one can see, focuses chiefly on the importance of asking, and of asking persistently, as a necessary condition for receiving what is asked (vv. 5-13). It would seem that God is not a human being who needs, like a forgetful or unfriendly steward, to be reminded again and again of what is requested. On the other hand, persistence in this case turns out above all to be evidence that a person remembers his request and that it is truly important to him. Indeed, is it worth granting a request that the one who asks forgets the very next day? One can ask this way only for trifles; important requests are those that a person who truly cares about them is ready to repeat again and again, confirming the seriousness of his intentions.

The same seriousness is at issue in the second part of today's passage. The point is not only that the very idea of casting out demons by the power of their ruler was absurd (vv. 17-18, 21-22). The point is also that for those arguing, everything Jesus did was a kind of game, something remotely resembling their own disputes, which were undoubtedly fascinating but, in essence, demanded no commitment. This explains the demand for a sign that would prove Jesus right (vv. 14-16).

The proof had to be theologically correct; it had to correspond to the "right" ideas of the "right" rabbinic school in order to be accepted. And until such proof was presented, anything would do as an explanation of what was happening, including absurd claims about the "prince of demons." But Jesus Himself was not going to play these games, because for Him everything He did was absolutely serious. And He tries to explain to His listeners the full seriousness of what is happening (vv. 24-26). The games are over; what is at stake is a person's spiritual life and spiritual death.

But professional disputants, as one can see, have no concern for that. What matters to them is whether Jesus will manage to outargue them or not. And in their disputes they lose the Kingdom without noticing it. For the Kingdom is not a game; it is serious. And forever.

Why, if God loves us so much and so wants to show us His love, must we ask Him, knock, and seek? He Himself commands us to ask, and He also says that He already knows what we need; for greater persuasion He even gives parables.

The answer to this strange feature of God's character is hidden in this short verse. God does not give merely bread, or money, or spiritual benefits. He gives the Holy Spirit. And this encounter with the Spirit can only be voluntary. The Spirit is given only to those who want this with all their heart, and such a desire cannot help being expressed in prayer.

The relevance and urgency of the story told by the prophet are hard to dispute. We ask ourselves the question "how can this be?" far too often, because life gives us countless opportunities for it. The world looks unjust; it lives by laws that seem not to require faith in God, humility before Him, or trust in His will. The question "what is all this for, if in any case the one who does not submit himself to God's laws is better off?" is sometimes very hard to answer even for oneself, and it is practically impossible to say anything to someone who, on the basis of that question, presents God with a bill.

And nevertheless, this is the simplest way to see the difference between the human and the divine, to see the difference in height between the human person and God. Yes, the one who does not bind himself by love for God may be better situated. But all the same one must make a choice: whether this security is worth life with God. We have the right to refuse every day, but do we need such a life? We want visible signs of God's presence in life, yet for some reason we try to measure grace in monetary terms, in career terms, in outward terms. To this He answers us that acquisition is fitting only in relation to the Kingdom of God (Matt. 6:33), which has no price.