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In high school, one of my brother’s friends owned three dogs whose names were logically connected… sort of. They were:

• “A”
• “B”
• “3”

I don’t know about you, but I can appreciate the wit of this. While a certain logic is evident, the third name is unexpected. And it is this surprise which makes it interesting — gives it impact.

I want to return to our exploration of dependence and Jesus teaching the disciples how to pray like Him (Luke 11:1-13). We have already considered His instruction regarding the form the prayer should take (vv. 2-4), and a hypothetical situation assuring them that the Father will always answer prayer like this (vv. 5-10).

This brings us to the final piece of His instruction (vv. 11-13) — another hypothetical situation. For the most part, this illustration is pretty clear — If we, as earthly fathers know how to give good, not harmful, gifts to our children, then, clearly, we can expect our heavenly Father to excel in giving us good gifts.

But, like the dog named “3”, there is something unexpected in Jesus’ application, because He doesn’t make the general promise that the Father will give us “good gifts.” He promises a specific gift – the Holy Spirit, to those who ask. At first, this seems rather random, but I believe that Jesus is using this twist to make a point to the disciples. 

To grasp Jesus’ point, we must remember where this episode falls in the overall Story. It precedes Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit began to dwell in all believers. Today, we don’t have to ask for the Holy Spirit, He already dwells in those of us who have believed in Jesus as the Christ. But in Luke 11, that is not the case. At that time, only select individuals had the benefit of the Holy Spirit.

Since Luke is the one telling this story, let’s see who else in his Gospel has the Spirit, and consider His impact in their lives.

The first mention of someone having the Holy Spirit is found in the announcement of the impending conception of John the Baptist to his father, Zacharias:

“For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”     – Luke 1:15-17

Before he is even born, we find out that John would turn out to be a special man. He would be great in the sight of God. There would not even be a hint that his conduct was influenced by wine or liquor, but He would be filled with the Spirit from before his birth. Through this influence, he would turn Israel back to the Lord.

Of course, that’s exactly what happened (Luke 3:1-22). Israel, the only people on earth who had a relationship with God, had turned away from Him. As a man, John hammered on their need to turn back to Him (to repent). The Holy Spirit enabled him to receive this message from God and proclaim it to Israel.

Next, we see the Spirit’s impact on Mary.

The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.     – Luke 1:35

Clearly, Mary is unique. Through the Holy Spirit, she became pregnant with Jesus. I mention this occurrence simply because Luke does.

After she had conceived, she went to visit Elizabeth, her cousin and the mother of John the Baptist. Listen to Luke’s description of her arrival:

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”      – Luke 1:41-45

The clear implication is that Elizabeth’s words were the result of the Holy Spirit filling her. Through Him, she understood Mary’s role and her responsiveness to God.

A short time late, her husband, Zacharias, is filled with the Holy Spirit. Originally, he had doubted Gabriel, the angel’s, promise that he would have a son who would fulfill a very special role, and had been rendered mute. Now, that promise is fulfilled with the birth of John:

Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her. 

And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, after his father. But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but he shall be called John.” 

And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.” And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “His name is John.” And they were all astonished. 

And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God. Fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea. All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him.

And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, 

For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us 

In the house of David His servant — As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old — Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES, 

And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US; To show mercy toward our fathers, 

And to remember His holy covenant, The oath which He swore to Abraham our father, To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, 

Might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; 

For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS; To give to His people the knowledge of salvation 

By the forgiveness of their sins, Because of the tender mercy of our God, 

With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH, 

To guide our feet into the way of peace.”     – Luke 1:57-79

What is implicit in the previous examples is explicit here. Zacharias “was filled with the Spirit and prophesied…” Zacharias’ words were a direct result of the filling of the Holy Spirit. Of course, it’s not just the words that are important, it is the message behind them. Through the filling of the Holy Spirit, he makes known both the pending arrival of Jesus, and John’s role as His prophet.

A few months later, Mary gives birth to Jesus. Eight days afterward, we meet another character – a man named Simeon:

And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation, Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And the glory of Your people Israel.” 

And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed — and a sword will pierce even your own soul — to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”     – Luke 2:25-35 

The Spirit’s influence is even more explicit here. He revealed to Simeon that he would live to see the Christ, He directed Simeon to the Temple in fulfillment of that promise, and then Simeon prophesied of Jesus’ (the Christ’s) impact.

So, what impact did the Spirit have on the all these people?

Well, with the exception of Mary, all them received spiritual insight, understanding, and guidance through the Holy Spirit’s presence.

You may have also noticed they were all, in some way, connected with the birth of Jesus.

Does that mean the Spirit’s activity was only associated with the birth of Jesus?

No. But, going forward, there is a significant shift:

Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”     – Luke 3:21-22

Not only does the Spirit come upon people like John, Zacharias, Elizabeth, and Simeon, He also comes upon Jesus.

Wait. Jesus is the Son of God. Why does He need the Spirit?

Well, let’s see.

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry.     – Luke 4:1-2

Contrary to what we often expect, Jesus does not seem to have arrived on Earth with all the details of the plan for His life. He needed to be shown what He was supposed to do (e.g., John 5:19-30). In this case, the Spirit led Him around the wilderness, where He was tempted by the devil.

A few verses later, the Spirit is linked to Jesus again:

And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district.     – Luke 4:14

Another surprising description, if we pause to consider it. Even though Jesus is the Son of God, His impact is not attributed to His own power. He operated in the power of the Spirit.

Following this general statement of Jesus’ ministry as He returns to Galilee, the scene shifts to a particular incident which occurred in the Galilean city of Nazareth:

And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.” And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”     – Luke 4:16-21

Jesus selects a passage from Isaiah describing the coming of the Promised One – the Messiah – the Christ. He (the Messiah) will have the Spirit because He has been anointed by God to proclaim the Good News of release (justification) and recovery (transformation).

So, let’s connect the dots:

• Jesus, full of the Spirit, was lead around in the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Luke 4:1).
• Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:14).
• The Promised One will have the Spirit, since He was anointed by God to proclaim the Gospel (Luke 4:18-19).
• Ergo, Jesus fits the description of the Promised One. His claim to be the fulfillment of Isaiah 63 (Luke 4:21) is supported by evidence. He has the Spirit.

So Jesus was empowered with the Spirit so that He could proclaim the Good News of justification and transformation. The filling of the Spirit both enabled Him to proclaim this Good News, and identified Him as the Promised One.

The last passage I want to look at is in Luke 10:

At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”     – Luke 10:21-22

Jesus had sent the 70 out ahead of Him to announce the nearness of the Kingdom (Luke 10:1-12), and they have now reported back to Him. As part of He response, He “rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit.”

Although the Holy Spirit is often portrayed as an “It” — something like an impersonal force — in truth, He is a member of the Trinity, and thus, can be related to in a personal way. In this instance, Jesus is sharing a deep fellowship with the Holy Spirit as they rejoice together about the ministry of the 70.

So, by the time we get to Luke 11, we have seen the Holy Spirit providing spiritual insight, understanding, and guidance. We have seen Him empower both John the Baptist and Jesus in their ministry. And we have seen Jesus fellowshipping with the Spirit in a very personal way.

How does this connect with Jesus teaching on prayer and His promise in Luke 11:13:

“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?”     – Luke 11:13

Let’s recap development in chapter 11:

• The disciples have observed Jesus frequent times of prayer in which He has received direction from the Father. After one of those times, they come to Him, asking Him to teach them to pray. The implication is that they want to be able to get the kind of direction from the Father that He does.
• He begins by giving them the structure for their prayer: Approach God as your Father, and align yourself with His agenda. Ask Him to fulfill all your needs: provision, forgiveness, and guidance.
• He follows with a hypothetical situation assuring them that if they ask the Father, and He’ll give them all these things.
• This is followed by another hypothetical situation. The general point is pretty clear — If we, as earthly fathers know how to give good, not harmful, gifts to our children, then, clearly, we can expect our heavenly Father to excel in giving us good gifts.
• But Jesus’ application takes the unexpected turn. Instead of promising the expected “good gifts,” He promises a specific gift – the Holy Spirit, to those who ask.

So the disciples come to Jesus, asking Him to teach them to pray. They are asking, not how to perform a religious ritual. They are wanting the kind of guidance Jesus receives through prayer.

He obliges them. “Here’s how you pray. And you can be assured that the Father will answer your prayers. But there’s even more available. He will also give you the Spirit. The same Spirit you have observed in my life.”

The disciples wanted direction from God. Jesus offered them that and more — the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit, Who will provide, not only direction, but empowerment and fellowship as well.

Indeed, some of the benefits of the Spirit are spelled out in the very next chapter:

“And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. “And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him. “When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”     Luke 12:8-12

Of course, as we have already said, this was before Pentecost. How does this apply to us, today?

We’ll take that up next.

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