Verse from Luke

“你们中间作父亲的，哪有儿子求鱼，反拿蛇当作鱼给他呢？”

‭‭路加福音‬ ‭11:11‬ ‭

“Now which one of you fathers will his son ask for a fish, and instead of a fish, he will give him a snake?”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭11:11‬ ‭

In the story, a neighbor (sometimes thought to represent God) only gets out of bed to help the friend because of the friend’s annoying persistence (Luke 11:5–8). Read this way, the parable suggests that God will give us what we need only if we badger Him. And if we don’t pray hard enough, maybe God won’t help us.

But biblical commentators like Klyne Snodgrass believe this misunderstands the parable—its real point being that if neighbors might help us for selfish reasons, how much more will our unselfish Father. 

We can therefore ask confidently (vv. 9–10), knowing that God is greater than flawed human beings (vv. 11–13). He isn’t the neighbor in the parable, but the opposite of him.