Albert Barnes Commentary Luke 11:5-7

"And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine is come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him; and he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee?" — Luke 11:5-7 (ASV)

And he said to them, etc. Jesus proceeds to show that, to obtain the blessing, it was necessary to persevere in asking for it. For this purpose, he introduces the case of a friend asking bread from another for someone who had come to him unexpectedly. His design is solely to show the necessity of being importunate or persevering in prayer to God.

At midnight. A time when it would be most inconvenient for his friend to help him; an hour when he would naturally be in bed and his house shut.

Three loaves. There is nothing particularly denoted by the number three in this place. Jesus often included such details merely to fill out the story or to preserve its consistency.

My children are with me in bed. This does not necessarily mean that they were in the same bed with him. Rather, it implies that they were all in bed, the house was still, the door was shut, and it was troublesome for him to get up at that time of night to accommodate him.

It should be observed, however, that Eastern customs differ in this respect from our own. Among them, it is not uncommon—indeed, it is the common practice—for a whole family (parents, children, and servants) to sleep in the same room. See (The Land and the Book, vol. i. p. 180). This is not to be applied to God, as if it were troublesome for him to be sought, or as if he would ever reply to a sinner in that manner.

All that is to be applied to God in this parable is simply that it is proper to persevere in prayer. As a man often gives because the request is repeated, and as one is not discouraged because the favour that he asks of his neighbour is delayed, so God often answers us after long and importunate requests.