Matthew 7: Ask, Seek, Knock
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Why have all these people on that hillside listened for hours? By now, the sun is hot, the wind has died down, and those who have not brought food or water are getting thirsty and hungry; yet, they continue to raptly listen. But what Jesus is teaching is so compelling that hunger and thirst don’t matter. For years, these people have listened to religious experts quoting Scripture but living as if the very Scriptures they are quoting don’t matter. The Kingdom of God has seemed unreachable. Now Jesus is bringing the Kingdom of God within reach and people are so thrilled they are willing to endure a little suffering. Besides, Jesus is teaching as if he’s speaking to beloved friends. No religious leader has ever demonstrated so much as a shred of love or acceptance for them before this.
Until today, the Kingdom of God has seemed unreachable. Now Jesus is encouraging the crowd that if they keep asking God, if they keep seeking, and if they persist, they will receive grace from God, they will find acceptance and forgiveness, and God will open the door of His Kingdom to them. But many of these people are skeptical. After all, they know they are sinners. Why should God do such things for them?
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Those of us living in modern dwellings with good lighting cannot imagine how things were in Jesus’ day. In those days, people lit small oil lamps that only illumined a limited area. This means that it might be possible for someone to carelessly pick up a stone thinking it was a piece of bread, or to pick up a snake, thinking it was a dried fish. Jesus is pointing out that caring parents will make sure they are giving their children only good things. Now, if we as sinful people still want to give our children only those things that are beneficial, why won’t our Heavenly Father do even better?
12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
I once had an elderly friend who had been a highly successful newspaper editor, having climbed the ranks from being the girl who got all the local news tidbits to receiving national awards for her writing. Competition in the newsroom was cutthroat, and females had to be tough to survive. My friend succeeded in part because she steadfastly refused to engage in office politics, her motto being “What goes around, comes around.” Through the years, my friend witnessed many hotheaded young men who thought they could climb the corporate ladder by undermining others. But wise bosses soon recognized their machinations and quietly suggested they find employment elsewhere.
Jesus is not only introducing his audience to his Heavenly Father but also encouraging them to copy God, doing good to all those around them. Once more, Jesus is teaching that the measure you give out is the measure you will receive. So treat others the way you want them to treat you. Or, as my friend would say, “What goes around, comes around!”
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to recognize all the good things You give us and be grateful. Help us to care for others as You care for us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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