Ask, Seek, and Knock
We are currently in a prolonged series called Jesus Said What?!?. We are focusing on the Red Words of the Bible, which are the words of Jesus while he was on earth. Jesus’ words have been the foundation of most the western civilization’s ethics, Christian and even secular. For those who do not spend enough time in the Ward, eventually our cultural ethics have started informing God’s word as opposed to His words informing our views and beliefs. The the intention of this particular series is to look at Jesus words as He said it, removing any external influences and preconceived notions. So, we find ourselves today in Matthew 7, This is part of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is teaching his disciples and a growing crowd around him how to live if you call yourself a believer and for which he spent a lot of time correcting faulty understanding of the Scripture and misguided teaching of it. I would say we are facing the same issues today and so this snail’s pace study through the red words of the Bible is to equip you with some tools, some initial thinking to challenge you to pick up your Bible and see for yourself.
Today’s passage is Matthew 7 V 7 – 11. Let’s read
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven, give good things to those who ask him!”
That was Matthew 7 v 7-11, and many of you have probably heard some iteration of at least the first verse – Ask and it shall be given to you. I believe I’ve even heard a villian quote it in a movie. Today, I’d like to give you 3 thoughts for yourconsideration.
1. This transaction that Jesus describes of asking to receive, seeking to find and knocking to be opened to you is specifically assigned to Father God and his children. Reading the words of God in context of the rest of the Bible and specifically in context to the immediate surrounding verses is essential to the proper understanding of it. The reason I say this transaction is limited to God and his children, is because V7 is followed by verses 8,9,10,11 where Jesus describes the interactions between earthly children and their Fathers and ends the analogy with the derivative that God does the Father-child relationship even better. If you evil earthly Fathers would do so for your children, asks Jesus, how much more can a child of God expect from the good and perfect Father.
2 . The second thing we should focus on in this passage is what is promised within this exchange. When we ask, seek, and knock, what is promised in return? Jesus is not referring to physical needs and wants when he is talking about asking, seeking and knocking, but the promise of the spiritual gift of the Holy Spirit’s power. Now, why do I say this? For one, it was just a few verses prior that Jesus described how we should deal with our physical needs. We covered this in episode 13 of this season. “Do not be anxious”, he reminded us. Your Father knows that you need them all”. There is no implication in those verses to persist in seeking, asking, or knocking on his door for these things. We are not to worry ourselves about that. Here, he commands us to ask, seek and knock for a very specific answer from God-the Holy Spirit. We can get further confirmation of this when we read the parallel account of these words in the gospel of Luke Ch 11 v 13, “If, then, you who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
3. My third and last point regarding this passage is in the actual directive of Jesus. The verbs to ask, seek, and knock, in the original Greek are in the present active imperative voice. This implies that this action is not just done once but in an ongoing manner. When your doctor says “Eat less sugar”, she doesn’t mean a once and done deal. This is the same voice used here. In these verses, Jesus commands the believer – keep asking for the Holy Spirit and you will receive, keep seeking the Holy Spirit and you will find Him. Keep knocking on His door and his fullness will be opened unto you. Yes, each of us who have accepted Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savior has received the Holy Spirit but in our daily Christian life, we keep asking for him to manifest in our words, thoughts, and actions. We ask him to empower our ministry.
Pick Up Your Bible 