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next part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount does not seem to have any
connection to His last instruction about unfair judgment of others (Matt.
7:1-6). This passage, Matthew 7:7-12, appears to be about prayer at first.
We will see shortly that Jesus has more on His mind. Jesus begins with
instruction about prayer and our heavenly Father, but His goal is not
to teach us something new about prayer. He talks about our heavenly Father’s
response to our requests, but He ends with another issue. He starts by
talking about “asking,” “seeking,” and “knocking” and
ends with a discussion that appears to have nothing to do with asking,
seeking, and knocking. Are you curious? Jesus’ next topic is a
set-up for a surprising conclusion. Ask, Seek, & Knock. Jesus introduced
His next topic with the following words,
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. (NASB) Matt. 7:7 Jesus’ words are simple. If you ask for something, it will be
given. If you seek something, you will find it; and if you go knocking,
the door will be opened. The words are simple, but the message is not.
The Greek word that Jesus used for “ask” is AITEO. It refers
to someone who is making a request of a superior. It reminds me of a
young puppy in the presence of his master - a shy, little puppy.
Jesus painted a picture of an inferior person asking a
superior for something. Most of us have asked someone for something and
felt some fear. We were concerned that our request might not be fulfilled.
We were not sure that our request would be granted. This is the meaning
of the word “ask” that Jesus used.
In Jesus’ illustration we are the shy, little puppy
that is asking, seeking, and knocking. If we are actively asking, seeking
and knocking, we will not be disappointed. But before we go any further,
we must be honest with ourselves. We know that this is not true. We have
asked. We have sought. We have knocked, but we have not always received.
Other Statements. Before we move on to verse
8, we want to discover what the rest of the New Testament says about
asking, seeking and knocking in relation to answered prayer. So get ready
for a quick ride through the New Testament.
Must Believe. In Matthew we discover
that Jesus had approached a fig tree and discovered that it had no figs,
He commanded the tree to no longer bear any fruit and immediately the
leaves on the tree withered. Then the disciples asked, “How did
this occur?” Jesus answered with the following statement,
And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive. (NASB) Matt. 21:22 This time Jesus did not just say, “Ask, and it will be given to
you.” He told us that we had to believe. Most of us would never
ask for something from someone if we did not believe that the person
could give it to us. So Jesus told His disciples that they needed to
believe God could give it to them.
Not Lose Heart. In Luke 18:1 Jesus encouraged
His disciples to not lose heart when they pray.
Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart . . (NASB) Luke 18:1 Yet sometimes we pray, and we do lose heart. We conclude that the superior
being, God, is not interested in us and does not care. We are not sure
He will answer. So Jesus encourages us to ask and trust.
Ask In Jesus’ Name. Jesus also
encouraged His disciples to ask in His name when they pray.
Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. (NASB) John 14:13-14 The phrase “in Jesus’ name” is not a set of magic
words that someone should use to get what they want. Instead, it is a
request to Jesus and through Jesus to God the Father. Jesus desires to
fulfill our requests.
Abide In Jesus & Study The Bible. In
the next verse Jesus adds some more conditions for answered prayer.
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. (NASB) John 15:7 First, we must abide in Jesus. That is, we must believe in Jesus Christ.
This is more than believing that Jesus existed. It means that we believe
He existed, that He was God, and that He died for our sins.
One who believes He is God will yield to Him. How else should the creature
respond when he or she really understands that Jesus is his or her God?
Non-believers should not expect God to grant their requests when they
do not believe in Him and ignore Him. |
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