Matthew 7:7-12 – Ask, Seek and Knock
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 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! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
It is an invitation. We have been invited to come to the Father with our requests. Not only that, we are invited to ask, seek and knock. If you ask – you’ll receive, if you seek – you’ll find, if you knock – the door will open. On the surface, it seems straightforward, but as we have discovered, there is always more to it. There are six words here to pay attention to. These six words are loaded with meaning: ask, given, seek, find, knock and open. The only way to understand the deeper meaning is to once again dive into the Greek. At the same time, I also have to keep in mind the overall sermon which, we have discovered, has a theme. What’s inside matters. And now to the invitation. One that may change the way we make requests from the Lord.
First the Greek. It always amazes me the meaning that we miss when we just read the English. We think we know what’s going on, but without the meaning of the words and the right context, we often miss it. Each of these six words give us insight into God and how He is the One who blesses us in all things. So on with the Greek.
Ask – aiteo. This word means to beg, to demand, to claim.
Give – didomi. Last used in the previous verse about giving what is sacred to dogs, it means to grant, to hand over or to establish.
Seek – zeteo. This word means to inquire for, search for, or desire. There is a sense of seeking with a specific aim. Jesus used this same word earlier in chapter 6:33 when He talks about seeking first the kingdom of God.
Find – heurisko. This word means to discover, to gain or devise. We get our word heuristic from this word, which means to enable someone to discover something for themselves.
Knock – krouo. This word means to examine or to prove. The word is a metaphor for examining, trying, or proving something: one would “knock” against an earthen vessel to see if it “rang true”. So the idea is examining something or testing its appearance.
Open – anoigo. The word means to disclose or to lay open. Something will be revealed.
So, let’s put it all together. We find Jesus saying: beg, demand, claim and it will be granted to you. Inquire, search, desire to know and you will discover. Examine all things, knock against it to make sure it rings true, and it will be revealed and laid open to you. A little more light has been shed. Now, let’s put it in the context of the sermon.
Without the context, we could construed this to mean: just ask and all your wishes will be granted. An entire theology has been created on that idea, making God nothing more than a genie in a bottle. You can have wealth, fame and only the good things in life. All you have to do is ask. But, as we look at the greater context of the sermon, we remember it is our motivation that is being looked at. Do we ask out of a greedy, self serving heart? Or do we ask because we hunger and thirst after righteousness and want our hearts to be in tune with the very heart of God? For it is in the context where we find a particular direction for our asking, seeking and knocking. It is the poor in spirit, those that mourn, the meek, merciful, seekers of righteousness, pure in heart, peacemakers and persecuted that are blessed. We were taught to pray Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. So, with that in mind, when we ask, we ask with a heart that desires the will of the Father more than anything. We seek with the heart of one who is seeking specifically for God’s will to be carried out. We knock, with the heart of one who desires to know the truth.
Jesus reminds us in the next section that God will give us good gifts. He will bless us. In fact, He wants to bless us. The telling sentence is the last: So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. At first glance, this doesn’t seem to fit with the proceeding idea, but, it is in fact the most significant motivation. When something sums up the Law and the Prophets, we better pay attention. We must put away all selfishness, take out the me, me, me, and look around at the world. In I Corinthians 10:23-24 Paul speaks to our rights and freedom. He quotes what he has heard: “I have the right to do anything,” you say — but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything” — but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. (emphasis mine) Philippians 2:2-4 says, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 1 Peter 4:9-11 says, Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
Many years ago, I was invited to a wedding of a friend of mine in Turkey. We met under very interesting circumstances when I was living in London. A friend and I were on our way to the British Museum when we saw a young woman looking lost. We asked if we could help and she told us she was trying to find the museum. We told her we were going there and invited her to join us. That was the beginning of a wonderful friendship. I flew to Istanbul where the wedding was taking place. Her finance picked me up at the airport and, instead of driving me to my hotel, took me to her home where she insisted I stay as her guest. I was treated as a family member and went everywhere with them. The day of the wedding arrived and she paid to have my hair done with the rest of the wedding party. We ate, danced, fellowshipped way into the evening. When all the festivities were done, she would not let me go to my hotel for the night and insisted I stay in their guest room. The day after the wedding, her new husband drove me to the airport. Why do I tell you this story? My friend, who was not a believer at the time, embodied these verses. She showed me hospitality with joy. She valued me and my needs above her own. This is what she said to me when I asked her about going to a hotel after the wedding: “Of course you will stay with us. It is what you would do if it was me coming to your wedding.” Wow!! I have never forgotten that moment as long as I have lived. The moment when I realized I would have probably gotten my friend a hotel. My selfishness was revealed in that split second. Do to others as you would have them do to you. Lesson learned.
In this time we live in, doing to others as we would have them do to us seems to have been lost somewhere. In our quest for “freedom” we have become self seeking. We throw tantrums, refusing to wear a mask because we have rights. But as Paul said, not all rights are beneficial or constructive. We forget that the mask isn’t about us, it’s about those around us. We look at others with a prejudice eye, seeing them through hate and racial bias instead of people who are God’s beautiful and wonderful creation who He loves and died for. We hoard and stock up instead of looking around to find out how we can give and share with those in need. What Covid-19 and the subsequent race riots have taught us is that the people of God need to step back and recalibrate the way we look, walk and speak in this world. We need to stand for truth and walk in love and mercy. We need to value others above ourselves. So, to sum it all up: when we ask, beg, claim, and demand that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven, He will answer and give. When we seek God’s righteousness with all our heart and seek to be merciful, poor in spirit, peacemakers, and humble, we will find the blessings that come flowing from His hand. When we knock, examine and search after the truth, God’s truth will be revealed to us. And, when we do to others as we want them to do to us, we become poor in spirit, merciful, peacemakers, humble, those who hunger and thirst after righteousness and the blessings of God will flow out to a world in need of grace.
Questions to Ponder:
1. What do you need to ask, seek and knock for?
2. What are some ways you can do to others as you would have them do to you today?
3. What needs to be recalibrated in your life so that you can be a person of peace and mercy in today’s world.
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