Ask and It Will Be Given

Formed in the Likeness of Jesus

A most abused text (especially by certain Charismatic/Word of Faith groups in the present age--being used by them to teach the damnable heresy (and I call it heresy because it plainly countermands the plain words of our Lord, "In this world you WILL HAVE trouble") that if one will but have sufficient faith, then all the earthly pleasures of the world are within one's grasp and all suffering should here cease.

Against this superficial understanding of the present passage we have (not only the manifold testimony of the Scriptures in other parts--i.e. just to name one, but also) the previous teaching of the Lord on prayer in chapter 6. There, He gave us not only a divine-motivation as the grounding for all our prayers, but also a direct charge to care not for our terrestrial comforts (leaving that care to our Father who cares for us and who will surely provide for all of our needs) but for the Kingdom of God.

In that context it seems clear: Jesus' instructions and promise here is to the end that we might pray expectantly for grace. Namely, the grace needed to live the humanly-impossible life described here in this Sermon. This view is only further supported by Christ's teaching to the Twelve () on this very subject (in nearly identical words) in which He ends by saying that the Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask.

In sum, as always: "the good" which the Father is commited to giving us in this life is nothing less than whatsoever tends to our formation into the likeness of His Son--whether of pleasure or pain, He will certainly give us what we NEED.

In the final verse of the paragraph, Jesus enjoins our trust of the Father in all things. For what God has commanded, He will (in answer to our prayer) most certainly give us the supply of grace (and whatsoever else is needed) to obey to the fullest. That is His gospel-promise.

Ask—to make a petition/demand/plea to somebody

Let us here imagine one prostrate before a King BEGGING his petition be answered.

Seek—to search for / look into something

Herein, let one envision a diligent search (of most direct application here, I think, are the Scriptures) of those resources that King has laid before us.

Knock—to rap upon an obstruction for entrance

Finally, active pursuit (action; gospel-action) to find a way forward.

Given to you—from outside of yourself

Find—you will discover

It will be opened—obstructions will be removed

Everyone—Any and all; whatever kind of person

(the one) The one The one… the first implied, the other two occuring in translation are supplied to aid in reading. The literal form are, “the asking receive, the seeking find, the knocking are opened unto.”

The one

Which of you (lit., “which man among you”) (who are evil—v. 11) would give his son a stone for bread or a serpent for a fish? NONE OF YOU!!!

If then you evil ones 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!

To His children God is committed to giving GOOD THINGS (and by “good things”) we must understand not necessarily those things which make for a most comfortable and carefree life, but those things which tend toward our highest good in God—namely, the formation of our character into the image of Jesus’. God will give those things which tends towards our total gospel-transformation into the “Beatitude People” this Sermon started off describing.

Again this week, we’re confronted with another one of those passages of Scripture which is tortured by the enemies of true religion. For it is assumed by many, that Jesus here teaches that if we would but have faith and ask…, then we might obtain from God (as if He were our own personal genie) whatsoever trinket or earthly -thing, -pleasure that we desire. Such is not the teaching of this passage.

Note: this is encouragement to pray (asking, seeking, knocking before the Throne of Grace) comes in the context both of the Beatitudes and the Model Prayer. In each of these the object is our conformity and commitment to the character and glory of God.

Let us forget not also the command to “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness...”

Arthur Pink Notes: