The Sermon On The Mount Pt.6:Ask, Seek, Knock...
This week, we'll continue our study of the sermon on the mount with an in-depth look at Matthew, chapter 7, verses 1-12...
"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."
In verses 1 and 2, Jesus warns us against the act of judging others. However, the word "judge" here does not refer to the act of making a simple judgment of someone's character, or motives, or actions, because we must make these types of judgment calls in order to determine whether or not we can trust a person, or whether or not a situation is safe for us. Jesus is telling us in these verses that we are not to pronounce rash, unjust judgments, or judgments based on biased or superficial prejudices. We have no right to judge others in this way, because we do not want our own lives to be judged by these standards.
A compelling example of why we are not to rashly pass judgment upon others is provided in verses 3, 4 and 5. By contrasting the mote, or splinter, that we so easily behold in the eye of our brother, with the beam, which is much larger, and more pronounced, that we fail to notice in our own eye, Jesus casts light on our hypocritical nature. He brings to light our tendency to minimize our own faults, all the while exaggerating the flaws in others in a vain attempt at misdirection. We are quick to point out the sins of others, simply because it shifts the focus away from our own. This is precisely the type of judgment that Jesus is warning us against.
Verse 6 gives us a detailed explanation of the difference between rash, uninformed judgment of others, and righteous, prayerful judgment of one's character. Jesus tells us that we are not to give "that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you." Those who are crude, coarse, and impure cannot appreciate the priceless pearls of wisdom that Christianity has to offer, and will, instead of valuing and accepting it, endeavour to bring it into contempt. They will downplay its eternal importance, and will bring reproach upon those who seek only to enlighten, and perhaps help to save, their very souls. All that remains in these situations is for us to pray for these individuals, and continue to do our best to portray the love of Jesus in everything that we do.
Verses 7 and 8 are filled with beautiful and reassuring promises that Jesus gives us in order to bolster our faith..."Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." By comparison, however, these three "cause and effect" principles are very different in nature. We "ask" for those things that we desire, we "seek" for those things which we have lost, and we "knock" on the door when we feel that we have been excluded. Just as we are told in James 4:2..."ye have not, because ye ask not", we must ask in faith, and in accordance with the will of God, and not ask for worldly things simply because we want them. We should ask for those things that will help us to become all that God would have us to be, such as patience, humility, and empathy, compassion, love, and a forgiving spirit. And, as we read in Matthew 6:33..."seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness", and only then will the necessities of this life be added unto us. We must seek for the kingdom, because any right we had been given to it was lost to us at the fall of Adam. Original sin has driven a wedge which we must seek to remove. Thanks be to God for the unspeakable gift of His Son, who, through His death, burial and resurrection, broke down the border of separation. Furthermore, when we seek first for righteousness, the temporal things of this life somehow seem less important, and worldly needs seem to be less pressing, and when we realize that God has promised to supply all of our needs, the worries and anxieties of this life simply fade away. We read the words of Jesus in Revelation 3:20..."Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him..." In order for us to avoid exclusion from eternal life, we must be willing to open the door of our hearts when Jesus knocks, and to allow Him to come in, and to live in and through us, and then all things will be opened unto us. Also, when we pray, it is akin to a knock at the door of heaven. Let us not be as a heathen, who would knock on a door and then run away, but let us knock, and then in faith, wait for our answer, and, if need be, knock again.
Verses 9, 10, and 11 come together in order to form one complete thought..."Or, what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or, if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" Human nature dictates that a man will work to fulfill the needs of his children, and not deny them basic necessities. As corrupt as we are in this fallen state, we still have a heart that desires to provide good things for those that we love. How infinitely stronger, then, must be the desire of God to fulfill the needs of His children! The tender compassion of mankind is not fit to be compared with the unfathomable love of God! So rich in mercy, so ready to forgive, and so willing to provide for us. Not only has God made provision for us in those things that we need in this life, but He has provided something so much more valuable in the sacrifice of His only begotten Son. Though we are so undeserving, salvation has been made possible for us through the supreme sacrifice made by Jesus on the cross!
We come now to the proverbial "golden rule". Jesus tells us in verse 12..."Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." We can all understand the adage "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", but in order for us to implement this precept in our daily life, we must make righteousness our priority, and accept it as our principle. We must develop and nurture empathy toward others, for without empathy, we can never fulfill this command. It is only when we esteem others better than ourselves, when we through eyes of humility see others as equals, that we are able to gain insight into their situations. Not only are we to do good to others, because we want good to be done to us, but we are to do good to those who would seek to do evil to us, as well. We are not to recompense evil for evil, not to hold grudges, or think evil of others. As Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:44..."...love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you..."The only way for us to put this into practice is through consistent prayer and hard work. It goes against human nature to resist the urge to seek revenge or retribution, just as it is contrary to our nature to think of others as being on equal footing with us. As Paul said in Romans 12:3..."For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think..." Only when we humble ourselves can our hearts be changed by the Spirit of God into what we should be. James tells us in Chapter 4, verse 6..."God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble." So, in conclusion, let us "ask" for humility, for empathy, and for purity in our hearts and minds, and may we "seek" for God to change us as He sees fit, that He would use us as instruments to further His kingdom. And finally, may we "knock" at the door of heaven in faith with our prayers, and open the door of our hearts to Jesus when He feel Him "knock", and be ready and willing to be filled with His Spirit, and to share His love with a lost and dying world.
"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
In verses 1 and 2, Jesus warns us against the act of judging others. However, the word "judge" here does not refer to the act of making a simple judgment of someone's character, or motives, or actions, because we must make these types of judgment calls in order to determine whether or not we can trust a person, or whether or not a situation is safe for us. Jesus is telling us in these verses that we are not to pronounce rash, unjust judgments, or judgments based on biased or superficial prejudices. We have no right to judge others in this way, because we do not want our own lives to be judged by these standards.
A compelling example of why we are not to rashly pass judgment upon others is provided in verses 3, 4 and 5. By contrasting the mote, or splinter, that we so easily behold in the eye of our brother, with the beam, which is much larger, and more pronounced, that we fail to notice in our own eye, Jesus casts light on our hypocritical nature. He brings to light our tendency to minimize our own faults, all the while exaggerating the flaws in others in a vain attempt at misdirection. We are quick to point out the sins of others, simply because it shifts the focus away from our own. This is precisely the type of judgment that Jesus is warning us against.
Verse 6 gives us a detailed explanation of the difference between rash, uninformed judgment of others, and righteous, prayerful judgment of one's character. Jesus tells us that we are not to give "that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you." Those who are crude, coarse, and impure cannot appreciate the priceless pearls of wisdom that Christianity has to offer, and will, instead of valuing and accepting it, endeavour to bring it into contempt. They will downplay its eternal importance, and will bring reproach upon those who seek only to enlighten, and perhaps help to save, their very souls. All that remains in these situations is for us to pray for these individuals, and continue to do our best to portray the love of Jesus in everything that we do.
Verses 7 and 8 are filled with beautiful and reassuring promises that Jesus gives us in order to bolster our faith..."Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." By comparison, however, these three "cause and effect" principles are very different in nature. We "ask" for those things that we desire, we "seek" for those things which we have lost, and we "knock" on the door when we feel that we have been excluded. Just as we are told in James 4:2..."ye have not, because ye ask not", we must ask in faith, and in accordance with the will of God, and not ask for worldly things simply because we want them. We should ask for those things that will help us to become all that God would have us to be, such as patience, humility, and empathy, compassion, love, and a forgiving spirit. And, as we read in Matthew 6:33..."seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness", and only then will the necessities of this life be added unto us. We must seek for the kingdom, because any right we had been given to it was lost to us at the fall of Adam. Original sin has driven a wedge which we must seek to remove. Thanks be to God for the unspeakable gift of His Son, who, through His death, burial and resurrection, broke down the border of separation. Furthermore, when we seek first for righteousness, the temporal things of this life somehow seem less important, and worldly needs seem to be less pressing, and when we realize that God has promised to supply all of our needs, the worries and anxieties of this life simply fade away. We read the words of Jesus in Revelation 3:20..."Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him..." In order for us to avoid exclusion from eternal life, we must be willing to open the door of our hearts when Jesus knocks, and to allow Him to come in, and to live in and through us, and then all things will be opened unto us. Also, when we pray, it is akin to a knock at the door of heaven. Let us not be as a heathen, who would knock on a door and then run away, but let us knock, and then in faith, wait for our answer, and, if need be, knock again.
Verses 9, 10, and 11 come together in order to form one complete thought..."Or, what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or, if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" Human nature dictates that a man will work to fulfill the needs of his children, and not deny them basic necessities. As corrupt as we are in this fallen state, we still have a heart that desires to provide good things for those that we love. How infinitely stronger, then, must be the desire of God to fulfill the needs of His children! The tender compassion of mankind is not fit to be compared with the unfathomable love of God! So rich in mercy, so ready to forgive, and so willing to provide for us. Not only has God made provision for us in those things that we need in this life, but He has provided something so much more valuable in the sacrifice of His only begotten Son. Though we are so undeserving, salvation has been made possible for us through the supreme sacrifice made by Jesus on the cross!
We come now to the proverbial "golden rule". Jesus tells us in verse 12..."Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." We can all understand the adage "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", but in order for us to implement this precept in our daily life, we must make righteousness our priority, and accept it as our principle. We must develop and nurture empathy toward others, for without empathy, we can never fulfill this command. It is only when we esteem others better than ourselves, when we through eyes of humility see others as equals, that we are able to gain insight into their situations. Not only are we to do good to others, because we want good to be done to us, but we are to do good to those who would seek to do evil to us, as well. We are not to recompense evil for evil, not to hold grudges, or think evil of others. As Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:44..."...love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you..."The only way for us to put this into practice is through consistent prayer and hard work. It goes against human nature to resist the urge to seek revenge or retribution, just as it is contrary to our nature to think of others as being on equal footing with us. As Paul said in Romans 12:3..."For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think..." Only when we humble ourselves can our hearts be changed by the Spirit of God into what we should be. James tells us in Chapter 4, verse 6..."God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble." So, in conclusion, let us "ask" for humility, for empathy, and for purity in our hearts and minds, and may we "seek" for God to change us as He sees fit, that He would use us as instruments to further His kingdom. And finally, may we "knock" at the door of heaven in faith with our prayers, and open the door of our hearts to Jesus when He feel Him "knock", and be ready and willing to be filled with His Spirit, and to share His love with a lost and dying world.
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