Jesus says in Matthew 7:7 14 [Asking, Seeking, Knocking]

Jesus says in Matthew chapter 7 verses 7 through 14:

“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.

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Footnotes from the Life Application Study Bible:

Jesus tells us to persist in prayer. People often give up after a few halfhearted efforts to pray and then conclude that God doesn’t listen. But communicating with God in prayer takes faith, focus, and follow through, and Jesus has assured us we will be rewarded as we develop a deep relationship with him. Don’t give up in your efforts to seek God. Continue to ask him for more knowledge, patience, wisdom, love and understanding. He will give these things to you. The more you talk to him, the more you will be able to recognize his voice when he speaks to you.

The child in Jesus’ example asked his father for bread and fish- good and necessary items. If the child had asked for a poisonous snake, would the wise father have granted his request? Sometimes God knows we are praying for “snakes” and does not give us what we ask for, even though we want it desperately and persist in our prayers. Nor will God give us “stones” or “snakes” instead of what we need. He doesn’t grant every foolish or naive request, but he does give us what we need most, and he gives it when we need it. As we grow in discovering God better as a loving Father, we learn to ask for what is good for us, and then he grants it.

Here Jesus is showing us his father’s heart. God is not selfish, begrudging, or stingy, and we don’t have to beg or grovel as we come to him with our requests. As a loving Father, he understands, cares for, and comforts us. If humans can be kind, imagine how kind God, the creator of kindness, can be.

Jesus used the expression “If you, then, though you are evil” to contrast sinful and fallible human beings with the holy and perfect God.

This is commonly known as the Golden Rule. In many religions it is stated negatively: “Don’t do to others what you don’t want done to you.” By stating it positively, Jesus made it more significant. It isn’t usually very hard to refrain from harming others; it is much more difficult to take the initiative to consistently do good to them. The Golden Rule as Jesus formulated it is the foundation of active goodness and mercy-the kind of love God shows to us every day. Think of a good and merciful action you can do for someone today.

Here Jesus gives four examples of the choices we have to make in our lives. Each has two distinct options: (1) The narrow gate or the broad road – which will you take? (2) The good tree or the bad tree -what kind of fruit will you produce? (3) True or false discipleship – what kind of commitment will you make? (4) A solid or a shaky foundation – which one will you build your life upon?

Jesus calls the gate that leads to the kingdom of heaven narrow. John noted that Jesus explained to his disciples that he is the gate. Jesus did not mean that it is difficult to become a Christian but that only one gate leads to eternal life with God and that only a few discover the difficult road that leads to it. Jesus’ teaching that he is the only way to God’s kingdom grates against our normal sense of fairness. But God created the heavens and earth. He owns them. He alone determines the requirements for who can enter into his kingdom. Believing in Jesus is the only way to the kingdom of God, because he alone died for our sins – and made us acceptable to God. Living his way may not be popular or easy, but it is true and right. Thank God that he has provided a way for us to be with him.

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