Matthew 7:7-14
HAVE YOU EVER ASKED GOD FOR SOMETHING AND HE GRANTED IT?
HAVE YOU EVER GIVEN UP ON SOMETHING YOU WERE PRAYING FOR? WHY?
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, 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! 12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. 13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
BACKGROUND
In the Bible there are 11 types of prayer:
- Prayer of thanksgiving: Expressing gratitude for God’s blessings.
- Prayer of intercession: Asking God to help others.
- Prayer of faith: Asking God for something and believing that you will receive it.
- Prayer of adoration: Expressing love and awe for God, and acknowledging God’s greatness.
- Prayer of consecration: Surrendering yourself to God, offering your time, possessions, and plans.
- Prayer of petition: Asking God to fulfill a need, for yourself or others.
- Supplication: Humbly asking God to provide something.
- Confession: Humbly acknowledging sins and asking for forgiveness through Christ.
- Prayers of lament: We bring to God our fears, doubts, and despair.
- Prayers of Deliverance: Asking God to save us from a bad situation.
- Guidance: Asking for wisdom in knowing how to do something.
WHICH KIND OF THESE PRAYERS DO YOU FIND YOURSELF PRAYING THE MOST?
THERE IS ONE TYPE OF PRAYER IN THIS LIST THAT JESUS NEVER PRAYED. WHICH ONE IS THAT?
This passage begins with a description of a type of prayer called, petition. Petition is more than just asking for something. It is the language of a royal court. Subjects petitioned the king or government for various things. Queen Esther petitioned king Ahasuerus for her people. Abigail petition David for the life of her husband, Nabal, and David granted her petition. When we pray to God and ask him for things we are petitioning the king of the universe. Interestingly, the New Testament portrays the church as a royal priesthood. I Peter 2:9 says, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession.” Thus, we are part of the king’s court and have the right to make requests of him.
A similar type of prayer is intercession, the act of praying for another. The kings of Judah often interceded for their people. The prophets did the same.
When Jesus was on the earth, people constantly interceded with him for their loved ones or friends, especially for healing. The Roman centurion interceded for his dying servant (Luke 7:1-11). A Canaanite mother interceded for her child (Matthew 15:21-28). A father interceded for his demon-possessed son (Mark 9:14-29).
Jesus himself often interceded for others. He prayed for Peter (Luke 22:32), he prayed before raising Lazarus (John 11:41-42), he prayed for all of his disciples (John 17).
Sometimes we are unsure how to pray. This is when the Holy Spirit intercedes with the Father on our behalf. Romans 8:26 states, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”
EXAMINATION
(VS. 7-8) “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”
The tenses in this passage may help us to understand Jesus’ meaning better. It is not a one time thing to ask, seek, and knock. Rather, it is continuous. We can rephrase this passage like this:
“Keep on asking, and it will be given to you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who keeps on asking will continually receive, and he who keeps on seeking will continually find, and to him who keeps on knocking it will be opened.” (1)
IF GOD ALREADY KNOWS WHAT WE NEED AND ALREADY KNOWS OUR PRAYERS BEFORE WE SAY THEM, THEN WHY PRAY AT ALL?
God wants us to petition him. He wants us to ask, seek, and knock continually because he wants to answer prayer to him. Remember that the purpose of prayer is not to receive things, but to bend our wills to conform to his. This demonstrates that we have a true connection with God. We pray and he answers.
Ask. The word here denotes a child making request of his father.
Seek. Seeking God’s favor, his face, not his hand.
Knock. Means to be persistent in prayer. Keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking.
Receives. Finds. Opened. God will answer, though only according to his will. I John 5:14, “This is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.”
This is important because we often don’t ask with right motives. James 4:3 says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” So, our hearts must be right before God before we ask.
(VS. 9-10) “Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?”
By using the word “Or,” Jesus is repeating the previous principles but in a new way to drive home understanding.
Jesus is making a comparison between bread and stones that his audience would have understood but we would not recognize. In ancient times bread was cooked in a pan and was round. It often looked like a stone. Interestingly, when Jesus was being tempted by Satan in Matthew 4, he challenged Jesus to turn stone into bread.
There may be some symbolism here. Jesus is the bread of life (John 6:48). And in the early church fish was a symbol for Christ. The Greek word for fish, ichthys meant, Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. But we shouldn’t hang our hat there too securely.
Also, remember the feeding of the 5,000. What did Jesus multiply? Bread and fish.
(V.11) “If you then, who are evil, 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!”
Notice that Jesus says we are evil. He is acknowledging that we have a sin nature. This does not mean that we are bad as we can be in every way, but it does acknowledge that we are sinners.
The parallel passage to this in Luke 11:13 tells us the gift we should ask for is the Holy Spirit. “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
We should note that there are two types of gifts that we can ask God for: creation-gifts and redemption-gifts. Creation-gifts are things of the world such as good weather, food, a spouse, children, health, material blessings, and so on. In reality, we can pursue most of these things for ourselves through hard work and cultivating our relationships. But redemption gifts are different. These are spiritual things: salvation, deliverance from evil, wisdom, peace, forgiveness, sanctification, and so on. These are the good things we receive when we ask. God wants to bestow these gifts in abundance. These are the kinds of things we should pursue in prayer.
WHICH DO YOU FIND YOURSELF PRAYING FOR MOSTLY, CREATION-GIFTS OR REDEMPTION-GIFTS?
(V.12) “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
This is an interesting statement on Jesus’ part. Elsewhere he tells us that to love God and love others “is the law and the prophets.” In this passage Jesus describes what that looks like. We do things for others because we love them.
Other religions have their so called “golden rules” which instruct people not to do evil to others. Prior to Christ the golden rule was always expressed in the negative.
Buddhism: “Whatever is disagreeable to yourself, do not do unto others.”
Hinduism: “Do not do to others what you do not want to be done to you.”
Judaism: “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow.”
Jesus goes beyond this. He is focused on the positive. Intentionally look to do good to others. Do you see the difference? You’re not just avoiding doing evil, you’re seeking opportunity to bless others intentionally. We don’t just react to evil, we initiate good for others.
(VS.13-14) “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
HOW CAN WE DISCERN WHETHER WE ARE ON THE RIGHT PATH, AND WHAT CAN WE DO IF WE REALIZE WE HAVE STRAYED?
Scholars differ on whether the road taken leads to the door or gate of the Christian life or if the road leads to the entrance of heaven. D.A. Carson remarks, “Jesus is not encouraging committed disciples to press on along the narrow way and be rewarded in the end. He is rather commanding his disciples to enter the way marked by persecution and be rewarded in the end.” (2)
Gates, in this passage most likely refer to city gates where people entered and exited a city. But certain gates were locations of importance where transactions took place, or where the king held a meeting, or was shut for defense. To sit at the city gate was to be an important person in the city, a ruler or a wealthy person. To take possession of the gates was to control a city. To destroy the gates was to destroy the city. City gates were large (wide) to accommodate many people, goods, chariots, or horses.
The narrow gate here refers to a smaller door that would lead to the city. Most people used the larger gate because that’s where business was transacted. It was easy to go through a city gate because your wagon or caravan could easily fit through the gate. But a door was too small to carry goods through. Why is this important? Because in salvation you go through a door taking nothing with you, just like salvation.
Jesus referred to himself as a door. John 10:9 says, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.”
INTERPRETATION
What is Jesus’ big idea?
Just as you ask, seek, and knock for God’s provision, so too, you should do to others in the same way God does for you.
Remember the story from Matthew 18:23-35 of the servant who could not pay his master a large sum he owed him. The master forgave his debt. But when he saw a fellow servant who owed him just a small amount he accosted him and through him in prison. The master was furious with the servant and said, Should not you have had mercy on him as I did with you?
It’s never enough to receive. We must, in turn, give as we have received.
APPLICATION
Here are some application points based on our passage:
1. Be Generous in Giving: Just as you ask God for provision and receive, be generous in providing for others. Share your resources, time, and attention with those in need, reflecting God’s generosity.
2. Active Support for Others: When someone seeks your help or guidance, be proactive in responding. Extend a helping hand, just as God graciously answers when you seek Him.
3. Encouragement of Other’s Pursuits: Encourage and support others in their goals and spiritual growth. As God listens when you knock, be a door-opener for others by offering opportunities, mentorship, or practical aid.
4. Be Patient and Gracious: God answers prayers in His time and with grace. Similarly, be patient and gracious with others, even if their needs take time or effort to address.
5. Treat Others as You Wish to Be Treated: Reflect the Golden Rule by meeting other’s needs as you hope God (and others) would respond to your own.
6. Be Persistent in Doing Good: Just as persistence in prayer is encouraged, continue to seek ways to serve and bless others, even when it’s inconvenient or unreciprocated.
7. Model God’s Love: God’s provision is an act of love and care. When helping others, do so in a way that demonstrates kindness, selflessness, and compassion, mirroring God’s character.
8. Pray for and with Others: Beyond providing tangible help, intercede in prayer for others and encourage them to seek God for their own needs.
- (1)Weber, Stuart K. 2000. Matthew. Vol. 1. Holman New Testament Commentary. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
- (2)Carson, D. A. 1984. “Matthew.” In The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, edited by Frank E. Gaebelein, 8:189. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.
