Ask, Seek, Knock
[1]"Judge not, that you be not judged. [2] For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. [3] Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? [4] Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? [5] You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
[6] “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
[7] “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.
We often separate these segments into distinct units of thought, but verse 1-12 clearly go together since the underlined statements in v.2 and 12 come at the same point. Therefore, I'm going to take them as a whole, as in some way coming at the same theme. It may well shift your understanding of Jesus' words, and it might just change your life.
First, clearly our Lord is warning us off from being judgmental. Jesus isn't saying, "Don't ever judge someone's actions" because what he says in v.6 about dogs and hogs means we have to judge at times, we must make distinctions between holy and profane, moral and immoral. But our Lord is calling us to drop judgmentalism. How can we define judgmentalism? Based on our Lord's words here, and things James says in James 4:11-12, here's my definition: Holding others to strict accounts while allowing myself broad liberties because, in my eyes, I’m right, and therefore I get to pick and chose what part of God’s Word I apply to you and what I apply to myself or excuse myself from.
That seems to get at our Lord's directions in this passage. This is why he goes on to use the illustration of a wood plank in my eye and a speck of wood in yours. Most of us, almost all of us, lack the situational awareness to see how we do the very things we condemn others for. Maybe not the specific actions, but for sure, similar intents.
Second, our Lord wants us to move in another direction. This other direction is stated in v.2 and 12. To summarize our Lord's words, he calls on us to be as charitable and generous and gracious to others as you want others to be toward you. Not every situation is a dog-and-hog case. More often than not, the state of affairs have to do with our preferences, prejudices, and pride. And in the vast majority of circumstances we must be as charitable and generous and gracious toward others as we want them to be with us.
Third, it's the middle of this section that makes me pause. How does all the ask, seek, knock direction, with the promises, fit in what Jesus is saying? It seems to me that in this context, our Lord is reminding us that it will often take us being in prayer to: (1) not become judgmental, (2) to get me to see the 2x4 poking out of my eye, (3) to become as charitable and generous and gracious to others as I want them to be to me, and (4) divine wisdom to know if this is a dog-and-hog situation (where the other person is actually doing moral wrong, or if its simply me thinking more highly of myself and my evaluations than I ought).
This brings me to the point. In human relationships, in our marriages, with our adult children, our neighbors, our denominations of Christ's Church, our own congregations, instead of immediately responding as if it's a dog-and-hog situation, I need to be on my knees asking, seeking, knocking.
- Ask, seek, and knock (in prayer) when you want to lash out at someone and their actions.
- Ask, seek, and knock (in prayer) when you want to condemn someone.
- Ask, seek, and knock (in prayer) that God will show you when you're holding others to strict accounts while allowing yourself broad liberties.
- Ask, seek, and knock (in prayer) that God will expose you to yourself when in your eyes, you're right, and feel entitled to pick and chose what part of God’s Word you apply to the other person and what you apply to yourself or excuse yourself from.
- Ask, seek, and knock (in prayer) that God will show you the 2x4 sticking out of your eye.
- Ask, seek, and knock (in prayer) that God will help you to not obsess on that other person's failure or misdeed.
- Ask, seek, and knock (in prayer) that God will make you able to become as charitable and generous and gracious to others as you want others to be to you.
The promise and assurance are very clear, if only you're truly prepared: "For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 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!"
Pastor Mike
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