When Jesus spoke to the multitude, He said some pretty amazing things. One thing He said should bring us tremendous joy and comfort. In Matthew and Luke, we read Him say this:
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8 ESV).
And
“And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” (Luke 11:9-10 ESV).
Isn’t that amazing? The Creator invites us to ask and says we shall receive; seek, and we shall find. Unfortunately, when we read these passages, we tend to focus on a couple of thoughts that cause us to lose the power and wonderful gift that Jesus is offering.
Sometimes, we read into this invitation to ask something that Jesus is not speaking about. This is a pity because it dredges up disappointment that shouldn’t be there and causes us to miss the powerful invitation to ask and receive. What do I mean?
Many read these passages and think, “God is telling me to ask for anything I want, and He will give it to me.” If we ask for money, God will make us rich. If we ask for a car, God will give is a Lamborghini. If we ask for a job, God will make us CEO. Some people read this like God is a genie in a bottle, ready to grant our every wish of Him.
But these passages never come close to indicating that God will answer every wish we have of Him. In fact, Jesus is promising us something even more wonderful. We will look at that in a moment.
But some also focus so much on the thought that God will not grant us all we ask and miss the powerful thing the Creator is offering to His children in this invitation to ask and receive. This is as equally sad as the one who thinks that God will grant every whim we offer up to Him.
So, what is it that Jesus is inviting us to ask for? He goes on to explain in the next few verses in each account. First, in Matthew, Jesus goes on to say this:
“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!” (Matthew 7:9-11 ESV).
And in Luke, Jesus goes on to say this:
“What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 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!” (Luke 11:11-13 ESV).
In both cases, we are invited to ask God to take care of our needs, and He will abundantly do so because He is a good Father. He doesn’t promise to give us everything we ask for; He promises something better: He promises to give us everything we need. That requires an act of faith from us, knowing that we will not go without the necessities of life.
As parents, if our adult children tell us that they are hungry, wouldn’t we take them to the grocery store and provide for them abundantly, according to our ability? But if they called us and asked us for a Lamborghini, would it mean that we didn’t love them if we said, “No?”
Jesus says it like this: “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!” God is both able and willing to take care of all of His children’s needs. That is the point that Jesus is making to us. If we lack anything we need, He invites us to ask the Father, and He will give us what we ask for. He will provide for the needs we have.
If we want to read into this wonderful promise something which isn’t there, we will be disappointed and miss the unbelievable gift that Jesus offers when He invites us to ask and receive from the Father. If we focus too much on how God will not give us everything we ask for, we may end up neutering the powerful promise we have from Jesus and walk away, dismissing the gift of asking and receiving altogether.
Jesus says to ask, and we will receive. What a wonderful blessing from the Father who loves us more than any earthly father loves his earthly children. This invitation to ask and receive should be one of the most precious gifts we cherish from our heavenly Father. It means that He loves us, listens to us, and will personally make sure each one of us has everything we need in life.
Don’t neuter this promise, and don’t read into it something that Jesus doesn’t say. Rather, let us all drop to our knees and thank the Father for giving us this invitation to ask and receive, knowing He will honor our petitions to Him just as Jesus said He would.
In Mark, Jesus told the disciples:
“The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” (Mark 9:31b ESV).
This statement tells me a lot about Jesus:
It tells me that His death was not a defeat but a victory.
It tells me that Jesus always put the Father’s will first.
It tells me that Jesus is not afraid to tell His disciples the hard truths.
As His disciples:
We can be secure, knowing that victory is in Jesus.
To be like Him, we will put the Father’s will first in our lives.
We should not sugarcoat the truth nor shy away from it.
What does it mean to walk with Jesus?
It means that my heart is set on living the way He wants me to live.
It means that I will seek a stewardship that serves and honors Him, not when it’s convenient, but all the time.
It means that when I stumble, I reach my hand to Him for support and to be lifted up so I can continue my walk with Him.
Walking with Jesus, My King, doesn’t mean I will be perfect,
But it means that in spite of being imperfect, I will not give up my desire to live as His servant,
Knowing that His grace will supply what I need when I fall.
Walking with Jesus is my choice to make.
Continuing the journey with Him is possible through His grace.
“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,” (Colossians 2:6 ESV).
This is one of the verses that overwhelms me when I think about it. God visits His creation and spends 33 years living among us, knowing how His 33 years would come to an end:
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14 ESV).
How can we ever doubt the depth of our Savior and God’s love for us?
This is interesting. Annas was the High Priest of Israel from 6 AD to 15 AD before being deposed. Annas had 5 sons that he was able to maneuver into the office of High Priest over the years.
He also was able to maneuver his son–in–law into the office from 18 AD to 36 AD. His son-in-law’s name was Caiaphas. Sound familiar?
This is why Jesus was brought before Annas and Caiaphas during His trials. Though Caiaphas was the High Priest recognized by Rome, Annas was the patriarch who still wielded influence.
Luke tells us that when Jesus was 12, He stayed behind in Jerusalem to speak to the officials in the Temple.
“After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.” (Luke 2:46-47 ESV).
When you look at the timeline, Annas would have been in his 1st to 3rd year as High Priest when Jesus was sitting among the teachers in the temple.
Could it be that the family who would be responsible for executing the Messiah was first astonished at His understanding and answers when He was 12 years old?
When Jesus was 12 years old, Annas most likely met Him and had the opportunity to hear teachings from the young promised Messiah.
Yet political power would become more important to this young, new High Priest than his spiritual role as a shepherd to God’s people. And when He was face to face with Israel’s King and God, Annas chose to pursue earthly power and wealth.
“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?” (Mark 8:36-37 ESV).
Who knows what the future holds? Perhaps followers of Jesus will see persecution in our homeland like never before.
Perhaps society will turn on those who follow Jesus. Perhaps they will force Christians to deny Jesus or pay a terrible cost.
Perhaps those we love- family and friends- will turn on us and try to silence us.
Or perhaps God will still allow relative peace and safety as we follow His Son.
What is going to happen will happen. We have no control over that.
But we do have control over the relationship we have with our King.
Whether peace or persecution, if we lean on the Lord, then nothing can rob us of our hope.
I pray for peace, but I pray more for our faithfulness as our society starts to move further away from God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:10-12 ESV).