Setting
We are still looking at the Sermon on the Mount. How long has Jesus been speaking? At least since the start of chapter 5 – at these are just Matthew's notes!
Remember the scene, Jesus had met a crowd, so He went up a mountain, sat down and started teaching. His spoke to them about the Kingdom of Heaven, and what its subjects should be like. Right at the start He recognises that people are less than perfect – Blessed are the poor in spirit (5:3)
Lets take a look at a small part of this sermon in a lot more detail. I'm going to break it down into three sections, I'll start with verses 7 & 8.
Ask, Seek, Knock (vv 7 & 8)
The Amplified Bible states this passage as “Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you. For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking finds; and to him who keeps on knocking, [the door] will be opened.”
The verbs that Jesus uses are in a tense which imply a continuous activity – so “Keep on ...” or “Continue to ...” is the sense of what is being said.
Ask
Ask for What? If you take this passage on its own it could be anything, like a new Mercedes? - How Likely would that be – pretty unlikely, but what would happen if I prayed today and one was delivered on Tuesday?. What would happen when the story got around – do you think there might be a sudden increase in church membership? Would there be an increase in the number of Christians? - no.
Its based on need - for the Kingdom, for another or yourself. We've already seen that in Jesus teaching on prayer earlier in Mt 6. “Give us today our daily bread.”; “Forgive us our debts”; and “Lead us not into temptation”
Sometimes God will grant the request at the first prayer:
Mattress Story
An African church had been called together by the new pastor to pray. He asked them what needs they had, that the church could pray for. After a rather long silence, an elderly woman stood up and said “I need a mattress”, she was clearly in some pain. Well it wasn't what he was expecting, but He'd called them there to pray, so they asked God for a Mattress. During the week someone gave her a mattress. At the next Sunday service, she was praising God loudly all the way to church. - It was a turning point for the pastor and his church.
and sometimes you have to keep on asking:
Scott Hoezee's tells the story of his 95 year old great grandmother:
One of her six sons had wandered pretty far from the church. But then, nearing his 70th year, he suddenly settled down, married a fine Christian woman, joined a church, and soon became elected elder in that congregation. And I so well remember my great-grandma saying, "I prayed for that boy for 50 years, and now look at him! Just goes to show what a little praying can do."
We keep on asking because it might work, because we believe the God will grant our request.
We keep on asking because that's way we learn about our Father. Its what children do when they repeatedly ask – they learn about their parents and how they respond to requests, what is in their will.. If your 6 year old asked for the carving knife and announces that she will carve the joint for you this Sunday, you will say “No”. If she asks for biscuits 20 minutes before lunch, you'd probably say “No” as well. If you've been for a long walk, and arrived home cold and tired, the response is likely to be different – You'd get the Jamie Oliver cook book, and prepare her a proper meal – much more than she was hoping for.
The Bible says some other things about asking God:
1 Jn 3:22 We receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.
James 4:3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
No Mercedes then!
1 Jn 5:14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
Seek
When we think of seeking, we are usually thinking of a task that will take some time and effort. We say that we are seeking out that beautiful view, or secluded garden, or we seek peace and quiet.
find the view point on IoW
Two weeks ago Jo and I spent our holiday on the Isle of Wight. After the Service at St Blasius we spoke to some of the congregation, who also turned out to be non-residents, and told us of a path across the downs to Ventnor. We said good bye and followed the path out of the back of the church, and up the hill. Some way up the hill we met a woman coming down who told us of a view point on the top of the down, where you could see about half the island. We followed the path but it seemed to lead in the wrong direction. Eventually we found ourselves walking along a thick hedge, which I was fairly sure we should be on the other side of to reach the view point. After a while I spotted a stile in the hedge and we were able to go through the hedge and enjoy the view. It was worth the walk, and the concentration looking for the path.
What is Jesus saying we should seek for? He's already told us in Mt 6:33 “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”.
We are to be seeking the The Kingdom of God, and Gods righteousness. We are to be alert and concentrating - looking for any evidence of God and his Kingdom. There's plenty, both in us and around us. If we look carefully we will find it. It has always been true, God is there for those who seek Him even in the OT:
Psalm 34:10 The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Hosea 5:15 Then I will go back to my place until they admit their guilt. And they will seek my face; in their misery they will earnestly seek me.
Amos 5:4-6 This is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: Seek me and live;do not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will be reduced to nothing. Seek the LORD and live, or he will sweep through the house of Joseph like a fire; it will devour, and Bethel will have no-one to quench it.
Isaiah 55:6-9 Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Knock
The idea of Doors Opening seems to be the description of an opportunity in the New Testament, as is for us also.
Acts 14:27 On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
1 Corinthians 16:8-9 But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.
2 Corinthians 2:12 Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me,
Colossians 4:3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
So if we see opportunities to server God we should try -knock on the door – to see what happens. That is part of what I am doing in my training – as they keep reminding us – we have been selected for training – not licensing. Four year seems a long time to keep knocking, but I'm sure people have been knocking at doors for longer than that before they are finally opened.
Evil Parents (vv 9-11)
After telling us to Ask, Seek and Knock, and promising to grant our wishes, Jesus then goes on to compare Evil parents with the Heavenly Father:
Which of you, if his 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!
Why does He use these particular images? A stone could looks quite like a small loaf of bread, by a snake he may well mean an eel, the Jews were not allowed to eat eels – thats in Leviticus 11:9 & 10 – if you want to check it out!
Lev 11:9-10 " 'Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams, you may eat any that have fins and scales. 10 But all creatures in the seas or streams that do not have fins and scales—whether among all the swarming things or among all the other living creatures in the water—you are to detest.
Bread & Fish are staple foods of the time. So Jesus is assuming that parents will give good things to their children, and not tease, trick or frustrate them. All people (parents or not) are evil but do some good. The good they do is tainted. God is Good, so he will do Good that is not tainted by evil.
Remember this as you ask, seek, knock.
vv 11-12 The Golden Rule
Rabbi Hillel (about 20 years before Jesus' birth) was asked by a Greek considering Judaism to summaries the whole of the Jewish law in the time he could stay standing on one leg. His response was "What is hateful to you, do not do to anyone else. This is the whole law; all the rest is only commentary"
Something like the golden rule exists in most philosophies and religions, lets take a look at some:
Greek: "Do not do to others that which would anger you if others did it to you."
-- Socrates (the Greek philosopher), - circa 470-399 BC
Confucianism Do not do to others what you would not like yourself. Then there will be no resentment against you, either in the family or in the state.
Analects 12:2
Buddhism Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.
Udana-Varga 5,1
Hinduism This is the sum of duty; do naught onto others what you would not have them do unto you.
Mahabharata 5,1517
Islam No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself.
Sunnah
Judaism What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow man. This is the entire Law; all the rest is commentary.
Talmud, Shabbat 3id
Taoism Regard your neighbor’s gain as your gain, and your neighbor’s loss as your own loss.
Tai Shang Kan Yin P’ien
Zoroastrianism That nature alone is good which refrains from doing another whatsoever is not good for itself.
Dadisten-I-dinik, 94,5
21st Century British culture: “Do unto others before they have the chance to do unto you”
Jesus has a slightly different take on this common saying, instead of a negative, He has a positive. “do to others what you would have them do to you “ This is typical for Jesus and entirely consistent with the rest of his teaching.
The sheep and the goats
If you use the negative version of the saying and apply it to the story of the sheep and the goats (Mt 32-42) the sheep are much harder to distinguish from the goats. The goats may have never done anything to others that they would hate. Jesus requires more, it is not sufficient to be passive – we have to be active, taking the initiative, doing good to others.
Problems with the Golden Rule
“The Message” states the rule as “Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them.” There are problems with this:
As some of you know I'm hoping to go on a driving experience at Rockingham. When I got the present I was very pleased – a great thing to do. So following this rule perhaps I should buy something like it for Jo – I enjoyed having this gift given to me, she will enjoy having the same gift given to her – won't she?
Probably not: - lets re-phrase it:
“Treat others as you want to be treated”
An Example of the Golden Rule, as it should be: The Stoke Gifford weekend
Last weekend we took Liz to her new home, where she is doing a year out. Its in the Parish of Stoke Gifford, just outside Bristol. I'll remember the weekend for a long time. They had planned it all for us, they took us out to eat on the Saturday evening – and paid the bill. They put us up in somebodies house, and gave us the key so that we could come and go as we pleased. The lady in the house also provided us with breakfast. I think this is an excellent example of the golden rule in action!
Lets hear what some others have to say on the golden Rule:
To keep the Golden Rule we must put ourselves in other people's places, but to do that consists in and depends upon picturing ourselves in their places.
Harry Emerson Fosdick
We have committed the Golden Rule to memory; let us now commit it to life.
Edwin Markham
The Golden Rule is of no use to you whatever unless you realize it is your move
Frank Crane
Don't worry about who they are – the quotes stand on their own.
Now to finish here's another story that illustrates how the Golden rule should work:
The Golden Rule Story – an Illustration, Benjamin Franklin
There was a man who died and was being taken to heaven by angels. But first, they wanted to show him hell (just for the hell of it I guess).
The angels then took him to a place where there was a great bowl, so great that it was as big as a lake. The bowl was filled with a nutritious stew. All the way around the sides of this bowl were people. Emaciated, starving, miserable people. These people had spoons to eat the stew with, that were long enough to reach it from the shore (about 12 feet). The trouble was, while they could scoop up the stew into the spoon, they could not get it into their mouths because the spoons were so long the stew would fall off before they could get it to their mouths. So here were all these pathetic people, suffering and moaning in agony, constantly trying to eat the food that was abundantly in front of them - all in vain. Next, the angels took the man to heaven. To his surprise, he saw the same scene! There it was, a giant lake-like bowl of the same stew, surrounded by people with 12 foot long spoons. Yet something was different here - all these people were smiling, happy, and healthy looking!
"Why? What is the difference here that these people are happy and well fed?", the man said to the angels.
They replied, "Have you not eyes to see?". The man looked more carefully, and observed that one person would scoop up the stew, and bring it to the mouth of another. Then someone else would scoop up stew and feed it to the other.
The angels smiled and said, "Here the people feed each other. Here are the people that learned the way of Love."
