What Is “It?”

Most weeks on my personal blog I reflect on something that personally affected me from my sermon the previous Sunday. This week is no different, but really I am just extending my thoughts from the sermon. (You can read the sermon blogs each week at our church’s blog – ffxbc.blogspot.com or listen at http://www.fairfaxbaptistchurch.org/listen.html.)

Before I get to the heart of the post, I must state that I realize many consider the latter part of Matthew 7 (if not all of it) as individual bits of teaching that were later added to Jesus sermon because the information does not seem to mesh as well with the earlier portion. However, I think such thinking is unnecessary because Chapter 6 is quite different than Chapter 5 and yet the common theme of righteousness is prevalent in both – and in Chapter 7 as well (although the term itself is not be explicitly stated). But the concept is very much present and I intend to show that here.

Beginning in Matthew 7.11, Jesus does take a bit of a new direction in His sermon. But really He is circling back to the idea of prayer which is explicitly mentioned in Matthew 6.5-13 (and really through 15), and is a part of the fabric of storing up treasures in heaven, serving the right master, and not being anxious that concludes Matthew 6. And, I would argue, that judging with the proper perspective can only be done by coming before God which involves prayer as well (see last week’s post for the tie-in from the end of Matthew 6 to the judgment passage in Matthew 7). So the concept of prayer has been present for more than one full chapter in Matthew’s text. And now, Jesus gives some specific commands about prayer. We are to ask, seek, and knock. But the question we must consider is for what are to to ask or seek? And where are we to knock?

The answer is not given clearly for Jesus uses a pronoun – “it” – to describe what we will be given for our asking. But a key word in verse 8 can help us determine the antecedent for this pronoun. In verse 8, Jesus states that God promises those who ask will receive “it,” that those who seek will find, and that those who knock will find “it” opened. So what is “it” and what is the key word that unlocks the answer?

The key to understanding what “it” is to to realize that Jesus has promised that God will honor “everyone” who is actively asking, seeking, and knocking. Jesus does not say those who believe will receive their request or those who do not believe will find. He says the promises are for “everyone.” So, if everyone who asks receives, and everyone who seeks finds, and everyone who knocks will find something opened, what could it be that could allow Jesus to make such a promise and not compromise the integrity of God. I believe the answer is quite evident if we look at the text. The problem is too many people isolate the text at hand, and the answer lies just a few sentences prior to this statement and is the theme of all that Jesus has taught in His sermon thus far.

The answer: the righteousness of God (which includes God’s Kingdom, Matt 6.33). Again, chapter breaks in the Bible do us a disservice. Certainly, the indexing system of ascribing chapters and verses allow us to find information more quickly, but most people do not realize that ask, seek, and knock are only nine (9!) verses away from Jesus command to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. With that realized, let me explain why I believe this answer makes the most sense for the text.

First, if everyone receives, finds, or has the door/gate opened (see Matthew 7.14), then God is not restricting this to any one group of people. Of course, Jesus could be using hyperbole here, but must He be? I don’t think so. I think everyone means everyone. Thus, if Jesus is not going to trap God into keeping promises He can’t keep, then the answer must be something that could be given to anyone and everyone. In the context of the text, we can either consider the answer to be food (such as the fish and bread in the same paragraph), something related to judging others (in the previous paragraph), or the righteousness of God from the paragraph before that. And the righteousness of God has been the primary theme of the sermon (see Matthew 5.6; 5.20; 6.33). Plus, although we have been instructed to ask for our daily bread (6.11), we are instructed not to be anxious about it (6.25, 31, 34). And while we must seek God to measure our judgment properly, seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness is the prerequisite for doing so. So contextually, righteousness is the answer.

Secondly, everyone needs the righteousness of God to be satisfied (Matthew 5.6). Those who do not believe may ask and have it given to them. They may seek the Kingdom and find it. They may approach the gate (again 7.14) and find it opened to them. But for those who are already a part of the Kingdom, the righteousness of God must still be desired. I am still far from perfect. However, if I ask and keep asking, seek and keep seeking, knock and keep knocking day after day after day, then I receive, find, and have the gate opened continually that I might be a little closer to the man God wants me to be tomorrow than I am today. Thus, those who do not believe need to ask to receive, seek to find, and knock to have the Kingdom of God and His righteousness made available to them, and those who do believe need to keep asking, to keep seeking, and to keep knocking so that we can continue to grow in Him and be satisfied. Thus, everyone (the pronoun in verse 8) is covered, and God’s promise can be perfectly fulfilled to “everyone” who earnestly asks, seeks, and knocks.

As we will see in the remaining verses of this sermon, Jesus then divides all people into two groups – those that ask, seek, and knock, and those that do not. The ones that heed Jesus’ command take the narrow road will “find” the hidden gate, bear good fruit, and are considered wise for building on a solid foundation. Those that do not heed Jesus' words take the easy road, bear bad fruit (if they bear any at all) and are considered foolish by using sand as their foundation.

The choice is up to each one of us. “Everyone” has the same opportunity – if we will simply ask, seek, and knock. Which will you choose?