Matthew 7:7-12 The Power of the Request
I began by working on the assumption that this passage in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount is a continuation from vv. 1-6; indeed, I believe that the entire sermon builds off of one another, and that that is the only way to truly understand it.That being said, it is now time to answer the question that remained unanswered in Matthew 7:1-6. That question is, How do we help a person with a "speck in their eye?" We saw in the previous post, that one must first learn to see without condemnation; they must remove the log from their eye. This includes not forcing our helpful things on other people. But what then? After we've done all of that our neighbor still needs help, they still have a speck in their eye. How do we help them?Well, the very first word in Matthew 7:7 provide the answer. We ask. This answer is almost embarrassingly simple, but it's true. Asking is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. Even the most hardbitten criminal, in many cases, cannot resist the strength of an ask.Think of the last time you got french fries on your way home from work, then you began taking the scenic route home, even though there was a straight shot. What are you doing? Well, if you're like me, you are trying to give yourself enough time to finish the fries. Why? Because as soon as you get in the door your children are going to ask. The same is true of dogs, which of us can resist ripping off a piece of our sandwich when our dog is asking with her eyes? It is a force to be reckoned with.Therefore, Jesus says that we should apply this when were are seeking to be of help to our neighbor. Instead of overpowering, we ask. Instead of condemning, we ask. For in asking we are allowing the other person to exercise their God-given free will. They get to choose which direction their life will take, and it's up to them to invite us to become a part of it.This is a practice that has long since been forgotten in Christian communities. No longer do we try and embody Paul's words in Galatians 6:1&2, instead we slickly evade the teaching of Jesus by saying something like, "Who am I to judge?" Now, I know what people mean when they say that. They're saying, "It's not my place to pass judgement upon another person." That is true, but it's unnecessary to say. Jesus established that judgement isn't our place in the first 6 verses, so to say Who am I to judge, and then allow your neighbor to continue on with a speck in their eye, is not only doing a disservice to your neighbor, but it is not an act of love.Interestingly enough, we don't accept this kind of response from anybody else. Imagine going to visit your doctor, and after going through a thorough examination they looked at your chart, noted that they saw some things, then shrugged their shoulders and said, "But who am I to judge?" You would rightly respond, "I'm not asking you to judge me, I'm asking you to help me!" That is the message of this passage. Jesus commands us not to judge, then commends to us the practice of helping.Therefore, we ask, and we do so with the type of persistence that shows our neighbor that we are really interested in helping them. Not, mind you, by constantly pestering them about their "speck," but by remaining present in their life, by seeking opportunities to help. By your persistent presence, when your neighbor is ready to receive help, they will no doubt think of the one who asked them if their was anything that they can do to help them.And what of the times when the help needed is beyond our capacity to give? Sure, when our children ask for bread or fish, we are delighted to help. But what of when the help they need is beyond us, what do we do then? Well, Jesus helpfully points out that we have a father in heaven who delights to give good gifts way more than we do. And his capacity to help never outpaces his desire. He is able.So we don't only ask our neighbor, but we ask God. Indeed, it is wise to include God in all of our endeavors to help because, as I said in a previous post, prayer is a conversation between two people who are working toward the same end. Therefore, it is only appropriate to ask God to help remove the speck, whatever it may be. This includes situations where we can help, and those where we cannot.Jesus provides a helpful instruction on this teaching near the end of Luke's gospel. You will recall that he was in an upper room with his students, and he turned to Peter and told him that the devil wanted to have each and every one of them. Then, although Jesus had the power to "fix" them, for he could've zapped them with great faith, he instead prayed for them. He went to his father on their behalf, and asked his father to help them.This is a teachable moment for us. Which of us does not have a loved one that we are constantly in turmoil over? Which of us doesn't have a person in our life that we would "fix" if we could? Let the example of Jesus teach you in this regard. Though he could fix, wisdom told him that prayer to his father was the better approach. Therefore, he shifted his focus to asking, seeking, and knocking at his father's door, on behalf of his friends.Dietrich Bonhoeffer provides very helpful words from his book, Life Together. He says,
Only Christ can speak to me in such a way that I may be saved, so others, too, can be saved only by Christ himself. This means that I must release the other person from every attempt of mine to regulate, coerce, and dominate them with my love…. Thus this spiritual love will speak to Christ about a brother more than to a brother about Christ. It knows that the most direct way to others is always through prayer to Christ and that love of others is wholly dependent upon the truth in Christ.
God is faithful. Therefore ask, seek, and knock.Listen to the sermon here.