I'm starting a new series of posts which will feature misunderstood Bible quotes. Now, I'm no Biblical scholar so I hope this series will be a sort of guide to people who also aren't Bible scholars to understanding more the word of God. I won't be dealing with the more difficult passages in scripture. Instead, this will be focus on passages whose contexts are usually missed (usually in the same chapter). This series shall follow this format:
- The Bible passage and how people usually read it
- The worst possible reading of the passage and how it's used against Christianity in popular media
- Why this reading is incorrect based on surrounding texts
- A more profound and meaningful reading of the text
Today's text comes from both Luke and Matthew. The text I'll use now will come from Matthew as it was this reading that made me see it in a brand new light.
Luke 11:9-10
"And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."
People have normally taken this passage to be a promise from the Lord that whatever we ask for, we will receive. Most Catholics will say that this usually means you'll get what you ask for when God determines the time is right. They usually say this to explain away the worst way to read this passage.
As this is a quote from Jesus, many skeptics will take this to mean if you ask for something now and you don't get it, then maybe no one's listening at all. Logically, it makes sense. If God Almighty has declared that whatever you ask will be given, then you ask and it's not given, you can start to question whether God is Almighty at all!
I'm probably in the minority of people who find this passage troubling. I, in fact, have asked for many things from God. Some have been given to me, some have not. So what's the deal here? I thought all I needed to do was ask or seek or knock. Then upon closer reading of a few verses before this text, it then starts to make sense.
I always found the last part of the trio (ask, seek and knock) to be an odd ball. I get why asking and seeking are together but why is knocking in there at all? The answer to my years old long question was simply a word away.
Look at Luke 11:5-8 and you'll see that Jesus paints a story of a man who wants to ask for bread from a friend of his. His friend responds by saying that his DOOR has been closed and that he won't open it anymore. This short story closes by saying that his friend will eventually open the door because of the first man's persistence.
In effect, the passage isn't telling us that God is like a cosmic ATM where you just push some buttons and you get exactly what you ask for. It's not telling us to ask once and expect an answer. The passage is telling us to be persistent.
If a grumpy man who doesn't to give bread to his neighbor can be tired down by persistence, God, in contrast, will happily give us what we ask for or what we seek for if we are persistent.
It's heartwarming, in fact to hear about stories about people who's petitions were repeated over and over only to be answered after many many years. I personally had prayed for something over a period of 6 years before God had given it to me. My family had prayed for a particular petition continuously for close to 18 years only for it to be given at the best possible time for our family.
So maybe next time you mention to someone that all they need to do is ask, add that little bit on persistence. It really does make all the difference.
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