Matthew 7:7-19

Zachary B Horn

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Intro

At what level is meaning conveyed? What is the unit of meaning?

Word? Sentence? Paragraph? Discourse?

Word level: Take for example the word: “peace.” What does it mean?

Possibilities:

It could mean “restful tranquility” in a quiet natural setting

It could be “an inner sense of calm” that person experiences

It could be the “cessation of hostilities” like the signing of a peace agreement between previously warring factions

It could be what Pastor Doug says when he leaves the office “Peace out!”

It could be the expression of a hippie “Peace and love man!”

It can even be a command, like when Jesus says “Peace, be still!” to the wind and the waves

Sentence level: “My spirit will sleep in peace; or if it thinks, it will not surely think thus.”

What might we conclude from that snippet?

that “peace” here might refer to the speaker’s view of the quiet and undisturbed rest of death

the image is of a tranquil death, and a transformed reality

Paragraph level: “But soon, “ he cried, with sad and solemn enthusiasm, “I shall die, and what I now feel be no longer felt. Soon these burning miseries will be extinct. I shall ascend my funeral pile triumphantly, and exult in the agony of the torturing flames. The light of that conflagration will fade away; my ashes will be swept into the sea by the winds. My spirit will sleep in peace; or if it thinks, it will not surely think thus. Farewell.”

Now what might we conclude?

Far from our likely first impressions at the word “peace” we find this word is spoken by a tortured, distraught, despairing and suicidal mind.

There is chaos, there is suffering, there is extreme emotional pain here, and what the speaker means by “peace” is simply “experiencing what I am now experiencing no longer.”

But we still have many, many questions:

Who is the speaker?

What is the cause/source of his suffering?

What occasions his hopelessness?

Is this a melodramatic outburst, or the resolute determination of someone who has given up?

>In other words, we lack all of the contextual information necessary to understand the meaning of these words!

>Of course we do—this the second to last paragraph of a book—literally the whole book has come before this!

>This is from Mary Shelley’s classic work, Frankenstein.

-Frankenstein creates this sub-human creature made of recycled (yes, gross) human body parts

-The result is freakish monster, appallingly disfigured, equipped with remarkable intelligence and feeling, but fated to be feared, despised, and shunned. In turn, the creature seeks to destroy everything dear to is creator, Frankenstein, including killing the woman he loves.

-Much occurs, but by the end of the book, the outburst we read from this wretched and detestable creature is hardly surprising. He has lived, hated and alone, fueled only by hate and vengeance, and with that sated, he sees only misery before him.

What do we conclude from this example?

That in terms of meaning:

Discourses determine the meaning of paragraphs, which confine the meaning of sentences, which define the meaning of words.

—> Why does this matter in Matthew 7:7-11

Matthew 7:7–11 ESV

“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. 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!

These verses are among some of the most frequently quoted, and frequently misunderstood, in the whole bible.

The Misunderstandings:

These verses apply to asking other people for things.

Rationale basis:

these verses are set within a section of the sermon that has to do with how we interact w/others

ie. vs 1-6 deal with not judging others

vs 12 deals with the golden rule

thus, if it is our relationship with other people that is in view in this section, then this verse refer to the power of relationships with other people.

Response: Why this cannot be correct (ASK WHY THIS CANNOT BE CORRECT)

because of vs 11

it is clearly the Father who is the recipient of the petitions and the giver of the grants!

If I ask God, he will give me whatever it is that I ask.

Example: a blank check from God?

This passage, and verses like these, are core proof texts for prosperity gospel theology

The challenge: We may know theologically that this answer is wrong—but can you demonstrate exegetically why it is wrong from this text?

Key question: What, if any, are the limitations the text imposes on vs 7-8? Or what is it that we are to be asking for? What is it that we are to seek, and where are we to knock?

These verses prove arminianism!

If someone is asking, or seeking, or knocking at the door of salvation and God grants it to them on the basis of their request, seeking, or knocking—isn’t that an example of the exercise of free will and free choice?

Responses:

This discourse is spoken to the disciples in the hearing of the crowds (see 5:1-2)

The content of this discourse is clearly for those who are true disciples of Christ (blessed are you when you are reviled and persecuted because of me…you are the salt of the earth…the repeated use of “Father” for God, etc)

We know that unsaved people don’t seek after God! (Rom 3:11)

What is it that we seek that we are told we will find, or to ask for that we can confidently know God will give to us?

-having defined the question negatively (what it cannot be) we need to positively affirm what these verses mean.