Ask, Seek, Knock
Your Father gives good gifts
Two things you can tap
- A verse number shows the Bible’s exact words.
- An underlined word shows what it means.
Story
What happened?
Tap a verse number, like , to read the Bible’s exact words.
Who’s who and what came beforePeople, places, and the story so far. Open it anytime.
Scene Card
Cast
- Jesus: The one the Gospels present as the promised Messiah and the Son of God. He is teaching on a mountain.
- The disciples: Jesus's first followers. They sit close to him.
- The crowd: People from many towns. They are listening too.
Setting
- A mountainside in Galilee, the area in northern Israel where Jesus grew up. The Bible does not say which mountain.
When
- Early in Jesus's work, about 2,000 years ago.
Before the Story
This is part of the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5 to 7 hold one long teaching of Jesus. It began with the Beatitudes (5:3-12).
Jesus has been teaching about prayer and trust. He taught his followers to pray "Our Father" (6:9). He told them not to worry, because their Father knows what they need (6:32).
Most of Jesus's listeners were Jewish, like Jesus. They knew God's law and the writings of the prophets well.
Here's what you know that almost nobody in this story knows: The last line of this teaching will become famous. Today many people call it the Golden Rule.
Map of the Story
| Scene | Verses | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Do not judge | 7:1-2 | The measure you use comes back to you |
| 2. The speck and the beam | 7:3-5 | Deal with your own wrong first, then help |
| 3. Pearls and pigs | 7:6 | Don't keep handing holy things to people who trample them |
| 4. Ask, seek, knock | 7:7-8 | Keep asking God |
| 5. Bread, not a stone | 7:9-11 | Your Father gives good gifts |
| 6. The Golden Rule | 7:12 | Treat others the way you want to be treated |
Plain Retelling
Scene 1 of 6Do Not Judge
The crowd sat on the slope. Jesus was still teaching.
Jesus said, "Do not judge, or you will be judged" (7:1).
Here, to judge means to condemn. It means deciding someone is worthless or beyond hope. Jesus was not telling people to stop knowing right from wrong.
Then Jesus used a picture from the market. Sellers measured grain with a scoop or a basket. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you" (7:2).
This is a comparison. If you use a harsh measure on other people, that same harsh measure comes back to you.
Scene 2 of 6The Speck and the Beam
Next Jesus asked a question. "Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but fail to notice the beam in your own eye?" (7:3).
A speck is a tiny bit of dust. A beam is a big piece of wood, like the kind that holds up a roof.
This is an exaggeration. Nobody really has a wooden beam in their eye. A picture this big is hard to forget.
The person with the beam wants to fix the other person's speck. But the beam is so big that they cannot see.
Jesus called that person a hypocrite. A hypocrite is a pretender. The Greek word meant a stage actor.
But Jesus did not stop there. "First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye" (7:5).
So the speck still matters. Jesus wants the brother or sister helped. First deal with your own wrong. Then you can see clearly to help.
Scene 3 of 6Pearls and Pigs
Then came a short, surprising saying. "Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine" (7:6). Swine are pigs.
Pigs cannot eat pearls. They would stomp on them in the mud. Then they might "turn and tear you to pieces" (7:6).
This is a comparison. It is also a puzzling saying. It's okay to notice things like this. Careful readers have asked about it for centuries.
One likely meaning: Some people keep mocking and attacking what is holy. You do not have to keep pushing it on them. A moment before, Jesus had warned against judging. This saying adds a balance. Not judging people does not mean letting them attack you.
Scene 4 of 6Ask, Seek, Knock
Then Jesus gave three short promises.
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you" (7:7).
Asking uses words. Seeking means looking. Knocking means standing at a closed door and waiting for someone to open it. In Greek, these three verbs are in a form that pictures ongoing action. So many teachers read them this way: Keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking.
Then Jesus repeated the promise. "For everyone who asks receives" (7:8). That means everyone, not only very holy people.
Scene 5 of 6Bread, Not a Stone
Then Jesus asked his listeners about their own families.
Suppose your son asks for bread. Would you hand him a stone? Suppose he asks for a fish. Would you give him a snake?
The answer is no. No loving parent would play a cruel trick like that.
Then Jesus made his point. "If you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" (7:11).
Jesus called his listeners evil. One likely reason: he meant that all people, even loving parents, are sinners. Yet even sinners know how to give good gifts. God is far better than the best parent.
Jesus did not promise that God gives everything we ask for. He promised that God gives good things.
Scene 6 of 6The Golden Rule
Then Jesus summed up his teaching.
"In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the Prophets" (7:12).
The Law and the Prophets was a way to say the Scriptures of Israel. Essence means the most important part of something.
Think about what you want. You want to be listened to. You want mercy when you mess up. You want help when you are stuck. Jesus said to do those things for other people.
The whole teaching fits together. God gives good gifts to people who don't deserve them. So God's children can give good things to others too.
Meaning
What does it mean?
Read It
What Does This Mean?
| The text says | It means |
|---|---|
| "Do not judge, or you will be judged" (7:1) | Don't condemn people or write them off. It does not mean pretending wrong is right. |
| "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you" (7:2) | Harshness toward others comes back on us. So does mercy (Luke 6:37-38). |
| "The beam in your own eye" (7:3) | Our own wrongs are often bigger than we see. The beam is an exaggeration, used to make us look at ourselves first. |
| "Then you will see clearly to remove the speck" (7:5) | The goal is helping the other person, gently. Paul says the same (Galatians 6:1). |
| "Do not throw your pearls before swine" (7:6) | You do not have to keep offering holy things to someone who only tramples them and attacks you. |
| "Ask... seek... knock" (7:7) | Keep praying. Keep bringing your needs to God. |
| "How much more will your Father in heaven give good things" (7:11) | God is a better giver than any human parent. In Luke, the gift Jesus names is the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13). |
| "Do to others as you would have them do to you" (7:12) | Treat people the way you hope to be treated. This sums up what God's law is about. |
Back Then
Measures at the market. Grain was sold by filling a measure, a scoop or basket. A generous seller packed it down and let it spill over. Jesus uses this picture in Luke 6:38: "A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over" (Luke 6:38).
Dogs and pigs. In Bible lands, some dogs guarded houses and flocks. Packs of half-wild dogs also roamed the streets and ate garbage (Easton's Bible Dictionary). Pigs were unclean under Moses's law, so Jewish people did not eat them (Leviticus 11:7).
Doors at night. Houses were shut and locked at night. In Luke, Jesus tells about a man knocking on a friend's door at midnight to borrow bread (Luke 11:5-8).
Others said something like the Golden Rule. A famous Jewish teacher named Hillel taught in Jerusalem in the years right before Jesus was born. The Talmud, written down a few hundred years later, tells this story. A man who was not Jewish asked Hillel to teach him the whole law while he stood on one foot. Hillel said, in plain words, "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah. The rest explains it. Go and learn it" (Talmud, Shabbat 31a). Torah means God's law.
The book of Tobit is a Jewish writing from before Jesus's time. It says, "What you hate, do not do to anyone" (Tobit 4:15). Catholic and Orthodox Christians include Tobit in their Bibles. Luther printed it among the Apocrypha, books he called good to read but not equal to Scripture. Other teachers around the world have taught similar sayings too. Hillel's words say what not to do. Jesus's words say what to do. Both teachers said this sums up God's law. Jesus was teaching as a Jewish teacher, from Israel's own Scriptures.
Literal Reader Alert
Does "Do not judge" mean I can never say something is wrong? No. In the same chapter, Jesus warns about false prophets and says "By their fruit you will recognize them" (7:16). Fruit here is a comparison. It means the things people do. And the speck and beam saying ends with helping your brother (7:5). Jesus is against condemning people and looking down on them. He is not against telling right from wrong, warning a friend, or telling someone about a danger.
Can people use "Do not judge" to make me stay quiet about something wrong? No. If someone is hurting you or someone else, telling a trusted adult is not "judging." It is the right thing to do.
Do I have a beam in my eye? No. This is an exaggeration. Jesus is not talking about real eyes or real wood. Jesus is not telling anyone to hurt their eyes or do surgery on anyone.
Is Jesus calling people dogs and pigs? Not as a name to call anyone. This is a comparison. It is not a label to stick on anyone you don't like. Careful readers have asked what it means for centuries. The plain likely sense is about wisdom. You don't have to keep offering what is precious to someone who keeps trampling it and turning on you.
Does "Ask and it will be given" mean God gives me whatever I ask for? No. Prayer is not like a vending machine, where you put in money and always get what you picked. Jesus promised good gifts, not every gift we ask for (7:11). A loving parent does not give a child everything the child asks for either.
I prayed and didn't get what I asked for. Did I do it wrong? No. Jesus himself prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me" (Matthew 26:39). The cup is a picture of the suffering ahead of him. The cup did not pass. Jesus still went to the cross. Paul pleaded with the Lord three times to take a problem away (2 Corinthians 12:8). The answer was no. God said, "My grace is sufficient for you" (2 Corinthians 12:9). The Psalms even pray, "How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever?" (Psalm 13:1). LORD in capital letters stands for God's personal name. Jewish readers traditionally don't say it aloud, out of respect. It is okay to be sad or angry about a prayer that got no answer you could see. You can tell God that. God can hear it.
What if "Father" is a hard word for me? Some people's fathers hurt them or left. Jesus says God is far better than the best father (7:11). God is not like a father who hurt you. A psalm says, "Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me" (Psalm 27:10). In Isaiah, God even compares his love to a mother's love (Isaiah 49:15). It's okay to take time getting used to calling God Father.
How People Feel
| Who | Feeling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The crowds | Astonished | Jesus taught "as one who had authority," not like their teachers (7:28-29) |
For you
What does it mean for me?
Your Turn
What part of this is hard for you? Tap one.
I get judged a lot
That hurts. Jesus does not want anyone written off, and that includes you. God's measure for you is mercy. In Jesus, God does not condemn you (John 3:17).
I judge others a lot
Everyone has a beam sometimes. That means everyone has their own wrongs to deal with. Jesus does not say "give up." He says take the beam out, then help. God forgives you and helps you see clearly.
My prayer wasn't answered
That can make you feel alone, or angry. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed a prayer that was not answered the way he asked. On the cross he cried out, asking why God had forsaken him (Matthew 27:46). But God did not leave him in death. God raised him to life. You can keep telling God the truth.
"Father" is hard for me
Some fathers hurt their children. God is not like that. "Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me" (Psalm 27:10). You can take your time with this word.
It's really bad right now
Please tell a trusted adult today. In the U.S., call or text 988. If you are in danger, call 911 or your local emergency number. Outside the U.S., findahelpline.com lists free helplines. You can also pray one word: "Help." God hears that.
You Might Have Heard
"If you have enough faith, God will give you whatever you ask for."
What's true: Jesus really does want us to ask. He promises that God hears and gives good gifts (7:7-11).
What the passage is mainly about: What kind of Father God is. God is not like a machine that pays out when we put in enough faith. God is a Father who gives good things, sometimes different from what we asked. When a prayer isn't answered the way you hoped, it does not mean your faith was too small.
Where Jesus is: In the garden, Jesus asked for the cup to pass. It did not. He prayed, "Yet not as I will, but as You will" (Matthew 26:39). Then he gave himself on the cross, for us. Through his death on the cross, God gave the best gift of all.
Good News
God does not measure you with a harsh measure. He sent Jesus "to save the world" (John 3:17), not to condemn it. God gives his children good gifts. In Luke, Jesus names the best one: God will "give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him" (Luke 11:13). The Holy Spirit is the one who helps us pray when we have no words (Romans 8:26).
When God doesn't give what you asked for, he has not stopped being your Father. He has already given his own Son. Paul asks, "How will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32). Paul's answer is that God will.
Your Father in heaven gives good gifts, and in Jesus he has already given you himself.
From the Wider Church
Augustine was a church leader who lived about 1,600 years ago. He wrote about 7:6 in Our Lord's Sermon on the Mount. He wrote, "The dogs are those that assault the truth," and the pigs are "those that despise the truth." He said it is okay to hold back holy things from people who would only attack them. Holding back the truth is not the same as telling a lie (Book 2, chapter 20).
Big Idea
God is a Father who hears his children and gives good gifts, and in Jesus he gives us mercy instead of condemnation.
If this story brings up big feelings, talk with someone you trust, like a parent, pastor, or counselor.
For leaders and parentsLuther, church readings, and notes for teaching.
From Luther
Martin Luther preached on Matthew 5 to 7 in the early 1530s. On "Do not judge," he said this does not take away a preacher's duty to judge teaching and life. He also said a Christian who sees a neighbor doing wrong should warn that person. What Jesus forbids is judging without mercy. Luther said what is needed is tolerance and forgiveness, "by which one person bears with another" (Luther's Works, vol. 21, p. 213).
In Church
Many churches follow a reading plan called the Revised Common Lectionary. It does not read Matthew 7:1-12 on a Sunday. Luke has the same teachings. Luke's "do not judge" and Golden Rule (Luke 6:27-38) are read on the Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany in Year C. The speck and the beam (Luke 6:39-49) comes the next Sunday, when Year C has one. Luke's ask, seek, knock (Luke 11:1-13) is read in late July of Year C (Lectionary 17).
We quote Luther for what he got right about grace. He also wrote terrible things about Jewish people. Read our note on that.
Memorize
How do I keep it?
One line from this story to learn by heart. Practice a little now. It will come back later so it sticks.
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
How did that feel?