Jesus told the crowd of people that had gathered to hear what we call the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 7:7–8 “Ask and it will be given to you … everyone who asks receives …”. And we are to ask the Father, the God of heaven, the creator of heaven and earth because He is the one with the answers. Jesus also warned the people that there were others, people around them, that were “ravenous wolves” in Matthew 7:15, people we would call robbers, swindlers, greedy and they would only know them by their fruit. Then, a man comes to Jesus and says in Matthew 8:2 “Lord, if you are willing, you are able to make me clean.” Jesus certainly had the power to heal, but was he willing to heal? Yes, Jesus immediately reached out and touched him and he was healed. This is what was said of Jesus in Acts 10:38 “Jesus of Nazareth—how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with him”.
Everyone Who Asks Receives
Matthew 7:7–12
Jesus tells the crowd, speaking to everyone that will listen, “Ask” in
Matthew 7:7–8 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened for you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
Jesus is talking about the Father, God who is in heaven, the God of creation and says “how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him? in Matthew 7:11.
There isn’t anything He doesn’t know. There isn’t anything He is holding back. What father would hold back any good thing from his children? Think about the amazing things human beings have discovered about this universe we live in by curious inquiry. How much more is there for us to know by asking God, our Father? Are you asking for a cure for cancers, for alzheimers and all kinds of dementia? Are you asking for the cure for every disease? Didn’t Jesus pay the price for us as it says in
Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by his wounds we were healed.
Are you asking for the gifts of the Holy Spirit for a manifestation of the power of God to heal as in
1 Corinthians 12:7–10 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for what is beneficial to all. 8 For to one is given a word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another a word of knowledge by the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing of spirits, to another kinds of tongues, to another interpretation of tongues.
Narrow Is The Gate
Recognize Them By Their Fruits
Matthew 7:15–20
Jesus warns that there will be false prophets and describes then as “ravenous wolves” but they will come “in sheep’s clothing” in
Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inside are ravenous wolves.
These people will look like other sheep. They will seem to fit in with everyone else but they are only seeking their own interests. Here, “ravenous wolves” means “vicious, destructively ferocious, ravenous, rapacious (Mt 7:15+) … violently greedy, i.e., like a robber, a violent swindler (Lk 18:11)”.1
but these people can be identified in
Matthew 7:16–17 You will recognize them by their fruits: they do not gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles, do they? 17 In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit.
The good fruit we are looking for is in
Galatians 5:22–23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self control. Against such things there is no law.
and the bad fruit, we can easily recognize also as the “deeds of the flesh” in
Galatians 5:19–21 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are sexual immorality, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, things which I am telling you in advance, just as I said before, that the ones who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
The One Who Does The Will of My Father
Matthew 7:21–23
Everyone Who Hears These Words of Mine
Matthew 7:24–27
He Was Teaching Like One Who Had Authority
If You Are Willing
Matthew 8:1–4
Jesus settled forever one question that people still ask today, “Is God willing to heal me?”. As the man afflicted with leprosy came to Jesus, he asked in
Matthew 8:2 And behold, a leper approached and worshiped him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you are able to make me clean.”
Lepers were unclean according to the Law of Moses and for the word used here “The major discussion of ṣāraʿat is in Leviticus 13–14 of the Priestly legislation (= P) of the Pentateuch.”2 When anyone touched something unclean, they were made unclean. But here, Jesus reaches out and touches this man, not only healing him but accepting him as being clean in
Matthew 8:3 And extending his hand he touched him, saying, “I am willing, be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Jesus also though, sent the man to the priest “for a testimony” in
Matthew 8:4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.”
Study Verses
- Matthew 7:7–12 Everyone Who Asks Receives
- Matthew 7:15–20 Recognize Them By Their Fruits
- Matthew 8:1–4 If You Are Willing
Today’s Reading
- Matthew 7:7-29
- Matthew 8:1-4
References
- 1. Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
- 2. Wright, D. P., & Jones, R. N. (1992). Leprosy. In D. N. Freedman (Ed.), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Vol. 4, p. 277). New York: Doubleday.
