GeorgePWood.com

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"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

These verses contain a promise about prayer (7–8) and a proof of that promise (9–11). Today, I’ll look at the promise; tomorrow, at the proof.

In verses 7–8, Jesus promises that God will answer our prayers. And he does so in absolute, unambiguous terms. Everyone will receive what he asks for, find what he seeks, and enter through opened doors of opportunity when he knocks. There are no qualifications to Jesus’ promise of divine answer. In other words, Jesus does not tell us that God will answer our prayers only if we pray in God’s will or ask for things we truly need, as opposed to things we merely want. He simply and without reservation promises that God will answer us.

But this raises the obvious objection of unanswered prayer. We do not always receive what we pray for; neither do our family and friends. Is Jesus’ promise a hollow one, then—nice words but nothing else?

First, we must interpret Jesus’ words correctly. Jesus often spoke in absolute terms, vivid contrasts, and hyperbole. We misinterpret his teachings if we mistake rhetorical flourish for legalistic promise. In verses 7–8, Jesus used strong language to motivate us to pray. I sincerely doubt that he intended us to think our relationship with God is a blank check. After all, even he had an unanswered prayer, namely, “may this cup be taken from me” (Matthew 26.39), which referred to the crucifixion.

Second, as a general principle, it is true that God answers our prayers. The issue really is not unanswered prayer per se, but rather prayers with answers that we did not expect. Someone has written that God always answers prayers in one of four ways: No, Go, Slow, and Grow. I think that’s about right. Sometimes, God refuses our requests. Sometimes he grants them. Sometimes he let us know that now is not the right time. And sometimes he wants our character to mature. Only a very bad parent would give a very selfish child whatever he wanted, whenever he asked for it. And God is not a very bad parent.

Indeed, according to verses 9–11, God is a very good Father, who longs to give us “good gifts.” If, on occasion, I ask for things that God does not give me, I’m quite sure he has something better in mind.

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One Christmas, I gave Tiffany a string of pearls for Christmas. (She makes them look good, by the way.) Pearl necklaces aren’t cheap, which is why I can appreciate what Jesus said in Matthew 7.6: “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.” If for some reason Tiffany ever threw the necklace into a pig pen, I’d dive in right into the mud and muck to retrieve it. After all, why waste expensive jewelry on tomorrow morning’s bacon? But then again, why would anyone throw pearls into a pigpen in the first place? What, in other words, is Jesus talking about here?

In his excellent book, Jesus according to Scripture, Darrell Bock offers this interpretation:

“In the Old Testament, a dog was often a figure of reproach (1 Sam. 17:43; 24:14; Prov. 26:11; also in 2 Peter 2:22). Pigs were ceremonially unclean animals. So the point is that one does not give what is precious (holy things or pearls) to those who will not respond appreciatively. As with other parts of Jesus’ teaching, the point is not an absolute prohibition, because then the disciple could not share the gospel with those who are not responsive. Rather, the point is that the disciple is not obligated to share with those who are hard-hearted. These people are like pigs that trample what is precious and like dogs that turn and attack the one seeking to feed them. Using discernment is the point here. The sentiment recalls Prov. 23:9: ‘Do not speak to a fool, for he will scorn the wisdom of your words.’ A contrast in attitude is suggested in Prov. 9:8: ‘A scoffer who is rebuked will only hate you; the wise, when rebuked, will love you.’ The discerning follower of Jesus can tell when a scoffer is present, and so remains quiet.”

I think Bock is onto something here, which I can affirm from personal experience. Several years ago, at a church in Costa Mesa, I taught a Sunday school class. One day, a nice British gentleman joined the class. After a while, I noticed that whenever he asked questions, he would preface them by contrasting the King James Version (which he used) with the New International Version (which I used). No problem; I think such contrasts can be illuminating. But it turned out that he believed the KJV was the only translation Christians could use. All other translations—NIV included—were corrupt, heretical, and illegitimate. At first, I patiently argued with him. But after a while, I realized that (a) he didn’t know what he was talking about, (b) he wasn’t open to being corrected where he was obviously wrong, and (c) he was slowly destroying the class.

Had I been an older, more discerning pastor, I would have sniffed this guy out early on and quickly invited him to leave the class. But, being young and stupid, I threw pearls at swine for months. By the time he left, the mud and muck were everywhere, and it took some time to clean up my class.

Jesus commands us to share the gospel with all kinds of people (Matthew 28.16–20). But doing so requires discernment, for some are interested, and others are hostile. Don’t waste your time on hostile people.

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In Matthew 7.1–2, Jesus said, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Few Bible verses are as well received in our tolerant age as these, but they are usually misunderstood. In order to understand them correctly, therefore, we need to examine what they do not mean.

First, they do not mean that the state cannot pass judgment on criminal behavior. The Pharisees once asked Jesus whether it was lawful to pay taxes, and Jesus responded, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” (Matthew 22.21). By saying this, Jesus recognized that the state has legitimate functions and that Christians should pay taxes in order to support those functions. Paul said much the same thing in Romans 13.1–7, describing the state as “God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.” (Like Jesus, he also urged Christians to pay their taxes.)

Second, Matthew 7.1–2 does not mean that the church cannot pass judgment on unrepentant sinners. In Matthew 18.15–20, Jesus describes a three-step process of church discipline by which a Christian is held accountable for his behavior. If the sinful Christian repents, he is forgiven. If not, he is excommunicated—an extreme result that is rarely necessary.

Third, Jesus’ words about judgment do not mean that individual Christians cannot exercise moral discernment about right and wrong behavior or good and bad people. The Sermon on the Mount itself contains many statements about what is right and wrong, with respect to murder, anger, adultery, lust, divorce, oath taking, vengeance, and love of enemy, among other things (Matthew 5.21–48). And Jesus himself distinguished between true and false disciples (Matthew 7.15–20), true and false disciples (7.21–23), and wise and foolish builders (24–27).

In sum, the church, the state, and the Christian cannot live according to God’s will without judging between good and bad people and behavior.

What, then, do Jesus’ words mean? According to John R. W. Stott, they forbid censoriousness. “Censoriousness is a compound sin consisting of several unpleasant ingredients. It does not mean to assess people critically, but to judge them harshly. The censorious critic is a fault-finder who is negative and destructive towards other people and enjoys actively seeking out their failings. He puts the worst possible constructions on their motives, pours cold water on their schemes and is ungenerous toward their mistakes.”

Why should we avoid censoriousness? Because, as Jesus put it, “in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” A judgmental, censorious, fault-finding Christian will one day be hoist by his own petard.

So, as we await Christ’s Second Coming, let us use good judgment with regard to people and behavior. But let us flavor our judgment with ample helpings of grace.

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Psalm 146:3 offers valuable advice to Christians in America on this Election Day:

in mortal men, who cannot save.

The presidential campaign that is (mercifully) coming to an end today may be one of the most religiously fraught campaigns in recent memory. Typically, Republicans have a lock on the so-called “values voters,” whose church-going habits strongly correlate with conservative politics. But this year, the Republican candidate is reticent about his faith, while the Democratic candidate is quite open about his.

Never before have I seen so much debate among evangelical Christians about which candidate would best advance a biblical, political agenda. Should evangelicals support John McCain because he is resolutely pro-life or Barack Obama because his welfare policies would help reduce abortion? Should evangelicals vote for McCain whose support of the surge is helping wind down the war in Iraq with victory or Obama because his diplomatic overtures to our enemies would better embody the spirit of peacemaking? Does the Bible favor the creation of wealth through low taxes or the equitable distribution of wealth through high taxes? Different Christians—with the same theology and even the same denominational affiliation—will answer these questions differently.

What concerns me is that the respective sides are placing too much trust in their candidates. Indeed, it strikes me that our quadrennial choice of a president tracks closely with Jesus’ words to Simon Peter upon his confession of him as Christ (Matthew 16:13-28). At the start of the president’s term, filled with his—someday, her—extravagant campaign promises, we say to our new president, “Blessed are you!” Four years later, knowing that those campaign promises were empty words, we say, “Get behind me, Satan!” No president is either so angelic or so demonic that he deserves that kind of treatment. He is, instead, an earthy mixture of good and bad, of smart and dumb, of success and failure.

Knowing this—and we do know this, don’t we?—shouldn’t we be more than a bit skeptical about our preferred candidate and his stated agenda? Indeed, shouldn’t we actively interrogate their slogans and point out their real theological deficiencies?

Obama emphasizes hope and change. Hope and change are good things, but they easily become idols in the hands of politicians. “In Christ’s name the nations will put their hope,” Mathew 12:21 tells us. And 2 Corinthians 5:17 reminds us: “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” Whatever hope and change a politician can bring about pale in comparison to the hope and change Christ brings. We need to lower the expectations of what Obama can actually do if he’s elected president today.

And what about McCain’s slogan, “Country First”? It too is theologically suspect. It smacks of Stephen Decatur’s toast: “Our Country! In her intercourse with foreign nations may she always be in the right; but right or wrong, our country!” Yes, may our country always be in the right, but this can only happen when we have descralized our nation and obeyed the words of Jesus: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).

I doubt either Obama or McCain have thought deeply and theologically about their slogans. And I’m pretty sure that neither have their supporters. In a fit of pique, as I argue with friends about my preferred candidate, I must admit that I too lose perspective and attach more significance to this election than is warranted by the facts. The kingdom of God does not ride on who is elected today, if for no other reason than that we don’t elect God king.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that this election is unimportant. There will be real, measurable consequences in domestic and foreign policy if either man is elected. So, who you vote for today important. Just not all important.

 When their [i.e., the prince’s] spirit departs, they return to the ground;

on that very day their plans come to nothing.

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the Lord his God.

In the eternal scheme of things, a politician’s promises, plans, and policies are as fleeting as his life, and therefore unfit as an object of faith. Go ahead and vote your conscience, then, and may the best man win. But don’t put your trust in him! Only God can save.

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Is the Christian life ascetic? Does God want us to live like the monks and nuns of early Christianity, who were indifferent (and sometimes hostile) to physical and material pleasures? Are we supposed to live the carefree life of the birds, trusting to God to provide for our needs?

Or rather, yes to the third question, not the first two. God will provide for our needs because he cares for us more than birds and lilies, which he feeds and beautifies respectively. That is the essence of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6.25–34 and the foundation of a worry-free life.

But we often confuse Jesus’ teaching with asceticism, that is to say, with the simple and disciplined lives of monks and nuns who take vows of poverty. God may call some people into that manner of life, but he does not call all of us. Instead, he calls all of us—whether rich or poor—to have the right attitude about our creaturely needs and wants. The essence of that attitude is faith or trust, which produces in us a lack of anxiety.

Anxiety, you see, is a fundamentally religious problem. It reflects a lack of trust in God. That is why Jesus says: “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Jesus here contrasts a pagan lifestyle with a truly Christian one. The pagan is constantly concerned about food and clothing because his gods are many and fickle—much like the idols of fashion and popular opinion are today. Who knows what they want? But the Christian has no anxiety because the One True God is wholly reliable. Having created the world, the Christian God cares for it and all that is in it, especially those who have trusted him for their eternal salvation.

Because our Heavenly Father is reliable, Jesus tells us to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” Neither food nor clothing is ultimately important to us. What matters most is our relationship with God and the spiritual and moral fruit that relationship bears. The closer we draw to God, the more our thoughts, feelings, words, and actions should reflect his own. His righteousness rubs off.

So do his blessings. What else do the words “all these things will be given to you as well” refer to if not the food and clothing we need? The Creator always provides, if we prioritize him in our lives instead of creature comforts.

And anyway, anxiety about the future is a useless emotion. We only live one day at a time. The future is best left in the hands of God.

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Like most men, I didn’t think much about what style of clothing I wore until I became interested in girls, which was sometime in the late 1970s or early 1980s. Then, I became very concerned. Thankfully, I avoided the parachute pants and Members Only jacket craze of that era and went straight to preppy. I’ve been wearing button-down shirts and khaki pants ever since. Fortunately, I married a woman who thinks I dress just fine.

I tell you that in order to tell you this: Most people choose clothes in order to gain the esteem of other people. Dressing fashionably is really an attempt to be popular or well liked. And attempting to be popular can induce a great amount of anxiety in the attempter. If you don’t believe me, try telling your teenage daughter that she can’t wear the latest fashion and see what emotional reaction that produces in her.

In Matthew 6.28–30, Jesus had this to say about our clothing: “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”

Have you ever thought about the connection between fashion and faith? Jesus did, and he drew three conclusions: (1) The lilies of the field are more beautiful than Solomon’s splendid clothing. (2) The lilies don’t exert effort to be beautiful. And (3) God will clothe you more beautifully than the lilies. Please don’t think Jesus is promising Tommy Bahama shirts for all Christian men and Ann Taylor dresses for all Christian women. I think, instead, Jesus is promising to provide us with something better than mere outward adornment. What he is promising is true character and inward beauty—that our little faith would grow up and become great—the “unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight” (1 Peter 3.4)

Pay particular attention to that last phrase. True character or inward beauty is of “great worth in God’s sight.” I wrote earlier that most people choose clothes in order to get the esteem of other people. Since fashions change, most people must constantly change fashions in order to remain popular. What the Bible teaches us is first that what really matters is God’s esteem, not that of people. And second, what people esteem most is not what a person wears but how a person acts. True character and inward beauty never change. People always seek out friendships with those whose lives are characterized by “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5.22, 23).

If through God’s grace we clothe ourselves with those virtues, we will never lack for friendship, regardless of how fashionable our clothes may be.

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Have you ever seen a wild starving bird? Me neither. In Matthew 6.26–27, Jesus tells us why: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”

Pay close attention to Jesus’ first sentence: “Look at the birds of the air….” Theologians sometimes distinguish between general revelation and special revelation. The former refers to God’s revelation of his existence and character through reason, nature, and history. The latter refers to the revelation of God that is contained in the Bible. As Christians, we believe that God reveals himself through both the World and the Word. Jesus’ statement is an example of using general revelation to prove a point.

So, back to the birds: I have never seen a starving bird because birds always have plenty of food. A seed here, a grain there, bugs galore, etc.—birds feast like kings. Or rather, God provides plenty of food for them. All that they must do is eat what God has provided.

But how exactly does God provide? Jesus mentions that the birds do not “sow or reap or store away in barns.” Based on this passage, some people might wrongly infer that God provides for us regardless of whether we work hard or invest wisely. I don’t think that is the correct interpretation. After all, what Matthew 6.25–34 prohibits is worry, not work. Elsewhere, the Bible tells us that we ought to work so that we can provide for ourselves (1 Thessalonians 4.11, 12). And in 2 Thessalonians 3.6–10, Paul prohibits the church from providing charity to people who can work but don’t: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” When we cannot work, the Bible teaches us to rely on our families and churches for help (1 Timothy 5.3–8). So, in the ordinary course of events, God provides food for us through our work, through our family’s love, and through the church’s generosity.

What, then, is Jesus’ point? If he is not saying that God will provide for us regardless of whether we work, what is he saying? He is saying, it seems to me, that we ought to approach work and relationships with an “abundance mentality.” An abundance mentality begins with the assumption that God is good and generous. That is to say, God desires to bless people and provides them with more than they need. Because of this assumption, people with an abundance mentality work hard and share generously with others. Why? Because a good God will always provide. By contrast, people with a “scarcity mentality” believe that the world’s resources are limited and that getting them is a “zero sum game” in which if one person gains, another person loses. People with a scarcity mentality worry a lot, and they hoard rather than share.

Obviously, Jesus wants his disciples to have an abundance mentality. So, work hard and share generously, but don’t ever worry. God will provide.

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I am a sound sleeper. Even if my wife tosses and turns in bed, I sleep like a baby—except for my freight-train-like snoring. (Perhaps that’s why she tosses and turns?) I can go to sleep anytime, anywhere, and sleep through just about anything. The one that steals my sleep is worrying, especially worrying about money.

Everyone who reads the Sermon on the Mount finds its teachings personally challenging at some point or another. For me, Jesus’ teachings about money (Matthew 6.19–24) and worry (6.25–34) are the most challenging. I can earn money just as well as the next guy, but I’m an undisciplined spender. And the negative consequences of that spending keep me up at night.

Over the next few days, I want to talk to you about worry. If you’re good with your money, what I have to say may not apply to you. But if you, like me, worry about money, pay attention! You need to hear what Jesus says to people like you and me. Here’s how Jesus begins:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?”

Sometimes, I think Jesus’ commandment (“do not worry”) and question (“Is not life more important than food?”) are too easy. “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I think to myself, “it’s easy to tell people not to worry.” Indeed, I tell people the same thing all the time. But commanding people not to worry doesn’t make them stop worrying. In fact, it may make them worry about their inability to stop worrying!

The key to keeping the commandment is to answer the question: “Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” Yes and yes. Life is about much more than food, and the body is about much more than clothes.

Unfortunately, many of us do not live out the truth of this answer. We live as if what we eat, what we wear, where we live, what we drive, and how we entertain ourselves are issues of ultimate importance. If you don’t believe me, just look at your calendar and checkbook. How much of your time and money goes toward food, clothing, housing, cars, and entertainment? If your calendar and checkbook are anything like mine, the answer is, “Quite a lot.”

Obviously, you have to spend money on all these things. Jesus Christ does not call us to a starving life of threadbare, miserable poverty. By the same token, however, he does not call us to a life of anxiety about how we’re going to pay for stuff we do not need and cannot afford. The key thing is to define what’s truly important in life.

Worry, you see, arises from placing a high value on low-priority things. If you put first things first, your life will begin to become less worrisome to you.

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In Matthew 6.24, Jesus says, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

I have often read this passage and wondered, “Why not?” Why must I make such a stark choice between God and money? Is it not possible to be a rich Christian? And then I have gone on to wonder what precisely it means to “serve” money anyway. I understand what it means to acquire, invest, and spend money—but serve it? Perhaps you have wondered as much too. So, let me offer a few words of advice about this passage.

Consider the master/slave metaphor Jesus uses. When Jesus talks about serving two masters or serving God or money, he is using a metaphor based on a social reality of the first century, namely, slavery. And in light of that metaphor, he is quite right: A slave cannot serve two masters. At some point, one or the other must be given preference.

Since slavery is not part of our social reality, let me update the metaphor and talk about conflicts of interest. Suppose you work for a company that makes widgets. Unfortunately, you do not earn a living wage at that company, so you take a second job at another widget-making company. Now, when you’re in the field, whose widgets do you recommend customers to buy? If you recommend the first company’s widgets, you are doing a disservice to your second employer. But if you recommend the second company’s widgets, you are doing a disservice to your first employer. You cannot honesty represent competing interests.

According to Jesus, God and money are competing interests. How so? Well, take out your checkbook and look at your pattern of consumption. The Bible lays down a number of guidelines about how we ought to spend our money. For example, we ought to tithe our income to the Lord’s work (Leviticus 27.30–33), without, of course, forgetting to perform works of “justice, mercy and faithfulness” (Matthew 23.23). We ought to provide for the elderly members of our family who have need; this is a way of “putting [our] religion into practice,” according to 1 Timothy 5.4. Charity should extend beyond the four walls of our own houses, however. According to James 1.27, “pure and faultless” religion entails looking after “orphans and widows in their distress.”

Now, the Bible says much more on the topic of money than this, but these examples are enough for my purposes. As we look at our checkbooks, do we see a tithe of our income going to the Lord’s work? Do we see time and money being spent to help poor relatives? Do we see a pattern of donations to help the poor? If not, what do we see? Consumer debt? Living beyond our means? The purchase of items we do not need?

If you serve God, then be quick to follow his instructions about the use of money, lest you be drawn into a conflict with his commandments.

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“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”

First, it draws an analogy between the physical process of seeing and the spiritual process of valuing. In the first century, the scientific mechanics of sight were not well understood. (For that matter, I live in the twenty-first century and don’t understand them!) So, using the homely metaphor of a lamp, Jesus says that seeing something is like shining a light into your body. If your vision is bad, that light is dim. If you are blind, you are in the dark. Similarly, if you value the right things, your whole being is illuminated by the kingdom and will of God. But if you value the wrong things, then the kingdom and will of God become dim or even dark within you. You can’t see them any longer.

Second, this analogy bears directly on the relative value we place in “treasures on earth” (Matt. 6.19), that is, wealth and material possessions. Valuing such things in the light of God’s kingdom and will allows us to enjoy them and share them with others, without becoming attached to them in a greedy, grasping way. By the same token, however, if we place too high a value on them, we become myopic and tunnel-visioned about them. We render ourselves torn between our allegiance to the Creator and our love of created things, and we find ourselves unable to share those things generously with others.

Third, this analogy bears directly on how we can resist temptation. We live in a highly visual culture, and provocative messages are constantly placed before us on billboards, the TV, and in movies. They concern not only sex, but also wealth and the use of violence to solve conflicts or exact revenge. If we choose to watch such things, we become susceptible to the messages—sometimes sinful—that they convey. So be careful what you watch, what you set your eye upon, what you value.

Of course, given the predominance of visual media in our lives, we cannot but help see things that we would not otherwise choose to see. How do we avoid temptation? By remembering what Martin Luther once said about the birds: “I cannot stop the birds from flying overhead, but I can stop them from building a nest in my hair.” Exactly. If you see a provocative building once, shame on the company that posted it! If you look a second time, shame on you!

And finally, we avoid temptation by remembering Philippians 4.8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”