Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your own eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

"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 he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being 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!

"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

- Matthew 7:1-12

We have been reading the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew's Gospel. We began last Monday with the Beatitudes. From there Jesus taught that His disciples were to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Expanding on the Law, Jesus taught about the law against murder, and expanding our understanding of what provokes hatred and conflict. He taught us to watch our thoughts, to choose what we dwell upon and what we "cast out" from ourselves. He taught about justice, and expanded our understanding of what that is, how to live righteously. He then taught about spiritual discipline, and gave us a prayer to our Father in heaven. We must choose carefully between a love of the outward show, the material, and the life of the spirit and heavenly values -- what is our treasure. And finally in yesterday's reading, Jesus taught us clearly about our own natures: we must choose what we worship and serve, for no man can serve two masters.

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your own eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." This extremely important teaching will figure prominently in every Gospel. And again, it goes back to the divine economy with which we have been concerned so strongly in the teachings from the Sermon on the Mount. What could be more clear than "with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you"? It is similar to the teaching on forgiveness, also included in the Our Father. To my way of thinking, there are two things at work here. First of all, in the infinite scheme of God's perspective, we don't see fully either the depth of a person or their future or past; we don't even know ourselves that well. Only the "heart-knower" has that information. Secondly, a focus on others takes the focus off of ourselves. It is to our own efforts and progress we must look! This is another important teaching on our own natures, what it is to be human beings, akin to the information that we must choose what we serve. We can't truly help another until we have made that spiritual journey of change and transformation ourselves. In our humility, we can truly serve others. Otherwise we are "hypocrites," "actors" - Jesus' greatest criticism of false spiritual practice.

"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces." My study bible says, "Jesus warns His disciples to turn away from opponents and those incapable of receiving His message, and to turn toward those who are receptive." This is a kind of warning about sharing what others aren't ready to hear, what will not be valued by them. It's interesting that it follows the teaching about the speck in a brother's eye. People must be receptive to what He has to give -- it is not to be given to those who are not capable of receiving them in a worthy way, with all the value they truly impart. Jesus' teachings are pearls - and so are the mysteries that we may be privy to in life. There is a complex set of values at work here: what is spurned or degraded that is holy might cast a deeper darkness on the one who spurns it. Yet, the emphasis seems to be on what we treasure. We recall Jesus' teaching to the wealthy young man, to sell all that he had -- a teaching given in love (to someone who lacked only one thing for eternal life), not condemnation.

"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 he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being 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!" Finally the great law of the spiritual economy is given to us here. What mysteries of the spiritual life we would seek, we ask of our Father. There will be a reply. This is also a commentary on the powerful nature of prayer, of our seeking in relationship to God and to the kingdom of heaven. My study bible says that this "threefold exhortation, ask--be given, seek--find, knock--be opened, promises the availability of God's help. The verbs are present progressives: be asking, be seeking, be knocking. Note the synergy: our effort is commanded, but never apart from the help of God. We ask in prayer; seek by learning God's truth; and knock by doing God's will." So often this teaching is used to seem to tell us of demanding a kind of material list of desires -- but the context is in the spiritual treasures of the kingdom. We are told not to give what is holy to dogs, nor our pearls to swine. This seeking is for those who would truly seek the kingdom of heaven, and God's answers for their lives -- who would become truly disciples and servants of love, and even includes learning about "the plank in our own eye." In all things, we have God's help, we work in relationship and love.

"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." This is also known as the "Golden Rule" and is a positive form of a similar, negative, teaching in Judaism: "Don't do to others what you don't want them to do to you." Jesus also changes this to an active form of love, rather than only refraining from harm. It is a complete restatement of the Law and the Prophets, a summing up of the command to love one's neighbor as oneself. My study bible says, "This is the action which brings us to the God who forgives."

So, if we think about it, Jesus teachings are multiple-fold to us today. We have a loving relationship with our Father in heaven, who wishes us to have the treasures of the spiritual life. But to find it, we must understand how to practice good judgment: we seek our own healing and cleansing, to remove the plank in our own eyes. The whole emphasis is positive: how do we go forward? We are not here to judge others. We don't cast pearls before those who cannot accept them - and avoid useless conflict this way. Instead we move forward, and dwell in loving relationship to the Father, asking, seeking, knocking. And finally, what is active love? What does it mean to actively love others? Certainly we all have different preferences in life, but I find that it is so rare to give praise - to tell others of the things we value about them. What do you value in your life that you can share with others who are willing to accept it? Even praise initiates a reciprocal relationship some may not be prepared to accept; something good is another "pearl" others may trample under who are not ready to receive it. Therefore let us consider active love, and active practice. What do we share, and when do we not? This is how we live as His disciples, with treasures we seek from our Father in heaven - and seeking an understanding of where we need to go to follow Him better, and to actively practice the love He teaches us.