Daily Scripture:
Matthew 7:9 Is there anyone here who, if his son asks him for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone? 10 or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 So if you, even though you are bad, know how to give your children gifts that are good, how much more will your Father in heaven keep giving good things to those who keep asking him! (Complete Jewish Bible).
Luke 11:11 “Is there any father here who, if his son asked him for a fish, would instead of a fish give him a snake? 12 or if he asked for an egg would give him a scorpion? 13 So if you, even though you are bad, know how to give your children gifts that are good, how much more will the Father keep giving the Ruach HaKodesh from heaven to those who keep asking him!” (Complete Jewish Bible).
Reflection Questions:
Both Matthew and Luke reported these comments right after telling about Jesus teaching his disciples what we call “The Lord’s Prayer.” (Pastor Hamilton is planning a six-sermon series on “The Jesus Prayer” in August and September.) “Jesus invites his followers to depend on God’s provision and faithfulness. In doing so, he makes use of a well-known way of talking about God: ‘If you…, then how much more God?’”*[* Eugene Eung-Chun Park and Joel B. Green, study note on Matthew 25:15 in The CEB Study Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2013, p. 17-18 NT.]
- Jesus' “If you…, then how much more God?” phrasing here assumed that of course a parent would respond to a child’s needs with every effort to give the best possible gifts. There are sad exceptions, but they are so rare that when they happen, they often make headlines. Did your treatment by your parents or other adults help you trust in God’s faithful love, or did your experiences make it harder for you to believe Jesus' words? Have you learned to trust that God is more reliable than even the best human parents?
- When we compare Matthew’s wording with Luke’s, we find an insight into “answered prayer.” Matthew had Jesus saying God gives “good things” to those who ask. Luke said, more specifically, that we can depend on God giving the Holy Spirit to those who ask. But many times we’re not specifically asking for the Holy Spirit. What things are you praying for today? If God answers by giving you the Holy Spirit’s presence, will you thank God for that or be upset that you didn’t receive the other thing(s) you asked for?
Matt is the Media Services Production Manager in the Tech Arts ministry at Church of the Resurrection. He joined the staff in December 2014 and supports the technology needs of each special or weekly event outside of weekend worship at Resurrection Leawood. In his free time, he spends time with his 2 kids, supports his wife’s cake business, and aspires to be a novelist.
We have 2 kids: a girl and a boy. This past year was their 5th and 3rd Christmas, respectively. Our girl, at the time, was just half-year away from finishing Preschool and entering Kindergarten. This felt like a fitting year to teach her about thankfulness.
On an almost daily basis, we would rehearse with her: “What do you say after you get a gift?” She would shyly respond with a meek, “Thank you.” We tried to throw her some comical ones as well. “What do you say when you get socks? If you get pickles?” (She hates pickles.) She’d laugh and emphasize, “NO thank you!”
So Christmas morning came, and the kids rushed to see their presents. We sorted them (as they impatiently waited to rip open the wrapping paper), and gave her the first gift. She excitedly ripped the paper open--to find a jar of pickles. Of course, she caught on to what we were doing, and yelled, “Yuck! Pickles?!” We laughed, but all the same wouldn’t let her open a real present until she caved and grudgingly said, “Thank you.” The end goal, although comic, was to teach our daughter the meaning of thankfulness. Of course, we would never give her a snake or a scorpion to teach this lesson. But something more lighthearted did help.
I view this teaching from Jesus somewhat similarly. I think at times we expect that God, as our Father, will give us exactly what we ask for. Yet the other side of Jesus’ teaching very well could be, “Who among you would give your child anything and everything they ask for?” I think God does the same for us. As a loving father, he knows what we need, even if we think we “need” the opposite. He would never give us a disaster, or heavy trial. But he would give us the tools we need to walk through hard times. Sometimes (maybe a lot of times) it’s hard to see what gifts he’s given us. If we keep our eyes open, and look back at situations, it’s often easy to see where God actually was at work. Just as when we look back at our own childhood, it’s easier to see how we were shaped into the person we are today.
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- Jesus welcomed children’s loyalty
- “He blessed the children”
- Inheritors of God’s kingdom
- Prayer Tip: Jesus Loves the Little Children
- Gratitude turns disciples into apostles
- Or download this week's printable GPS.
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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