“Why Knock?” ( Matthew 7:7-8, WYC ) by Carley Evans

Jesus says, Ask, and take; seek, and find. But He also says, knock, and watch the door open. Presumably He implies for us to go in once the door is open. Who stands in an open doorway and doesn’t enter the room? I can tell you a story — in hospital, often I stand in the door frame to speak quickly to a nurse about some piece of information without entering the room; I am half-in, half-out. This is to avoid having to put on a gown and gloves. Inconvenience and legitimate caution keep me from going into the room. Most of the time, however, when we knock on a door and it opens, we enter the room. Jesus tells us:

“Ask ye, and it shall be given to you; seek ye, and ye shall find; knock ye, and it shall be opened to you. For each that asketh, taketh; and he that seeketh, findeth; and it shall be opened to him, that knocketh.”

Jesus also tells us:

“Lo! I stand at the door, and knock; if any man heareth my voice, and openeth the gate to me [if any man shall hear my voice, and open the gate], I shall enter to him, and sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:19-21, WYC)

Here Jesus knocks, and we open the door. Jesus asks, and takes. Jesus seeks, and finds. We open the gate, and He “enters to [us]”. He “sups with [us], and [we] with [Him].”

I want to focus, for just a moment, on the use of “take” for “receive.” Receipt of a thing is passive, but taking of a thing is active. I like the choice of the word “take” in the Wycliffe translation. Jesus always means for His people to be active, never passive! We are asking, taking, seeking, finding, knocking, going in.

What are we asking to gain? What are we seeking to find? What door are we knocking to open? The Word of God is the best answer I’ve come up with this morning.