Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists Matthew Mark and Luke John Calvin (continued)
Matthew 7:7-11; Luke 11:5-13
MATTHEW 7:7-11; LUKE 11:5-13
Matthew 7:7-11
Luke 11:5-13
7. Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and ye shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you. 8. For every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9. Is there any man among you, who, if his son shall ask bread, will give him a ston? 10. Or if he shall ask a fish, does he offer him a serpent? 11. If you, then, though you are evil, know to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father, who is in heaven, give good things, if you ask them from him?
5. And he saith to them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go to him at midnight, and shall say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves: 6. For a friend of mine hath come, on a journey, to me, and I have nothing to set before him. 465 7. And he from within answering say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed: I cannot rise and give thee. 8. I say to you, Though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend, yet, on account of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. 9. And I say to you, Aks, and it shall be given you: seek, and ye shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you. 10. For every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 11. And what father among you, from whom if his son shall ask bread, will give him a stone? Or, if a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 12. Or, if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13. If you, then, though you are evil, know to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?
Matthew 7:7. Ask, and it shall be given you It is an exhortation to prayer: and as in this exercise of religion, which ought to be our first concern, we are so careless and sluggish, Christ presses the same thing upon us under three forms of expression.
There is no superfluity of language, when he says, Ask, seek, knock: but lest the simple doctrine should be unimpressive, he perseveres in order to rouse us from our 465"Car un mien ami m'est venu voir en passant;" — "for a friend of mine has come to see."