23 ¶ And in that day ye shall ask me nothing.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name,
he will give it you. 24 Hitherto have ye
asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
25 These things have I spoken unto you
in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in
proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. 26 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I
say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: 27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye
have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.
Christ tells His disciples that after His resurrection their
questions, of which there are many now, will not need to be answered. They will
understand what He has been telling them. Throughout His time with them they
had asked many questions, not all of them too bright or evidence of a good
motive. But, this will all change when they see Him risen from the dead. See
John 9:2; Matthew 18:1; Matthew 19:27; and John 21:21 as examples.
Our questions in life, about life, which are many throughout
our life are sometimes based on selfish motives, are sometimes based on a lack
of trust and faith, and often on just plain ignorance but our questions will be
answered when we come face to face with Christ.
The context of the verse where Jesus says that if they ask
anything in God the Father’s name that He will give it to them is in that ‘understanding
after a lack of understanding’ setting. This is not about a disciple of Christ
getting a vacation home on the beach, winning the lottery, or having one’s
dear, late grandma coming back to life. He instructs them to ask for this
understanding in His name and they will receive, so that their joy may be full.
The Bible declares that it was not uncommon for God to speak
in the form of sayings, proverbs, and parables that could be dark and
unintelligible to those whose heart was not in the right place or who were not
ready for that particular truth yet.
The Spirit of God gave us proverbs through the physical
writers of the Bible such as Solomon who gave us a Book of Proverbs although
they represented only a few of what he wrote as presumably they were the ones
given by inspiration of the Almighty (Job 32:8).
1Kings 4:32 And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his
songs were a thousand and five.
A proverb is a saying that means something literal, on the
surface, and yet has a deeper meaning that is only given in understanding to
those whom God chooses. A parable is a story that teaches something in the same
way and the story may be a truthful recounting of actual, historical events
that teach something as in Job’s life. See Job 27:1 & 29:1. Your life and
any of its many individual scenes can be a parable. Just think of what the
events of your life could have taught you about God’s will yesterday if you had
been listening.
Here is the qualification to ask for understanding, to ask
for these things in the context of understanding of the Father in the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ. God the Father
loves those who love Christ and believe that He is from God. This is a
fundamental truth of the Bible that must be accepted in order to be a
Christian.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the
truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for
there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be
saved.
In this, Christianity is very exclusionary. Salvation is
predicated upon belief and trust in Christ, in His righteousness and not our
own, to have eternal life. It is not about church membership or ritual observance.
It is about belief and trust.
This passage teaches us to ask for guidance and wisdom and
understanding of God the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is the promise that if we seek it
faithfully He will give it abundantly. It is not about you getting your way,
manipulating natural events, or avoiding some consequence of your sin or living
in a fallen body in a fallen world. Do not look to this passage of Scripture
for a promise that you will get something physical and tangible but for
understanding and peace if God does not give that thing you desire to you, if
you seek that understanding from Him.
1Corinthians
13:12 For now we see through a glass,
darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as
also I am known.
Philippians 3:9 ¶ And be found in him, not having mine own
righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of
his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11 If by any means I might attain unto [understand as in Psalm 139:6 and Proverbs 1:5] the resurrection of the dead. 12 Not as though I had already attained, either
were already perfect [complete
in understanding as in Col. 4:12 and 2Chronicles 8:16]: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend [to know, as in contrast to know in verse 10] that for which also I am apprehended of
Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I count not
myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things
which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize
of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
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