One of the most wrongly
interpreted parts of the Bible is this one, verses from 7 t0 14. Ask, Seek,
Knock then everything will be at your hands. That’s the popular concept of this
part of the Bible. Should we think that this is a divine principle to be
mentioned in a spiritual teaching? No. First we have to consider the instance
in which Jesus teaching this. He was teaching the people whom he called from
Galilee sea shore. What had these people been doing there on sea shore when he
called them? The same things, they had been Asking, Seeking and Knocking doors
to mend their life, to make their life more comfortable. They asked, sought and
knocked in material and social environment and they might have got pleasure but
not joy and satisfaction as in the case of today’s many millionaires. Their
greed might have increased day by day and satisfaction and joy might have been
far away from they thought about. So whether a need had been there these points
to be taught? No, they were familiar with them. Then, why Jesus again mentioned
it?
In verses 9-11 Jesus points out
the fact with the help of a parable, children and parents. Children’s asking
and seeking are answered not only because of their effort but because parents
grant them. Parents grant their children’s requests because that is the right
things they have to do in their relations or it’s known as “righteousness”.
This is not only the matter of effort but also an attitude, a mental state.
Children ask their parents with a specific attitude & emotion and parents
grant them with a specific emotion, these emotions and mental state are also
the part of “righteousness”, otherwise deeds will be mechanical.
In the same way Jesus reminded them that they got
what they needed in their life was not only because of their efforts but some force
granted them that. To understand this
fact we have to examine the relation we maintain with nature and society when
we interact with them to achieve what we want. When we interact with nature or society to
process them to facilitate our life, we maintain an attitude that only two
entities exists, one is ‘me’ and the other one is where the ‘me’ interact with; nature or society.
This leads us to think that the subjective part or non-material part exists
only in ‘me’ and the other part is completely objective, there is no will or an
intelligence working behind the other part. This is the mistake we commit
always. A universal intelligence (God) is functioning even behind objective
environment (not in the objective environment) when we interact with it.
Everything in the objective environment has been obeying many principles in
order to exist. Means a force has been functioning and that force maintains
some principles or laws, it is not functioning in random. This force – God - is
an intelligent force otherwise how can it maintain principles? When our
interaction with our environment is in accordance with these principles or in
accordance with this universal intelligence (which functions behind the
universe and 'in' man), otherwise when we keep righteousness with objective as
well as subjective environment, like children with their parents (material body
is from material world and spirit is from God), these principles or the
universal intelligence (God) grant us what we needed, the good gifts as
mentioned in the verses. Means what we needed.
In nutshell when we interact
with either social or natural environment, we not only have to consider objective
conditions but also a subjective condition, that maintain some principles in
nature as well as in society, prevails everywhere. But even in today’s society this
consideration has no place then what will be the case of that society on
Galilee sea shore? So Jesus taught them to do the same thing what they followed
but with a modification, to consider a subjective condition like a parent
maintain towards his children, on other part when ask, seek and knock. Means,
when we seek our welfare or happiness -subjective conditions- we have to ask or
seek whether any such subjective condition exists outside us (God’s will). If
it exists, we have to work to fulfill such condition first. In very much
colloquial language consider the social and environmental needs first. That is
verse 12 says “So
whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the
Law and the Prophets.”
That is very difficult. But
without the existence of resources, whether it is environment or society, we
will not have any kind of welfare. So work for our welfare means work for the
welfare of society and environment (God created Eden for the purpose of men,
but their thought of consumerism, exploitation, drove them out), work with
people to mend them to bring to this way of thinking. Means become a
philanthropist and environmentalist. It
is very difficult, isn’t it? That is why Jesus advised them to enter the narrow
gate which leads to life; the other one is wide but leads to destruction.
(God works behind the material
world and control it, he doesn’t live in any material part but in human beings,
according to Bible only human body is the temple of God)
