Ask Like a Beggar – What Does This Mean?

Dear saints, after his death, a small slip of paper was found in Luther’s pockets. It had two simple phrases on it: We are beggars, this is true.

As we say in the catechism, this is most certainly true. This is the essence of Christianity. The Christian faith begins, continues, and ends with you and me kneeling before God as beggars. This is because we have nothing of value to offer Him. We can only receive. Yet we are not only beggars. We are beggars upon whom our Lord has loved and shown mercy. He lifts us from our knees, and we are embraced with His steadfast and never-ending love. And while we know this from all of Scripture, it is especially evident in St. John’s Upper Room discourse in chapters 13-17. This is where we continue today, the third of five weeks in the Upper Room.

In this discourse, Jesus makes three explicit references to prayer, and the discourse ends with what we commonly call the High Priestly Prayer. In chapter 14 Jesus says, “whatever you ask in my name, this I will do.” In chapter 15 we hear “if you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” And in our lesson, “whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.”

Linking the statements together, we get something to the effect of “Ask anything of my Father in my name, and whatever it is, it is going to be done for you.” This is a gracious and unconditional promise for us to hear. We can ask of our Lord anything and know that He will answer.

But before your imagination gets carried away, I need to spoil your dreams. Jesus has been speaking for His entire ministry in figures of speech. You see this in His parables and many of His sayings. Some examples of this are when Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is like…” or, “My time has not yet come,” or, “on that day.” And yet today we hear, “The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. Later Jesus says, “Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered….”

Jesus moves from that day to the hour which is coming. This is another repeated theme in the Gospel according to St. John. In chapter two, Jesus tells His mother that His hour is not yet come. In chapter seven He is teaching in the Temple and His opponents seek to arrest Him. But they fail to do so because His hour had not yet come. After the Triumphant Entry, some Greeks desire to see Jesus. And when Phillip brings this news to our Lord, He declares, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”

The hour which Jesus speaks about is his crucifixion. In that hour, Jesus tells the disciples that two things will happen. First, He will no longer speak in figures. And second, they will be scattered. Let’s take the second part first. In that hour, they will be scattered. Jesus will be alone. Jesus again references and anticipates the cross. What He says will happen does. He is abandoned by the disciples. They are scattered. And Peter denies Jesus three times. And despite Jesus saying I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace, I’d doubt there was any peace to be had that weekend. Rather, tribulation was in full force. And while they didn’t see it yet, Jesus had indeed overcome the world.

Jesus also begins speaking clearly rather than in figures of speech. And so, what is Jesus telling us? He is telling us that anything we pray in accord with our Father’s will, our prayer will be heard and answered. It will be given to you. Your Heavenly Father knows and desires what is best for you. If you ask for and fish, he will not give you a snake. And, to stay with Jesus’ figurative language in his Sermon on the Mount, if you ask for a stone, he will give you the bread you need.

Today is also known as Rogate. It means, “Ask,” or “Pray.” What Jesus is asking us to do today is to pray. Historically this Sunday has been associated with planting season. It makes sense, for we depend on God for everything that goes into us receiving our daily bread. When I think of the weather we have seen since arriving, flooding and drought, hot and bitter cold, it shows us that we really do depend on our Heavenly Father for all we need in body and soul. It is true whether we simply eat and use the fruit of the fields or if we make our living through working and reaping it. So, as a new planting season begins, what shall we do? We pray. We go to Him on your knees, like a beggar, telling Him everything that is on your mind.

Just think of the Psalms. They cover just about every prayer or petition you can think of. They contain confession, plea, desire, anger. They even recount to God what He has done for the writer, for Israel, or for the world. They remember what God has done and proclaim His goodness as requests are made that His goodness continue. It makes sense. We have a relationship with God. He wants us to talk to Him. He wants us to tell Him what is on our minds and what we are feeling.

He already knows these things. In fact, He knows what we are thinking and feeling better than we do. But like a mother who asks their child how their day was at school, He wants us to tell Him.

For this reason, Jesus invites us to “Ask.” Ask your Heavenly Father, and you will receive. Ask and your joy, like a beggar receiving a free meal or a warm place to stay, will be made full. For your Father loves to hear what his dear children have to say. He loves to answer your prayer. What a great and generous promise we have! God listens to and answers our prayer. And so, we ask that He grant our prayer: that we may think those things that are right and by His merciful guiding accomplish them. Amen.

Rev. Brent Keller
Peace Lutheran Church
Alcester, SD