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This section includes some of the most important and beautiful of Jesus’ sayings.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

“What man among you, when his son asks him for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone; or when he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, who are imperfect, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father, who is perfect, give good things to those who ask him.

“Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious about what you will eat or what you will wear. Isn’t your life more than its food, and your body more than its clothing? Look at the birds of the sky: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet God feeds them. Which of you by thinking can add a day to his life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin. And yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was robed like one of these. Therefore, if God so clothes the grass, which grows in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won’t he all the more clothe you? So don’t worry about these things and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For that is what the Gentiles seek; and your Father knows that you need these things. But first seek the kingdom of God; and these things will be given to you as well.”

Ask, and it will be given to you: Ask for what you need, not for what you want. What you need will be given to you anyway, but if you ask for it, the gift will go deeper.

seek, and you will find: If you seek and haven’t found, just keep seeking, with trust and patience—for another day, another year, twenty years, fifty, a lifetime, fifty thousand lifetimes: ultimately you can’t help but find, just as the fruit tree can’t help but bear fruit when the right season comes.

Do you have the patience to wait

till your mud settles and the water is clear?

Can you remain unmoving

till the right action arises by itself?

The Master doesn’t seek fulfillment.

Not seeking, not expecting,

she is present, and can welcome all things.

(Tao Te Ching, chapter 15)

Abu Yazid al-Bistami said, “This thing we tell of can never be found by seeking, yet only seekers find it.”

Look at the birds of the sky: Jesus’ love of the natural world, and his trust in the God who can be felt through it, follow in the tradition of the poets who wrote Psalms 104and 147. To provide the appropriate context, and for your pleasure, here is my adaptation of Psalm 147 (Psalm 104 appears in The Enlightened Heart). I have paraphrased the local and historical references to the rebuilding of Jerusalem, though they are lovely and moving in their own right.

How sweet to sing praises to you,

Unnamable God,

and to thank you for all your blessings.

You rebuild what has been ruined

and recreate what was lost.

You heal the brokenhearted;

you are medicine for their wounds.

You lift up the afflicted

and give them the courage to endure.

You count the myriad stars

and call each one by its name.

Infinite is your power,

incalculable your wisdom.

You scatter snow like wool

and sprinkle the frost like ashes.

You strew ice crystals like breadcrumbs;

the earth becomes bitter cold.

You breathe warm winds and the ice melts;

you blow and the waters flash.

You cover the sky with clouds;

you send down your rain to the earth,

making grass grow on the hills

and plants to nourish all men.

You give the wild animals their prey;

you feed the young ravens when they cry.

You delight in the power of the horse

and take pleasure in the legs of an athlete.

But most, you rejoice in a pure heart

and in those who let you shine through them.

You give them joy in your joy,

and you bless their loves with your love.

You bring peace to their families

and grant them your infinite wealth.

You send your wisdom to their minds;

your light runs faster than a thought.

Above all others they are blessed,

because they can hear you speak

(though your love speaks in all people,

in the silence of every heart).

first seek the kingdom of God: Gandhi always referred to this verse with the greatest admiration, interpreting it in his own admirable way:

sources: Matthew 7:7-11; Matthew 6:25; Matthew 6:26, Luke 12:24; Matthew 6:27-31; Matthew 6:32f., Luke 12:30f.