If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
All Commentaries on Matthew 7:11 Go To Matthew 7
John Chrysostom
AD 407
Lest perchance any one considering how great is the difference between God andman, and weighing his own sins should despair of obtaining, and so never takein hand to ask; therefore He proposes a comparison of the relation between father and son; that should we despair because of our sins, we may hope because of God’s fatherly goodness.
There are two things behoveful for one that prays; that he ask earnestly; and that he ask such things as he ought to ask. And those are spiritual things; as Solomon, because he asked such things as were right, received speedily.
And what are the things that we ought to ask, he shows under the likeness of aloaf, and a fish. The loaf is the word concerning the knowledge of God the Father. The stone is all falsehood that has a stumbling-block of offence to thesoul.Or by the loaf may be understood spiritual doctrine; by the stone ignorance; by the fish the water of Holy Baptism; by the serpent the wiles of the Devil, or unbelief.
This He said not detracting from human nature, nor confessing the whole human race to be evil; but He calls paternal love “evil” when compared with His own goodness. Such is the superabundance of His love towards men.
Because in comparison of God who is preeminently good, all men seem to be evil, as all light shows dark when compared with the sun.
He says “good things,” because God does not give all things to them that ask Him, but only good things.
