Matthew 21:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."

NIV: If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

NASB: And whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive it all.'

CSB: And if you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

NLT: You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.'

KJV: And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

NKJV: And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

Jesus' statement to the disciples is a powerful promise, and it fits with what He has often said when healing the sick and afflicted and casting out demons (Matthew 9:22; 15:28). God cares deeply that His people trust Him and Him alone to do what they ask. God's power, of course, is limitless. Anything is possible for Him (Luke 1:37). Jesus has made it clear, though, that those who want God to use His power in a specific way must have deep confidence of His ability to do what they ask.

Jesus said something similar to the twelve earlier in Matthew, making it clear that this power was available to them only in and through Jesus Himself: "If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them" (Matthew 18:19–20).

It's important to recognize that this promise from Jesus to the disciples can be misunderstood or misused. He is not saying to them or to the believers to follow in the coming generations that we can demand whatever we want from God in whatever form or fashion we want it and He is required to give it to us. He is still God, and we remain His creatures and children through faith in Jesus.

Christ specifically tells the disciples they will receive anything they ask—but only if they have faith. This means trust in God and His power to do what He wants to do. It also means an alignment with the will of God—it does not mean using the Creator as a vending machine. It's noteworthy that these men, who heard Jesus make these promises (John 14:13–14), did not attempt grandiose, unnecessary miracles as part of their future ministry.

Part of asking "in faith" is trusting God to do what is most fitting with His purpose for us and the world. We can always be confident of God's power as well as His goodness to do what is best. The promise and the condition both need to be understood, and both still stand. Receiving powerful things from God starts with believing He is able, making the request, and being convinced that His response will be both capable and loving.

Matthew 21:18–22 describes a morning when Jesus, being hungry, discovers no figs on a leafy fig tree. He curses the tree never to bear fruit again, and the tree withers at once. The disciples notice the withered tree and ask Jesus how He did it. He tells them that if they have faith and do not doubt, they could do this, too. They could even tell a mountain to be thrown into the sea. In fact, anything they ask for in prayer they will receive if they have faith.

Jesus fulfills a prophecy from Zechariah about the coming of the king to Jerusalem by riding in on a donkey. The people celebrate and praise Him as the Messiah. Jesus drives the marketers and moneychangers out of the temple and heals some people. He curses a fig tree and tells the disciples nothing will be impossible for them with faith. Jesus forces cowardly and hypocritical religious leaders to back down with a question about John the Baptist. He then exposes their fraudulent spirituality with two parables about vineyards. Jesus applies to Himself a psalm about a rejected stone being made the cornerstone by the Lord.

Matthew 21 finds Jesus arriving near Jerusalem after leaving Jericho in the previous chapter. His triumphal entry is accomplished riding a donkey, and to raucous praise, fulfilling a prophecy about the Messiah. Jesus cleanses the marketplace from the temple, heals, and presents lessons about faith and Israel's failed leadership. This leads into further conversations which Matthew compiles from Jesus' interactions with the Pharisees.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.