Matthew 7

Matthew 7:1

R. Do Not Judge (7:1-6) This section on judging immediately follows our Lord’s provocative teaching concerning earthly riches. The connection between these two themes is important. It is easy for the Christian who has forsaken all to criticize wealthy Christians. Conversely, Christians who take seriously their duty to provide for the future needs of their families tend to downplay the literalness that some place on Jesus’ words in the last chapter. Since no one lives completely by faith, such criticism is out of order. This command not to judge others includes the following areas: we should not judge motives; only God can read them; we should not judge by appearance (Joh_7:24; Jam_2:1-4); we should not judge those who have conscientious scruples about matters that are not in themselves right or wrong (Rom_14:1-5); we should not judge the service of another Christian (1Co_4:1-5); and, we should not judge a fellow believer by speaking evil about him (Jam_4:11-12). 7:1 Sometimes these words of our Lord are misconstrued by people to prohibit all forms of judgment. No matter what happens, they piously say, Judge not, that you be not judged. But Jesus is not teaching that we are to be undiscerning Christians. He never intended that we abandon our critical faculty or discernment. The NT has many illustrations of legitimate judgment of the condition, conduct, or teaching of others. In addition, there are several areas in which the Christian is commanded to make a decision, to discriminate between good and bad or between good and best. Some of these include:

1. When disputes arise between believers, they should be settled in the church before members who can decide the matter (1Co_6:1-8).
2. The local church is to judge serious sins of its members and take appropriate action (Mat_18:17; 1Co_5:9-13).
3. Believers are to judge the doctrinal teaching of teachers and preachers by the Word of God (Mat_7:15-20; 1Co_14:29; 1Jo_4:1).
4. Christians have to discern if others are believers in order to obey Paul’s command in 2Co_6:14.
5. Those in the church must judge which men have the qualifications necessary for elders and deacons (1Ti_3:1-13).
6. We have to discern which people are unruly, fainthearted, weak, etc., and treat them according to the instructions in the Bible (e.g., 1Th_5:14). 7:2 Jesus warned that unrighteous judgment would be repaid in kind: For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged. This principle of reaping what we sow is built into all human life and affairs. Mark applies the principle to our appropriation of the Word (Mar_4:24) and Luke applies it to our liberality in giving (Luk_6:38). 7:3-5 Jesus exposed our tendency to see a small fault in someone else while ignoring the same fault in ourselves. He purposely exaggerated the situation (using a figure of speech known as hyperbole) to drive home the point. Someone with a plank in his eye often finds fault with the speck in the eye of another, not even noticing his own condition. It is hypocritical to suppose that we could help someone with a fault when we ourselves have a greater fault. We must remedy our own faults before criticizing them in others. 7:6 Verse 6 proves that Jesus did not intend to forbid every kind of judgment. He warned His disciples not to give holy things to dogs or to cast … pearls before swine. Under the Mosaic Law dogs and swine were unclean animals and here the terms are used to depict wicked people. When we meet vicious people who treat divine truths with utter contempt and respond to our preaching of the claims of Christ with abuse and violence, we are not obligated to continue to share the gospel with them. To press the matter only brings increased condemnation to the offenders. Needless to say, it requires spiritual perception to discern these people. Perhaps that is why the next verses take up the subject of prayer, by which we can ask for wisdom.

Matthew 7:7

S. Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking (7:7-12) 7:7, 8 If we think that we can live out the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount by our own strength, we have failed to realize the supernatural character of the life to which the Savior calls us. The wisdom or power for such a life must be given to us from above. So here we have an invitation to ask and keep on asking; to seek and keep on seeking; to knock and keep on knocking. Wisdom and power for the Christian life will be given to all who earnestly and persistently pray for it. Taken out of context, verses 7 and 8 might seem like a blank check for believers, i.e., we can get anything we ask for. But this is simply not true. The verses must be understood in their immediate context and in light of the whole Bible’s teaching on prayer. Therefore, what seems like unqualified promises here are actually restricted by other passages. For example, from Psa_66:18 we learn that the person praying must have no unconfessed sin in his life. The Christian must pray in faith (Jam_1:6-8) and in conformity with the will of God (1Jo_5:14). Prayer must be offered persistently (Luk_18:1-8) and sincerely (Heb_10:22 a). 7:9, 10 When the conditions for prayer are met, the Christian can have utter confidence that God will hear and answer. This assurance is based on the character of God, our Father. On the human level, we know that if a son asks for bread, his father will not give him a stone. Neither would he give him a serpent if he had asked for a fish. An earthly father would neither deceive his hungry son nor give him anything that might inflict pain. 7:11 The Lord argues from the lesser to the greater. If human parents reward their children’s requests with what is best for them, how much more will our Father who is in heaven do so. 7:12 The immediate connection of verse 12 with the preceding seems to be this: since our Father is a giver of good things to us, we should imitate Him in showing kindness to others. The way to test whether an action is beneficial to others is whether we would want to receive it ourselves. The Golden Rule had been expressed in negative terms at least one hundred years before this time by Rabbi Hillel. However, by stating the rule in positive terminology, Jesus goes beyond passive restraint to active benevolence. Christianity is not simply a matter of abstinence from sin; it is positive goodness. This saying by Jesus is the Law and the Prophets, that is, it summarizes the moral teachings of the Law of Moses and the writings of the Prophets of Israel. The righteousness demanded by the OT is fulfilled in converted believers who thus walk according to the Spirit (Rom_8:4). If this verse were universally obeyed, it would transform all areas of international relationships, national politics, family life, and church life.

Matthew 7:13

T. The Narrow Way (7:13, 14) The Lord now warns that the gate of Christian discipleship is narrow and the way is difficult. But those who faithfully follow His teachings find the abundant life. On the other hand, there is the wide gatethe life of self-indulgence and pleasure. The end of such a life is destruction. This is not a discussion of losing one’s soul, but of a failure to live out the purpose of one’s existence. These verses also have an application to the gospel by depicting the two roads and destinies of the human race. The wide gate and broad way lead to destruction (Pro_16:25). The narrow gate and difficult way lead to life. Jesus is both the gate (Joh_10:9) and the way (Joh_14:6). But while this is a valid application of the passage, the interpretation is for believers. Jesus is saying that to follow Him would require faith, discipline, and endurance. But this difficult life is the only life worth living. If you choose the easy way, you will have plenty of company, but you will miss God’s best for you.

Matthew 7:15

U. By Their Fruits You Shall Know Them (7:15-20) 7:15 Wherever the stern demands of true discipleship are taught, there are false prophets who advocate the wide gate and easy way. They water down the truth until, as C. H. Spurgeon said, There is not enough left to make soup for a sick grasshopper. These men who profess to be speaking for God come in sheep’s clothing, giving the appearance of being true believers. But inwardly they are ravenous wolves, i.e., they are vicious unbelievers who prey on the immature, the unstable, and the gullible. 7:16-18 Verses 16-18 deal with the detection of the false prophets: you will know them by their fruits. Their licentious lives and destructive teachings betray them. A tree or plant produces fruit according to its character. Thornbushes cannot bear grapes; thistles do not bear figs. A good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bears bad fruit. This principle is true in the natural world and in the spiritual world. The life and teaching of those who claim to speak for God should be tested by the Word of God: If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them (Isa_8:20). 7:19, 20 The destiny of the false prophets is to be thrown into the fire. The doom of false teachers and prophets is swift destruction (2Pe_2:1). They can be known by their fruits.

Matthew 7:21

V. I Never Knew You (7:21-23) 7:21 The Lord Jesus next warns against people who falsely profess to acknowledge Him as Savior, but have never been converted. Not everyone who calls Jesus, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven. Only those who do the will of God enter the kingdom. The first step in doing the will of God is to believe on the Lord Jesus (Joh_6:29). 7:22, 23 On judgment day when unbelievers stand before Christ (Rev_20:11-15), many will remind Him that they prophesied, or cast out demons, or performed many wondersall in His name. But their protestation will be in vain. Jesus will declare to them that He never knew them or acknowledged them as His own. From these verses we learn that not all miracles are of divine origin and that not all miracle workers are divinely accredited. A miracle simply means that a supernatural power is at work. That power may be divine or satanic. Satan may empower his workers to cast out demons temporarily, in order to create the illusion that the miracle is divine. He is not dividing his kingdom against itself in such a case, but is plotting an even worse invasion of demons in the future.

Matthew 7:24

W. Build on the Rock (7:24-29) 7:24, 25 Jesus closes His sermon with a parable that drives home the importance of obedience. It is not enough to hear these sayings; we must put them into practice. The disciple who hears and does Jesus’ commands is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. His house (life) has a solid foundation and, when it is battered by rain and winds, it will not fall. 7:26, 27 The person who hears Jesus’ sayings and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. This man will not be able to stand against the storms of adversity: when the rain descended and the winds blew, the house fell because it had no solid base. If a person lives according to the principles of the Sermon on the Mount, the world calls him a fool; Jesus calls him a wise man. The world considers a wise man to be someone who lives by sight, who lives for the present, and who lives for self; Jesus calls such a person a fool. It is legitimate to use the wise and foolish builders to illustrate the gospel. The wise man puts his full confidence in the Rock, Christ Jesus, as Lord and Savior. The foolish man refuses to repent and rejects Jesus as his only hope of salvation. But the interpretation of the parable actually carries us beyond salvation to its practical outworking in the Christian life. 7:28, 29 As our Lord ended His message, the people were astonished. If we read the Sermon on the Mount and are not astonished at its revolutionary character, then we have failed to grasp its meaning. The people recognized a difference between Jesus’ teaching and that of the scribes. He spoke with authority; their words were powerless. His was a voice; theirs was an echo. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown comment, The consciousness of divine authority, as Lawgiver, Expounder and Judge, so beamed through His teaching, that the scribes’ teaching could not but appear drivelling in such a light.