THE BOOK OF MATTHEW CHAPTER # 7 - (ESV) 7:1__2 _JUDGE NOT forbids pronouncing another person guilty before God. But verses 3__5. FOR WITH THE JUDGMENT YOU PRONOUNCE YOU WILL BE JUDGED. Undue harshness and a judgmental attitude toward others will result in being treated in much the same way by God.
7:3__5 _Jesus may have drawn on his background as a carpenter (13:55; MARK 6:3) for his metaphor of a LOG IN YOUR OWN EYE, which of course was hyperbole (intentional overstatement; MATTHEW 5:29__30). THEN YOU WILL SEE CLEARLY TO TAKE THE SPECK OUT OF YOUR BROTHER'S EYE. Jesus does not forbid all evaluation or even judgment of others, for ultimately the one who feels grieved and humbled over his own sin can help remove the "speck" from others. What Jesus does rule out is pride that views oneself as better than others (GALATIANS 6:1).
7:6 _In the ancient world, DOGS lived in squalor and scavenged the streets for food (PSALM 59:14__15). Jews considered them unclean and used the term to describe those apart from, or enemies of, Israel's covenant community (1 SAMUEL 17:43; PSALM 22:16; PROVERBS 26:11). PIGS were rejected by Jews, probably because they too were scavenging animals, and they were unclean according to OT law. PEARLS symbolize the great value of the message of the kingdom of heaven (MATTHEW 13:45__46). Belivers are to be merciful, forgiving, and slow to judge (7:1__5), yet they should wisely discern the true character of people and not indefinitely continue proclaiming the gospel to those who adamantly reject it, so that they can move on and proclaim the gospel to others (10:14; also ACTS 13:46; 18:6; TITUS 3:10__11).
7:7__11 _ASK. Disciples should come to God in humility and awareness of need. SEEK connects one's prayer with responsible action in pursuing the will of God. KNOCK suggests perseverance. Disciples are to presist in prayer, confident that their Father will provide whatever is best for them, according to his sovereign, gracious will.
7:11 _YOU. . .WHO ARE EVIL. Earthly parents have an innate impulse to do what is best for their children, yet they are flawed as a result of sin's corruption of all humanity through the fall of Adam and Eve (ROMANS 5:12__14), and the quality of their parenting does not match God's. This is an example of a "how much more" argument frequently used in Matthew and Luke (MATTHEW 10:25; 12:12; LUKE 11:13; 12:24; HEBREWS 9:14).
7:12 _DO ALSO TO THEM. Known as "the Golden Rule," this verse summarizes the teaching of THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS (See 5:17). The way in which one wants to be treated should determine the way that one treats others. This should come naturally for believers who love God with all their heart and soul and mind, and who love their neighbor as themselves (22:37__40). See 5:17.
7:13__29 _Warning! With Jesus or Against Him? Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount by giving the disciples, the crowed, and the religious leaders four basic warnings: they must choose between two gates and roads (verses 21__23), and two foundations (verses 24__27). They are either with Jesus or against him.
7:13__14 _NARROW GATE. The way to eternal life is "narrow" in that it is through Jesus alone (see ACTS 4:12). Though the way is HARD, those who choose the WAY that IS EASY (by seeking the approval of man rather than God) will find that the easy way only LEADS TO DESTRUCTION__ultimately to eternal punishment and separation from God.
7:15__20 _BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS. Maintaining the earlier balance of not judging (verses 1__5) yet not being naively accepting (verse 6), Jesus teaches his disciples that they must be wisely discerning when professed prophets come into their midst. The life of the prophet and the results of his influence on others are the FRUITS that will indicate whether or not his message is consistent with the kingdom life of righteousness. FIRE. The only thing bad trees are good for is firewood, a striking mataphor of the future judgment for false prophets.7:21__23 _The KINGDOM community must guard against not only false prophets (verses 15__20) but also false disciples. LORD, LORD. An oral confession of Jesus as Lord does not always indicate a repentant heart.
7:22 _False disciples may exercise power in Jesus NAME but their activities are meaningless because they deceive themselves and other believers, desiring attention for their own spectacular displays. MIGHTY WORDS are not proof of the Father's will since they can come from sources other than God, including demons and human contrivance (ACTS 19:13__16; 2 THESSALONIANS 2:9__12; REVELATION 13:13__14).
7:23 _THEN WILL I DECLARE TO THEM. Jesus says that he will one day exercise the perogative of condemning people to hell, something that only God can do (See JOHN 5:22). Though these condemned prophets appeared to belong to Jesus, they were never truly saved, for Jesus NEVER KNEW them (MATTHEW 7:21__23).
7:24__27 _HEARS THESE WORDS OF MINE AND DOES THEM. A parable beings the Sermon on the Mount to a close as Jesus calls for his audience to decide between himself and the religious establishment, drawing a dividing line between himself and any other foundation for life. The evidence of whether one is truly a believer is in whether one DOES the words of Jesus (JAMES 1:22__23 and 2:20__22 and and notes on these verses). WISE MAN. Disciples who build their lives on the bedrock of Jesus and his message of the kingdom of heaven are truly wise, regardless of the shifting cultural or religious fashions.
7:25 __the rain fell, and the floods came. During the hot summer months, the sand around the Sea of Galilee was hard on the surface. But a wise builder knew that he needed to dig several feet below the surface to the bedrock in order to established the foundation for his house.
7:26__27 __on the sand. The religious establishment had embraced a mere surface righteousness built on an unstable foundation of religious pretense.
7:28__29 __Astonished suggests a variety of emotional reactions to Jesus words, but not a commitment of faith. While the scribes cite other rabbis, Jesus has inherent divine authority.
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