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<title>Blue Letter Bible: Text Commentaries</title>
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<h2><a onclick="return mV('Mat',7,'all');">Mat 7</a> - The Sermon on the Mount (Continued)</h2>
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<p class="c4">a. Judgment and discernment.</p>
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<p class="c1">1. (<a onclick="return mV('Mat',7,'1-2');">1-2</a>) The summary statement on judging others.</p>
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<p class="c2">"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <span class="c8">Judge not, that you be not judged</span>: This is the Bible verse that seems to be most popular in our present day. But most the people who quote this verse don't understand what Jesus said. They seem to think Jesus commanded a universal acceptance of any lifestyle or teaching.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. If we see what Jesus said in <a onclick="return mV('Mat',7,'15-16');">Mat 7:15-16</a>, He commands us to know people by the fruit of their life, and <i>some</i> sort of assessment is necessary for that.</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. The Christian is called to unconditionally love. But the Christian is not called to unconditional approval. We really <i>can</i> love people who do things that should not be approved of.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. Instead, Jesus is speaking against being <i>judgmental</i>, that is, judging motives and the inner man, which only God can know. We can judge the <i>fruit</i> of a man, but we can rarely judge their motives with accuracy.</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <span class="c8">For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged</span>: In addition, Jesus does not <i>prohibit</i> judgment of others. He only requires that our judgment be completely fair, and that we only judge others by a standard we would also like to be judged by.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Most of our judgment in regard to others is wrong, not because we judge according to a standard, but because we are hypocritical in the application of that standard - we ignore the standard in our own life. We judge others by one standard, and ourselves by another standard - being far more generous to ourselves than others.</p>
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<p class="c4">d. <span class="c8">With the measure you use, it will be measured back to you</span>: According to the teaching of some rabbis in Jesus' time, God had two measures that He used to judge people. One was a <span class="c8">measure</span> of <i>justice</i> and the other was a <span class="c8">measure</span> of <i>mercy.</i> Which <span class="c8">measure</span> do you want God to use with you? Then you should use that same <span class="c8">measure</span> with others.</p>
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<p class="c1">2. (<a onclick="return mV('Mat',7,'3-5');">3-5</a>) An illustration of Jesus' principle regarding judging.</p>
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<p class="c2">"And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank <i>is </i>in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <span class="c8">Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?</span> The figures of a <span class="c8">speck</span> and a <span class="c8">plank</span> are real figures used humorously. Jesus shows how we are generally far more tolerant to our own sin than we are to the sin of others.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <span class="c8">Look, a plank is in your own eye</span>: Our hypocrisy in these matters is always more evident to others than to ourselves. We may find a way to ignore the plank in our own eye, but others notice it immediately.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. A good example of this kind of hypocrisy was David's reaction to Nathan's story about a man who unjustly stole and killed another man's lamb. David quickly condemned the man, but was blind to his greater sin (<a onclick="return mV('2Sa',12,'all');">2Sa 12</a>).</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <span class="c8">First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye</span>: Jesus doesn't say that it is wrong for us to help our brother with the speck in his eye. It is a good thing to help your brother with his speck, <i>but not before</i> dealing with the plank in your own eye.</p>
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<p class="c1">3. (<a onclick="return mV('Mat',7,6);">6</a>) Balancing love with discernment.</p>
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<p class="c2">"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <span class="c8">Do not give what is holy to the dogs</span>: <span class="c8">Dogs</span> and <span class="c8">swine</span> in this context are those who are hostile to the gospel. Our love for others must not blind us to their hardened rejection of the gospel.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <span class="c8">Nor cast your pearls before swine</span>: Our <span class="c8">pearls</span> of the precious gospel may only confuse unbelievers, who are blinded to the truth by the god of this age (<a onclick="return mV('2Cr',4,4);">2Cr 4:4</a>) and may only expose the gospel to their ridicule.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Of course, Jesus did not say this to discourage us from sharing the gospel. He says this to call us to discernment, and to encourage us to look for prepared hearts.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. More instructions for prayer.</p>
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<p class="c1">1. (<a onclick="return mV('Mat',7,'7-8');">7-8</a>) Jesus invites us to keep on asking, seeking and knocking.</p>
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<p class="c2">"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <span class="c8">Ask...seek...knock</span>: We see a progressive intensity, going from <span class="c8">ask</span> to <span class="c8">seek</span> to <span class="c8">knock</span>. Jesus tells us to have intensity and passion in prayer.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <span class="c8">Ask and it will be given to you</span>: God promises an answer to the one who diligently seeks Him. Many of our dispassionate prayers are not answered for good reason, because it is almost as if we ask God to care about something we care little or nothing about.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. God values persistence and passion in prayer because they show that we share His heart. It shows that we care about the things He cares about.</p>
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<p class="c1">2. (<a onclick="return mV('Mat',7,'9-11');">9-11</a>) Jesus illustrates the giving nature of God.</p>
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<p class="c2">"Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"</p>
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<p>	</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <span class="c8">Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?</span> Jesus makes it clear that God doesn't have to be persuaded or appeased in prayer. He wants to give us not just bread, but even <i>more</i> than what we ask for.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Thankfully, the times we ask for something as bad as <span class="c8">a serpent</span> without knowing, like a loving parent God often mercifully spares us the just penalty of our ignorance.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <span class="c8">If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven</span>: It is blasphemous to deny God's answer to the seeking heart. We imply that God is worse than even an evil man is.</p>
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<p class="c4">c. Conclusion of the sermon: make a choice.</p>
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<p class="c1">1. (<a onclick="return mV('Mat',7,12);">12</a>) A summation of Jesus' ethical teaching regarding our treatment of others: the golden rule.</p>
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<p class="c2">"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <span class="c8">Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them</span>: The negative way of stating this command was known long before Jesus. It had long been said, "you should <i>not</i> do to your neighbor what you would <i>not</i> want him to do to you." But it is a large leap for Jesus to put it in the positive, to say that we should <i>do unto others</i> what we want them to <i>do unto us</i>.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. In so doing, Jesus makes the command much broader. It is the difference between <i>not</i> breaking traffic laws and <i>doing</i> something positive like helping a stranded motorist.</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. This especially applies to Christian fellowship. If we would experience love and have people reach out to us, we must love and reach out to others.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <span class="c8">For this is the Law and the Prophets</span>: Jesus shows that this simple principle - the <i>golden rule</i> - summarizes all <span class="c8">the Law and the Prophets</span> say about how we should treat others. If we would simply treat others the way we would want to be treated, we would naturally obey all the law says about our relationships with others.</p>
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<p class="c1">2. (<a onclick="return mV('Mat',7,'13-14');">13-14</a>) Choosing one of two ways and one of two destinations.</p>
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<p class="c2">"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide <i>is </i>the gate and broad <i>is </i>the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow <i>is </i>the gate and difficult <i>is </i>the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <span class="c8">Enter by the narrow gate</span>: Jesus here commits the awful modern "sin" of "narrow mindedness." To Jesus, there is no doubt that there is a right road and a wrong road. If Christians are accused of being "narrow minded" they should be following Jesus' example of telling the hard truth, but telling it in love.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <span class="c8">Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life</span>: The true gate is both <i>narrow</i> and <i>difficult</i>. If your road has a gate that is easy and well traveled, you do well to watch out.</p>
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<p class="c1">3. (<a onclick="return mV('Mat',7,'15-20');">15-20</a>) False prophets will comes disguised; how can we tell them?</p>
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<p class="c2">"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor <i>can </i>a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them."</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <span class="c8">Beware of false prophets</span>: There are many who would try to guide us along the broad path that leads to destruction; how can we guard ourselves against them?</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <span class="c8">Who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves</span>: It is in the nature of these <span class="c8">false prophets</span> to deceive and deny their true character. Often they deceive even themselves, believing themselves to be sheep when in fact they are <span class="c8">ravenous wolves</span>.</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <span class="c8">You will know them by their fruits</span>: We guard ourselves against false prophets by taking heed to their <span class="c8">fruits</span>. This means paying attention to many aspects of their life and ministry.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. We should pay attention to the <i>manner of living</i> a teacher shows. Do they show righteousness, humility and faithfulness in the way they live?</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. We should pay attention to the <i>content</i> of their teaching. Is it true fruit from God's Word, or is it man-centered, appealing to ears that want to be tickled?</p>
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<p class="c5">iii. We should pay attention to the <i>effect</i> of their teaching. Are people growing in Jesus or merely being entertained, and eventually falling away?</p>
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<p class="c4">d. <span class="c8">Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit</span>: This <span class="c8">fruit</span> is the inevitable result of who we <i>are</i>. Eventually - though it may take a time for the harvest to come - the good or bad fruit is evident, revealing what sort of "tree" we are.</p>
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<p class="c1">4. (<a onclick="return mV('Mat',7,'21-23');">21-23</a>) Jesus challenges every disciple to take heed to his own salvation.</p>
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<p class="c2">"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'"</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <span class="c8">Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord," shall enter the kingdom of heaven</span>: The people who Jesus speaks of here make a proper verbal confession, calling Jesus <span class="c8">Lord</span>. This is vital, but never enough by itself.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <span class="c8">Who says to Me...will say to Me in that day</span>: It is staggering that Jesus freely claims <i>He</i> will be the one people must stand before on that final day of judgment, and <i>He</i> is the one who is rightly called <span class="c8">Lord</span>.</p>
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<p class="c4">c. The people Jesus speaks of here have impressive spiritual accomplishments. They have <span class="c8">prophesied</span>, <span class="c8">cast out demons</span>, and have <span class="c8">done many wonders</span>. These are wonderful things, but they mean nothing without true fellowship.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Jesus does not seem to doubt their claims of doing the miraculous. He doesn't say, "You didn't really prophesy or cast out demons or do miracles." This leads us to understand that sometimes miracles are granted through pretended believers, reminding us that in the final analysis, miracles <i>prove</i> nothing.</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. Significantly, they even did these things <i>in the name of Jesus</i>. Yet, they never really had a relationship of love and fellowship with Jesus.</p>
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<p class="c4">d. <span class="c8">I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!</span> In the end, there is one basis of salvation. It isn't mere verbal confession, not "spiritual works," but knowing Jesus and being known by Him.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. In addition, these are not people who <i>lost</i> their salvation. Instead, they never truly had it (<span class="c8">I <i>never</i> knew you</span>).</p>
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<p class="c1">5. (<a onclick="return mV('Mat',7,'24-27');">24-27</a>) An <i>outward</i> conformity to Jesus' teaching here is not enough; Jesus demands that we be <i>doers</i> of the word, not merely <i>hearers</i>.</p>
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<p class="c2">"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <span class="c8">I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock</span>: In Jesus' illustration of the two houses, each house looked the same from the outside. The real foundation of our life is usually hidden, and is only proven in the storm.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <span class="c8">And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on the house</span>: A storm (<span class="c8">rain</span>, <span class="c8">floods</span>, <span class="c8">wind</span>) was the ultimate in power to generations that didn't have nuclear weapons. Jesus warns us that the foundations of our lives will be shaken at some time or another, both now (in trials) and in the ultimate judgment before God.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. It is better that we test our foundation now than at our judgment before God.</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <span class="c8">Everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them</span>: Merely <i>hearing</i> God's word isn't enough to provide a secure foundation. It is necessary that we are also <i>doers</i> of His word. If we are not, we commit the sin that will surely find us out, the sin of doing nothing (<a onclick="return mV('Num',32,23);">Num 32:23</a>) - and <span class="c8">great</span> will be <i>our</i> <span class="c8">fall</span>.</p>
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<p class="c1">6. (<a onclick="return mV('Mat',7,'28-29');">28-29</a>) The effect of Jesus' sermon on those who heard Him.</p>
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<p class="c2">And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <span class="c8">For He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes</span>: His audience could not but notice that Jesus taught with an authority lacking in the other teachers in His day, who would often only quote other Rabbis for their "authority." Jesus spoke with inherent authority, and the authority of God's revealed word.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <span class="c8">The people were astonished at His teachings</span>: Whenever God's word is presented as it truly is, with its inherent power, it will astonish people, and set itself apart from the mere opinions of man.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. When we really understand Jesus in this Sermon on the Mount, we should be <span class="c8">astonished</span> also. If we aren't, then we probably haven't really heard or understood what Jesus has said.</p>
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