Matthew · chapter 7 of 28
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Matthew 7 concludes the Sermon on the Mount with teaching on not judging hypocritically, asking the Father with confidence and treating others as we want to be treated. Jesus warns against the wide gate, false prophets and a faith that only says Lord, Lord, and closes with the parable of two builders: the wise one builds on the rock by putting his words into practice, and the foolish one builds on sand.
Chapters 5 and 6 described the righteousness of the kingdom and trust in the Father. In Matthew 7 Jesus ends the sermon with practical applications for relationships and a series of warnings that force the listener to decide. The chapter closes the first of Matthew's five great discourses and leaves the crowds amazed.
Jesus teaches not to judge, so as not to be judged by the same measure. He asks why one looks at the speck in a brother's eye without noticing the log in one's own, and commands removing the log first in order to see clearly. He also warns against giving what is holy to dogs or casting pearls before pigs.
Then he invites people to ask, seek and knock, with the promise that the one who asks receives, the one who seeks finds and to the one who knocks it is opened. If a human father gives good things to his children, how much more will the heavenly Father. He sums up the Law and the Prophets with the golden rule: whatever you wish others would do to you, do also to them.
Next he calls them to enter by the narrow gate, because the wide gate and the easy road lead to destruction and many enter by it, while the narrow gate leads to life and few find it. He warns against false prophets, who come in sheep's clothing but inside are ravenous wolves, and who are recognized by their fruit, as a good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bad fruit. Not everyone who says Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom, but the one who does the will of the Father; to some who point to their works Jesus will say that he never knew them and that they must depart.
Finally he tells the parable of the two builders: whoever hears these words and does them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock, and it did not fall when the rain, floods and winds came; whoever hears them and does not do them is like a foolish man who built on sand, and his house fell with a great crash. When Jesus finished, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority and not as their scribes.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Jesus invites us to ask, seek and knock, and promises that the Father responds: it is given, found and opened. It is an invitation to pray with confidence and perseverance, without hiding our need from God.
The golden rule: treat others as we want to be treated. Jesus says this sums up the Law and the Prophets, and it turns our own desire for good treatment into the measure of the treatment we give.
It is not enough to say Lord, Lord. Entering the kingdom requires doing the will of the Father, which shows that true confession is accompanied by obedience that comes from a real relationship with Christ.
The one who hears Jesus' words and does them is like someone who builds on the rock, and his house withstands the storm. What sustains us in testing is not merely hearing the teaching but putting it into practice.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: Why look at the speck in another's eye and not notice the log in your own. — Matthew 7:3
Answer: Ask, seek and knock. — Matthew 7:7
Answer: Do to others what you want them to do to you. — Matthew 7:12
Answer: The narrow gate and the hard way; few find it. — Matthew 7:13-14
Answer: By their fruit. — Matthew 7:15-20
Answer: On the rock, and his house did not fall when the rain, floods and winds came. — Matthew 7:24-25
Jesus does not ask us to stop discerning but to stop judging hypocritically. Before correcting someone, it is wise to examine our own life. In a small group you can ask each person to think of a criticism they easily make of others and bring it to prayer as a confession of their own.
The final parable also confronts us. Hearing good teaching every Sunday is not enough; what matters is putting it into practice. Choose one concrete teaching from the Sermon on the Mount and decide what step of obedience you will take this week.
Matthew 7 closes the Sermon on the Mount with a call to obey the words of Jesus, and the crowds recognize his authority. In chapter 8 a series of miracles begins: Jesus heals a leper, a centurion's servant and many others, showing that his authority reaches beyond words.
No. In the same chapter Jesus tells us to beware of false prophets and to recognize them by their fruit, which requires discernment. What he forbids is the attitude of the hypocritical judge, who condemns others without examining himself and without mercy. Brotherly correction is valid when done with humility.
It is Jesus' answer to those who point to their religious deeds, such as prophesying or casting out demons in his name, without having a real relationship with him. It shows that what matters is not religious performance but knowing Christ and doing the Father's will. It is a serious warning, not a threat to someone who sincerely trusts him.
Jesus speaks of two ways, a wide one with many entering and a narrow one that few find; the narrow one leads to life. Other passages of the New Testament make clear that Jesus himself is the door and the way. The chapter calls for a personal decision rather than following the majority.