Matthew 7 Verses 1 to 6, 12 Before You Judge June 2, 2024

Matthew 7 Verses 1 to 6, 12 Before You Judge June 2, 2024 Lesson 9

Sermon on the Mount Class Presentation Notes AAAA

Background Scriptures:

2 Samuel 11:27 (NKJV) 27 And when her mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.

2 Samuel 12:1-7 (NKJV) 1 Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said to him: "There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. 3 But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. 4 And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him." 5 So David's anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! 6 And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity." 7 Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the LORDGod of Israel: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.

Luke 6:31 (NKJV) 31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.

Luke 6:37-42 (NKJV) 37 "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." 39 And He spoke a parable to them: "Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? 40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. 41 And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? 42 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that isin your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye.

Main Idea:

· Knowing the right thing to do is not difficult. Treating others the way you wish to be treated is a challenge.

Study Aim:

· We must examine our own lives before we are critical of others.

Create Interest:

· When adults are in conflict situations, they often blame others. They try to focus on the attitudes and actions of others and to justify their own actions. Such responses usually prolong or escalate a conflict. When maturing disciples acknowledge and accept responsibility for the part they have had in a conflict, they open the door for resolution.

· Jesus told His disciples not to pass judgment on others, especially when they have unconfessed sin in their own lives. They were to remove the obstacles from their own lives before seeking to help others clean up their own lives. Sinful desires cause conflicts between believers and affect their relationship with God. [1]

Lesson in Historical Context:

· An ordered society (like the nation of Israel in Old Testament times) needs judges to be third-party deciders over human disputes (see Exodus 18:13–27; Ezra 7:25). Deuteronomy 25:1 defines the role of a judge in Israel as one who makes decisions about “acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty.” To do the opposite‌—‌condemn the righteous and justify the wicked‌—‌is detestable to the Lord (Proverbs 17:15). As shown throughout the book of Judges, these leaders were meant to remain faithful to the Lord; only then would the people be led in his ways and enjoy his protection in Israel (see Judges 2:16–19).

· The Lord himself is the final and infallible judge of all the earth (Psalms 82:8; 105:7). In several places, the Bible portrays God as judge over all humanity (Exodus 12:12; 1 Chronicles 16:14; Romans 14:10; etc.). God does not consult a legal code for his judgments, because he is the author of the law. Human judges depend on laws and function best when they are enforcing clear and fair laws in an impartial way.

o People, though, are fallible, and even judges can be corrupt or unrighteous (Luke 18:6).

· Jesus did not embrace the role of judge in human affairs during his ministry (see Luke 12:14; in contrast see Acts 17:31; 2 Corinthians 5:10). Yet his teachings are filled with moral distinctions that identify unrighteous behavior.

o Jesus does not hesitate to expose hypocrites, identify their dishonesty, and thus pass a type of judgment.

o What we see is Jesus moving beyond mere application of laws in a courtroom setting to a discernment of human behavior based on motives and higher standards such as love for others.[2]

Bible Study:

Matthew 7:1-5 (NKJV) 1 "Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank isin your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

· When Jesus spoke like this, as so often in the Sermon on the Mount, he was using words and ideas which were quite familiar to the highest thoughts of the Jews. Many a time the Rabbis warned people against judging others. “He who judges his neighbor favorably,” they said, “will be judged favorable by God.” they laid it down that there were six great works which brought a man credit in this world and profit in the world to come—study, visiting the sick, hospitality, devotion in prayer, the education of children in the Law, and thinking the best of other people. The Jews knew that kindliness in judgment is nothing less than a sacred duty. Here he continues to add understanding to things done out of obligation to their culture.

o There is hardly anyone who has not been guilty of some grave misjudgment; there is hardly anyone who has not suffered from someone else’s misjudgment. And yet the strange fact is that there is hardly any commandment of Jesus which is more consistently broken and neglected.[3]

· Human nature encourages us to pay far more attention to the shortcomings of others than to our own faults. We tend to evaluate others based on a lofty standard of righteousness that somehow is not applicable to our own performance. Jesus says, Do not judge (Vs. 1-2). The Greek construction (mē plus the present imperative) carries with it the idea of ceasing what you are now doing. Williams translates, “Stop criticizing others.”

o Judging, in this context, implies a harsh and censorious spirit. If you insist on condemning others, you exclude yourself from God’s forgiveness.

o Although it is psychologically true that a critical spirit receives from others a harsh response, Jesus is here speaking of final judgment. The niv correctly translates, or you too will be judged.

· The admonition not to judge is often taken incorrectly to imply that believers are not to make moral judgments about anyone or anything. That this is not what was intended is clear from verses 15–20, which warn of false prophets who can be known by the fruit they bear.

o Jesus does not ask us to lay aside our critical faculties but rather to resist the urge to speak harshly of others. The issue is serious in that God will judge us by the same standard we apply to others. This rather frightening truth should change the way in which we tend to view other people’s failings. Discuss

· Vs. 3-5 present the ludicrous picture of someone with a long beam or rafter (MM refer to dokoi as heavy beams used in the building of the temple, p. 168) protruding from his eye trying to extract a tiny chip of dried wood (or perhaps a speck of dust) from the eye of another.

o Obviously, we are dealing with Eastern hyperbole(cf. Matt. 19:24, with its scene of a camel going through the eye of a sowing needle!).

o How hypocritical to be concerned with the minor fault of another in view of one’s own personal failure.

o Based on the account of the two debtors in Matthew 18:23–35, some have seen here the enormous offense of our own failure before God in comparison with the minor offenses between people.

§ In any case, the plankis to be removed from our own eye before we indulge in removing the speck of sawdust from the eye of another.

o Taken in an unqualified sense, this would put a complete stop to helping others with their moral difficulties.

§ Undoubtedly it is intended to restrict hypocritical correction of others rather than to prohibit all helpful correction.[4] Discuss.

Let’s hear from and understand the original language and intent of the writer.

· From the overall perspective of the Synoptic Gospels, it appears that the writers integrated fully the Old Testament understanding of the Day of the Lord as well as later Jewish concepts (cf. Büchsel, “krinō,” Kittel, 3:935 for a discussion of the concept of judgment in Judaism).

· The concept that God would judge all men, prevalent in Pharisaic Judaism, emerges in such texts as Matthew 7:2 (parallel Luke 6:37; cf. Luke 22:30; Mark 12:40).

o Judgment language may accompany the proclamation to repent (Matthew 3:10) in light of the arrival of God’s Messiah.

o Here the coming of salvation will concurrently bring judgment.

§ Unless one repents and responds to God’s mercy he or she will be judged instead of saved.[5]

Thoughts to Soak On offered in Vs. 5:

· The unjust person guilty of judging others is labeled by the Lord as a hypocrite. The self-righteous person can never be anything but a hypocrite, because he continually puts on a deceitful act of righteous superiority. That is why he feels qualified to say to his brother, “Let me take the splinter or mote out of your eye. Let me tell you what is wrong in your life. Let me straighten you out.”

· Jesus gives corrective steps to the wrong kind of judgment by showing the right balance of humility and conviction. The Lord gives us instruction in casting for clarity.

o First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother’s eye. Pull the plank out of your pupil.

§ We are to confess and get our own sin right with God which many times is the sin of self-righteousness and of a condemning spirit toward others when we are guilty of judging.

§ We are then to ask for God’s cleansing.

o Second, when our own sin is forgiven, cleansed, and repented of, and when the log is taken out of our own eye, then we will see our brother’s sin clearly and be able to help him get victory in his own life. We will then see everythingclearly.

§ We will have a focused view of God, others, and ourselves

§ We will see God as the only Judge, others as needy sinners who are just like us, and we will see that we have weaknesses, faults, and limitations in our own lives.

§ Psalm 51:10 (NKJV) 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

§ Psalm 51:12-13 (NKJV) 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.

o In these two verses, he applies the “casting” principle of getting his own life right with God by dealing properly with his own sin.

o Then we see the clarity principle for ministry in verse 13.[6]

Let’s wrap up this very important concept in bow and move on:

· We shall be judged (v. 1). The tense of the verb judged signifies a once-for-all final judgment. If we first judge ourselves, then we are preparing for that final judgment when we face God. The Pharisees “played God” as they condemned other people; but they never considered that God would one day judge them.

· We are being judged (v. 2). The parallel passage in Luke 6:37–38 is helpful here. Not only will God judge us at the end, but people are also judging us right now; and we receive from people exactly what we give. The kind of judgment, and the measure of judgment, comes right back to us. We reap what we have sown.

· We must see clearly to help others (vv. 3–5). The purpose of self-judgment is to prepare us to serve others. Christians are obligated to help each other grow in grace. When we do not judge ourselves, we not only hurt ourselves, but we also hurt those to whom we could minister. The Pharisees judged and criticized others to make themselves look good (Luke 18:9–14).

o But Christians should judge themselves so that they can help others look good. There is a difference![7]

Matthew 7:6 (NKJV) 6 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.

· What then about the dogs, the pigs, and the pearls? Doesn’t this imply that Jesus’ followers are to make quite a serious judgment—namely that some people come into these categories, so should not be given holy or precious things?

· Yes. It seems as though Jesus is here assuming a distinction between one’s own community—in his case that of village and town life in Galilee, within the Jewish world of his day—and people from outside.

o ‘Dogs’ was after all a regular abusive term for Gentiles; pigs were kept only by Gentiles, since Jews didn’t eat pork.

o He seems to be warning his followers not to try to explain the meaning and life of the kingdom to people who won’t even understand the Jewish world within which it makes sense.

· If this is right, it fits with what Jesus says later, in 10:5–6. The early mission of the gospel is to Jews only (see too Romans 15:8). But…don’t stop here!

· After the crucifixion and resurrection, of course, everything is different;

o the gospel must then go out to embrace the world.

o For the moment, the disciplesare to treasure the gospel like priestsin the Temple guarding their holy things.

o Even though we live today in the new world, commanded to share the gospel riches with all, it would be good to think we still regarded the message of the kingdom as something sacred and beautiful, to be treasured and valued.[8]

Matthew 7:12 (NKJV) 12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

· The so-called golden rule (12) summarizes the law and the prophets; that is, the Old Testament. Christianity is not anything less, but it is something more.

· The golden rule had been stated in negative form before Christ appeared. Confucius said: “Do not unto others what you would not have them do unto you.” The Jewish rabbis had a similar saying. But it is generally recognized that Jesus was the first to give it in positive form.This is something far different. To refrain from hurting is one thing; to lend a helping hand is another. This positive attitude is illustrated by the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30–35).[9]

All of our lesson is based on principles of “holiness”…Let’s review and see

· In all of this, Jesus is building up to the climax of his Sermon: those whom God has blessed, and for whom the heavenly Father provides, are called to be holy. That means;

· First, being slow to judge others (vv. 1–6). We can so easily be critical of others when we have not been critical of ourselves, pointing out minute failings in others while ignoring huge lapses in our own lives.

o Holiness is sensitive to the world of sin that is in our own hearts and it guards the things of God against misuse, either by ourselves or by others(v. 6).

· Second, holiness means remaining dependent on God (vv. 7–11). Asking, seeking and knocking are all forms of application—we come to God with requests.

o Jesus uses a form of argument here in which he begins with what is mundane and rises to what is heavenly—an argument from the lesser thing to the greater.

o If human beings can grant requests to one another, our heavenly Father will certainly give good things to those who apply to him for them.

· Third, holiness means walking Christ’s road (vv. 12–14). Many people quote the so-called ‘golden rule’ of verse 12 without considering the choice explicit in verses 13–14. We can only do good to others as we are committed to Christ. That means entering through the narrow gate and walking the narrow way.[10]

o Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV) 13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

[1]Robert J. Dean, Bible Studies for Life, Spring 2007, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, n.d.), 109. [2]Mark S. Krause et al., “Spiritual Discernment,” in The NIV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2018–2019, ed. Ronald L. Nickelson, vol. 25 (Colorado Springs, CO: Standard Publishing, 2018), 410–411. [3]William Barclay, ed., The Gospel of Matthew, vol. 1, The Daily Study Bible Series (Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster John Knox Press, 1976), 261–263. [4]Robert H. Mounce, Matthew, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011), 64–65. [5]Thoralf Gilbrant, “Κρίνω,” The New Testament Greek-English Dictionary, The Complete Biblical Library (WORDsearch, 1991). [6]Rod Mattoon, Treasures from the Sermon on the Mount, vol. 2, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 2007), 200–201. [7]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 29. [8]Tom Wright, Matthew for Everyone, Part 1: Chapters 1-15 (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004), 70–71. [9]Ralph Earle, “The Gospel according to Matthew,” in Matthew, Mark, Luke, Beacon Bible Commentary (Beacon Hill Press, 1964), Mt 7:7–12. [10]Iain D. Campbell, Opening up Matthew, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2008), 51–52.