Matthew 7
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Matthew 7: Ask, Seek, Knock
Matthew 7: Ask, Seek, Knock
So far in the Sermon on the Mount, the themes have been more about the spiritual life (attitudes in giving, prayer, fasting, materialism, and anxiety over material things). Now we will see Jesus touch on the way we should treat others. Remember that Jesus called for a righteousness that was greater than that of the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 5:20). Jesus will show us that judging others is not the way to that righteousness.
Judge not, that ye be not judged.
With this command Jesus warns us to not judge others, because when we do, we will be judged in the same way. Many people will point to this verse as saying that we should accept any type of lifestyle or teaching. But later in this chapter we will see that Jesus does call for us to ASSESS and understand good from bad. Christians are called to show unconditional love, but not unconditional approval. We can love people who do things that should not be approved of. We should be doing our best to find that fine line, between judgement and assessment. The Greek verb used for judging in this verse, krinō, is the idea of expressing a negative opinion about someone. We have to remember that God is the Judge and ask ourselves “Am I discerning the truth, or am I condemning people?”
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Jesus is saying that God will judge people according to the same standards they apply when judging others. Those who judge harshly, for example, will be judged harshly by God. Often the difference between assessing or spiritual discernment, and judging is in being hypocritical. We judge others by a standard that we don’t apply to ourselves. God will measure us according to the same measure we use for others. This should motivate us to be generous with love, forgiveness, and goodness to others. Do we want to judge others by justice, or mercy? Which would we want God to judge us by?
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
The word in this verse, “mote”, or sometimes translated “speck” is describing something so small that it is almost irrelevant. So Jesus is saying, you point out a small, almost irrelevant flaw in your brother (notice that word, brother, showing this is someone we should be close with, a family member, a fellow Christian), but ignore the Mack Truck sized problem in your own life. This is the same concept Jesus is trying to get across in John 8 7
So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
Jesus asking for someone who believes they are without sin to step up to judge the adulterous woman.
Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
So we are ignoring the beam in our own eye, right? How would that be possible? Because we are blind to it. This is where we become hypocrites. And how can we possible help someone else when we are blind? Would it not just be the “blind leading the blind”? Think about in 2 Samuel 12 when David reacts to Nathan’s story about a man who stole and killed a lamb in a very negative way, while David himself was guilty of much greater sin. Before we can help others we have to first follow the instructions Jesus gives us in this next verse:
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
Jesus didn’t say that it was wrong for us to help our brother with the speck in his eye, but first we have to deal with the plank in our own eye. We have to first address our own sins. And once we decide to follow Christ and we seek forgiveness and repentance, HE will show us how to reflect His light to help those around us. He will help us to plant seeds, and to be fishers of men.
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
So here Jesus is showing that we should not judge hypocritically, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t practice spiritual discernment. Dogs and swine in the verse refers to those who would reject Christ, that are hostile to the Kingdom of God. Jesus teaches us to gently correct one another ( a pearl) but we shouldn’t beat our heads against the wall trying to help those that are determined to not receive it. Think about 2 Corinthians 4 4
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.
So this is what Jesus means by “we shouldn’t cast our pearls before swine”. But this should not discourage us from sharing the Gospel. Christ commanded us to let our lights shine on the world, He is just telling us to practice carefully thought out, spiritual discernment. And if we trust in God and communicate with Him through prayer, He will open our eyes to the right opportunities to spread His word as we see in:
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: And the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
So just remember to discern the soil before trying to plant the seed. Knowing when to not speak is just as important as knowing when to speak.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Ask = to pray, seek = to study, knock = persist. This verse showing again the importance of a continued relationship and communication with God. He is willing to open the door to eternal life, if we will simply knock and ask Him to open it.
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
God honors effort and responds to sincere pursuit, but we have to do our part and then trust in His promises. And we see over and over in scripture that God will recognize our pursuit of a relationship with Him. Look at this:
I love them that love me; And those that seek me early shall find me.
So we should strive everyday to continue to grow our relationship with God. To pray and communicate. And to put trust and faith in Him.
Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
So in these verses Jesus shows us a comparison between earthly fathers and our Heavenly Father. When he says that we are evil, that means sinful, speaking to our sinful nature. And if sinful human parents know how to give their children good things; then how much better can our heavenly Father take care of us. But notice the condition there. We have to ASK. Going back to communicating and prayer, right? And also look at the symbolism in these verses: we are to ask for bread (Christ is the bread of life, the truth), we are to ask for a fish (a symbol used for early Christianity), and it implies no good parent would give their child a serpent (Satan or deception). So if we will ask our heavenly Father, he will provide better than an earthly father could; and He will make sure we have salvation through Christ and protection from deception and evil (Satan).
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
This verse is commonly referred to as the “golden rule”, do unto others. Jesus will say in chapter 22 that the Law and Prophets can be summarized by two commandments—to love God completely, and to love your neighbor as yourself, the last half being basically what this verse is saying. This was also stated in the old testament in:
Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.
So Jesus summarizes the law, and 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. This makes the law easier to understand, but it doesn’t make it any easier to obey. Most people will struggle (at least at times) to consistently do unto others as they would like others to do unto them.
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Here Jesus shows us that there is a right way, and a wrong way to live life. And unfortunately the right way will often be more difficult. He explains that the way into God’s kingdom is like a road less traveled. This concept of two ways—one leading to life and the other to destruction—appears in the Hebrew Bible, Graeco-Roman literature, and the Jewish writings from the Dead Sea Scrolls (ca. 250 BC–50 AD), showing that the concept of light vs dark, good vs evil, right vs wrong; goes back to the beginnings of history. All the way back to the garden, and into the first world age before.
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
The word “beware” here meaning to be alert or watchful. This goes back to having that spiritual discernment. Jesus tells us that there will be those that falsely claim to speak on God’s behalf, that will try to lie and deceive. But they will come as a sheep, portraying innocence, trying to lower the defenses of those they are deceiving.
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
First-century Israel was primarily an agrarian society, so questions like this would be easy for them to understand. In the Greek text, this rhetorical question is phrased in a way that expects a negative answer (“Of course not!”). The concept of knowing them by their fruits shows that we will be able to discern through the outcomes of choices and actions. We don’t want to judge a book by it’s cover but by it’s content, right? So how can we tell bad fruit or false prophets? Take a look at the fruit. Do they show righteousness, humility and faithfulness in the way they live? Is their teaching coming from the word of God, or the traditions of men? And are the lessons helping people to learn and grow in God’s word, or is it just for entertainment?
Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
The fruit is the result of who we are. Even though it may take some time for the harvest to come, the good or bad fruit will be apparent, revealing what sort of “tree” we are. Earlier in the chapter Jesus warned us to judge ourselves first, to look for the beam in our own eye before addressing the speck in our brother’s eye, so, before asking it of anyone else, we should first ask: “Do I bear fruit unto God’s glory?” Good fruit = truth, life, clarity
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Notice that it doesn’t say a tree that brings forth corrupt fruit should be cast into the fire. It says every tree that doesn’t bring forth good fruit. Bringing forth no fruit, is just as bad as corrupt. I have two quotes here:
“Not to have good fruit is to have evil: there can be no innocent sterility in the invisible tree of the heart. He that brings forth no fruit, and he that brings forth bad fruit, are both only fit for the fire.” (Clarke)
“It is not merely the wicked, the bearer of poison berries, that will be cut down; but the neutral, the man who bears no fruit of positive virtue must also be cast into the fire.” (Spurgeon)
This was not the first time Jesus says this, He also said this back in chapter 3. It’s is important for us to realize that when it is time to face judgement, there is no neutral party. Either you believe in and follow Christ, or you don’t. And we all have to make that decision.
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Again, use spiritual discernment and evaluate by outcomes not appearances. Trust in God, pray, and He will open our eyes to be able to see good fruit from bad.
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
These verses warn not only of those false prophets who claim to come in Christ’s name but seek to lie and deceive but also is warning of people who speak or say things, but don’t really mean it. They believe there is value in the bare words and fulfilling some kind of religious duty with no heart, no soul, not spirit; going back to the Lord’s Prayer and the warning against vain repetition. Think about how easy it is to separate your spiritual life from your everyday life, right? That’s also part of what Jesus is warning us about. We get up on Sunday morning, we come to church, we feel a little better; and then we go right back into the sinful ways of the world. So we need to seek out good fruit so that we can avoid false prophets, or deceptive teachings; but we also have to strive to walk every day in our faith. To continue to grow our relationship with God and to reflect that in every aspect of our lives. And never forget that He says here “I never knew you”. This shows us there is only ONE way to salvation. To know Jesus Christ.
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
“These saying of mine” refers to the entirety of the Sermon on the Mount. Notice that it isn’t just about hearing it though. It’s about doing. It’s about taking action. Even back in the Old Testament this is laid out:
But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out.
The sin of doing nothing will come to bear, just as much as the corrupt fruit.
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Jesus warns us that the foundations of our lives will be shaken, both in this life and in judgment before God. We need to build the foundation of our lives on the rock of Jesus Christ to be able to weather the storms. He will see us through everything and again this is documented in the Old Testament as well:
As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: But the righteous is an everlasting foundation.
So we need to build our lives on Christ, on His truth, and His word; not on traditions, not on the lusts of the flesh, not on material gain; but on the Rock:
The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
The crowds immediately recognized Jesus’ authority. He didn’t rely on earlier teaching to translate God’s word. And why would He? This was the Word itself speaking. He needed no help in translating what was meant. And when God’s Word is taken as it truly is, with all its power, it will astonish and it’s easy to see the difference between IT and the traditions of men. Jesus taught with authority because HE IS THE AUTHORITY. And He teaches us in this chapter to build our lives on the foundation of truth, to treat each other with kindness and respect, to be careful to not be taken in by deception, and above all to continue to put our faith in HIM each and every day.
He will always be our peace and our strength, the light shining on our path. We just have to be willing to follow.
Matthew 7: Ask, Seek Knock
Matthew 7: Ask, Seek Knock
