Jesus spent considerable time condemning the religious leaders for their hypocrisy, the outward appearance of righteousness for the acclaim of people (6:1–18). Now he acknowledges that his own disciples can fall into hypocrisy (7:1–5). Then he adds a word of caution against the opposite extreme—being undiscerning (7:6). To avoid both extremes is an impossible task in one’s own power, so Jesus includes a section on prayer to show his disciples how to live in balance, both in this problem and in all others (7:7–12).
