shall we eat?’ or‘ What shall we drink?’ or‘ What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pa gans run af ter all these things, and your heav en ly Fa ther knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his king dom and his righ teous ness, and all these things will be giv en to you as well. 34 There fore do not wor ry about to mor row, for to mor row will wor ry about it self. Each day has enough trou ble of its own.
Judging Others
7:3-5pp— Lk 6:41,42
7
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Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge oth ers, you will be judged, and with the mea sure you use, it will be mea sured to you.
3
“ Why do you look at the speck of saw dust in your broth er’ s eye and pay no at ten tion to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your broth er,‘ Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?
5
You hyp o crite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clear ly to re move the speck from your broth er’ s eye.
6
“ Do not give dogs what is sa cred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may tram ple them un der their feet, and turn and tear you to piec es.
Ask, Seek, Knock
7:7-11pp— Lk 11:9-13
MattheW 7:15 | 1543
7
“ Ask and it will be giv en to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For ev ery one who asks re ceives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
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“ Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your chil dren, how much more will your Fa ther in heav en give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in ev ery thing, do to oth ers what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Proph ets.
The Narrow and Wide Gates
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“ En ter through the nar row gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruc tion, and many en ter through it. 14 But small is the gate and nar row the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
True and False Prophets
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“ Watch out for false proph ets. They come to you in sheep’ s cloth ing, but in ward ly they are
6:33 seek first his kingdom and his righ teous ness When people make God’ s kingdom their primary object of desire, they find the ability to trust him to meet their needs. 6:34 tomorrow will worry about itself Jesus is not telling people to postpone their worrying for a day; he is instructing them to stop worrying altogether and to rely on God’ s gracious provision( compare Php 4:6).
7:1 – 12 As with the rest of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is describing how to live as members of the kingdom of heaven. He begins this section by explaining the dangers of a judgmental attitude( vv. 1 – 5). He also emphasizes God’ s goodness( vv. 7 – 11) and instructs his followers to replicate that goodness as they interact with others( v. 12).
7:2 you will be judged 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. 7:3 the speck Describes something so small it is almost irrelevant. plank Jesus uses an absurd contrast to make his point. 7:5 first take the plank Jesus commands his followers to address their own sins before they judge the sins of others. see clearly to remove the speck When people deal with sin and its distorting effects in their own lives, they have the discernment to help others repent from sin. 7:6 Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs These images characterize God’ s kingdom— and Jesus’ teaching about it— as something valuable that should not be discarded. Dogs were considered unclean according to the Jewish law( Lev 11:27), as were swine( see Lev 11:7 and note). 7:7 Ask The first of three commands in this verse. it will be given to you In each of the three statements here,
Jesus’ point is the same: When God’ s people pursue something— by asking, seeking, knocking— he responds in faithfulness and generosity. This verse emphasizes the need for an authentic relationship with God. 7:10 will give him a snake The rhetorical questions in Mt 7:9 – 10 set up the comparison in v. 11 between earthly fathers and the heavenly Father. 7:11 how much more Jesus argues from a lesser principle to a greater one. Human parents know how to give their children good things; by comparison, the heavenly Father can do abundantly more for his children. 7:12 do to others what you would have them do to you This command, often called the Golden Rule, epitomizes Jesus’ ethical teaching and describes how people should interact with one another. Jesus’ expression of this command reflects teachings from the Hebrew Bible( e. g., Lev 19:18) and other ancient Jewish texts( e. g., Sirach 31:15; Tobit 4:15). for this sums up the Law and the Prophets Jesus later says that the Law and the Prophets can be summarized by two commandments— to love God completely, and to love your neighbor as yourself( Mt 22:37 – 40).
7:13 – 14 Jesus explains that the way of God’ s kingdom is like a road less traveled. The concept of two ways— one leading to life and the other to destruction— appears in the Hebrew Bible, Greco-Roman literature and the Jewish writings from the Dead Sea Scrolls( ca. 250 BC – 50 AD).
7:15 – 20 Jesus teaches that people— godly and ungodly— are distinguishable by their deeds( compare Eph 2:8 – 10).
7:15 false prophets Refers to those whose teaching contradicts Jesus’ teaching. Beginning in Mt 5:17, Jesus has reinterpreted the established religious and social norms of his day. Here, he portrays those who