CHAPTER 7
Do not judge, or you too will be judged. Matthew 7:1
Meyer says, “Human nature is fond of climbing up into the judgment seat and proclaiming its decisions, without hearing both sides or calling witnesses…” 1 The Greek here is in the present imperative and it indicates that what is referred to is the habit of judging others.2 When we judge another we are most likely guilty of the same thing (Rom. 2:1). We do seem to be hard on others in the very areas that we ourselves have some problems. For this reason our judgment often comes back upon us.
We must not think that Jesus is here forbidding all judgment by his followers. Later in this chapter the Lord will instruct his disciples to judge false prophets by their fruit (15-16). In John 7:24, Jesus challenges his followers to judge correctly (cf. 1 Cor. 5:1-12; 10:15; Gal. 6:1; 1 Jn. 4:1-6). The Greek word for judge (krino) can also be used in the milder senses of analyzation or evaluation.3
Unfortunately, we tend to get things so wrong when we make judgments about people. Here are a few incredible examples of poor human judgment:
Lucille ball was sent packing from drama school with a dismissal letter that read “You’re wasting your time.” Michael Jordan broke down crying in his room after being cut from his high school basketball team. Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper for failing to exhibit “imagination” and “original ideas.” 4
We think of the disciples who severely judged the woman that anointed Jesus just before his crucifixion (26:6-13). Her act was so wonderful and fitting that it has been told wherever the gospel has been preached for these two thousand years.
“For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (7:2). This was likely a proverbial saying and we see it used in a different sense in Mark 4:24.5 This simply says that God will use with us the very same measure we use with others. For instance, when we give liberally we will receive the same way (Lk. 6:37-38). When we judge quickly or harshly we will be judged quickly and harshly. It will come back to us in the same bucket that we give it out. Luke says that it will come back and it will be in full measure, running over.
So, we have to be very careful in judging others. We first need to judge ourselves and make sure we are not guilty of the same offenses. Then our judgment needs to be tempered with love and understanding. We should do it gently and with much spiritual discernment and Christian maturity (cf. Gal. 6:1). The American Indians had a saying that we should never judge a person until we have walked a mile in that person’s moccasins (shoes).6
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?”(7:3-4). This is a fine example of an Oriental overstatement used in order to make a point. No doubt when Jesus said this it stimulated a lot of laughter. No doubt it cleared up the matter quite well. Osborne quips that this was an “In-Speck-tion.” 7
The speck here in the Greek is the word karphos and it means a tiny splinter while the beam (Gk. dokon) could refer to a joist upon which the house rests, or a rafter.8 Morris says, “The hyperbole effectively demolishes the position of the critic in a blaze of ridicule.” 9 Our judgment often turns back upon us because we are many times guilty of the same things. We no doubt remember the story of Nathan’s visit to King David after the king had just committed adultery with the wife of one of his great soldiers and then arranged for the man to be killed in battle. Nathan told the king about a rich man who had unjustly taken and killed the poor man’s little pet lamb. David flew into a rage and made a quick judgment that the man should die. It was then that Nathan said to him “You are the man.” (2 Sam. 12:7).
“You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (7:5). The author and speaker, Ken Crockett brings this whole subject up to date with this little humorous story:
Driving to the office this morning, I noticed a woman driving 65 mph with her face up next to her rear view mirror, putting on her eyeliner! I looked away and next thing you know she was halfway in my lane, still putting on her makeup. As a man, I don’t scare easily. But she scared me so much, I dropped my electric shaver, which knocked the donut out of my other hand. In all the confusion of trying to straighten out the car using my knees against the steering wheel, it knocked my cell phone away from my ear which fell into the coffee between my legs, ruined the phone, soaked my trousers, and disconnected an important call. All because of that crazy woman driver! 10
DOGS AND PIGS
Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. Matthew 7:6
While the gospel is to go out to all people everywhere, this verse tells us that we need to exercise a good deal of discernment when giving it. Jesus once told his disciples to leave and shake the dust off their feet when a village refused to accept their teaching (10:14). We no doubt remember how Jesus freely gave the gospel to great crowds of people, but he would not say a word to evil Herod (Lk. 23:9).11
Keener reminds us that dogs were unclean animals. He says, “…Stray dogs were known to growl at those who tossed them food as well as those who ignored them…” 12 So, the dogs spoken of here were not to be compared with our beautiful and intelligent pets today.
I can remember taking my walks on the hills above the Sea of Galilee and running into packs of dogs devouring the city’s garbage. I always considered myself fortunate that these scraggy curs did not turn away from their garbage and turn on me.
The pig was not a big improvement on the dog since both were unclean. The dog returned to his vomit and the pig returned to his wallowing in the mud (Prov. 26:11; 2 Pet. 2:22). The point is that we cannot tell our story to everyone. Some people will not only reject the truth of the gospel but they will turn and bitterly attack us. Giving the truth to some folks is a little like trying to put a gold ring in a pig’s snout (Pro. 11:22).
ASK, SEEK, KNOCK
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7
The commentator, James Burton Coffman says, “This wonderful verse is easily memorized by aid of the acronym formed by the letters A-S-K.” 13 All we have to do is ask. Unfortunately, there are many who do not have because they do not ask (Jas. 4:2). The Greek of this passage instructs us in persistence. He is saying, “Go on asking; go on seeking; go on knocking.” 14 We no doubt remember the story of the man who had company late at night and who went knocking on his neighbor’s door in order to borrow some bread. The Neighbor was already snugly in bed with all his children and refused to get up and give the bread. However, after the man kept knocking and knocking, the reluctant man did get up and give the man what he needed (Lk. 11:5-8). God is not reluctant but he does love it when we persist with a request. That shows that we are really serious.
“For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (7:8). This is a precious passage of scripture! Everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who seeks will find, and everyone who knocks will have the door opened. That “everyone” includes you and it includes me.
“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?” (7:9-10). There are some variations in Luke’s account of this teaching (Lk. 11:11-13). This again only indicates that Jesus, like any good teacher, repeated his teachings on several different occasions and with some variations.15 For “fish” and “snake” Luke substitutes “egg” and “scorpion.” The principle is the same. If a child asked for something good, as responsible and loving parents, we would not substitute something bad and something even dangerous.
Commentators have hastened to shed light on these comparisons. We have noted previously that some stones in Israel may have looked a little like loaves of bread (4:3). Barclay adds about scorpions: “When the scorpion is at rest its claws and tail are folded in, and there is a pale kind of scorpion, which, when folded up, would look exactly like an egg.” 16 There were also certain eel-like fish that looked a little like snakes.
“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (7:11). This is a popular Hebrew argument from the least to the greatest. As parents, even with our grudging human nature, we do not neglect to give good things for our children.17 If we can do this, how much more will our Heavenly Father give good gifts to his children?
It is interesting that Luke in his version makes a substitution of “Holy Spirit” for the good gifts of Matthew (cf. Lk. 11:13). That should be great comfort to all those who are seeking a greater filling of the Holy Spirit. Simply, if we ask, we will receive.
We do not wish to imply that this is Jesus’ complete teaching on prayer. We need to remember the important subject of forgiving others before we ask. There are also the matters of asking in faith and according to the Lord’s will.18
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (7:12). Here we have what has been called the Golden Rule. Barclay comments concerning it: “This saying of Jesus has been called ‘the capstone of the whole discourse.’ This saying is the topmost peak of social ethics, and the Everest of all ethical teaching.” 19
Many other people phrase this teaching in the negative: “Don’t do to others what you don’t want them to do to you.” However, Jesus was apparently the first person to enunciate it in the positive.20 Mounce says, “In its negative form, the Golden Rule could be satisfied by doing nothing. The positive form moves us to action on behalf of others.” 21 We can quickly see how this rule would put an end to lying, stealing, killing and a host of other offenses. In fact, it would prevent every evil act listed in the Bible. We must point out though that we can no longer keep the Golden Rule than we can keep all the other rules in the Bible. Only Jesus kept the Golden Rule and only Jesus can keep it in us (Phil. 2:13).
NARROW AND WIDE GATES AND WAYS
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. Matthew 7:13
We are warned to enter in through the narrow gate. Jesus then goes on to describe the wide gate and the wide road that lead to destruction. It seems today that the wide gate and road are extremely popular. It is all downhill and takes not the slightest effort. Most people seem to be going that way, or “everybody does it” as they say. We seem to have a great emotional need to fit in with the crowd. John Oxenham in his immortal poem pictures the choice before us:
To every man there openeth
A Way, and Ways, and a Way.
And the High Soul climbs the High Way,
And the Low Soul gropes the Low,
And in between, on the misty flats,
The rest drift to and fro.
But to every man there openeth
A High Way, and a Low.
And every man decideth
The Way his soul shall go.22
The idea of the two ways is seen in many other scriptures (cf. Deut. 30:15, 19; Psa. 1:6; Pro.4:10-19; 14:2; Isa. 1:19-20 and Jer. 21:8). In one sense, the picture summarizes the whole gospel of salvation. We do not have to spend much time dealing with the wide gate and wide way since we see these all around us, but let us look in more detail to the other choice.
“But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (7:14). This is the gate and way that most people miss, so we need to spend a little time and try to better understand this choice. This is the way of discipleship, the hard and restricted way. It is all uphill and requires a lot of effort. It is the disciplined way, the narrow way, the difficult way. It is the unpopular way, the way of suffering, persecution, mocking, disgrace and reproach. It is the way of the cross. Jesus is that gate and way and those who enter through him will be saved (Jn. 10:9).
When I think about this gate and this way I think about the poem by Robert Frost entitled The Road Not Taken:
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.23
TREES AND FRUIT
Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. Matthew 7:15
In Old Testament times there were many false prophets (e.g. 2 Ki. 3:13; Isa. 44:25; Jer. 23:16; Ezek. 13:2-3; Mic. 3:5; Zech. 13:2). This problem continued right into the New Testament era (e.g. Acts 20:29; 2 Cor. 11:11-15; 2 Tim. 2:14-19; 2 Pet. 2:1-3; 17-22; 1 Jn. 2:18). The Bible assures that there will be many false prophets in the end time. The troubling thing about false prophets is that many of them can work signs and wonders.
Paul warns us about the Antichrist: “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved” (2 Thess. 2:9-10).
Some people are overly impressed by signs and wonders. The scripture assures us that signs and wonders can come from sources other than from God (cf. Acts 19:13-16; Rev. 13:13-14).24 We must be alert and spiritually discerning as we approach the last era of history. False prophets tend to come in sheep’s clothing but inside they are wolves. We always think here of the Disciples of Christ pastor, Jim Jones and his People’s Temple in California. The group later moved to Jonestown Guyana. In 1978, Jones led 909 members (including 304 children) in a mass suicide pact. They all died in an apparent cyanide poisioning.
“By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit” (7:16-18). When we go out to pick fruit and find ourselves getting stuck, it is time to back off. We are probably picking from the wrong tree.
It is really by its fruit that a tree can be recognized. God gives us the liberty to judge fruit in this respect. Real prophets will love the flock and not harm it. False prophets have no such concern but will abuse and hurt the flock. True prophets come with humility while false prophets often come in pride. True prophets teach sound doctrine while false prophets spread heresy (2 Pet. 2:1). True prophets give to the flock while false prophets are greedy and “fleece” it (2 Pet. 2:3). True prophets are submissive while false ones despise all authority (2 Pet. 2:10). We should make no mistake. A bad tree cannot bear good fruit. What appears to be good fruit is a deception.
“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them” (7:19-20). One of the most infamous false prophets in scripture was Balaam (Num. Chs. 22 – 24). The Jewish people refer to him as the first Gentile prophet. Balaam was a mixture. He in fact gave one of the most outstanding prophecies of the Messiah in the Old Testament (Num. 24:17). Yet, he was filled with greed and in the end led the nation of Israel into false worship and awful sexual sin (2 Pet. 2:15; Rev. 2:14). One of the first acts of Israel upon entering the land was to kill Balaam (Num. 31:8). In such a way God will destroy and burn those false trees that grow up among us.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (7:21). Osborne says, “It is much easier to profess Christianity than to possess it.” 25 Today it seems like some of our most vile movie stars and media personalities insist upon hanging crosses around their necks. Some supposed Christians, and even Christian leaders, may be calling upon the Lord in pretense and in vain. Jesus clarifies it for us. It is not those who talk the talk but those who walk the walk who are real Christians. James says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (Jas. 1:22). The seventeenth century Anglican John Trapp comments, “There are those who speak like angels, live like devils; that have Jacob’s smooth tongue, but Esau’s rough hands.” 26
“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (7:22-23). These are probably some of the most alarming words in the Bible. Here we have people represented who were passing themselves off as Christians and probably as Christian leaders. In addition, these seemed to be operating in powerful spiritual gifts. They were prophesying, casting out demons and working mighty miracles. Yet, Jesus commanded them to get out of his sight because he was never acquainted with them.
Jesus told us that people like this would appear in the last days (Mk. 13:22). Paul said that the Antichrist himself would work many signs and wonders at his coming (2 Thess. 2:9). This passage is difficult to understand until we consider Judas Iscariot. He was appointed as one of the Twelve and he obviously worked many signs and wonders. Yet, he did not belong to the Lord and was in the end cast away.
We simply must understand that the thing that counts in Christianity is a personal relationship with Jesus, and through him with God the Father.
I remember an incident many years ago when the President of the US came for a visit in Israel. Representatives from several Christian groups were invited to the reception and the director of our organization was asked to attend along with a representative from our church. The two went and waited anxiously in the reception line with all the dignitaries from Israel. Finally the President arrived and in time came down the line to the church representative. There he stopped. They exchanged hugs and continued in warm conversation for some time. Israeli dignitaries and everyone else in line were wondering who this person was who was taking up so much of the President’s time. As it turned out, the two had gone to grade school together and were close friends. There is nothing quite like being known personally.
If we had to boil down biblical religion to one concept it might be the idea of knowing God personally. We remember that Father Abraham was called the friend of God (Isa. 41:8). He knew God personally and often talked with God. The Apostle Paul once made an interesting statement: “I want to know Christ – yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead” (Phil. 3:10-11). We can only say, if Paul needed to know Christ better, then we certainly do! We should note that our personal acquaintance with Christ is the only door and the only way that we can know God, as Jesus will later say in 11:27: “…No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
WISE AND FOOLISH BUILDERS
Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. Matthew 7:24
There is a great deal said in the Bible about the rock. For instance, Jesus is called the Living Stone and we like living stones are to be built on him (1 Pet. 2:4-8), that we might be made into a holy temple (cf. 1 Cor. 3:10-15). Jesus even called Peter a rock and declared that upon the simple faith that Peter had he would build his church (16:18).
For those of us who have lived in Israel, building on the rock is a familiar picture. In Israel, and especially in Jerusalem, most people live in multi-story apartments and condos. When one of these buildings is constructed, the incessant noise of drilling machinery can be heard for months as deep footings are drilled and poured from the bedrock upwards. The sound is unnerving but the buildings are sound.
Today we need to take the time to go deep in our faith and base our lives upon Jesus and on the solid teaching of the word of God. This will take time, effort and expense. God is not growing mushrooms but mighty saints who can stand the test that is to come. We cannot live by the prevailing opinions of this present evil age but by the sure teaching of God’s holy word. The teachings of this age are like the grass that withers but God’s word will stand forever (Isa. 40:8; 1 Pet. 1:25). We can safely build our lives upon Jesus and his word. We must remember that we are not to simply read the Bible but to put its precepts into practice (Jam. 1:22-25).
“The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock” (7:25). A lot of people think Israel is a hot, dry desert with camels running around on it. Actually, there are some desert areas with camels. However, most of Israel is a green, mountainous area that gets rain and even some snow. When the winter rains arrive in December and January, they come like a torrent. When it rains the wind also blows and umbrellas are often turned wrong-side-out with the gusts. Since Jerusalem is some 2500 feet in elevation, torrents of water rage and run down the steep valleys. Pity the house that is poorly constructed or the one that is built in the wrong place!
“But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash” (7:26-27). The story of this tragedy is also recorded in Luke 6:47-49. What we undoubtedly have here is the picture of a building constructed on a nice sandy wadi. We have many of these in Israel. In the warm and dry months these wadis are nice, level, sandy and dry. But when the winter months come, the rain often falls in such abundance and these dry wadis become raging torrents.
This foolish man probably found himself a nice, sandy wadi and decided to build his house on it. Since it was nice and smooth he felt no need to dig down to bedrock. He just simply built on the sand since that was the quick and easy thing to do. That worked pretty well for the dry hot summer. In Israel there is absolutely no rain from about April until October. But when the winter rains came it was another story. The wadi became a roaring river and the house quickly collapsed and was washed away.
This man and his house make up an excellent picture of our godless society today. People feel no need to dig down and build their lives on truth. They even dispute that there is such a thing as truth. Osborne says, “People today accept the concept of individual autonomy. Truth has been relegated to “whatever is true for you is true.” 27 If people want to build on the sand our society gives them a big hand.
When I counsel people on the web I sometimes ask them “Are you on the rock today or are you treading water?” If we are not firmly standing on Jesus the Rock we are treading water and we will be washed away with the end-time torrents. What a vivid picture Jesus paints for us here!
“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law” (7:28-29). The rabbis hardly ever gave a teaching without quoting some famous rabbi. Interestingly, Jesus never quoted anyone. Osborne says, “He didn’t need to quote anyone because he was the original Word (Jn. 1:1).” 28 Nobody ever taught like Jesus. His teachings, parables and maxims would continue to instruct millions of people over the next two thousand years. No doubt, the people went away shaking their heads in amazement at what they had heard.