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
“
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 .
9
“ 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
13
“ 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
15
“ 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