Matthew — Chapter 7
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1“Do not judge, or you will be judged.
2For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but fail to notice the beam in your own eye?
4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while there is still a beam in your own eye?
5You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
6Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
7Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
9Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
11So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
12In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the Prophets.
13Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
14But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.
15Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
16By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
17Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
22Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’
23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’
24Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock.
26But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
27The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its collapse!”
28When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at His teaching,
29because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
1Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4Or 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?
5Thou 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.
6Give 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.
7Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11If 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?
12Therefore 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.
13Enter 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:
14Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
15Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21Not 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.
22Many 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?
23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
24Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25And 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.
26And 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:
27And 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.
28And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
29For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
1Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you.
3And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother`s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me cast out the mote out of thine eye; and lo, the beam is in thine own eye?
5Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother`s eye.
6Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before the swine, lest haply they trample them under their feet, and turn and rend you.
7Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9Or what man is there of you, who, if his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone;
10or if he shall ask for a fish, will give him a serpent?
11If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
12All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also unto them: for this is the law and the prophets.
13Enter ye in by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many are they that enter in thereby.
14For narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, that leadeth unto life, and few are they that find it.
15Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep`s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves.
16By their fruits ye shall know them. Do [men] gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works?
23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
24Every one therefore that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who built his house upon the rock:
25and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and if fell not: for it was founded upon the rock.
26And every one that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand:
27and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and smote upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall thereof.
28And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these words, the multitudes were astonished at his teaching:
29for he taught them as [one] having authority, and not as their scribes.
1“Do not judge so that you will not be judged.
2For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive.
3Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to see the beam of wood in your own?
4Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ while there is a beam in your own?
5You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
6Do not give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs; otherwise they will trample them under their feet and turn around and tear you to pieces.
7“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you.
8For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9Is there anyone among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
11If you then, although 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!
12In everything, treat others as you would want them to treat you, for this fulfills the law and the prophets.
13“Enter through the narrow gate because the gate is wide and the way is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
14How narrow is the gate and difficult the way that leads to life, and there are few who find it!
15“Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves.
16You will recognize them by their fruit. Grapes are not gathered from thorns or figs from thistles, are they?
17In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.
18A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit.
19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20So then, you will recognize them by their fruit.
21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven—only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
22On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many powerful deeds in your name?’
23Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!’
24“Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on rock.
25The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because its foundation had been laid on rock.
26Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
27The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed—it was utterly destroyed!”
28When Jesus finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed by his teaching,
29because he taught them like one who had authority, not like their experts in the law.
1“Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged.
2For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you.
3Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye?
4Or how will you tell your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye;’ and behold, the beam is in your own eye?
5You hypocrite! First remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye.
6“Don’t give that which is holy to the dogs, neither throw your pearls before the pigs, lest perhaps they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
7“Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you.
8For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened.
9Or who is there among you, who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?
10Or if he asks for a fish, who will give him a serpent?
11If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
12Therefore whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets.
13“Enter in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter in by it.
14How narrow is the gate, and restricted is the way that leads to life! Few are those who find it.
15“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves.
16By their fruits you will know them. Do you gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?
17Even so, every good tree produces good fruit; but the corrupt tree produces evil fruit.
18A good tree can’t produce evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree produce good fruit.
19Every tree that doesn’t grow good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire.
20Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
21Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22Many will tell me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?’
23Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.’
24“Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock.
25The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it didn’t fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26Everyone who hears these words of mine, and doesn’t do them will be like a foolish man, who built his house on the sand.
27The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”
28When Jesus had finished saying these things, the multitudes were astonished at his teaching,
29for he taught them with authority, and not like the scribes.
Summary
Jesus warns against judging others hypocritically, using the image of a speck and a beam to show that self-examination must come before correcting someone else's fault, and cautions against giving what is holy to those who will trample it (vv. 1-6). He teaches his disciples to ask, seek, and knock, trusting that the Father gives good gifts to those who ask him, and summarizes the Law and Prophets in the command to treat others as they wish to be treated (vv. 7-12). Jesus calls his listeners to enter through the narrow gate rather than the easy, crowded road to destruction, and warns them to identify false prophets by their fruit rather than their appearance (vv. 13-20). He cautions that not everyone who calls him Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, only those who do the Father's will, and closes with the parable of two builders — one wise, whose house on rock survives the storm, and one foolish, whose house on sand collapses (vv. 21-27). The crowds are astonished at his teaching, because he taught with authority rather than as their scribes did (vv. 28-29).
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- The Mount (near Capernaum): The concluding portion of the Sermon on the Mount, still on the hillside in Galilee near Capernaum.
- The "rock" and "sand" imagery (vv.24-27) reflects the landscape around the Sea of Galilee — sudden rains cause flash floods in the wadis (dry riverbeds) that destroy poorly-founded structures.
Places on this map
- CapernaumKfar Nahum, IsraelA fishing village on the north-west shore of the Sea of Galilee, on the road running from the coast to Damascus. A customs post and a garrison explain the tax collector and the centurion; the harbour and the synagogue explain why Jesus made it his base. Wikipedia
- Galileenorthern IsraelThe northern hill country above the Jezreel Valley, wetter and greener than Judah and crossed by the trade road to Damascus. That traffic is why Judeans considered it mixed and provincial, and why Jesus grew up hearing more than one language. Wikipedia
- Sea of GalileeLake Kinneret, IsraelA freshwater lake 13 miles by 8, sunk 700 feet below sea level in a bowl of hills. Cold air spilling over the rim onto warm water is what produces the sudden violent squalls the Gospels keep describing. Wikipedia
Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik examines the proper meaning of "judge not," the ask-seek-knock progression, the narrow gate, how to identify false prophets by fruit, and the terrifying reality of vv.21-23.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- BibleProject: bibleproject.com 'Judge not' read with the plank and the speck rather than on its own.
- BibleProject: bibleproject.com The narrow gate and the hard road, and what the image assumed about its first hearers.
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org 'I never knew you' -- one of the most sobering paragraphs in the Gospels.
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Matthew -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Dealing With Your Own Sin First (v.5) — Jesus says to remove the beam from your own eye before addressing the speck in someone else's. Are you more aware of other people's faults than your own?
- Persistent Prayer (v.7) — The progression of ask, seek, and knock suggests increasing intensity, not a single request and giving up. How persistent is your prayer life?
- Active Love, Not Passive Restraint (v.12) — The Golden Rule calls for actively doing good to others, not merely avoiding harm. What specific good would you want done to you that you're not doing for someone else?
- Choosing the Unpopular Path (v.14) — Jesus says few find the narrow way that leads to life, while most travel the easy road. Where are you tempted to take the broad, easy path simply because it's what everyone else is doing?
- Activity Without Relationship (v.23) — People who prophesied and did miracles in Jesus' name are told He never knew them, showing that religious activity without genuine relationship is worthless. How is your actual, personal, daily relationship with Jesus — not your church attendance or ministry involvement?
- Hearing Versus Doing (vv.24-27) — The wise and foolish builders both heard the same words; the difference was obedience when the storm came. What teaching of Jesus have you heard repeatedly but not yet acted on?