TBR Bible Study -- Matthew 7

Matthew 7

Judging Others

1"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

3"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? 4How 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? 5You 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.

6"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 then turn and tear you to pieces.

Ask, Seek, Knock

7"Ask 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.


9"Which 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? 11If 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! 12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

The Narrow and Wide Gates

13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

A Tree and Its Fruit

15"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes 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. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is 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. Away from me, you evildoers!'

The Wise and Foolish Builders

24"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. 25The 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. 26But 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. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

28When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

 

IMO, this is one of those things that Jesus made a habit of throughout His three-year ministry. He was trying to change a culture that had become so self-absorbed and so self-important that it had all but forgotten how to live as children of God -- especially those who were supposed to be leading them in that life.

Jesus later taught that His followers should be known by their love for each other (John 13:35). I think we can all agree that in too many ways, Christians are far from living up to that teaching. Our "it's all about me" culture certainly doesn't foster the kind of selfless love and compassion Jesus taught, but that doesn't excuse our failure to love as He does. Love is ultimately a choice. It always has been, and always will be. It's up to each of us to make that choice and keep making it, so others will recognize us as Jesus intended.

 

This is a verse I had a very hard time swallowing for a long time. It just doesn't fit the picture of Jesus we like to have in our minds. "Dogs"? "Pigs"? That's pretty harsh, especially considering the culture and the laws they lived under.

But it's not an isolated incident, either. The New Testament speaks harshly in a few places against those who hear its message and ridicule/reject it (in the books of Romans and Hebrews, just off the top of my head).

 

Why would His road be the narrow gate? Why would only a few find it?

 

As important as this teaching was then, I think it's at least as important today. The immeasurable volume of information out there combined with our hectic lifestyle is not conducive to the process of filtering that glut of communication to find what's real and true, and discarding the rest. Not to mention the time that needs to be invested to actually understand those truths and grow spiritually. It's way too easy to follow the crowds, go and participate where it's comfortable, and develop our own beliefs through a series of sound bytes and pretty emails.

When Jesus gave this message, the predominant problem was ignorance. Most people simply weren't educated, and those who were took advantage of it. Today the problem is still ignorance, but now it's because we simply aren't willing to invest the time to find the truth. Either way, Jesus' warning applies -- be careful who and what you listen to. You'll know their real heart and motives by how they live, not by what they say.

 

The part I bolded, I think, is a crucial message from Jesus about the idea of Christian salvation. It speaks loud and clear: having an active relationship with Him is way more important than any acts or service we might have on our 'spiritual resume'.

 

I remember the time I heard this passage taught at a Promise Keepers conference at Bulldog Stadium here in Fresno. The speaker was on a roll about the storms of life coming, and I casually glanced toward the eastern sky only to see a thick line of dark, blue-gray clouds rolling in over the Sierra Nevadas. It was perfect. Everyone in that stadium knew it was about to rain, and rain hard.

Our state of readiness and preparedness for the coming storm was of utmost concern, both collectively and individually.

Everone reading this post (and everyone else, too) knows that the storms of life happen, and too often you don't even get the warning of dark clouds on the horizon. I've been hammered by life more than some, not as much as others, but what I can tell you is that my "foundation" has been tested more than once. And as one who has weathered a few storms, placing your faith in something that's real and true makes all the difference.

 

I think this is an important little P.S. to include at the end of a list of teachings like this. Jesus wasn't making suggestions. He wasn't even really explaining things someone else had already taught (as the teachers of the law would have). He wasn't saying, "It would be really great if you guys would try some of these ideas. You know, if it's not too inconvenient."

No, He was speaking 'with authority', saying "Do this. Love each other. Don't judge others. Know Me."