CHAPTER 7

(A.D. 31)

JUDGING OTHERS

¹Judge not, that you be not judged (this statement by Christ harks back to Verses 25 through 34 of the previous Chapter; the idea is, God may permit poverty to test His Child, but fellow Believers are not to err, as Jobs friends did, and believe the trial to be a judgment for secret sin; as well, the word, judging, as used here, covers every aspect of dealing with our fellowman).

²For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged (whatever motive we ascribe to others, such motive will ultimately be ascribed to us): and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again (a double emphasis is given here in order to proclaim the seriousness of the Words of our Lord; when we judge others, we are judging ourselves).

³And why do you behold the mote that is in your brothers eye (the Believer is not to be looking for fault or wrongdoing in the lives of fellow Believers), but consider not the beam that is in your own eye? (We have plenty in our own lives which need eliminating, without looking for faults in others. The mote and beam are contrasted! The constant judging of others portrays the fact that we are much worse off than the one we are judging.)

⁴Or how will you say to your brother, Let me pull out the mote out of your eye (the seriousness of setting ourselves up as judge, jury, and executioner); and, behold, a beam is in your own eye? (Once again draws attention to the fact that the person doing the judging is in far worse spiritual condition than the one being judged.)

⁵You hypocrite (aptly describes such a person), first cast out the beam out of your own eye; and then you shall see clearly to cast out the mote out of your brothers eye (the very fact that we do not address ourselves, but rather others, portrays the truth that our personal situation is worse; when we properly analyze ourselves, then, and only then, can we see clearly; this is speaking of character assassination and not the correction of doctrine).

⁶Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast you your pearls before swine (there may be problems in the Church, as Verses 1 through 5 proclaim, but still, the Church is never to reach out into the world, i.e., dogs, for help in order to solve its internal disputes), lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you (no help will be coming from the world, but rather destruction.; we are to take our problems to the Lord, obeying His Word, concerning disputes [Mat. 18:15-17]).

GETTING THINGS FROM GOD

⁷Ask, and it shall be given you (if we ask for wisdom as it regards the settling of disputes, or for anything, it shall be given); seek, and you shall find (the answer may not be forthcoming immediately; therefore, we should seek to know the reason why); knock, and it shall be opened unto you (we must make sure that it is His door on which we are knocking; if it is, it definitely will be opened to us):

⁸For every one who asks receives; and he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks it shall be opened (assumes that the persons heart is sincere before the Lord).

⁹Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? (Even a human being will not do such, much less God!)

¹⁰Or if he asks a fish, will he give him a serpent? (If, in fact, what we are asking for is not Gods Will, and would turn out to be a stone, or serpent, He will guard us from receiving such, and during the time of waiting and consecration, will show us what we truly need.)

¹¹If you then, being evil (refers to parents sometimes giving their children things which are not good for them, as well as things which are good), know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in Heaven give good things to them who ask Him? (The Lord gives only good things.)

THE GOLDEN RULE

¹²Therefore all things whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you even so to them; for this is the Law and the Prophets (this rule does not authorize capricious benevolent action, but only what is reasonable and morally helpful, and controlled by Divine imitation [Mat. 5:48]; this principle of action and mode of life is, in fact, the sum of all Bible teaching).

THE NARROW WAY AND THE BROAD WAY

¹³Enter you in at the strait gate (this is the Door, Who is Jesus [Jn. 10:1]): for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat (proclaims the fact of many and varied religions of the world, which are false, and lead to eternal hellfire):

¹⁴Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it (every contrite heart earnestly desires to be among the few; the requirements are greater than most are willing to accept).

FALSE PROPHETS AND DECEPTIONS

¹⁵Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheeps clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves (beware of false prophets is said in the sternest of measures! there will be and are false prophets, and are some of Satans greatest weapons).

¹⁶You shall know them by their fruits (this is the test as given by Christ as it regards identification of false prophets and false apostles). Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? (It is impossible for false doctrine, generated by false prophets, to bring forth good fruit.)

¹⁷Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit (the good fruit is Christlikeness, while the evil fruit is self-likeness).

¹⁸A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit (the good tree is the Cross, while the corrupt tree pertains to all of that which is other than the Cross).

¹⁹Every tree that brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire (Judgment will ultimately come on all so-called gospel, other than the Cross [Rom. 1:18]).

²⁰Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them (the acid test).

AGAINST MERE PROFESSION

²¹Not every one who says unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven (the repetition of the word Lord expresses astonishment, as if to say: Are we to be disowned?); but he who does the Will of My Father which is in Heaven (what is the Will of the Father? Verse 23 tells us).

²²Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not Prophesied in Your Name? and in Your Name have cast out devils? and in Your Name done many wonderful works? (These things are not the criteria, but rather Faith in Christ and what Christ has done for us at the Cross [Eph. 2:8-9, 13-18]. The Word of God alone is to be the judge of doctrine.)

²³And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you (again we say, the criteria alone is Christ and Him Crucified [I Cor. 1:23]): depart from Me, you who work iniquity (we have access to God only through Christ, and access to Christ only through the Cross, and access to the Cross only through a denial of self [Lk. 9:23]; any other Message is Judged by God as iniquity, and cannot be a part of Christ [I Cor. 1:17]).

THE TWO BUILDERS: A WISE MAN AND A FOOLISH MAN

²⁴Therefore whosoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock (the Rock is Christ Jesus, and the Foundation is the Cross [Gal. 1:8-9]):

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 (the Foundation of our belief system must be Christ and Him Crucified [Gal. 6:14]).

²⁶And every one who hears these sayings of Mine, and does them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand (but for the foundation, this house looked the same as the house that was built upon the rock):

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 (while the sun shines, both houses look good; but, when adversity comes and come it shall, Faith, which is alone in Christ and Him Crucified will stand [I Cor. 1:18]).

²⁸And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings (ended the Sermon on the Mount), the people were astonished at His Doctrine (this Message proclaimed the True intent of the Law of Moses, and, above all, laid the Foundation for the New Covenant):

²⁹For He taught them as one having authority (refers to Divine Authority, which He had by the Power of the Holy Spirit; this Sermon and that of Lk., Chpt. 6 are probably one and the same; the Holy Spirit lays the emphasis here on the heart, while in Luke, emphasis is laid on actions produced bythe heart; consequently, the distinction between standing and state is apparent), and not as the Scribes (those who claimed to be expert in the Law of Moses).