Matthew 7
English
Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)
Judging
Others
7 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For
with the judgement you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure
you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you
see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log
that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to
your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye’, when there is the log in
your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log
out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of
your brother's eye.
6 “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not
throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn
to attack you.
Ask,
and It Will Be Given
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek,
and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For
everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who
knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if
his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or
if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If
you then, who are 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!
The
Golden Rule
12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to
you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and
the way is easy[a] that
leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For
the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those
who find it are few.
A
Tree and Its Fruit
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in
sheep's clothing but inwardly areravenous wolves. 16 You
will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn
bushes, or figs from thorn bushes? 17 So, every
healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A
healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every
tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus
you will recognize them by their fruits.
I
Never Knew You
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’,
will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my
Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many
will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast
out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And
then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you
workers of lawlessness.’
Build
Your House on the Rock
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and
does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And
the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house,
but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And
everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be likea
foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And
the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that
house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
The
Authority of Jesus
28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the
crowds were astonished at his teaching,29 for he was
teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
Footnotes:
- Matthew 7:13 Some
manuscripts For the way is wide and easy
Matthew
Henry's Commentary
Verses
7-11
Our
Saviour, in the foregoing chapter, had spoken of prayer as a commanded duty, by
which God is honoured, and which, if done aright, shall be rewarded; here he
speaks of it as the appointed means of obtaining what we need, especially grace
to obey the precepts he had given, some of which are so displeasing to flesh
and blood.
I.
`Here
is a precept in three words to the same purport, Ask, Seek, Knock (Matt. 7:7);
that is, in one word, “Pray; pray often; pray with sincerity and seriousness;
pray, and pray again; make conscience of prayer, and be constant in it; make a
business of prayer, and be earnest in it. Ask, as a beggar asks alms.” Those
that would be rich in grace, must betake themselves to the poor trade of
begging, and they shall find it a thriving trade. “Ask; represent your wants
and burthens to God, and refer yourselves to him for support and supply,
according to his promise. Ask as a traveller asks the way; to pray is to
enquire of God, Ezek. 36:37. Seek, as for a thing of value that we have lost,
or as the merchantman that seeks goodly pearls. Seek by prayer, Dan. 9:3.
Knock, as he that desires to enter into the house knocks at the door.” We would
be admitted to converse with God, would be taken into his love, and favour, and
kingdom; sin has shut and barred the door against us; by prayer, we knock;
Lord, Lord, open to us. Christ knocks at our door (Rev. 3:20; Song 5:2); and
allows us to knock at his, which is a favour we do not allow to common beggars.
Seeking and knocking imply something more than asking and praying. 1. We must
not only ask but seek; we must second our prayers with our endeavours; we must,
in the use of the appointed means, seek for that which we ask for, else we
tempt God. When the dresser of the vineyard asked for a year’s respite for the
barren fig-tree, he added, I will dig about it, Luke 13:7, 8. God gives
knowledge and grace to those that search the scriptures, and wait at Wisdom’s
gates; and power against sin to those that avoid the occasions of it. 2. We
must not only ask, but knock; we must come to God’s door, must ask
importunately; not only pray, but plead and wrestle with God; we must seek
diligently; we must continue knocking; must persevere in prayer, and in the use
of means; must endure to the end in the duty.
Dictionary of Bible
Themes
8235 doctrine, nature of
The teachings of Scripture, especially as
expressed as a formulation and summary of revealed truth.
Doctrine communicated
In the OT Ezr 7:10 See also Dt 33:10; Ps 78:1-4;
Ps 119:33-36; Pr 4:1-2; Mal 2:6
In the ministry of Jesus Christ Mt 4:23 See also
Mt 9:35; Mk 6:6,34; Lk 6:6; Lk 13:10,22; Lk 19:47; Lk 20:1; Lk 21:37; Jn 6:59
The authority of Jesus Christ’s teaching causes amazement: Mt 7:28-29; Mt
13:54; Mt 22:23-33; Mk 1:21-22 pp Lk 4:31-32
In the ministry of the apostles Ac 2:42 See also
Ac 4:2; Ac 5:42; Ac 18:11
2Ti 1:13 See also 1Co 15:3-5; Php 2:5-11; 1Ti
3:16; Tit 2:1-10; Heb 5:11-6:2
In the church Eph 4:11 See also Ac 13:1; Ro
12:7; 1Co 12:28; 1Co 14:26; 1Ti 5:17; Jas 3:1
True doctrine is from God
Jn 7:16; 2Ti 3:16-17 See also Jn 8:28; Jn 12:49-50;
Jn 14:10,24; 2Pe 1:20-21
Yours in His Grace
Blair Humphreys
Southport, Merseyside
10th January 2014
