Mat 7 | TNotes | STEP | 7:1 Mercy is a dominant theme in Jesus’ teaching and practice (9:9-13 ; 12:1-7 ), but not at the expense of clear opposition to sin (see 18:15-20 ; 23:13-33 ). At the same time, Jesus calls for people to stop oppressively controlling others in the name of pastoral concern. The judgment Jesus prohibits often involves rigorous scrutiny of trivial matters (see 23:23-24 ). God alone has the right to judge (see Jas 4:11-12 ). • you will not be judged: This might refer to God’s judgment at the end of history (see Matt 5:7 ). God measures us by our treatment of others (see 6:12 ; 18:21-35 ).

7:1 ^a Mercy is a dominant theme in Jesus’ teaching and practice (9:9-13 ^b; 12:1-7 ^c), but not at the expense of clear opposition to sin (see 18:15-20 ^d; 23:13-33 ^e). At the same time, Jesus calls for people to stop oppressively controlling others in the name of pastoral concern. The judgment Jesus prohibits often involves rigorous scrutiny of trivial matters (see 23:23-24 ^f). God alone has the right to judge (see Jas 4:11-12 ^g).

• you will not be judged: This might refer to God’s judgment at the end of history (see Matt 5:7 ^h). God measures us by our treatment of others (see 6:12 ⁱ; 18:21-35 ^j).
Summary for Matt 7:3-5: 7:3-5 ^k Jesus exhorts his disciples to minister to others rather than condemning them. Reference to a speck (speck of dust, chip of wood) versus a log in the eye is hyperbolic imagery, intended to heighten the contrast (see 5:29 ^l; 23:23-24 ^m; cp. Mic 6:6-8 ⁿ).
7:6 ^o Rabbis often referred to important ideas or Scripture verses as pearls. The mysteries of the Kingdom (13:11 ^p) are holy (see Exod 29:33 ^q; Lev 2:3 ^r; 22:10-16 ^s; Num 18:8-10 ^t).

• Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy: Literally Don’t give the sacred to dogs. Jews often referred to Gentiles as dogs (see Matt 15:26 ^u; see Ps 22:16 ^v, 20 ^w) or pigs because those animals were unclean (Lev 11 ^x). Some interpreters understand this statement as warning that the message of the Kingdom would not be well received by many Gentiles. Others see it as a warning about offering the message of the Kingdom to the resistant Jewish leaders (see Matt 5:20 ^y; 10:11-14 ^z; see also Heb 10:29 ^aa) or to unbelievers in general (see Matt 18:17 ^ab; see also 1 Cor 2:13-16 ^ac; 2 Pet 2:21-22 ^ad).
Summary for Matt 7:7-8: 7:7-8 ^ae This passage teaches persistence in prayer, but Jesus does not teach that God will grant extravagant desires. God’s people are to seek daily provision and spiritual blessing (6:10-11 ^af).
7:12 ^ag the law and the prophets: The teaching of Jesus in 5:21–7:6 ^ah is the goal and true expression of the law of Moses. Love is at the core of discipleship (see also Gal 5:13-14 ^ai, 18 ^aj).
Summary for Matt 7:13-27: 7:13-27 ^ak The Sermon on the Mount closes with a call to decide about Jesus and his teaching (see 4:23 ^al; 9:35 ^am). Those who hear Jesus’ message regarding the Kingdom must follow him to obtain eternal life or disown him and experience God’s condemnation. There is no middle way (Deut 30:15-20 ^an; Ps 1 ^ao; Prov 12:28 ^ap; Jer 21:8 ^aq). 7:13 ^ar Entering through the narrow gate refers to the decision to follow Jesus as the Messiah. The wide gate and broad highway refer to the decision not to follow Jesus and his teachings.

• Hell refers to being thrown into the fire, not entering the Kingdom of Heaven, being banished from the presence of Jesus, and being ruined (7:19-23 ^as, 27 ^at).
7:14 ^au Few people come to the light that is revealed in Christ (see 19:23 ^av; 20:16 ^aw; 22:14 ^ax; see also John 3:19 ^ay; 6:66-71 ^az).
Summary for Matt 7:15-20: 7:15-20 ^ba False prophets speak what people want to hear rather than calling people to live according to God’s will. Deuteronomy 13:1-5 ^bb and 18:21-22 ^bc set standards for evaluating a prophet’s truthfulness: His words must conform to God’s word, and his predictions must come true. Jesus unpacks the first requirement: A prophet’s actions must match his words in order to be believable; accordingly, a true prophet’s actions will also match God’s word. Just as the fruit indicates the nature of a tree, so one’s life indicates either a regenerate or unregenerate heart. False prophets are expected at the end of the age (see Matt 24:11 ^bd, 24 ^be; Acts 20:28-35 ^bf; Rev 13:11-18 ^bg; 16:13 ^bh; 19:20 ^bi; 20:10 ^bj). In order not to be deceived, Christians must be discerning (see 1 Cor 12:10 ^bk; 14:29 ^bl; 1 Thes 5:21 ^bm; 1 Jn 4:1-3 ^bn; Rev 2:20 ^bo).
Summary for Matt 7:16-17: 7:16-17 ^bp Good and bad fruit refers to moral behavior (see 3:8 ^bq, 10 ^br; 12:33-37 ^bs; 13:8 ^bt; 21:43 ^bu; Gal 5:19-23 ^bv).
7:18 ^bw Spiritual rebirth is absolutely necessary if one is to produce the good fruit that Jesus demands. Good works flow from faith; good works and faith cannot be separated (see Jas 2:14-26 ^bx).
7:21 ^by The will of my Father is expressed in Jesus’ teachings (see also 12:50 ^bz; 21:28-32 ^ca; Rom 2:13 ^cb; Jas 1:22-27 ^cc).
7:22 ^cd judgment day: The Old Testament concept behind this notion is the “day of the Lord,” when God will come to rescue the faithful and judge the oppressors (Isa 13–14 ^ce; Joel 2:1-32 ^cf; Zeph 1:14-16 ^cg). In Jesus’ teaching, this day is when all will be judged for their response to him (see Matt 10:15 ^ch; 11:20-24 ^ci; 12:36 ^cj; 24:19-50 ^ck; 25:13 ^cl, 31-46 ^cm; Acts 17:31 ^cn; Rom 2:16 ^co).

• Neither charismatic gifts nor public accomplishments in Jesus’ name will necessarily bring God’s acceptance; the decisive issue is obedience (Matt 7:21 ^cp).
7:23 ^cq I never knew you: These people were never converted, even though they did great things in God’s name. They break God’s laws through rejection of the Father’s will as taught by Jesus. Having never known Christ, they never learned to do what he commanded.
Summary for Matt 7:24-27: 7:24-27 ^cr The emphasis in this whole sermon (5:3–7:27 ^cs) is on doing what Jesus teaches by walking in righteousness (5:20 ^ct). To hear and not obey is to choose the wide gate and the broad highway that lead to destruction (Jas 1:22-25 ^cu; 2:14-26 ^cv). Decision is necessary in light of what has been revealed. See Lev 26 ^cw; Deut 28 ^cx, 30 ^cy. 7:24 ^cz A wise ... person perceives that Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament promises, willingly submits to him, and walks the path that ultimately leads to blessing (5:3-12 ^da; 7:13-14 ^db).

• Building a house directly on rock provides a much stronger foundation than would a dry, sandy riverbed or floodplain (7:26 ^dc).
Summary for Matt 7:25-27: 7:25-27 ^dd The storm is a metaphor for God’s all-knowing judgment (see Jer 23:19 ^de; Ezek 1:4 ^df).
Summary for Matt 7:28-29: 7:28-29 ^dg Jesus began teaching only his disciples (5:1 ^dh), but crowds had followed up the mountainside as well.

• Unlike the teachers of religious law, whose authority was derived from the Scriptures they quoted or from the teachings of previous scholars, Jesus taught with real—that is, direct—authority. He quoted Scripture in the Sermon, but his teaching was based on his own authority as the Messiah.