Matthew 7

This is the final chapter of the Sermon on the Mount, which spans chapters 5–7 of the Gospel of Matthew. Following the teaching in Matthew 6 on almsgiving, prayer, fasting, and anxiety, this chapter addresses judging others, prayer, the two ways, fruit, and obedience. The chapter concludes the sermon with the response of the crowds.

Outline

• Verses 1–5 Jesus teaches that one should not judge others. Before looking at the speck in a brother's eye, one must first remove the beam from one's own eye.
• Verse 6 He warns against giving what is holy to dogs or casting pearls before swine.
• Verses 7–11 He urges his hearers to ask, seek, and knock. Comparing God to a father who gives good things to his children, he says that the heavenly Father gives good things to those who ask him.
• Verse 12 He tells his hearers to treat others as they would wish to be treated, declaring that this is the law and the prophets.
• Verses 13–14 He contrasts the narrow gate that leads to life with the wide gate that leads to destruction.
• Verses 15–20 He teaches that false prophets in sheep's clothing are to be recognized by their fruits.
• Verses 21–23 He declares that it is not those who say "Lord, Lord" but those who do the will of the heavenly Father who will enter the kingdom of heaven.
• Verses 24–27 He contrasts a house built on the rock with a house built on the sand.
• Verses 28–29 The crowds are astonished at Jesus' teaching, for he teaches as one having authority, unlike the scribes.

Key Verses

• Matthew 7:7 "Ask, and it shall be given you": a representative verse on prayer.
• Matthew 7:12 "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them": commonly called the Golden Rule. The name does not appear in the text; it is a later designation.
• Matthew 7:24 "Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them": the conclusion that calls hearers of the entire Sermon on the Mount to move beyond hearing to doing.

People and Places

• Jesus Christ: the one who delivers the teaching of this chapter.
• The crowds: those who heard the sermon and were astonished at its teaching.
• Scribes: those who copied and taught the law. In verses 28–29 their teaching is contrasted with that of Jesus.
• No place is named in this chapter. According to Matthew 5:1, Jesus went up into a mountain to teach, and in 8:1 he comes down from the mountain. The identification of that mountain with a hillside on the shore of the Sea of Galilee is a later tradition.

Points for Reflection

• The scope of the prohibition against judging: Verses 15–20 of the same chapter call for discernment by fruits, and verse 5 likewise instructs the hearer to remove the speck from a brother's eye after first removing the beam from his own. Many interpreters therefore read verse 1 not as forbidding all discernment but as forbidding hypocritical condemnation that neglects self-examination.
• Works and salvation: The Reformed and broader Reformation traditions, including Presbyterian and Lutheran churches, read the doing in verses 21–27 as the fruit of genuine faith, on the premise that justification is received by faith. The Wesleyan tradition, including Methodist and Holiness churches, tends to place greater emphasis on sanctification and a life of obedience. Both traditions read the passage as a warning against a profession of faith that is not accompanied by deeds.
• Spiritual gifts and discernment: Verse 22 indicates that prophecy, exorcism, and mighty works do not in themselves guarantee genuineness. Both sides of the cessationism and continuationism debate cite this verse as grounds for emphasizing discernment.
• Answered prayer: The "good things" of verse 11 appear as "the Holy Spirit" in the parallel passage, Luke 11:5–13. In response to prosperity theology interpretations that read this verse as a promise that one will receive whatever one desires, critics argue that it must be read alongside passages such as 1 John 5:14–15, which speak of prayer offered according to God's will.
• Parallel passages and structure: Much of this chapter's content appears in similar form in Luke 6 (for example, Luke 6:37–42). The teaching on the narrow gate is found in Luke 13:23–24. The phrase "when Jesus had ended these sayings" in verse 28 is a formula that occurs five times in Matthew, marking the end of a major discourse (see also 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1).

In the Korean Church

Verse 7 is frequently cited in sermons encouraging prayer and at special early-morning prayer meetings. The parable of the house built on the rock in verses 24–27 is a favorite passage in Sunday school lessons and children's songs.