Bible Commentaries
Matthew 7

Verses 1-11

14-15 Compare Mar_11:25-26 .

14 Forgiveness now is according to the riches of His grace ( Eph_1:7 ), not according to our forgiveness of others. The believers in Israel failed at this point. Their forgiveness was withdrawn because they refused the same mercy to the other nations. But the believers of the nations were never forgiven in this probationary fashion.

19-21 Compare Luk_12:33-34 .

19 Treasures were often hid in concealed pits in the ground, where thieves would need to dig to find them. But nothing is safe on earth. Only that which we give is ours beyond the possibility of loss.

22-23 Compare Luk_11:33-36 . See Pro_28:22 ; Mar_7:22 .

22 The Pharisees tried to make the best of both worlds. They wanted treasure on earth as well as in heaven. Their eyes were afflicted with double sight, which is worse than blindness. They wanted to worship both God and mammon.

24 Compare Luk_16:13 . See Jam_4:4 ; 1Jn_2:15 .

25 There is a blessed progression in the experience of God's saints as the purpose of His grace becomes more fully known. The Psalmist could sing ( Psa_55:22 ) “Fling what He grants you on Jehovah, And He will sustain you: He will not allow the righteous to slip for the eon.”

Peter sounds a higher strain when he writes to the dispersion, “tossing your entire worry on Him, seeing that He is caring concerning you” ( 1Pe_5:7 .). But how much loftier is the position of Paul, as he exhorts us, “Let nothing be worrying you, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, that is superior to every frame of mind, shall be garrisoning your hearts and your apprehensions in Christ Jesus” ( Php_4:6-7 ). The Psalmist struggled Under a burden with the help of God, Peter got rid of the weight, but Paul prevents and replaces it with peace and thanksgiving.

25-34 Compare Luk_12:22-31 .

29 We cannot be certain of the exact flower intended by our Lord from the somewhat general term used, but the brilliant scarlet anemone, which flourishes in all parts of Palestine in great profusion seems to be the only one which fully answers all the conditions. Its great abundance and rich beauty fit it perfectly for the illustration used by our Lord. The figure is full of spiritual refreshment. Clothing is that which meets the eye and corresponds to the character of the wearer. Solomon's robes were tokens of his royal station. Pharisaic righteousness He has shown to be a hypocritical pretense. The anemones suggest that God can supply His saints with divine apparel more beauteous than that of Solomon. In a word, He not only can clothe them in splendid style, but He can make them kings to rule the nations of the earth.

33 See 1Ki_3:13 ; Psa_34:9 ; Psa_37:25 ; Psa_84:11 ; Mar_10:2930 1Ti_4:8 .

1-2 Compare Luk_6:37-38 .

1 This has no reference to God's judgment, but to the relations of man with man, as explained in the next paragraph. Should self-judgment precede the judgment of others it would probably do away with judging. One who has a beam in his eye, and knows it, will think little of the mote in another's eye, So the Lord sought to turn the censorious critics of His day to an examination of their own shortcomings.

3-5 Compare Luk_6:41-42 .

6 See Pro_9:7-8 ; Pro_23:9 .

6 Both dogs and hogs were unclean according to the law. The Lord Himself followed this principle when He spoke in parables to those without, and kept the holy and precious truth for His own disciples. We are hardly justified in “applying” these opprobrious terms to immature saints who are not yet able to bear more than milk.

7-11 Compare Luk_11:9-13 .

7 See 21:22 Joh_14:13-14 ; Joh_15:7 ; 1Jn_3:22 ; 1Jn_5:14-15 .

7 This, of course, is limited to prayer to God. He can and will respond to those who ask for what they need, or seek what is hid, or knock at closed doors. But the answer may not be realized until the kingdom comes. We have no right or reason to expect God to change His plans and purposes in order to carry out our whims. We are not aware what we should be praying for, but the spirit is pleading for us with inarticulate groanings ( Rom_8:26 ).

Verses 12-29

12 Compare Luk_6:31 .

12 To do as we would be done by is an ethical standard far above the world's attainment, yet far beneath the monitions of grace. The law and the prophets demand compliance with this code, yet supply no power to carry it out. Grace gives the ability, yet makes no demands, but rather entreats us to do as we have been done by in our dealings with God , rather than man.

13-14 Compare Luk_13:24 .

13 The crowds enter a city by the broad road which passes through the wide gate. The narrow side-paths leading to a narrow gateway in some retired corner were seldom used and were always shut in the daytime and locked at night. Few find or use these paths. This is not an illustration the gospel, but of the law. It represents an effort to attain life. It is not stated that few find life, but few find the path to it. All life is God's gift and can never be made by man, either in the sphere of religion or of science.

15-23 Compare Luk_6:43-46 .

15 The law was exceedingly severe on false prophets. Death was their penalty ( Deu_13:5 ). It is generally supposed that a prophet is false if his sign or prediction does not come to pass. Not so. If it comes to pass, yet leads away from the Lord, they were not allowed to hearken

( Deu_13:1-5 ). This is being written at the very time when a modern prophetess predicts the end of the world. That prophetess is not false because her vision is not being verified, but because her dreams were not of God and led away from His word. This, however, is a day of grace, and false prophets are not stoned. But the term prophet includes all who claim a direct revelation from God, apart from His written revelation. As prophets are only in the foundation of the ecclesia ( Eph_2:20 ), the mere claim to a personal and direct message from God is evidence in itself that it is false. The word of God is complete ( Col_1:25 ), and only those who do not fully apprehend what God has revealed crave further communications. The latest revelations given to the apostle Paul make all further prophecy useless and round out the whole realm of revelation.

16 The figures are finely chosen. The fig tree stands for the righteous government of Messiah and the vine the spiritual cheer of His kingdom. In that day each one will sit under his own vine and fig tree ( Mic_4:4 ). The kingdom of God is not only feeding on figs and drinking wine, but what these symbolize-righteousness and peace and joy in holy Spirit ( Rom_14:17 These are the fruits that do not grow on thorns and thistles, and that characterized the true prophet.

21 See Mat_25:11-12 ; Luk_13:25-30 .

21 Many will need to read this passage twice, for it is the popular conviction that any one who can prophesy or cast out demons and do other supernatural deeds is necessarily in the highest intimacy with God. Many will claim these powers, yet He refuses to acknowledge them. In itself supernaturalism is no index of divine activity, for the powers of evil win their greatest triumphs in mimicking the manifestations of the holy Spirit.

24 That the Lord has not been preaching the evangel of God's grace, but proclaiming the constitution of His kingdom, is convincingly clear from His conclusion. He is not seeking for faith but works. The prudent man is doing them, and the stupid man is not doing them. Now the evangel for us is for him “who is not working, yet is believing'' ( Rom_4:5 ). “Now if it is out of works, it is no longer grace, else work is no longer work” ( Rom_11:6 ). The great storm of which our Lord speaks suggests the terrible judgments which usher in the kingdom. Then it will be “he who endures ...will be saved”.

24-27 Compare Luk_6:47-49 .

28-29 Compare Mar_1:22 ; Luk_4:32 .

29 Jewish scribes always say that Rabbi So-and-so says, or that he says that another Rabbi says, etc. All their teaching is tradition.

2 Our Lord cleansed many lepers, and probably dealt similarly with them all. The “parallel” accounts in ( Mar_1:40-44 ) and ( Luk_5:12-14 ) do not “disagree” in details, for they record different occurrences. Our Lord's first testimony must be to the priests. It is not a direct one,

for the priests had already rejected the testimony of John the baptist, who was one of them-by birth, if not by office. They will not hear Him, so He sends these lepers to them, as a sign that He is the One Who can cleanse the leprosy of the sinful nation. They should have known that the One Who can do this is the long-desired Messiah. There is no intimation that they heeded this testimony, so that here we have, in a parable, the same truth with which John begins his evangel: His own people do not accept Him ( Joh_1:11 ). Indeed, this is more striking. For the priests had before them continually the lesson of the suffering sacrifice. If no other class in the nation could understand His rejection and sorrow and death, they should have recognized that this is the One Who was to be led as a lamb to the slaughter. But, in that deeper wisdom of God, they were also the ones who were ordained to be the slayers of the great Sacrifice.

4 See Mat_9:30 ; Mar_5:43 ; Lev_14:1-32 .