Bible Commentaries
Matthew 7

Verse 7

Matthew 7:7

Success:

1. Pray - Ask

2. Plan - Seek

3. Participate - Knock

4. Produce - Find

Verse 9

Matthew 7:9

Bread -- stone -- Bread in ancient times was cooked either in larger outdoor community ovens, or small indoor rock ovens. Inside a fire was built over a small pit of stones that had a stone cover. The dough mixture was poured into the pit of stones, covered with large hot stone, and baked. When the cake of bread was done and lifted from the pit there would be some stones stuck on the bottom of the bread that would have to be dislodged before the bread was eaten.

I think of a parallel to this in my own life when I was only five or six years old. When my dad would go fishing and mother fry them he would meticulously pick out the fish bones before giving me a scrambled up pile of fish.

The point is how a father carefully guards and provides safely for the well being of his children.

This process of baking is beautifully portrayed in the filmstrip by Cathedral Films, "Everyday Life in Palestine."

See the note on Luke 11:11-13 also.

Matthew 7:10

The Jews were only allowed to eat fish with scales. There is a long thin cat fish in Sea of Galilee which was called by Jews a "snake". They would sell it to their Gentile neighbors but would not eat it itself. [See picture of by Mike Tays, 2019-0709]. A Jewish father would not give his son such a cat fish to eat.

Verse 10

Matthew 7:10

The Jews were only allowed to eat fish with scales. There is a long thin cat fish in Sea of Galilee which was called by Jews a "snake". They would sell it to their Gentile neighbors but would not eat it itself. [See picture of by Mike Tays, 2019-0709]. A Jewish father would not give his son such a cat fish to eat.

Verse 13

Matthew 7:13

Strait gate -- Justified by grace. Romans 3:23-24, But not by grace only- Titus 2:11 and Matthew 7:13-14.

Verse 24

Matthew 7:24

See James 2:24 note "Being Saved" Justified by Grace.