Matthew 7 deals with right and wrong. Everything about Jesus's teaching was radical for the day and age. So when Jesus warned the audience from judging using predetermined standards or depending on God rather than their own work the entire approach was a novel take on spirituality. Some of it the people had never known before. Some of it even sounded like blasphemy. This is the tail end of the Sermon of the Mount and covers the last four sections.
Do not judge others. (Mat 7:1-6)
When Jesus uses the word judge He isn't talking to the judges and the rulers. He is talking to everyone. Like the larger part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus's teachings deal with the Spirit more than the flesh. So, when He is talking about judging someone He is specifically talking about the spirit of judgement. We often assume the authority about forming opinions about a person. We may even boast of being a good judge of character. However, when we do so, we do it from our own flawed judgement. Our judgement is flawed because the human constitution is flawed. We are imperfect. Only God is perfect. Only He has the authority to judge.
When we form a judgement on a person, we pronounce a judgement on ourselves. God, in His infinite grace, is ready and eager to look past all our iniquities. In His sight every offense is redeemable because of the blood of Jesus. However, when we form a judgement against someone else, we create a barrier for the Grace of God. It is not that God cannot overcome that barrier but rather that He will not overcome that barrier. So, when we judge someone else it becomes a standard we must uphold. We are pronouncing a judgement upon our own past and future actions.
Jesus explains this with a shocking imagery. Our judgement is clouded by earthly limitations. That is what He refers to as the log that we need to remove before we question the vision of our companion. Living a holy life doesn't mean that you impose the judgement on others. It is unfair to expect the unclean to be clean or impart them the wisdom that they will not be able to understand. Jesus is alluding the various levels of spiritual maturity. Some are simply too far gone to be redeemed and imparting the wisdom of the Spirit only urges them towards violence. These people are compared to swine, the unclean animals. Does that been that they are beyond salvation? Definitely not; However their spiritual maturity can be taken as negative and imparting anything of value will only agitate them unless they are brought to change by the Spirit.
Ask in faith. (Mat 7:7-10)
Asking, seeking, knocking, all activities lean towards a discovery of more than what is visible. These speak of the redemption of the new covenant that requires one action in whose response one may receive salvation. Though the action is required no qualifier is applied to the action. You do not need to ask repeatedly or knock hard. You must take one step. God is a God of free will and He will not impose on your lives if you do not show the effort to have Him in yours. We know that in the gospel of Luke (Luke 18: 1-8) He emphasizes the importance of persistence in prayer. However when Jesus commands us to seek and ask He is not referring to prayer for the sake of needs and wants, He is talking about the specific search for the Kingdom of Heaven. This is directly in context with Matthew 6 where He urges the believers to keep their focus on the Kingdom of Heaven rather than our daily requirements.
Do unto others as you would have done unto you (Golden rule)(Mat 7:12)
Each man loves himself the most. It is nature's instinct of self preservation. Jesus asks us to make this instinct the standard by which we treat others. This is coming from the Old Testament. The book of Leviticus introduces the concept of loving our neighbour as ourselves (Lev 19:18b) This concept has been repeated by Jesus time and again and here it comes forth as what we popularly call the Golden rule. Treat others as you would like to be treated. (see also Luke 6:31)
Do not choose the easy way out. (Mat 7:13-14)
Jesus has been teaching us what is the right way to do things. What is the right response to another person's situation- you do not judge them; you treat them as you would like to be treated! If you want others to go out of their way for you do that for them-go out of your way, be extravagant in accommodating others. If you are praying for something, pray with confidence, in the faith that nothing is impossible for God. However, doing the right thing is never easy. It is the narrow path, the one not paved with stone or encrusted in jewels. There may be thorns in the narrow path. People may disagree with you. You may have to face challenges. But that is the assurance that the path that you are on is the right one. The easy path, the well-worn path, is generally the path that is wrong. It is well worn because the evil has led many astray. If you can stick to the hard road however, the end result will be worth it, because beyond the narrow gate at the end of the narrow road, is the success, not of this earth, but we find Jesus.
Fruits (Mat 7:15-23)
Jesus goes on to talk about fruits. This is not the succulent sweet ripened outer covering of seeds that develop from fertilized flowers. When we are talking about fruits Jesus means results. At the end of the day, apart from being our friend, our father, our intercessor, Jesus is ultimately the King and Judge of all nation and people. To pronounce judgement, He needs to see the results of our lives and thereby He can determine whether we are worth going to heaven or hell. Based on the fruits we bear; Jesus categorises all fruits as good or bad. Later in the epistle to the Galatian church Paul describes these as the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22-24). Whoever has a life reflecting bad fruits, their life is not worth living. They shall be sent into hell at the time of judgement. But since judgement is not at hand Jesus warns against false prophets who display the bad fruits. Their fruits are what we recognize them by. If they serve the truth, they will bear the fruits of the Spirit (Eph 5:9).
Then He explains how to serve the truth. Serving the truth is not just proclaiming the name of Jesus. If you do not obey then you are not a follower. Jesus here openly states that the emphasis is on action over words. This portion is not to be confused with Mark 9:40. To be on the side of Jesus it isn't enough that you believe in Him or support Him. Are you doing the work He commands you to do? Prophesying and casting out the demons is an act of the Spirit, but the will of God is submission to the laws. Only when a person submits to God's will, his actions are counted as works of the Spirit. Otherwise they are from Satan.
Foundations
Jesus continues His emphasis of action over words with the example of two houses. This is something Luke records in the gospel according to Luke 6:47-49. The one whose foundations are laid in the word of God is secure and firm. They are not shaken by adversity. However, if a person's foundations are weak, they are easily moved and tend to stray from the will of God. Jesus exclaims that when the house with the weak foundation crumbles, it is a great fall. The fall from heaven to hell is great indeed.
Thus, we come to the close of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus comes down and starts performing miracles. We will be reading about miracles in the next portion.
