Day 7: Matthew 7

7:1 “Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. 7:2 For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you. 7:3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye? 7:4 Or how will you tell your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye;’ and behold, the beam is in your own eye? 7:5 You hypocrite! First remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye.

7:6 “Don’t give that which is holy to the dogs, neither throw your pearls before the pigs, lest perhaps they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

7:7 “Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. 7:8 For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened. 7:9 Or who is there among you, who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 7:10 Or if he asks for a fish, who will give him a serpent? 7:11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! 7:12 Therefore whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets.

7:13 “Enter in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter in by it. 7:14 How narrow is the gate, and restricted is the way that leads to life! Few are those who find it.

7:15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. 7:16 By their fruits you will know them. Do you gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? 7:17 Even so, every good tree produces good fruit; but the corrupt tree produces evil fruit. 7:18 A good tree can’t produce evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree produce good fruit. 7:19 Every tree that doesn’t grow good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire. 7:20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them. 7:21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 7:22 Many will tell me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?’ 7:23 Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.’

7:24 “Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock. 7:25 The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it didn’t fall, for it was founded on the rock. 7:26 Everyone who hears these words of mine, and doesn’t do them will be like a foolish man, who built his house on the sand. 7:27 The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell — and great was its fall.”

7:28 It happened, when Jesus had finished saying these things, that the multitudes were astonished at his teaching, 7:29 for he taught them with authority, and not like the scribes.

Chapter 7 is the third of three chapters in which the Sermon on the Mount is presented. Beginning with the Beatitudes, through the course of His teaching, our Lord is telling those who would follow Him about the life of holiness, and how we may do our part in the transformation of our being from the state of fallen human nature to recovering what was lost when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, including their theosis: our deification, salvation from our fallen state by participation in the life of God, given to us when we receive the life of our Lord Jesus Christ at the time of our baptism. What is established in us is the potential for the expression of this new life in our own thoughts and words and deeds and feelings. To actually realize this potential takes work: ascetic labors along the pathways shown to us throughout the Sermon on the Mount.

We can sum up today’s instructions in this way:

1. Do Not Judge Others


2. Holiness


3. Ask, Seek, Knock


4. The Golden Rule


5. The Narrow Gate


6. Warnings


7. Building Upon Rock

The chapter closes with a description of the impact of our Lord’s teachings upon those who had gathered to hear Him. They were, we are told, astonished, for He taught as “one with authority,” and not in the way that the scribes taught the Scriptures. On this point, St. John Chrysostom has this to say: “He said what He said, not with reference to another, to Moses or the prophets, but indicating that He Himself had the power of deciding. When setting forth His laws, He would say, ‘You have heard that is was said’; but He kept adding, ‘But I say to you…’” The multitude had gathered to hear Him because of the miracles of healing He had performed; and, after having taught on the mountainside, He went forth again, showing His power – the power of His authority to speak and so interpret the Law of Moses – by working miracles.

Do Not Judge Others

The key to understanding our Lord’s instruction not to judge is not to turn a blind eye to sin, or be silent; for to do so may be to allow another to come to destruction, either in this world, or in the next. Here is the key: You shall be judged according to the same standard by which you judged others. If we are merciful to others, we have the hope of mercy for ourselves; while if we apply the law strictly, so, too, shall the Law be applied to us. St. John Chrysostom says, “…we should not find fault with others severely, but rather caution them, and remind them of their duty. We should not speak abusively to them; we should, rather, advise them as friends. We should not attack them from our pride, but correct them tenderly… We do not correct others as an enemy, or as an opponent assessing a penalty, but as a physician providing medicine.”

Part of the danger of judging is the damage it does to our own hearts, and to our own souls. If we happen to, as St. John puts it, put on “a mask of benevolence,” pretending to care for another person, but work wickedness by finding someone else guilty of the same sins that we commit, we are, as our Lord says, hypocrites. Before we try to help someone else – and certainly before we judge someone else – we must first deal with our own sins. But this is not “natural” to us in our fallen state; it is a quality that we must labor to acquire, as we also labor to set aside our own sins, including that of being judgmental.

Holiness

St. John Chrysostom tells us that the dogs mentioned here are those who do not believe; while the swine are believers who lead a filthy and shameful way of life. Offering them the pearls of the holy Mysteries has no good outcome. They will despise them – that is, trample them under their feet; and will turn on us to pour contempt on our faith.

The Narrow Gate

Few, we are told, will enter by this narrow gate, while the road to destruction carries many people. The narrow gate consists of trials: those undertaken voluntarily, such as fasting; and those that are involuntary, such as persecution or imprisonment. Another unknown church father equates the narrow gate and the burden we must carry as we go along the way as the commandments. These, he says, are light and good for those who sincerely desire eternal life and blessings; but are heavy and tedious for those who, rather than striving for the life to come, are more interested in what this life and this world have to offer. This is why few are saved; and he adds, “See to it that you are one of the few.”