Matthew 7

Matthew 7: The Favor of God Paraphrase

Do Not Judge

¹ “Do not judge, or you too will be judged!

² For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and the measure you use will be measured back to you.

³ Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and ignore the plank in your own eye?

⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?

⁵ You hypocrite! First, take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Do Not Throw Pearls to Pigs

⁶ “Do not give what is sacred to dogs, and do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.”

Ask, Seek, Knock

⁷ “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.

⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

⁹ Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

¹¹ If you, though you are sinful, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!”

The Golden Rule

¹² “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

The Narrow and Wide Gates

¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate! For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

¹⁴ But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

A Tree and Its Fruit

¹⁵ “Watch out for false prophets! They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

¹⁶ By their fruit, you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?

¹⁷ Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

²⁰ Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”

True and False Disciples

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’

²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

The Wise and Foolish Builders

²⁴ “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

The Authority of Jesus

²⁸ When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at His teaching,

²⁹ because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

Footnotes:

1.“Judge” (Greek: κρίνω, krinō): This word can mean both “condemn” and “discern,” but in this context, it refers to hypocritical condemnation, something Jesus warns against in favor of humility and self-examination.

2.“Speck” and “plank” (Greek: κάρφος, karphos, and δοκός, dokos): These terms were likely metaphors in Jesus’ time, exaggerating the difference between minor faults in others and larger, unrecognized faults in oneself.

3.“Sacred” and “pearls” (Greek: ἅγιον, hagion, and μαργαρίτης, margaritēs): Jesus uses these images to caution against sharing profound spiritual truths with those who cannot or will not appreciate them.

4.“Knock” (Greek: κρούω, krouō): This verb suggests a persistent action, not just a casual request. It emphasizes the earnestness and perseverance needed in prayer and seeking God.

5.“Narrow gate” (Greek: στενή, stenē): This metaphor reflects the challenge and discipline required to follow the path that leads to eternal life. The wide gate symbolizes the easier, more popular path leading to destruction.

6.“False prophets” (Greek: ψευδοπροφῆται, pseudoprophētai): These were individuals claiming to speak for God but leading people astray, often motivated by self-interest or deception.

7.“Build on rock” (Greek: πέτρα, petra): This metaphor represents a life built on obedience to Jesus’ teachings, contrasted with a life built on instability, symbolized by the sand.