Verses 1-2 Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Judging is a part of life. It is what mankind does to understand and assess the environment and all the things that make up life here on Earth. Judgments are made in the grocery store as to which is the best produce or which is the best price for an item. Dog and horse shows have the participants judged for required qualities. Music is judged by the listener as being good or bad depending on the listener’s ideas of what constitutes good music. All school students are judged on the contents of exams and school assignments. Job opportunities are judged by various things such as shifts or hours worked, salary, proximity to the workers home, job responsibilities, etc.. All the judgements that are made from day to day living are not condemning, but a way to determine what is best. The point is that everyday all people form judgments about the people and things that impact their lives. The Greek word translated as “judge” is “krino” and it means judge, determine, condemn, go to law, and call in question. The idea here is that condemning a person in regards to their actions, their religious beliefs, or their status as a saved or unsaved individual is not the prerogative of the believer. Only God knows a person’s heart and only God has the right to determine that a person is in the wrong and only God can condemn a person to Hell. This is not to say that the believer cannot judge actions and attitudes. Believers are to judge people on the basis of the kind of “fruit” they produce. How can a believer determine to share the Gospel with a person if they do not determine that the person is unsaved or not a believer? Judging is a part of life. But condemnation should not be a part of the believer’s life.
Verses 3-5 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
The Greek word translated as “mote” is “karphos” and it means a dry stalk or twig, a straw, or chaff. Jesus is pointing out that when a person is critical of another person, often the person doing the criticizing is guilty of greater failures or sins and therefore has no right to criticize another until their own life is cleaned up. A beam is huge in comparison to the twig.
Application: Often believers want to help another person fix their life. That is commendable as long as the believer has a holy and blameless existence through Jesus Christ. Believers need to analyze themselves before trying to fix the problems of others. Then, according to Jesus’ words in verse 5 above, a person can judge if their heart is right.
Verse 6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
The Greek word translated as “dogs” is “kuon” and it means a dog, but it can also be a metaphor for a man of impure mind. The Greek word translated as “pearls” is “margarites” and it can mean both a real pearl or be a metaphor for something of great value. Jesus is saying that there are some people in the world that are so nasty that a person should not bother with them as there could be negative repercussions.
Application: Sharing the good news of the Gospel, which is a pearl or something of great value to the Christian, is something all believers should be doing. But there is a need for some spiritual discernment. Sharing with a person that has an impure mindset and who is governed by devils is pointless. The Christian should commit that person to the LORD and pray for their soul, and share the Gospel if directed to do so by the Holy Ghost/Spirit. But have some spiritual discernment and do not waste time and words on someone who is unwilling to accept the truth of the Gospel.
Verses 7-11 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
Christians are to go to God for all their needs and for all their problems. He is the believers’ spiritual Father and, because of His great love for His children, He has promised in the verses above to reveal Himself to those who look for Him and to provide “good things” for those that ask of Him.
Application: Unfortunately, not all people have had good parenting experiences. Many people have grown up without an earthly father due to the father’s death, to divorce, or because their mother was unwed. And many people have experienced physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse from the father or stepfather that was supposed to love and protect them. So it is often difficult for people to truly believe that a Heavenly Father will not let them down, and so they do not seek Him or ask for His help. The Bible is true. If it says something, it means what it says. If you, the reader, are one of the people that have suffered at the hand of the earthly father that failed you, don’t be afraid to test God and see if He honors His Word. He will never leave you or forsake you because you are precious in His sight. Never forget that, please.
Verse 12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Simply put, treat others better than yourself and in a manner that you would also like to be treated. The entire Old Testament law and the prophets can be summed up in this commandment along with the commandment to love God with everything you have: mind, heart, body and soul.
Application: There has been a movement in the evangelical church for many years involving the restoration of the Jerusalem temple and the sacrificial system that was destroyed in 70AD by the Roman general, Titus. This movement in based on false doctrine and not on Scripture. Jesus pronounced the destruction of the Temple in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. All the ceremonial laws and the laws written by Moses were fulfilled by Jesus. Today, all the Mosaic law can be summed up as love God and love others. Simple. Let’s stop complicating the Christian walk and Christian doctrine.
Verses 13-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
The Greek word translated as “strait” is “stenos” and it means narrow or strait. Jesus is saying that there are two ways to walk through this life on Earth. One is by going down a broad or spacious path and through a spacious gate, and one is by going down a narrow path and going through a narrow gate. Going through a gate takes a person from one side of something to the other side. The gate is physical death and represents the transition point between life on Earth and life in eternity. To get from this life into eternity, both paths will take a person from one side of the gate to the other. The difference is that the wide, less difficult path will lead to eternity without Jesus whereas the narrow, more difficult path will lead to eternity in Heaven with Jesus.
Verses 15-20 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
The Church has enemies: the devil and his fallen angels or demons. Their goal is to destroy the Church and all that God created and pronounced to be “good”. So it is a pretty safe assumption to expect every body of believers to have at least one person in it that is not a Christian believer, but someone posing as a Christian believer. Likewise, many churches are lead by pastors that are not saved by the blood of Jesus because they have never repented, never been baptized in Jesus’ name after repentance, and never been filled with the Holy Ghost/Spirit. Yet they stand up in the pulpits and give “canned” sermons they can download off the Internet and do a job for financial gain and prestige but a job they were never called to do by God. When these people speak words about the Scripture and about the LORD, they are false and designed to bring division and confusion among the true believers. These false prophets are subtle and often difficult to spot. Therefore it is essential that each Christian believer know what the Bible says so they can recognize false preaching and teaching when it occurs.
Verses 21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
The above verses tie into verses 15-20 which are warning against false prophets. A person can claim to be a disciple of Jesus, can talk like a Christian and act like a Christian, and yet not be a Christian in the kingdom of God. At the judgment day (that day when each person shall stand before the LORD to give an account) that person will be pronounced a stranger to the LORD and cast away from His presence. This is perhaps one of the saddest passages in Scripture. But God knows the heart and therefore the motives of every human being and He is not fooled by actions and words.
Verses 24-27 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Remember the words of the hymn. “On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand.” All the institutions, governments, doctrines, religions and philosophies of man will fail. But Jesus Christ will never fail.
Verses 28-29 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: 29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. (Matthew 7)