Before concluding the Sermon with the alternatives that all
men face (Mt. 7:13-27), Jesus warns us of three additional dangers:
judging, lack of discrimination in spiritual matters, and not
continuing to pursue and trust God, especially through the avenue
of prayer. Please note as we study these warnings, how they build
towards the "Golden Rule," (Mt. 7:12).
A. Warning Against Being Judgmental, (1-5), [Lk. 6:37-42]
Perhaps we should first consider what this passage is not saying.
It is not commanding the disciples of Christ to hold no opinion
concerning right and wrong. Hitler was evil, adultery is wrong,
and deceit is a sin. In the next few verses Jesus will call us
to exercise some judgment concerning unworthy men and false prophets.
See also such passages as 1 Cor. 5:5; Gal. 1:8f; Phil. 3:2. So
every form of judging is not forbidden. Being judgmental or having
a prejudiced attitude is what Jesus condemns here. As Christians
we must practice discernment, but we do not have free reign to
criticize. Jesus says if we are judgmental then we will be treated
in a judgmental way by others and be truly judged by God. In these
verses Christ is restating a point He already has made twice,
(Mt. 5:7; 6:14f.). Namely, a judgmental attitude excludes us from
God's pardon! Jesus is not saying we can earn mercy by being merciful,
but we can exclude ourselves from mercy by having an attitude
that is the opposite of poverty of spirit. Now, we can examine
the example of the speck and the beam. King David is a prime candidate
for the speck and beam hall of fame, (2 Sam. 12:1-7). We can fall
under the same condemnation when we condemn the sins of others
as we practice similar behavior. Or when in doctrinal disputes,
we become more concerned with winning the argument than saving
our soul and that of our brother. We must be willing and able
to put our own house in order before we can be qualified to help
(note: not condemn) others. The verses in Luke confirm the scriptural
precept of reaping as you sow, as it applies to judging, giving,
teaching, or receiving a teacher. Verse 38 indicates that an abundance
will be returned to one who gives abundantly. "...Give into
your bosom," is a reference to the ancient custom of carrying
items inside the cloak, (see Ruth 3:15). Verse 39 has a broad
application including those who would teach the Gospel. The blind
cannot lead the blind. The pupil can only rise to the level of
his teacher, therefore the best teacher must be sought. While
the Matthew passage concerns being judgmental, the Luke passage
concerns the teacher and his attitude toward his pupil. Obviously,
the end of both is the attitude of the corrector, be it as a teacher
or a brother.
B. Warning Against Being Undiscriminating, (6) Even though the
greater danger lies in being judgmental, we must also be wary
of being undiscerning. The dogs and pigs under consideration here
are not household pets, but semi-wild animals. The example of
swine would especially be an abomination to the Jews listening
to the Sermon. The two together represent people who are savage,
vicious, devoid of manners, irresponsible, unappreciative, and
just profane, (2 Pet. 2:22). The "pearls and that which is
sacred," represent the Gospel - the Truth. Jesus tells us
to withhold the truth from such as these, (Mt. 15:14). The warning
continued in the ministry and teaching of the Apostle Paul, (Acts
18:5f; Titus 3:10f). (See SOTM-chart 10)
| 1. Jesus said "pearls," (not gravel)
=> the value of the Gospel. 2. Some will reject these "pearls" => mankind will be divided by the Gospel, Mt. 7:13f. 3. The Gospel is not to be presented to those who mock, argue and ridicule => time is better spent elsewhere. 4. Not everyone who initially balks or mocks is a swine or dog => some can be converted. 5. This passage is not an excuse for us to stop sowing the seeds of the Kingdom => using spiritual discretion and discernment does not mean to stop trying to teach the Gospel. As suggested by D.A. Carson in The Sermon on the Mount, An Evangelical Exposition of Matthew 5-7, pp. 105-107. |
C. Warning Against Lacking a Trusting Persistence, (Prayer Encouraged),
(7-11) Here Jesus is warning His listeners against being the seed
that falls on stony ground, (Mt. 13:20f; cf: 13:1-9). A simple
lack of staying power, coupled with an attitude of "I can
do it by myself," will lead to an early departure from the
faith. So, Jesus tells us to keep on asking, seeking
and knocking. Be persistent, but persistent in what? Prayer. "This
prayer is a divinely empowered response to God's invitation of
Jer. 29:13," (Carson, p. 109). If we lack the things that
are required in the Kingdom, (poverty of spirit, purity of heart,
etc.) then we must ask for them. This asking, seeking, and knocking
involves a complete quest for the Kingdom and God's righteousness.
Our prayer lives must be broadened, we must must be in a constant
attitude of prayer, ("pray without ceasing,... 1 Thes. 5:17).
This attitude must be one in accordance with God's will, (Jms.
4:2b-3). If we embody the first beatitude we will be eager to
look to God for the help we will need to enter and remain in the
Kingdom. Some seem frightened to approach God the Father in prayer,
yet the words of the Lord here are meant to allay our fears. If
human fathers (evil, when compared to God) can give good gifts,
then how much better will the gifts of the Heavenly Father be?
He has promised to never forget His people, (Isa. 49:15).
D. Summary of the Moral Law "The Golden Rule," (12),
[Lk. 6:31] Philosophers such as Socrates, Buddha, Confucius, and
Hillel have incorporated a version of this rule into their teachings
that said, "Do not do to others what you would not have done
to you." Their's is a rule of what not to do , while
Christ's is a rule of what to do . An essential part
of true religion is righteousness towards our fellow man. If this
righteousness is our rule, then we must be ruled by it. In our
dealings with others we must be just, fair, honest, lovely, and
of good report. Just knowing and believing is not enough, we must
be willing to do. Do that which Christ commands us toward Him,
God the Father, our brethren, and our fellow man. We are to do
good to our neighbor and not to return evil for evil. This is
part of the second greatest commandment: "Love your neighbor
as yourself." The meaning of the rule can be seen in three
things: (1) We must treat our neighbor in a way that we judge
as correct, (2) our neighbor must be put on an even plane with
ourselves and, (3) we must put ourselves in our neighbor's place
and deal with them from that point of view. Why should this rule
be enforced? "It is the law and the prophets." While
the "Golden Rule" is not directly quoted from either
the law or the prophets, it is the basic teaching of both in a
nutshell. Beware while the law of Christ is commended to the world
through this rule, Christians not complying with the rule stand
condemned.
A. The Way, (13-27) With the sermon basically over, Jesus wraps
up by showing his listeners the application of it. Here He stresses
the importance of practicing and implementing the Sermon in the
disciple's everyday lives. The reason this implementation is important
is illustrated by Jesus through the use of "twos:" two
roads, two trees, two claims, and two houses. Jesus makes it clear
to His listeners, both then and now, that there are two and only
two alternatives. One alternative ends in life, good fruit, entrance
into the kingdom of heaven, and stability; while the other alternative
brings forth destruction, bad fruit and fire, exclusion from the
kingdom, and ruination. For a man to ignore the weight of these
blessings and cursings can only lead to his eternal peril. (Carson,
p. 122.)
1. A narrow way, (13,14) If righteousness towards men is an essential
branch of true religion (v. 12), then that religion towards God
becomes an essential branch of our universal righteousness. (M.
Henry, v. 5, p. 74) There are only two ways, good and evil, right
and wrong, the way to heaven and the way to hell. Those that choose
the life of sin, choose the wide gate and the broad way. This
gate has no turnstile, no ticket is needed, you may come as you
are. The avenue is broad, because there will be many traveling
it. Following the crowd, yielding to peer pressure, and doing
what others do because that's what others are doing is a sure
road sign of Hell's Highway (the road to destruction). Those that
choose Jesus, and are born again by attaining remission of their
sins achieve entrance at the strait gate. Crossing the Red Sea
did not put the children of Israel in the Promised Land and likewise
we are not in Heaven directly after passing the strait gate. To
continue along the narrow way we must deny ourselves, mortify
our sins, endure persecutions and hardships, and generally watch
our steps. Some will never find this gate and way, while others
will find it but find the terms of entry not to their liking.
Even others will enter and start down the narrow way only to turn
back. What then is the purpose and ultimate invitation of the
narrow way? It leads to life. Jesus makes the true choice plain
"enter in at the strait gate." Entrance will not be
easy (Lk. 13:24), but one hour in heaven will erase a lifetime
of persecution and hardship.
2. How to avoid being misguided, (15-20), [Lk. 6:43-45] False
prophets (teachers) will come claiming Divine authority as Apostles,
(Rev. 2:2). They may be teaching the truth or they may be teaching
false doctrine. In either case, because of their motives or their
methods, they must be avoided. Some false teachers will be hard
to detect, because outwardly they will appear legitimate. Their
message may sound correct, and their behavior and demeanor righteous,
but they have brought a hidden agenda (2 Cor. 11:13; Rev. 13:11;
9:7,8; Rom. 16:18; Isa. 30:10). The worst enemy of the sheep is
the wolf. Then who do these false teachers represent Satan. Elsewhere,
Paul and John warn us to "prove all things," (1 Thess.
5:21) and "you shall know them by their fruits," (1
Jn. 4:1). Even if you cannot tell a tree by its leaves, by its
bark, or by its growing season the fruit will identify it. So
it is with false teachers. Good fruit cannot be expected from
bad men. They might occasionally do an act of righteousness, but
their normal or general behavior will be evil. Jesus now quotes
the very words of the Baptist (Mt. 3: 10), the evil tree will
be cut down and burned. Note: these trees are not fruitless, they
have fruit, but it is bad fruit. The significance of the burning
must be emphasized here because of the allusions to hellfire.
(Compare: Eze. 31:12,13; Dan. 4:14; Jn. 15:6). But what is this
fruit? It is their deeds and words. Furthermore, their fruits
are the results of their doctrine. We must ask where will their
teachings lead? If to worldliness, pride, and contentiousness,
then they are of Satan (Gal. 5:8; Jms. 3:15). But if their doctrine
promotes piety, humility, charity, holiness and love then they
are of God the Father. The passage in Luke is interesting because
of the inclusion of verse 45. Here the good tree is obviously
the good man and the evil tree is obviously the bad man. From
the good man comes good words and deeds, because there is a treasury
of goodness in his heart. That is, his thoughts and affections
are pure. Because the evil man has stored evil in his heart, out
of him will come evil. (Boles, p. 143)
3. Not by prayer or miracles only, (21-23) A show of spirituality
or righteousness will not be enough to gain entrance into the
Kingdom. There were in the first century and still are as we enter
the 21st century, those who preach the true gospel, pray to God
and perform spiritual acts, but are still not genuine disciples.
Of these, many truly expect to gain heaven. Whether their faults
are exposed in their lifetime or whether they are exposed on the
judgment day, they will be found out and banished from the presence
of the Lord. If open profession of faith, spectacular spiritual
triumphs, and claims of great spiritual experiences are not the
characteristics of true Christians, then what are the essential
characteristics? The chief characteristic is obedience. True believers
are about their Father's business. (Recall Mt. 5:19ff.) The Father's
will cannot simply be admired, discussed, debated, and praised
it must be done! We live in a time where the results are more
important than the method. This way of thinking spills over into
our spiritual lives and perhaps we tinker with God's will to try
and make it work better or make it more accessible for those who
will be living in the 21st century. When causes become more important
than ethics, then conversions at any costs will outweigh basic,
consistent discipleship. We cannot enter the Kingdom based on
our own obedience, but neither will we enter the Kingdom if we
are not obedient! We are saved by grace through our faith in Christ,
but that grace makes itself manifest in our obedience. There can
be no true grace when forgiveness is preached without repentance,
church membership is preached without church discipline, discipleship
and results are preached without obedience, blessings are preached
without persecutions, and joy is preached without righteousness.
(Carson, pp.129- 131).
B. Conclusion and Application: Two Builders, (24-29) Repentance
is nothing without obedience. The obedience necessary is not a
"merit point or chalk up a point for me" type of obedience,
but an obedience that bows to Jesus and the will of His Father
in every situation, without reservation.
1. The way pointed out, (24-27), [Lk. 6:46-49] From their outward
appearance these two houses are very similar. It is their foundations
that will inevitably distinguish them. The most common use of
"foundation" in the Bible is Jesus as the sure foundation
(Is. 28:16, Acts 4:12). However, He is not the focus of this mini-parable.
The focus is on the builders themselves. The man who builds on
the sand, is like a man who hears the words of the gospel, but
will not heed them. The man who builds on the rock, is like a
man who hears and heeds the words of the Lord. The difference
then is the difference between disobedience and obedience. So
far, Jesus has promised destruction for those on the broad way,
conflagration for unproductive branches, categorical rejection
of the disobedient, and now, devastation by storm for the unrepentant
hearer. Is He trying to scare His listeners into the Kingdom?
In a sense yes, because we must fear Satan and all he stands for,
including his eternal home Hell. If you do not believe Hell exists,
then you probably dismiss Jesus as a fool and His warnings as
fabrications. Perhaps you believe Jesus' warnings, but cannot
make the choice to detach yourself from your worldly ways. Either
way your choice is made and Christ is rejected. Belief at this
point of the Sermon hinges on whether we believe in Hell. Jesus
in His ministry speaks twice as often concerning Hell as He does
concerning Heaven. The Sermon ends with a threat of judgment which
in an honest heart will prompt poverty of spirit which takes us
full circle back to the first beatitude. The Sermon is not meant
to bring us to despair or some kind of self-salvation, the Sermon
is meant to bring us to Jesus Christ. (Carson, pp. 131-135) Luke's
version shows a closer connection with the thoughts of verses
21-23 of Matthew chapter 7. The parable becomes a warning against
mere profession of faith and at the same time it is a command
to make sure our profession and practice agree.
2. The effect of the sermon, (28,29) The Jews were used to their
teachers quoting Moses or the prophets as their authorities as
they taught, presenting their lessons in a dry, rote manner. Jesus,
presented a vibrant, lively lesson taught by His own "I say
unto you". The crowd was amazed. We must also be amazed,
but amazement is not enough. We can admire good preaching and
yet remain ignorant, we can be astonished and yet remain unsanctified.
We must be willing to press on to a deeply rooted commitment to
Jesus Christ.
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