1“Do not judge, or you will be judged.
2For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but fail to notice the beam in your own eye?
4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while there is still a beam in your own eye?
5You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
6Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
7Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
9Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
11So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
12In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the Prophets.
13Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
14But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.
15Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
16By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
17Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
22Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’
23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’
24Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock.
26But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
27The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its collapse!”
28When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at His teaching,
29because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
Matthew 7 Verse Notes
Matt 7:3-5
Gospel of Thomas Sayings Similar to Canonical Gospels
The Gospel of Thomas contains 114 sayings attributed to Jesus, with over half of them closely resembling sayings found in the canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. These similarities are particularly evident in passages like the Parable of the Mustard Seed and the teaching about the speck and the log in the eye, which have direct parallels in Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 13.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Hidden Wisdom or Heresy? The Enigma of the Gospel of Thomas · watch the clip
Matt 7:3
The Gospel of Thomas shares the speck and log saying with Matthew and Luke
Méndez lines up the saying about the speck in your brother's eye and the log in your own: Matthew and Luke are almost word for word identical, and the Gospel of Thomas overlaps with them too. Thomas may have taken the saying from the earlier gospels or learned it independently from oral tradition, but either way, he says, a gospel like Thomas can carry Jesus traditions of value for reconstructing who Jesus was.
Summarized by AI · Who Do You Say I Am? Historical Sources for Jesus · Lecture 1: The Sources · watch the clip
Jesus' Humor in the New Testament
While Jesus is never explicitly described as laughing in the New Testament, some passages suggest he employed humor through exaggeration. An example is his teaching about removing a 'log' from one's own eye before addressing a 'speck' in another's, which uses a ridiculous image to make a point. This indicates a potential, albeit subtle, sense of humor in his teachings.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Our One-Year Anniversary! A Live Q&A with Bart. · watch the clip
Matt 7:11
God's Intervention and Answered Prayer
The instructor reflects on the traditional Christian belief in an active, intervening God who answers prayers, as depicted throughout the Bible. From leading Israel out of Egypt to Jesus' miracles and the apostles' works, God is portrayed as loving and powerful, capable and willing to help. This belief is challenged by the widespread, unaddressed suffering in the world, leading the instructor to question the reality of such divine intervention.
Summarized by AI · Why I am Not a Christian: How Leaving the Faith Led to Life of More Meaning and Purpose · Lecture 2: My Leaving the Faith | Going Where the “Truth” Leads You · watch the clip
Matt 7:12
Jesus' Ethics: Love, Care for the Needy, and the Kingdom
Jesus' teachings on ethics and salvation emphasize loving God and neighbor, doing unto others as you would have them do unto you, and caring for the hungry, thirsty, naked, homeless, and imprisoned. The parable of the sheep and the goats illustrates that entry into the kingdom is based on compassionate behavior towards those in need, even for those who do not explicitly know Jesus.
Summarized by AI · Luke's Maverick Gospel · Lecture 8: Luke and Its Reversals · watch the clip
The Golden Rule as the Fulfillment of the Law and Prophets
Jesus' Golden Rule, "Do to others what you want them to do to you," is presented as the summation that fulfills the Law and the Prophets. This teaching, similar to Rabbi Hillel's negative formulation, encapsulates the essence of ethical behavior and love for others.
Summarized by AI · The Genius of the Gospel of Matthew: What Scholars Say About the First Gospel · Lecture 4: The Sermon on the Mount and the New Moses · watch the clip
Jesus' ethic universalized prophetic altruism beyond tribal boundaries
Jesus' ethical teachings, rooted in Old Testament prophetic critiques of the rich exploiting the poor, radicalized this message with an apocalyptic urgency. He universalized the concept of 'neighbor' to include everyone, even enemies, transcending the ancient world's typical focus on helping only friends, family, or fellow countrymen. This revolutionary ethic is encapsulated in the Golden Rule and the parable of the sheep and the goats.
Summarized by AI · The Genius of the Gospel of Matthew: What Scholars Say About the First Gospel · Lecture 8: The Afterlife of Matthew | How the Gospel Changed our World and the World Changed our Gospel · watch the clip
The Golden Rule as the Core of the Law
Matthew's Jesus identifies the Golden Rule, 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,' as the essence of 'the Law and the Prophets.' This highlights that ethical behavior and interpersonal treatment are the central message of God's will, superseding other aspects of the law in importance.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Must Christians Keep Kosher? Decoding Matthew��s Answer · watch the clip
Jesus' Teachings and Abolitionism
Although Jesus was not an explicit abolitionist or feminist, his teachings, such as the Golden Rule from the Sermon on the Mount, can be interpreted to support the abolition of slavery and other forms of oppression. The text provides 'hints' that encourage readers to wrestle with its implications for justice and equality.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Is Jesus For Non-Christians, Too? · watch the clip
Matt 7:13-14
Jesus taught destruction, not eternal torment
Jesus' teachings, particularly in the Synoptic Gospels, indicate that the fate of the unrighteous at the Day of Judgment is destruction or annihilation, not eternal conscious torment. He contrasts 'life' with 'destruction,' implying non-existence for those who do not enter the Kingdom of God.
Summarized by AI · What the Hell? Jesus' Teachings on the Afterlife · Lecture 1: When Hell Disappeared from the Bible · watch the clip
The narrow and wide paths
The passage in Matthew 7:13-14 describes two paths: a wide, easy path leading to destruction, and a narrow, difficult path leading to life. This teaching emphasizes that achieving life in God's kingdom requires following a challenging way of life, distinct from the common pursuits of the world.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Did Jesus Invent Modern Morality? Exploring Ancient Ethics · watch the clip
Matt 7:16
God's provision and focus on heavenly things
Jesus' teachings, such as not worrying about food or clothing, and observing the birds of the air, imply that God will provide for those who trust Him. This suggests a reliance on God's provision, possibly through foraging, and encourages followers to prioritize heavenly concerns over earthly ones. His parables about knowing prophets by their fruits also allude to natural provisions.
Summarized by AI · Through the Eye of a Needle: Jesus's Teachings on Wealth and Their Modern Relevance · Lecture 5: Jesus' Life, Wealth, and Priorities · watch the clip
Matt 7:21-23
Matthew's Jesus Rejects Miracle Workers
The Gospel of Matthew presents Jesus warning that not everyone who performs miracles or prophecies in his name will be recognized by him on the last day. In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus states he will tell some who claim to have cast out demons and worked wonders in his name, 'I never knew you; depart from me.' This passage highlights a tension within early Christianity, suggesting that even those performing powerful acts in Jesus' name might not align with Matthew's specific theological interpretation.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · The Wild Wild West of Early Christianity: Disputes Over Jesus, Doctrine, and Everything Else · watch the clip
Matt 7:24-27
Jesus' Focus on His Teachings vs. Paul's Focus on Death and Resurrection
Jesus believed that the core of his ministry was for people to listen to and obey his teachings, particularly regarding repentance and returning to God. Paul, however, did not consider Jesus' teachings on repentance and forgiveness to be central. For Paul, the pivotal events were Jesus' death and resurrection, and salvation was achieved by turning to Jesus as the focus of how to reach God.
Summarized by AI · Paul and Jesus: The Great Divide · Lecture 8: Did Paul and Jesus Have the Same Religion? · watch the clip
Matt 7:28-29
Luke's knowledge of Matthew's literary structure
Luke demonstrates knowledge of Matthew's literary structure. At the end of a major discourse, Luke 7:1 states that Jesus 'completed these sayings in the hearing of the people,' which closely echoes Matthew 7:28-29, found at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew uses this same concluding phrase at the end of each of his five major discourses, suggesting Luke was aware of and adopted this Matthean structural device.
Summarized by AI · The Mysteries of the Synoptic Gospels: Discovering Matthew, Mark, and Luke · Lecture 6: Did Q Exist? · watch the clip
Matthew's Fivefold Discourse Structure
Matthew's Gospel is structured around five major discourses, each concluding with a similar formula, such as 'When Jesus had finished these sayings'. This fivefold division is seen by many scholars as an intentional parallel to the Pentateuch (the five books of Moses) and other Jewish literary works like the Psalms, suggesting Matthew's aim to present his Gospel as a significant work within Jewish literary tradition.
Summarized by AI · The Mysteries of the Synoptic Gospels: Discovering Matthew, Mark, and Luke · Lecture 14: Did Matthew Try to "Re-Judaize" Jesus? · watch the clip
Narrative transitions in Matthew and Luke's double tradition
Skeptics of the Q hypothesis point to narrative transitions found in the double tradition material of Matthew and Luke. For example, after Jesus completes his teachings (like the Sermon on the Mount), both Gospels transition to the story of the centurion in Capernaum using very similar phrasing. This suggests that the shared material (Q) was not merely a collection of sayings but included narrative sequences, making it look suspiciously like Matthew's structured Gospel, rather than a loose collection of sayings.
Summarized by AI · The New Testament: Exploring the Christian Bible · Lecture 9: Why Are the Gospels So Similar | The Riddle of Q · watch the clip
Matt 7:28
Luke's knowledge of Matthew's literary structures
Luke demonstrates knowledge of Matthew's unique literary structures, such as the narrator's comment 'when Jesus had finished these sayings' that concludes each of Matthew's five major discourses. This formula appears in Luke 7:1, paralleling Matthew 7:28-29, after Jesus's Sermon on the Plain. This 'diagnostic shard' indicates Luke is aware of and incorporates Matthew's structural elements, supporting the idea that Luke knew Matthew.
Summarized by AI · Did Q Exist? · Lecture 4: The Case Against Q · watch the clip