Commentary Matthew 7

Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Click here to access the group bible study resource for Matthew 7.

Verses 1-5

“Do not judge, or you will be judged. For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but fail to notice the beam in your own eye? How 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? You 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.

Commentary

These verses are not instructions on how to treat others, but rather a lesson on how to think critically about your own sins.

“Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to notice the beam in your own eye?”

If you’ve been a Christian for any length of time, you’ve probably heard nonbelievers use the verse “Do not judge” to defend their own sinful lifestyles. They often respond to someone sharing the gospel by saying, “You’re supposed to be a Christian; Jesus said, ‘Do not judge,’ so why are you judging me?”

People who reject Jesus Christ often quote Him when confronted about their sins, saying, “Do not judge.” But you cannot reject Jesus and then use the words of Jesus to justify your rejection of Him; that makes no sense. Either you accept His words or you don’t. If you’re going to use Jesus’s words when defending your sin, then you must also accept what Jesus said about everything else. Don’t be a hypocrite. Either accept Him or reject Him; but you can’t do both. You cannot use Jesus’s words for the purpose of rejecting Jesus’s words.

But as mentioned a moment ago, the statement “Do not judge” is not meant as an instruction on how to treat others. Every Christian knows you cannot take the Bible out of context. Once you remove a verse from its context, you lose its true meaning.

Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount is recorded in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7. You can’t simply pull three words out of a 45-minute message and use them as the foundation for your personal theology. You have to consider the entire message; what was Jesus really talking about? What point was He making?

The meaning of these verses is a call to personal introspection; to examine your own sins first. Jesus is urging each of us to look inward, to evaluate our own lives, and to turn away from the wrong things we do.

“First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

What was the very first thing Jesus preached in his ministry?

From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matthew 4:17)

Jesus wants us to turn from our evil ways. Remember, if you truly love Him, you’ll desire to live in alignment with God’s will rather than your own.

Again, when Jesus says, “First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye,” He is teaching us that we are supposed to judge other people’s sins in order to help them, not to condemn them. But we can only do this after we’ve dealt with the greater sin in our own lives.

My friend may have a speck in his eye (a small sin), but I have a beam in my own eye (a much larger sin). Before I can speak to him about removing his small sin, I must first deal with the bigger sin in my own life.

So before we continue, let’s review how we can remove a particular sin from our lives.
Maybe you’re struggling with a bad habit or a secret sin that you truly want to overcome. How do you do that?

I’ve got good news and bad news for you.

First, the bad news: sin is bound in the flesh. It’s like an ugly tattoo you can’t wash off. You’re stuck with it.

But here’s the good news: Jesus took your sins upon Himself when He died on the cross. Three days later, when He rose from the dead, He defeated both sin and death. And when He ascended into heaven, He poured out the Holy Spirit upon all who put their faith in Him.

The secret to overcoming habitual sin is to place your faith in Jesus Christ. Only He can remove sin from your life. When we follow Christ, He fills us with the Holy Spirit, which brings us into a new and transformed life.

Verse 6

Do 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.

Commentary

Now Jesus begins offering us advice on how to treat other people. When we point out the speck in someone’s eye; in other words, when we tell others about their sins and their need for Jesus Christ, there will be some who are so vehemently opposed to the gospel that it’s of no value to keep trying to talk to them about God. Jesus said,

“And if anyone will not welcome you or heed your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.” (Matthew 10:14)

Verses 7-11

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? So 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!

Commentary

What is the “it” that Jesus is referring to? He’s talking about the Holy Spirit. If you ask for the Holy Spirit, you will receive the Holy Spirit. If you knock, the door will be opened for you to receive the Holy Spirit. And if you seek the Holy Spirit, God will allow you to find the Holy Spirit.

In my opinion, this is one of the most critical verses in the New Testament. Salvation comes by faith, and those who truly have faith receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Later in this chapter, we’ll read how, on the Day of Judgment, many who call themselves Christians will hear Jesus say, “I never knew you; depart from Me.” He will be referring to those who were never filled with the Holy Spirit.

When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, God knows us because He lives within us. The phrase “I never knew you” does not suggest that God is ignorant or unaware of certain people; He is both omniscient and omnipresent. Rather, when Jesus says, “Depart from Me; I never knew you,” He is referring to those who never placed their faith in Him and therefore were never filled with the Holy Spirit.

Those who claim the name of Christ yet are never filled with the Holy Spirit have no excuse, because all they ever had to do was ask, seek, and knock; and they would have received the Holy Spirit. But since they never placed their faith in Jesus or believed His words about asking, seeking, and knocking, they never received Him.

Most people without the Holy Spirit don’t recognize their need for Jesus. They believe they’ll go to heaven simply because they’re “a good person.” This, however, is pride. The Bible says that…

pride goes before destruction (Proverbs 16:18a)

In my opinion, this is the dividing line between those Christians who are saved and those who will hear Jesus say, “I never knew you.” The difference is the infilling of the Holy Spirit through faith. Many who call themselves Christians will not enter the kingdom of heaven because they never truly knew Christ; they were never filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus Himself said that many will come to Him on that day saying, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?” proving that they wrongly believed they could enter heaven through their good works while bypassing a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ.

Think about it this way: when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, God begins to speak to you in various ways and through different means. From that point on, He can no longer say that He never knew you. He spoke to you. If you are filled with the Holy Spirit and, through His power, have personal interactions with God (in other words, you have a relationship with Jesus Christ), then on the Day of Judgment, He could not say, “I never knew you” because you could respond, “Wait a minute, Lord, don’t You remember when You spoke to me back in July of 2025? We had a conversation. I prayed, and You answered. How can You say You never knew me?”

The infilling of the Holy Spirit leads to a relationship with Jesus Christ. That relationship should give the believing Christian full confidence that Christ knows them personally.

If you have not yet received the Holy Spirit, ask, seek, and knock daily:
• Ask: “Lord, may I have the Holy Spirit?”
• Seek: Read the word of God daily, get plugged into a Bible study group where people who are spiritually wiser than yourself can help you to understand the nuances of what you’re reading.
• Knock: Don’t just ask and seek one time and that’s it. Be like the person from Luke chapter eleven.

Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose one of you goes to his friend at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine has come to me on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him.’

And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Do not bother me. My door is already shut, and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up to provide for him because of his friendship, yet because of the man’s persistence, he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Luke 11:5-10)

Verse 12

In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the Prophets.

Commentary

It’s astonishing to me that our world is so evil.

From 1915 to 1917 the Ottoman Empire murdered 1.5 million Armenians. From 1922 to 1952 Joseph Stalin murdered 6 million people in Russia. The same people he was supposed to represent as their leader. Likewise, from 1934 to 1945 Adolf Hitler murdered 6 million people. Between 1943 and 1976 Mao Zedong murdered 80 million Chinese people. Between 1971 and 1979 Idi Amin murdered half a million people. Between 1975 and 1979 Pol Pot murdered 25% of Cambodia’s population, roughly 2.8 million people. In 1994 the Hutu people murdered 800,000 of their neighbors the Tutsi people.

In writing that previous list, I chose to include only figures from the 20th century and excluded any genocide in which fewer than half a million people were killed. But rest assured, that list could have been much, much longer.

And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. (Revelation 12:9)

Satan deceives the whole world. Every single one of the murderers just mentioned thought they were doing the right thing. Why? Because they were deceived by Satan.

To be a follower of Jesus Christ; to put your faith in Jesus Christ, you must believe that what Jesus said is true. To not do what Jesus said is to demonstrate that you don’t fully trust Him.

Faith equals trust. Putting your faith in Jesus Christ means that you trust Him and that trust extends to believing what he said.

Jesus said that the essence of all the law and all the prophets is that you treat other people the way you want to be treated.

To the man who hits his wife, I ask this question: Do you want to be punched in the face? No? Well then stop hitting your wife. You lack the Holy Spirit. That’s why you have anger issues. Pray to the Lord and ask him to give you the Holy Spirit.

To the man who is too busy to spend quality time with his children. Do you want other people to ignore you? No? Well then turn off your electronics at 5:00 and sit down on the floor with your little children and play with them. They are your ministry.

To the woman who has a habit of gossiping about other people, I ask: Do you want people to talk about you behind your back? No? Well then stop gossiping and start praying for those people you otherwise talk about.

Why is this so hard? If you have faith in Jesus Christ, you will choose to treat people in the same way you want to be treated, with patience, courtesy and kindness, everywhere you go.

Verses 13-14

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Commentary

The wide gate is referring to hell. The use of the word destruction is also a reference to hell. Many people go to hell.

Enter through the narrow gate. Enter where? Enter what? What is he talking about? He’s talking about heaven, salvation, eternal life. The narrow gate is Jesus Christ.

Salvation is not exclusive to Christians. Paul wrote;

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)

Both Jewish people and Christians can be saved by putting their faith in Jesus Christ. For the Jewish person, if you believe that Jesus Christ was the Messiah and if you put your faith in Jesus as your messiah, you will be saved. Think about it this way: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul and Peter were all Jewish.

The entire Bible, from cover to cover was written by Jewish people, except for Daniel chapter 4, which was written by King Nebuchadnezzar. He was the only non-Jewish person to write part of the Bible.

Jesus Christ was not a Christian. He was Jewish. Remember, the gospel is the power of God for salvation first to the Jew and then to the Christian.

And as for Christians, it’s not enough to mentally acknowledge the existence of Jesus. It’s not enough to become a member of a church or of a denomination. It’s not enough to read the Bible from cover to cover and then place a checkmark on your goal sheet.

Many Christians will go to hell because they believed their good deeds would get them into heaven. This is the reason why the way that leads to life is narrow and small and few people find it, because it’s counter intuitive. It doesn’t make sense in a world where one has to earn everything they have.

Jesus Christ died for you. He died in place of you. He took your spot on the cross. Anyone who rejects faith in Christ, continues onward toward death and hell. But those who put their faith in Jesus Christ, have their sins taken up by Christ. Those sins are nailed to the cross. It is your sins that are put to death with Christ, so that you can live.

Verses 15-20

Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Commentary

Just a moment ago, Jesus told us that the way to life is narrow and that few people find it. Even among Christians, pastors, priests, and religious leaders, only a few will find eternal life. Now, Jesus is warning us to watch out for false teachers.

This is what I often advise: when you begin attending a church that’s new to you, I strongly recommend placing the pastor on probation for the first six months. Be ever seeing and ever perceiving. Verify through Scripture that what your pastor is preaching is true. Remember, false doctrine is deceptive, it often sounds good when you first hear it, but later, when you study your Bible and reflect, you begin to realize that something isn’t right.

Jesus said that by their fruit you will recognize them. Think of the old story about United States Secret Service agents learning to spot counterfeit money; not by studying the fakes, but by becoming thoroughly familiar with real money. It’s the same with Christian doctrine. To recognize bad fruit, you first need to know what good fruit looks like. That’s why reading the Bible is essential.

I suggest, as a matter of practicality, that you spend more time in the New Testament than in the Old. Consider reading the New Testament twice for every time you read the Old Testament.

The Old Testament is very valuable, and you should read it. But the New Testament is where the message of Jesus Christ is most clearly revealed and where the doctrines of the Christian faith are spelled out. A false teacher isn’t going to try to confuse you over whether Jethro was Moses’s father-in-law. Instead, they will try to mislead you about the doctrines established in the New Testament.

If you’re a new Christian seeking to read the entire Bible, start with the New Testament before moving on to the Old Testament. I’ve heard, perhaps a dozen times, of new Christians who set a goal to read the whole Bible for the first time. Logically, they start at the beginning; the Old Testament. But by the time they reach the book of Numbers, which is almost entirely census data, land measurements, and architectural specifications, they grow bored and quit reading the Bible altogether. Many never return, carrying the impression for the rest of their lives that the Bible is a long, boring read; unaware that they missed the very best of its message by only a few hundred pages.

So, let’s come back to the verse in question. Jesus said “beware of false prophets”. We need to define what false doctrine is.

Because everything in life can be represented on a bell curve that has two extremes, in this example, one extreme of the bell curve are those who claim everyone in the pulpit is a servant of God and we should try to learn from everyone. They’ll argue “who are you to question other people’s credentials.”

On the other extreme of the bell curve are those who use the label “false teacher” too aggressively. They might denounce even the most biblically faithful and humble pastors as false teachers simply because of a minor disagreement in Biblical interpretation; often on secondary and non-essential matters. This creates division within the body of Christ and can reveal a person more concerned with pridefully winning arguments than seeking the truth in love. Not every disagreement is evidence of false doctrine; sometimes it’s just a difference in perspective among sincere students of God’s Word.

I don’t agree with everything my pastor says, but it doesn’t cause me to quit the church. Likewise, you also are not going to agree with every single thing your pastor says. But don’t label him a false teacher just because he thinks tithes should be paid from pre-tax income rather than from post-tax income.

So what exactly are false prophets, false teachers and false doctrine? And what exactly is not considered false doctrine?

Jesus says, in these verses we are now examining, “They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”

The trouble with false teachers and false doctrine is that no one ever walked into the pulpit and announced, “I’m now going to teach you false doctrine.”

Instead, false teachers are in sheep’s clothing. False teachers come to you looking like they’re on your team. False doctrine is often very subtle and requires that you are paying attention, and that you know your Bible well. Most false teachers will preach a mixture of truth and lies. This is why I recommend giving yourself at least six months of attending a church before making any commitment to becoming a member, because it might take you that long to identify the subtlety of false doctrine.

When you are in church, write down every verse the pastor references. Then during the rest of the week, when you’re at home doing your own personal Bible study, look up each of the verses he referenced in his sermon. Read them in the proper context and see if what he said about those verses line up with what the verses actually mean.

Here are a few examples of false doctrine. This is not a complete list:
• Jesus was just a good teacher or prophet, but not divine
• Jesus sinned
• Jesus made mistakes – and the pastor claims to know what Jesus should have done (revealing that he or she considers themselves more righteous than Jesus).
• Jesus did not rise from the dead
• The Bible has errors in it and they (the false teacher) are going to tell you what the Bible should have said.
• Every Christian that has ever lived, has interpreted the Bible incorrectly, but now (the false teacher) is the only one whose been able to figure out what it actually means.
• You must follow and obey the pastor rather than Jesus.
• Everyone goes to heaven
o Hell is empty, or there’s no such thing as hell
o People are inherently good
• You must do something to earn your salvation
o That your spiritual standing depends on adherence to man-made rules
• New revelations supersede the Bible
• That you personally, possess some sort of magical or God-like powers.
o That you can speak things into existence, such as health, wealth, happiness and success.
• That God is going to give you the desires of your flesh
o Wealth
o Fame
o Success
• That God will give you what you desire only after you give money to the pastor.
o Or that the pastor “needs” something extravagant or impractical, such as a sports car or a mansion.
• Salvation is only found in a specific denomination
o Other sincere, Christ following believers, will go to hell merely because they attend church at a different denomination.

Also, be aware that false teachers have a low view of the Bible. They do not honor the Word of God. They rarely encourage their congregation to read it, and some even discourage it. A false teacher may go through entire sermons without ever referencing the Bible, or worse, may openly criticize it. Whenever you hear a pastor say that the Bible is wrong, that it contains errors, or that you shouldn’t be reading it, you can know immediately that you are dealing with a false teacher. False teachers always have a low view of Scripture.

Now let’s look at what is not false doctrine. You might agree with some of these and disagree with others. However, if you hear one of the following being taught in a church, and you disagree with it, it may be your preference to go to a different church or you might choose to continue attending that church while keeping your disagreements to yourself.
• Spiritual Gifts
• Cessationism
• Church leadership, roles and responsibilities
• Christian engagement in culture
• Bible Interpretation
o predestination vs. free will
o Pre-tribulation rapture vs. mid-trib or post-trib
• Preferred Bible translations
• Christian Liberty
o Is it okay for Christians to drink alcohol in moderation?
o Can Christians watch secular movies or listen to secular music?
o Are tattoos or piercings sinful?
o Degrees of modesty in clothing

These are just a few examples, but it all comes down to not majoring in the minors. My pastor might believe or preach something I disagree with, but my position is that while I don’t share his view, I’m not going to accuse him of being wrong. I simply keep it to myself.

Verses 21-23

Not 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. 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 perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’

Commentary

These verses are evidence that not everyone who claims the name of Christ is saved.

Jesus says, “only those who do the will of my father in heaven will be saved” Well, what is the will of the father in heaven that we must do? The answer is to put our faith in Jesus Christ.

For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40)

Eternal life means that when you “die”, you will continue to live. You will be in the presence of the Lord. And then, on the last day, you will be resurrected back into your body, which will be without blemish, pain, old age or illness.

I am talking about things which we will get to in detail as we progress through the New Testament. But for now, let me simplify the whole thing. By putting your faith in Jesus Christ, you will live forever. If you do not put your faith in Jesus Christ, you will die.

Now, again, that’s a very simplistic explanation, and we will get into the details in future installments. But for now, just know that everyone who looks to Jesus and believes in Him shall have eternal life.

Eternal means you will live forever.

Verses 24-27

Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The 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.

But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its collapse!”

Commentary

Remember, we always try our best to read the Bible in context. And just five seconds ago Jesus was saying that many Christians will come to him on the day of judgement and say, we performed all these acts and good deeds in your name. But he is going to say, “I never knew you, depart from me.”

Now, the very next thing Jesus says is “Everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them is wise”. Therefore, that which Jesus is saying is wise, is not performing acts of good deeds in an attempt to earn salvation.

When Jesus says, everyone who hears these words of mine, what words is he referring to? Doing the will of the Father by putting one’s faith in his son, Jesus Christ.

Remember, faith is not merely a mental acknowledgment of historical facts and persons. Rather faith is putting complete trust in Jesus Christ. In your prayers, ask Jesus to help you have faith and to help you trust in him and his word.

Immediately the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

We just read a few moments ago that the path to life is narrow and few people find it. So ask Jesus to help you find that path.

Verses 28-29

When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

Commentary

Jesus taught as one who had authority because Jesus is the ultimate authority.