Matthäus 7

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Matthäus 7:1

„Urteile nicht, damit du nicht gerichtet wirst.

(a) Urteile nicht or condemn people because that sort of judgment misrepresents God’s merciful character (Luke 6:36-37).

There is a time and place for righteous judgment (see Eintrag for John 7:24), but in context Jesus is saying, “Do not judge people according to the law.” (He’s speaking to people born under law.)

Jemand, der andere mit dem Gesetz hämmert, handelt gegen das gnädige Herz des Vaters. Da das Gesetz die Sünde ermächtigt, wird ein Urteilstyp genau die Sünde erregen, die er verurteilt. Gericht und Verurteilung bringen keine Freiheit. Nur die Gnade Gottes kann uns befähigen, ein gottgefälliges Leben zu führen (Tit, 2:11-12).

(b) Sie werden nicht beurteilt. We reap what we sow (Rom 2:1). If we criticize and condemn others, we will come under condemnation ourselves. Our consciences will condemn us (1 John 3:20, John 8:9), the accuser will condemn us (Rev 12:10), and when our faults become known, others will condemn us as hypocrites.

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Matthäus 7:7

„Bitte, und es wird dir gegeben; Suche und du wirst finden; klopft an, und es wird euch geöffnet.

(a) Fragen. Asking is how we receive (Jas. 4:2). Our Father wants us to ask because asking cultivates dependency and intimacy.

Manmade religion says, “Don’t ask questions,” but Jesus said, “Ask and you shall receive.” Asking questions is how we grow, but we can distinguish good and bad questions. A good question leads you to good places, while a bad question produces quarrels and strife (2 Tim. 2:23).

A bad question is one that causes you to draw on your own finite understanding instead of trusting in God and his unlimited understanding (Jer. 17:5-8). When the serpent asked, “Did God really say?” he was asking a bad question that took Adam and Eve to a bad place (Gen. 3:1).

Eine schlechte Frage weist Sie von der Weisheit weg, lenkt Sie von der Wahrheit ab und hält Sie davon ab, die Antwort zu finden. Manchmal werden schlechte Fragen mit der Zeile „sie regen zum Nachdenken an“ verkauft. Aber sie bringen dich nicht zum Nachdenken, sie lassen dich zweifeln. Sie ersetzen Glauben durch Ungewissheit und lenken dich von Jesus ab. Habe mit solchen Fragen und Diskussionen nichts zu tun.

Gott hat uns von Natur aus neugierig gemacht, weil er wusste, dass unsere Neugier uns letztendlich zu ihm führen wird. Wir definieren uns über die Fragen, die wir stellen, also stellen Sie gute Fragen. Und haben Sie keine Angst, Ihre Fragen an den Heiligen Geist zu richten.

Weiterlesen: „Fragen sind keine Fragen”

(b) It will be given or done. When we rest in the love of Christ and his word is rooted in our hearts, his desires become our desires. As a result, our righteous prayers get answered. See Eintrag for John 15:7.

(c) Seek the kingdom and you will find it along with everything you need (Matt. 6:33).

Jesus is contrasting two ways to live. We can adopt the anxious life of the Gentile or unbeliever and worry ourselves sick about food, clothing and whatever troubles tomorrow may bring (Matt. 6:32, 34), or we can trust our heavenly Father to take care of us, right down to providing our daily bread (Matt. 6:11, 31–33).

(d) Knock on the gate of the kingdom and you will be readily admitted. Knock on the door of the house of grace and it will be flung open wide to receive you.

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Matthew 7:8

“For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Everyone. God does not turn anyone away (John 6:37, Rev. 22:17). All who ask for mercy and grace shall have it. All who seek the kingdom and his righteousness shall find it. All who knock on the Lord’s door will be warmly received. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:13).

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Matthew 7:9–10

“Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?

(a) What man is there among you? Jesus was a master at engaging with his audience and using every day examples to illuminate spiritual realities. “You wouldn’t give your son something bad, would you? Of course not. You would give them good things they asked for. Well, God is a far better Father than you.”

(b) Loaf… fish. Our daily needs.

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Matthäus 7:11

„Wenn ihr also böse seid und es versteht, euren Kindern gute Gaben zu geben, wie viel mehr wird euer Vater im Himmel denen Gutes geben, die ihn bitten!

(a) Böse sein. Jesus is not commenting on human depravity as much as he is elevating the goodness of God. Even bad fathers care for their children; how much more does your heavenly Father desire to bless you.

(b) Dein Vater; sehen Eintrag for Matthew 5:16.

(c) Geben. The God Jesus revealed is a giving Father (Luke 11:13, 12:32).

(d) Was ist gut. God gives “good things” which chiefly refers to Jesus himself. Jesus is the Good Thing foretold in the prophets and queried by Nathanael. “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46). See also the Eintrag for Heb. 10:1.

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Matthäus 7:12

„Deshalb behandle die Menschen in allem so, wie du möchtest, dass sie dich behandeln, denn dies ist das Gesetz und die Propheten.

Das Gesetz refers to the Law of Moses, the commandments, ordinances, punishments, and ceremonial observances given to the nation of Israel through Moses (Jos. 8:31). This law is sometimes referred to as the law of commandments (Eph. 2:15) or the law of the Jews (Acts 25:8). See Eintrag für das Gesetz.

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Matthäus 7:14

„Denn klein ist die Pforte und schmal der Weg, der zum Leben führt, und wenige finden ihn.

Leben. In der Bibel werden zwei Arten von Leben beschrieben; Die psyche- oder Seelenleben, das wir von Adam und den geerbt haben zoe- or spirit life that comes from God (John 5:26). It’s the second kind of life that is described here. See Eintrag für Neues Leben.

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Matthäus 7:15

„Hütet euch vor den falschen Propheten, die im Schafspelz zu euch kommen, aber innerlich gefräßige Wölfe sind.

Gefräßige Wölfe. Das Wort für ausgehungert kann mit räuberisch oder erpresserisch übersetzt werden. Falsche Propheten sind religiöse Gangster, die ihren Lebensunterhalt damit verdienen, denen Angst einzujagen, die Gott liebt, und die Schafe zu bedrohen. „Gott ist sauer auf dich. Sein Schwert hängt über dieser Stadt. Das Gericht kommt. Du stehst am Abgrund. Hüten Sie sich vor astronomischen Omen. Halte dich von der Gnade fern – sie wird dich in die Hölle schicken.“

A false prophet uses threats of punishment to extract money and service from the sheep. “Sow into my ministry and save yourself from the flames.” He lives off stolen property and “makes himself wealthy by extortion” (see Hab. 2:4-7). These fearmongers claim to serve in the name of Lord, but they are servants of fear and darkness.

Weiterlesen: „Religiöse Gangster”

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Matthäus 7:17

„So bringt jeder gute Baum gute Früchte, aber der schlechte Baum bringt schlechte Früchte.

Dieser Vers wird manchmal verwendet, um anzudeuten, dass die Menschheit ein schlechter Baum mit schlechten Früchten ist. „Sieh dir nur all die Sünden der Welt an.“ Aber wenn Sie den Baum der Menschheit nach seinen Früchten beurteilen würden, müssten Sie daraus schließen, dass es alle Arten von Menschen gibt, sowohl gute als auch böse.

In dieser Passage bezieht sich Jesus auf falsche Propheten. „An ihren Früchten werdet ihr sie erkennen.“ Gute Frucht bedeutet einen guten Baum; schlechte Frucht bedeutet einen schlechten Baum. Aber was macht einen Baum überhaupt gut oder schlecht? Augustinus, der Bischof von Hippo, sagte, dass alle Bäume schlecht geboren werden, aber Jesus sagte, dass einige Bäume schlecht gemacht werden. „Entweder mache den Baum gut und seine Frucht gut, oder sonst den Baum schlecht machen and its fruit bad (Matt. 12:33). If you can be schlecht gemacht, du hättest es nicht sein können böse geboren sein. Aus dem gleichen Grund, wenn du gut gemacht werden kannst, hättest du nicht gut geboren werden können. Ein kleines Kind, das nicht richtig von falsch unterscheidet, kann nicht als gut oder schlecht beurteilt werden. Sie werden gut oder schlecht als Ergebnis der Entscheidungen, die sie treffen, während sie wachsen.

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Matthäus 7:18

„Ein guter Baum kann keine schlechten Früchte hervorbringen, noch kann ein schlechter Baum gute Früchte hervorbringen.

Falsche Propheten sind gefräßige Wölfe (siehe Vers 15) und obendrein Lügner. Sie können eine gute Show abliefern, aber es ist alles Rauch und Spiegel. Sie mögen auf ihrer Social-Media-Seite gut aussehen, aber privat sind sie andere Menschen. Es sind schlechte Bäume mit schlechten Früchten und Jesus kennt sie nicht (siehe Vers 23).

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Matthäus 7:19

„Jeder Baum, der keine guten Früchte trägt, wird gefällt und ins Feuer geworfen.

(a) Good fruit. Fruit are the proof of a tree. A tree that does not bear fruit, is not a good tree and is liable to be cut down. The fruit that God looks for is faith (see Eintrag for Matt. 3:8).

(b) Cut down. Like John before him, Jesus warns what will happen to the unbelieving nation (Matt. 3:10). They will be cut down on account of their unbelief. Writing some twenty years later, Paul said “God did not reject his people … they were broken off because of unbelief” (Rom. 11:2, 20).

Unbelief has consequences. To reject the Author of life is to cut yourself off from life itself (Rom. 11:20, Gal. 5:4).

(c) Fire. The ungodly and all those things that are opposed to God’s reign will be destroyed by fire (Matt. 13:41, 2 Pet. 2:6, 3:7).

Fire is Old Testament image associated with divine judgment (Is. 66:15–16, Oba. 1:18, Zeph. 3:8, Mal. 4:1). Jesus often spoke of fire in connection with Judgment Day (Matt. 5:22, 13:42, 50, 18:9, 25:41, Mark 9:43, Luke 17:29–30, John 15:6). He did not dread this fire but he looked forward to it knowing that it would spell the end of sin and usher in eternity (see Eintrag for Luke 12:49).

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Matthäus 7:21

„Nicht jeder, der zu mir sagt: Herr, Herr, wird in das Himmelreich eingehen, sondern wer den Willen meines Vaters im Himmel tut, wird hineinkommen.

(a) Herr, Herr; siehe nächsten Vers.

(b) Der Wille Meines Vaters is that we build on the rock. It’s hearing the words of Jesus and putting them into practice. In short, the will, the work, and the commandment of God is to trust in Jesus (John 6:29, 1 John 3:23).

(c) The kingdom of heaven; see Eintrag for Matt. 3:2.

(d) Mein Vater; sehen Eintrag for Matthew 5:16.

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Matthäus 7:22

„Viele werden an jenem Tag zu mir sagen: ‚Herr, Herr, haben wir nicht in deinem Namen geweissagt und in deinem Namen Dämonen ausgetrieben und in deinem Namen viele Wunder vollbracht?'

(a) An diesem Tag. Jüngster Tag, an dem Jesus die Schafe von den Böcken trennt.

(b) Herr, Herr. Das sind keine Gläubigen, die den Namen des Herrn angerufen haben, sondern Wölfe im Schafspelz. Jesus kennt sie nicht (siehe nächster Vers).

On three occasions Jesus spoke about people who would cry out “Lord, Lord” yet not be received into his kingdom (Matt: 7-21-22, 25:11, Luke 6:46). On each occasion he was talking about people who did not know him.

(c) Haben wir nicht? Diese Leute sind selbstgerecht. Sie kennen Jesus nicht (siehe nächster Vers), glauben aber, dass sie aufgrund ihrer Leistungen angenommen werden. "Wir haben all diese Dinge für Sie getan." Sie sagen im Grunde: „Jesus, du bist umsonst gestorben. Ich stehe für meine eigenen Verdienste.“

(d) Wunder; sehen Eintrag for Matt. 11:20.

Weiterlesen: „Was ist mit denen, die „Herr, Herr“ rufen?”

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Matthäus 7:23

„Und dann werde ich ihnen erklären: ‚Ich habe euch nie gekannt; WEG VON MIR, IHRER GESETZLOSIGKEIT.'

(a) Ich habe dich nie gekannt. Jesus is not speaking to Christians who have missed the mark; he is talking to self-righteous people he doesn’t know. The Good Shepherd knows his sheep (John 10:27); these aren’t his sheep. He does not say, “I used to know you,” but “I never knew you.”

To be known by God is to trust in the love of God revealed to us through his Son. “If anyone loves God, he is known by him” (1 Cor. 8:3). We may not be 100 percent faithful but Jesus is. If you are his you can rest assured that he will never let you go (John 10:28-29). God does not break his promises and unchild his children. If you have been born again you can’t be unborn. What God has joined together, no man can separate.

(b) Geh weg von mir. Der Selbstgerechte kann nicht mit dem Gerechten koexistieren.

(c) Du, der du Gesetzlosigkeit praktizierst. “You who habitually sin.” They are a lawless in the sense that they live contrary to God’s good will.

In the new covenant, faith is described as a rest (Rom. 4:5, Heb. 4:3), while unbelief is described in terms of actions and verbs like üben Gesetzlosigkeit.

Unglaube ist widerstehen der Heilige Geist u klammern to worthless idols (Acts 7:51, 14:15). Unbelief is ablehnen Jesus (John 3:36) and leugnen the Lord (Jude 1:4). It’s stoßen weg das Wort Gottes und beurteilen yourself unworthy of life (Acts 13:46). It’s unterdrücken the truth (Rom. 1:18) and entzückend in wickedness (2 Th. 2:12). It’s drehen away (Heb. 12:25), gehen astray (2 Pet. 2:15), and trampeln the Son of God underfoot (Heb. 10:29).

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Matthäus 7:24

„Deshalb kann jeder, der diese meine Worte hört und danach handelt, mit einem weisen Mann verglichen werden, der sein Haus auf den Felsen baute.

(a) Therefore. Jesus has been preaching the Sermon on the Mount, and he concludes with a solemn warning: “Only those who do the will of my Father will enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 7:21). Many will come boasting of their works, but he will say, “Depart from me, I never knew you” (Matt. 7:23). To drive his point home, he tells the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders. In Luke’s account, the same parable closes the Sermon on the Plain and is sometimes called the Parable of the Two Builders (Luke 6:47–49).

(b) These words of mine. The words of Jesus that we need to act upon are those he has just spoken about doing the will of his Father. What is the Father’s will? The will, the work, and the command of the Father are to believe in the Son and receive eternal life (John 6:29, 40, 1 John 3:23). Jesus does not give us a long list of requirements for entering the kingdom. He calls us to trust that he is who he claims to be (the Son sent from the Father) and that he will do what he has promised to do (save us and raise us).

Some, however, think “these words of mine” refer to the entire Sermon on the Mount. They insist, “We must do everything Jesus said to qualify for the kingdom.” This is bad news indeed. Jesus said, “Do not worry” (Matt. 6:25). Apparently, worriers are excluded from the kingdom. If this bad news causes you to worry, you could be in serious trouble.

Although Jesus spends much of his sermon elevating the Law of Moses, “these words of mine” are not the words of Moses. Moses gives law; Jesus brings grace. Moses promotes works; Jesus inspires faith. Moses preaches a law that condemns even the best of us, but Jesus reveals a grace that qualifies even the worst of us (John 1:17).

(c) Acts on them. Jesus calls us to repent and believe the good news (Mark 1:15). Those who do this are wise.

There is a temptation to read the Wise and Foolish Builders as a call to works-based salvation. “To be saved, you have to do everything Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount. You have to turn the other cheek, love your enemies, never get angry, go the extra mile, forgive those who sin against you, don’t worry, don’t judge, and don’t sin. Fail to do all these things and you are doomed to destruction.” Others say we must do these things to become mature believers. But no one was ever saved or sanctified through law-keeping or good works (Rom. 3:20).

Jesus is saying the same thing he will later say to the Sardians. “I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God” (Rev. 3:2). The Sardians had heard the gospel of Christ, but some did not believe it. Jesus urges them to remember what they have received and heard—the gospel—heed it, and turn to God in faith (Rev. 3:3).

(d) Wise. The original adjective phronimos means “prudent” or “forward-looking.” The same word appears in other parables to describe the wise virgins (Matt. 25:2), the faithful and sensible steward (Luke 12:42), and the shrewd manager (Luke 16:8). What these people have in common is that they look ahead and prepare for the future.

(e) Built his house. In Israel, villagers built houses in summer when the weather was fair but the ground was hard. A wise builder dug down through the hard ground until he reached rock, knowing that the rain and wind of winter would surely come.

(f) The rock represents Jesus Christ, the sure foundation on which every believer stands (Ps. 62:6, 1 Cor. 3:11).

(g) Compared. The parable is an analogy. It compares two groups—those who act on Jesus’ words and those who do not—to two kinds of builders: the wise and the foolish.

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Matthew 7:25

“And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.

(a) Rain, floods, wind. Jewish homeowners were familiar with the sudden storms and flash floods that afflicted Israel during the rainy season.

To a Jewish listener familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures, storms often symbolized divine judgment (e.g., Is. 28:2, Jer. 23:19, 30:23, Eze. 13:13). Jesus is describing Judgment Day (Matt. 7:13, 21–22).

(b) It did not fall. The wise man who builds something that lasts represents the believer who puts their faith in Christ. Those who are established in the Father’s love can look forward to Judgment Day with unshakable confidence (1 John 4:17). One with the Lord, they know his future is their future.

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Matthäus 7:26

„Jeder, der diese meine Worte hört und nicht danach handelt, wird wie ein törichter Mann sein, der sein Haus auf Sand baute.

(a) These words of mine refer to Christ’s exhortation to do “the will of my Father who is in heaven.” The will of the Father is to believe in the Son he sent (John 6:40). See Eintrag for Matthew 7:24.

(b) Does not act on them. Es reicht nicht aus, die gute Nachricht zu hören, die Jesus bringt; Sie müssen es glauben. Der Glaube an Gott (wie ihn die Juden hatten) ist tot, es sei denn, er geht einher mit dem Glauben an den, den er gesandt hat (vgl Eintrag for Jas. 2:14).

Faith without works is dead and useless (Jas. 2:17, 20). We are exhorted to be doers and not merely hearers of the word (Jas. 1:22). To be a doer of the word is to receive, with humility, the Living Word of truth that can save our souls (Jas. 1:21). Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ is the work that accompanies our faith. It may seem strange to think of believing as a work, but believing in Jesus is the work of God (see Eintrag for John 6:29).

(c) Foolish. The Greek word mōros is related to the English word “moron,” meaning a stupid or slow-witted person.

In the New Testament, four adjectives are translated as “foolish.” First, aphrōn describes someone who is “thoughtless” or “reckless” and prone to making poor judgments (Rom. 2:20). Second, asynetos means being “undiscerning,” “uncomprehending,” or showing “an inability to understand” (Rom. 1:21). Third, anoētos means “mindless,” “irrational,” or “slow to understand” (Rom. 1:14, Gal. 3:1). Finally, mōros—the sharpest and most insulting of the four—denotes someone who is “stupid,” “dull,” or “moronic.”

(d) Sand. If a wise person is one who builds on Jesus, the Righteous Rock, a foolish person builds on the shifting sand of self-righteousness. Refusing to believe that Christ bore all our sins and that every blessing of heaven is freely ours in him (Eph. 1:3), they foolishly try to earn acceptance, salvation, and the favor of God.

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Matthew 7:27

“The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

(a) The floods came. The final judgment is coming; see Eintrag for Matt. 7:25.

(b) Great was its fall. Those who refuse to turn to God in faith are heading for destruction (2 Pet. 3:7). Those who reject the gift of life shall perish (John 3:16, 10:28).

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Matthew 7:28–29

When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at his teaching; for he was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

(a) Amazed at his teaching. The people were “struck with astonishment” because Jesus’ message was nothing like what the scribes and religious leaders taught. Their reaction shows that Jesus wasn’t preaching an old law or a new one, but something completely different—the good news of grace that is received by faith. The scribes taught that salvation was based on doing, but Jesus said it was based on believing (e.g., John 3:15–16). They portrayed God as a judge who scores us on our performance, but Jesus revealed a heavenly Father who cares for us and provides for our needs (e.g., Matt. 6:9, 33). This kind of amazed reaction was a common response to his ministry (e.g., Matt. 13:54, 22:33, Mark 1:22).

(b) Authority. Jesus taught with the divine and irrefutable authority of the Son of God. The scribes had merely read about God, but Jesus was God in the flesh (Col. 2:9, 1 Tim. 3:16). The scribes had second-hand revelation about an inferior covenant that demanded works, but Jesus gave fresh revelation about a new covenant that offered grace.

(c) Scribes. The scribes were experts in the law and were sometimes called lawyers (e.g., Luke 7:30). They were responsible for copying the Scriptures (the Old Testament), teaching, reading, and interpreting the Law of Moses (Matt. 23:2, Luke 5:17). Many served on the ruling council or Sanhedrin (Mark 15:1, Acts 4:5), and some belonged to the party of Pharisees (Mark 2:16, Acts 23:9). By the time of Christ, the scribes had become an exclusive group who believed they understood the law better than the common people. Jesus rebuked them for placing their traditions above the law itself (Mark 7:6–13) and for their greed and hypocrisy (Matt. 23:2–33, Luke 20:46–47). See also the Eintrag for Matt. 5:20.

The message of the Wise and Foolish Builders is that it’s not enough to hear about the will or word of God—you must act on it. It’s not enough to hear the good news of the Savior he sent—you must believe it. This does not mean “do everything written in the Bible” or “do everything Jesus said.” Jesus often preached law to those under the law. You are not under the law. The will of God is to believe in the Son he sent. Everything else flows from that.

There are no half measures with Jesus. Each of us responds to him in one of two ways. Either we say, “Lord, your will be done” (that’s faith), or we say, “My will be done” (that’s unbelief). In the end, we are not judged for our sins, our morality, or the net balance of our good works. We judge ourselves by how we respond to the words of the Lord. Jesus speaks the “words of eternal life” (John 6:68), and those who heed him shall live.

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