Barnes' Notes on the New Testament
MATTHEW CHAPTER 7
Verse 1. Judge not, etc. This command refers to rash, censorious, and
unjust judgment. See Romans 2:1. Luke 6:37 explains it in the
sense of condemning. Christ does not condemn judging as a magistrate,
for that, when according to justice, is lawful and necessary.
Nor does he condemn our forming an opinion of the conduct of others,
for it is impossible not to form an opinion of conduct that we know
to be evil. But what he refers to is a habit of forming a judgment
hastily, harshly, and without an allowance for every palliating
circumstance, and of expressing such an opinion harshly and
unnecessarily when formed. It rather refers to private judgment than
judicial, and perhaps primarily to the habits of the scribes and
Pharisees.
{r} "Judge not" Luke 6:37; Romans 2:1; 1 Corinthians 4:5.
Verse 2. With what judgment, etc. This was a proverb among the
Jews. It expressed a truth; and Christ did not hesitate to adopt it as
conveying his own sentiments. It refers no less to the way in which
men will judge of us, than to the rule by which God will judge
us. See 2 Samuel 22:27; Mark 4:24; James 2:13.
Mete. Measure. You shall be judged by the same rule which you apply
to others.
{s} "what measure ye mete" Judges 1:7
Verse 3. And why beholdest thou the mote, etc. A mote signifies any
light substance, as dry chaff, or fine spires of grass or grain.
It probably most usually signified the small spiculae or beard
on a head of barley or wheat. It is thus placed in opposition to the
word beam.
Beam. This word here signifies a large piece of squared timber. The
one is an exceedingly small object, the other a large one. The meaning
is, that we are much more quick and acute to judge of small offences
in others, than of much larger offences in ourselves. Even a very
small object that should hinder the vision of another, we should
discern much more quickly than a much larger one in our own sight. This
was also a proverb in frequent use among the Jews, and the same
sentiment was common among the Greeks, and deserves to be expressed in
every language.
Verse 4. No Barnes text on this verse.
Verse 5. Thou hypocrite, first cast out, etc. Christ directs us to
the proper way of forming an opinion of others, and of reproving and
correcting them. By first amending our own faults, or casting the
beam out of our eye, we can consistently advance to correct the
faults of others. There will then be no hypocrisy in our conduct.
We shall also see clearly to do it. The beam, the thing that
obscured our sight, will be removed; and we shall more clearly discern
the small object that obscures the sight of our brother. The sentiment
is, that the readiest way to judge of the imperfections of
others is to be free from greater ones ourselves. This qualifies us
for judging, makes us candid and consistent, and enables us to see
things as they are, and to make proper allowances for frailty and
imperfection.
{t} "cast out the beam" Galatians 6:1
Verse 6. Give not that which is holy, etc. By some, the word
holy has been supposed to mean flesh offered in sacrifice,
made holy, or separated to a sacred use. But it probably means here
anything connected with religion--admonition, precept, or doctrine.
Pearls are precious stones found in shell-fish, chiefly in India, in the
waters that surround Ceylon. They are used to denote anything peculiarly
precious, Revelation 17:4; 18:12-16; Matthew 13:46. In this place they are used to
denote the doctrines of the gospel. Dogs signify men who spurn,
oppose, and abuse that doctrine; men of peculiar sourness and
malignity of temper, who meet it like growling and quarrelsome curs,
2 Peter 2:22; Revelation 22:15. Swine denote those who would trample
the precepts under feet; men of impurity of life; corrupt, polluted,
profane, obscene, and sensual; who would not know the value of the
gospel, and who would tread it down as swine would pearls,
2 Peter 2:22; Proverbs 11:22. The meaning of this proverb then is, do not
offer your doctrine to those violent and abusive men, who would
growl and curse you; nor to those peculiarly debased and profligate,
who would not perceive its value, would trample it down, and abuse
you. This verse furnishes a beautiful instance of the introverted
parallelism. The usual mode of poetry among the Hebrews, and a
common mode of expression in proverbs and apothegms, was by the
parallelism, where one member of a sentence answered to another,
or expressed substantially the same sense with some addition or
modification. See my Introduction to Isaiah. Sometimes this was
alternate, and sometimes it was introverted--where the first and
fourth lines would correspond, and the second and third. This is
the case here. The dogs would rend, and not the swine; the swine
would trample the pearls under their feet, and not the dogs. It may
be thus expressed:
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 [that is, the dogs] and rend you.
{u} "neither cast ye your" Proverbs 9:7,8; 23:9
Verse 7. Ask, and it shall be given you, etc. There are here three
different forms presented of seeking the things which we need from
God--asking, seeking, and knocking. The latter is taken from the act
of knocking at a door for admittance. See Luke 11:7; Revelation 3:20.
The phrases signify to seek with earnestness, and diligence, and
perseverance. The promise is, that what we seek shall be given us.
It is of course implied that we seek with a proper spirit, with
humility, sincerity, and perseverance. It is implied, also, that we ask
the things which it may be consistent for God to give--that is, things
which he has promised to give, and which would be best for us and
his kingdom, 1 John 5:14. Of that, God is to be the judge. And
here there is the utmost latitude which a creature can ask. God is
willing to provide for us, to forgive our sins, to save our souls, to
befriend us in trial, to comfort us in death, to extend the gospel
through the world. Man can ask no higher things of God; and these
he may ask, assured that he is willing to grant them.
Christ encourages us to do this by the conduct of parents. No
parent turns away his child with that which would be unsatisfactory
or injurious. He would not give him a stone instead of bread, nor a
serpent instead of a fish. God is better and kinder than the most
tender earthly parents; and with what confidence, therefore, may
we come as his children, and ask what we need! Parents, he says,
are evil; that is, are imperfect, often partial, blind, and sometimes
passionate; but God is free from all this, and therefore is ready and
willing to aid us.
Every one that asketh receiveth. That is, every one that asks aright,
that prays in faith, and in submission to the will of God. He does not
always give the very thing which we ask, but he gives what would be
better. A parent will not always confer the very thing which a child
asks,
but he will seek the welfare of the child, and give what he thinks will
be most for its good. Paul asked that the thorn from his flesh might be
removed. God did not literally grant the request, but told him that
his grace should be sufficient for him, 2 Corinthians 12:7-9.
A fish. A fish has some resemblance to a serpent. Yet no parent would
attempt to deceive his child in this. So God will not give to us that
which might appear to be of use, but which would be injurious.
{v} "shall be give you" Isaiah 55:6; Luke 18:1
Verse 8. No Barnes text on this verse.
See Barnes "Matthew 7:7"
{w} "asketh receiveth" Psalms 81:10,16; John 14:13,14; 16:23,24; 1 John 3:22
1 John 5:14,15.
{x} "and he that seeketh" Proverbs 8:17; Jeremiah 29:12,13
Verse 9. No Barnes text on this verse.
See Barnes "Matthew 7:7"
Verse 10. No Barnes text on this verse.
See Barnes "Matthew 7:7"
Verse 11. No Barnes text on this verse.
See Barnes "Matthew 7:7"
{y} "good gifts unto your children" Luke 11:11
Verse 12. All things whatsoever, etc. This command has been usually
called the Saviour's golden rule, a name given to it on account of
its great value. All that you expect or desire of others in
similar circumstances, do to them. Act not from selfishness or injustice,
but put yourself in the place of the other, and ask what you would expect
of him then. This would make you impartial, and candid, and just.
It would destroy avarice, envy, treachery, unkindness, slander, theft,
adultery, and murder. It has been well said, that this law is what
the balance-wheel is to machinery. It would prevent all irregularity
of movement in the moral world, as that does in a steam-engine. It
is easily applied, its justice is seen by all men, and all must
acknowledge its force and value.
This is the law and the prophets. That is, this is the sum or
substance of the Old Testament. It is nowhere found in so many words,
but it is a summary expression of all that the law required. The
sentiment was in use among the Jews. Hillel, an ancient Rabbi, said
to a man who wished to become a proselyte, and who asked him to teach
him the whole law, "Whatever is hateful to you, do not do to another."
Something of the same sentiment was found among the ancient Greeks and
Romans.
{z} "do ye even so to them" Leviticus 19:18; Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:14
Verse 13. Enter ye in at the strait gate. Christ here compares the
way to life to an entrance through a gate. The words straight, and
strait, have very different meanings. The former means not
crooked; the latter pent up, narrow, difficult to be entered.
This is the word used here, and it means that the way to heaven is pent
up, narrow, close, and not obviously entered. The way to death is open,
broad, and thronged. The Saviour here referred probably to ancient cities.
They were surrounded with walls, and entered through gates. Some
of those, connected with the great avenues to the city, were broad,
and admitted a throng. Others, for more private purposes, were
narrow, and few would be seen entering them. So says Christ, is
the path to heaven. It is narrow. It is not the great highway that
men tread. Few go there. Here and. there one may be seen---
travelling in solitude and singularity. The way to death, on the
other hand, is broad. Multitudes are in it. It is the great highway
in which men go. They fall into it easily, and without effort, and
go without thought. If they wish to leave that, and go by a narrow
gate to the city, it would require effort and thought. So, says Christ,
diligence is needed to enter into life. See Luke 13:24. None go of
course. All must strive to obtain it; and so narrow, unfrequented,
and solitary is it, that few find it. This sentiment has been
beautifully versified by Watts :---
"Broad is the road that leads to death,
And thousands walk together there;
But wisdom shows a narrower path,
With here and there a traveller."
Verse 14. No Barnes text on this verse.
See Barnes "Matthew 7:14"
{1} "Because", or "how"
{b} "few there be" Matthew 20:16; 25:1-12; Romans 9:27,29
Verse 15. False prophets. The word prophet originally means, one who
foretells future events. As prophets, however, were commonly regarded as
public instructors on the subject of religion, the word came to denote
all who were religious teachers. In this sense it is probably used here.
A false prophet is a teacher of incorrect doctrine, or one falsely and
unjustly laying claims to Divine inspiration. It probably had reference
to the false teachers then among the Jews.
Which come to you in sheeps clothing. The sheep is an emblem of
innocence, sincerity, and harmlessness. To come in sheep's clothing, is
to assume the appearance of sanctity, and innocence, when the heart is
evil.
Ravening wolves, Rapacious; or disposed to plunder. Applied to
the false teachers, it means that they assumed the appearance of
holiness, in order that they might the more readily get the property
of the people. They were full of extortion and excess. See Matthew 23:25.
{c} "false prophets" Deuteronomy 13:1-3; Jeremiah 23:13-16; 1 John 4:1
{d} "ravening wolves" Acts 20:29-31
Verse 16. Ye shall know them by their fruits. He gives the proper
test of their character. Men do not judge of a tree by its leaves, or
bark, or flowers, but by the fruit which it bears. The flowers may be
handsome and fragrant; the foliage thick and green; but these are
merely ornamental. It is the fruit that is of chief service to man;
and he forms his opinion of the nature and value of the tree by their
fruit. So of pretensions to religion. The profession may be fair;
but the conduct--the fruit in the eye of the world--is to determine the
nature of the principles.
{e} "by their fruits" Matthew 12:33
Verse 17. A corrupt tree. The word corrupt here does not signify,
as our translation would seem to indicate, that the tree had been good,
but had become vitiated; but that it was a tree of a useless
character, of a nature that produces nothing beneficial.
{f} "good tree" Luke 6:43,; 45
Verse 18. No Barnes text on this verse.
Verse 19. No Barnes text on this verse.
{f} "Every tree" Matthew 3:10; John 15:2,6
Verse 20. No Barnes text on this verse.
Verse 21. Not every one that saith, etc. He goes on to say that many,
on the ground of that profession, will claim admittance into his kingdom.
Many will plead that they had done miracles, and preached or prophesied
much, and will demand an entrance into heaven. The power of working
miracles had no necessary connexion with piety. God may as well, if
he chooses, give the power of raising the dead to a wicked man, as the
skill of healing to a wicked physician. A miracle is a display of
his own power through the medium of another. An act of healing the
sick is also a display of his power through the agency of another.
In neither of these cases is there any necessary connexion with moral
character. So of preaching, or prophesying. God may use the agency of a
man of talents, though not pious, to carry forward his purposes. Saving
power on the mind is the work of God; and he may convey it by any agency
which he may choose. Accordingly, many may be found in the day of
judgment who may have been endowed with powers of prophecy, or miracle,
as Balaam, or the magicians of Egypt; in the same way as many men of
distinguished talents may be found yet destitute of piety, and shut out
of his kingdom. See Mark 9:38; Luke 9:49; 1 Corinthians 13:1-3. In this last
place, Paul says, that though he spoke with the tongue of angels, and
had the gift of prophecy, and could remove mountains, and had not
charity or love, all would be of no avail. See Barnes "1 Corinthians 13:1-3".
{h} "Lord, Lord" Isaiah 48:1,2; Matthew 25:11,12; Luke 6:46; 13:25; Romans 2:13
Verse 22. In that day. That is, in the last day, the day of
judgment; the time when the principles of all pretenders to prophecy
and piety shall be tried.
{i} "prophesied in thy" Numbers 24:4; 1 Kings 22:11; Jeremiah 23:13; Acts 19:13-15
1 Corinthians 13:2
Verse 23. Profess unto them. Say unto them; plainly declare.
I never knew you. That is, I never approved, loved, or regarded you
as my friends. See Psalms 1:6; 2 Timothy 2:19; 1 Corinthians 8:3. This proves
that, with all their pretensions, they had never been true followers of
Christ. Jesus will not then say to false prophets and false professors
of religion, that he had once known them, and then rejected them;
that they had been once Christians and then had fallen away; that they
had been pardoned, and then had apostatized; but that he had
never known them--THEY HAD NEVER BEEN TRUE CHRISTIANS. Whatever
might have been their pretended joys, their raptures, their hopes,
their self-confidence, their visions, their zeal, they had never been
regarded by the Saviour as his true friends. I know not a more
decided proof that Christians do not fall away from grace than this
text. It settles the question; and proves that whatever else such
men had, they never had any true religion. See 1 John 2:19.
{k} "from me" Psalms 5:5; Matthew 25:41; Revelation 22:15
Verses 24-27. Jesus closes the sermon on the mount by a beautiful
comparison, illustrating the benefit of attending to his words. It was
not sufficient to hear them; they must be obeyed. He compares the
man who should hear, and obey him, to a man who built his house
on a rock. Palestine was, to a considerable extent, a land of hills and:
mountains. Like other countries of that description, it was subject
to sudden and violent rains. The Jordan, the principal stream, was
annually swollen to a great extent, and became rapid and furious in
its course. The streams which ran among the hills, whose channels
might have been dry during some months of the year, became suddenly
swollen with the rain, and would pour down impetuously into
the plains below. Everything in the way of these torrents would be
swept off. Even a house erected within the reach of these sudden
inundations, and especially if founded on sand, or any unsolid basis,
would not stand before them. The rising, bursting stream would
shake it to its foundation; the rapid torrent would gradually wash
away its base; it would totter and fall, and be swept away. Rocks
in that country were common, and it was easy to secure for their
houses a solid foundation. No comparison could, to a Jew, have
been more striking. So tempests, and storms of affliction and
persecution, beat around the soul. Suddenly, when we think we are
in safety, the heavens may be overcast; the storm may lower; and
calamity beat upon us. In a moment, health, friends, comforts, may
be gone. How desirable then to be possessed of something that the
tempest cannot reach! Such is an interest in Christ; attention to
his words; reliance on his promises; confidence in his protection;
and a hope of heaven through his blood. Earthly calamities do not
reach these; and, possessed of religion, all the storms and tempests
of life may beat harmlessly around us.
There is another point in this comparison. The house built on the
sand is beat upon by the floods and rains; its foundation gradually
is worn away; it falls, and is borne down the stream, and is destroyed.
So falls the slumber. The floods are wearing away his sandy foundation;
and soon one tremendous storm shall beat upon him, and he and his hopes
shall fall, for ever fall. Out of Christ, perhaps having heard his words
from very childhood; perhaps having taught them to others in the
Sunday-school; perhaps having been the means of laying the foundation on
which others shall build for heaven, he has laid for himself no
foundation; and soon an eternal tempest shall beat around his naked soul.
How great will be that fall! What will be his emotions when sinking for
ever in the flood, and destined for ever to live and writhe in the
peltings of that ceaseless storm that shall beat when "God shall rain
snares, fire, and a horrible tempest" upon the wicked!
{l} "Therefore" Luke 6:47
{m} "wise man" Psalms 111:10; 119:99,130
Verse 25. No Barnes text on this verse.
See Barnes "Matthew 7:24"
{n} "upon a rock" Psalms 92:13-15
Verse 26. No Barnes text on this verse.
See Barnes "Matthew 7:24"
{o} "a foolish man" 1 Samuel 2:30; Jeremiah 8:9
Verse 27. No Barnes text on this verse.
See Barnes "Matthew 7:24"
{p} "winds blew" 1 Corinthians 3:13
{q} "great was the fall" Hebrews 10:26,27
Verse 28,29. His doctrine. His teaching.
As one having authority, and not as the Scribes. The scribes were
the learned men and teachers of the Jewish nation, and were principally
Pharisees. They taught chiefly the sentiments of their rabbins, and the
traditions which had been delivered; they consumed much of their time in
useless disputes, "vain jangling." Jesus was open, plain, grave, useful;
delivering truth as became the oracles of God; not spending his time
in trifling disputes, and debating questions of no importance; but
confirming his doctrine by miracles and argument; teaching as having
power, as it is in the original, and not in the vain and foolish
manner of the Jewish doctors. He showed that he had authority to explain,
enforce, and change the ceremonial laws of the Jews. He came with
authority such as no man could have, and it is not remarkable that
his explanations astonished them. From this chapter we may learn,
(1.) The evil of censorious judging, Matthew 7:1-5. We cannot see
the heart. We have ourselves possibly greater faults than the persons
that we condemn. They may be of a different kind; but it is
not strange for persons to be very censorious towards faults in others,
which they have to much greater extent themselves.
(2.) We see how we are to treat men who are opposers of the gospel,
Matthew 7:6. We are not to present it to them when we know they will
despise it, and abuse us. We should, however, be cautious in forming
that opinion of them. Many men may be far more ready to hear the gospel
than we imagine; and a word seasonably and kindly spoken may be the
means of saving them, Proverbs 25:11; Ecclesiastes 11:6. We should not meet
violent and wicked opposers of the gospel with a harsh, overbearing,
and lordly spirit; a spirit of dogmatizing and anger; nor should we
violate the laws of social intercourse under the idea of
faithfulness. Religion gains nothing by outraging the established
laws of social life, 1 Peter 3:8. If men will not hear us when we speak
to them kindly and respectfully, we may be sure they will not when we
abuse them, and become angry. We harden them against the truth, and
confirm them in the opinion that religion is of no value. Our Saviour
was always mild and kind; and in not a single instance did he do
violence to the laws of social intercourse, or faith in the respect
due from one man to another. When with harshness men speak to their
superiors; when they abuse them with unkind words, and coarse epithets,
and unfeeling denunciations; when children and youth forget their
station, and speak in harsh, authoritative tones to the aged, they are
violating the very first principles of the gospel-- meekness, respect,
and love. Give honour to whom honour is due, and be kind, be
courteous.
(3.) Christ gives peculiar encouragement to prayer, Matthew 7:7-11.
Especially his remarks apply to the young. What child is there that would
not go to his parent, and ask him for things which were necessary? What
child doubts the willingness of a kind parent to give what he thinks
will be best for him? But God is more willing to give than the best
parent. We need of him gifts of far more importance than we ever can
of an earthly father. None but God can forgive, enlighten, sanctify, and
save us. How strange that many ask favours of an earthly parent
daily and hourly, and never ask of the Great Universal Father a single
blessing, for time or eternity!
(4.) The danger of losing the soul, Matthew 7:13,14. The way to ruin is
broad, the road to heaven is narrow. Men naturally and readily go in the
former; they never go in the latter without design. When we enter on the
journey of life, we naturally fall into the broad and thronged way to
ruin. Our original propensity; our native depravity; our disinclination
to God and religion, lead us to that. And we never leave it without
effort. How much more natural to tread in a way in which multitudes go,
than in one where there are few travellers, and which requires an effort
to find it! And how much danger is there that we shall continue to tread
in that way, until it terminate in our ruin! No man is saved without
effort. No man enters on the narrow way without design; no one by
following his natural inclination and propensities. And yet how
indisposed we are to effort; how unwilling to listen to the exhortations
which would call us from the broad path to a narrower and less frequented
course! How prone are men to feel that they are safe if they are with
the many, and that the multitude that attend them constitute a safeguard
from danger !
"Encompassed by a throng,
On numbers they depend;
They say so many can't be wrong,
And miss a happy end."
Yet, did God ever spare a guilty city because it was large? Did he
spare the army of Sennacherib from the destroying angel because it
was mighty? Does he hesitate to cut men down by the plague, the
pestilence, and by famine, because they are numerous? Is he deterred
from consigning men to the grave, because they swarm upon the earth, and
because a mighty throng is going to death? So in the way to hell. Not
numbers, nor power, nor might, nor talent in the road way, will deter
him, or make that way safe; nor will the path to heaven be a dangerous
road because few are seen travelling there. The Saviour knew and felt
that men are in danger; and hence, with much solemnity, he warned them
when he lived--and now warns us--to strive to enter into the strait gate.
(5.) The necessity of sincerity in religion, Matthew 7:15-23.
Profession is of no value without it. God sees the heart. And the day is
near when he shall cut down and destroy all those who do not bring
forth the fruits of righteousness in their lives. If in anything we
should
be honest and sincere, surely it should be in the things of religion. God
is never deceived, Galatians 6:7. And the things of eternity are of too
much
consequence to be lost by deluding ourselves or others. We may deceive
our fellow-men, but we do not delude our Maker; and soon he will strip
off our thin covering, and show us as we are to the universe. If anything
is of prominent value in religion, it is honesty--honesty
to ourselves, our fellow-men, and to God. Be willing to know the
worst of your case. Be willing to be thought of, by God and men,
as you are. Assume nothing which you do not possess; and pretend to
nothing which you have not. Judge of yourselves as you do of
others--not by words and promises, but by the life. Judge of
yourselves as you do of trees--not by leaves and flowers, but by the
fruits.
(6.) The importance of building our hopes of heaven on a firm
foundation, Matthew 7:24-27. No other can any man lay than that which
is laid, which is Christ, 1 Corinthians 3:11. He is the tried Corner Stone,
1 Peter 2:6; Ephesians 2:20. On an edifice raised on that foundation, the
storms of persecution and calamity will beat in vain. Hopes thus
reared sustain every adversity; are unshaken by the terrors of death;
and secure us from the tempests of wrath that shall beat upon the
guilty. How awful, in the day of judgment, will it be to have been
deceived! How dreadful the shock to find then the house built on
the sand! How dreadful the emotions, to see our hopes totter on
the brink of ruin; to see sand after sand washed away, and the dwelling
reel over the heaving deep, and fall into the abyss, to rise no more!
Ruin, awful and eternal rum, awaits those who thus deceive themselves,
and trust to a name to live, while they are dead.
(7.) Under what obligations are we for this sermon on the mount!
In all languages there is not a discourse to be found that can be
compared with it for purity, and truth, and beauty, and dignity. Were
there no other evidence of the Divine mission of Christ, this alone
would be sufficient to prove that he was sent from God. Were these
doctrines obeyed and loved, how pure and peaceful would be the
world! How would hypocrisy be abashed and confounded! How would impurity
hang its head! How would peace reign in every family and nation! How
would anger and wrath flee! And how would the race--the lost and
benighted tribes of men, the poor, and needy, and sorrowful--bend
themselves before their common Father, and seek peace and eternal life
at the hands of a merciful and faithful God!
{r} "astonished" Jeremiah 23:29; Mark 6:2
Verse 29. No Barnes notes on this verse.
See Barnes "Matthew 7:28"
For a summary of Matthew Chapter 7, See Barnes "Matthew 7:28".
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