Matthew 7 Devotional & Commentary: Bearing Fruit & Asking for Good Gifts0

Devotional Sharing, Submitted by Will Sam, Gracepoint Berkeley

“A first step toward a less naïve understanding of the verses can be made when we observe how Matthew has appropriated them.  This little section concludes the long string of imperatives that constitute the core of the Sermon on the Mount from 5:21 to 7:6.  We have been asked to forgo anger and retaliation, to love our enemies and forgive those who have injured us, and to control our criticism of others.  How can we fulfill all these demands and manifest the higher righteousness of the kingdom?  These verses remind us that for us this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.  That is, only by persistently asking, seeking and knocking at heaven’s door through prayer will we find grace to obey these impossible demands.  Solely through tenacious dependence on God’s graciousness can we deal graciously with those who provoke a negative reaction in us.” [1]

What is the significance of the placement of Jesus’ exhortation to “ask,” “seek” and “knock” toward the end of the Sermon on the Mount? The significance of the placement of Jesus’ exhortation to “ask,” “seek” and “knock” toward the end of the Sermon on the Mount is that this exhortation is to be seen in light of the previous verses.  I think these verses have the potential to be vastly taken out of context.  If you just read these verses in and of themselves, it provides a lot of great evidence to a god who wants to give you everything in this world; including wealth and health.  In fact, all we have to do is ask, and the Lord gives us everything in plenty!  But in light of Matthew 6, where Jesus tells us to live a life of private prayer, where Jesus tells us to perform our acts of righteousness before His eyes only, where Jesus tells us to not worry about the current situation we’re in, what we wear and what we eat, etc., and in light of the true difficulty of living this kind of devoted life, the exhortation to “ask,” “seek,” and “knock” makes that much more sense.  Jesus is seemingly saying – I know that what I’ve just told you to do, what I’d like you to do, what I expect from you; that these things are difficult.  But they’re not impossible if you simply walk with Me, talk to Me, and keep on seeking Me out.

What are the good gifts that my Heavenly father wants to give that I should be asking for according to the Sermon on the Mount?  The good gifts that the Heavenly Father is asking me to ask Him for, then, do not necessarily include things like good and sustained health, a good job and a peaceful and constantly rewarding marriage.  The real gifts that God is wanting me to receive, is a peace of mind.  God tells me to not worry about the future, for it will worry about itself.  God sees that so often my own faith is encumbered by worries.  He sees me worrying about my financial situation; am I secure enough, have I done enough in this world, have I stored up enough savings to make it through this tough economic times, should I really be spending this kind of time with other people, loving and caring for them, and not investing this time to make sure my family and my wealth is secure?  God sees these things, and tells me to get rid of my fears for MY sake.  He wants me to have that kind of secure peace knowing that He is the Heavenly Father.  If He is truly my Lord AND Father, He can provide, He is the One I should lean on, and He is the One who is capable of providing.

Matthew 7:15-23

In what ways do people insist that a bad fruit does not necessarily mean a bad tree?  These verses are very challenging to any reader of God’s word.  I think the first question people get out of reading this, and I know this is the case for myself, is to then ask – wait, so what is MY fruit?  What am I bearing, and what does this show about me?  I think people try different ways to avoid the reality of the fruit they bear.  One is simply to explain it away.  So let’s say a bad fruit appears.  People may then say – ok, yes, I see the fruit, but you know, it was a tough week.  I’m normally not like this, or like that, I’m different, you have to see the whole bundle of fruit, not just that!  Another way people insist that the bad fruit does not necessarily mean a bad tree is to attack the standards.  People play with definitions and try to find as much wiggle room as possible.  People attempt to be relativistic about things that probably should stay black and white.  OK, so I party a little bit, like to drink a little, and my history with the opposite gender hasn’t always been what you would say right and good and pure.  Hey, compared to other people I know, I’m not that bad, I still go to church, do my DT sometimes, and pray to God, etc.  That should mean that I’m an OK person, especially considering how pagan the rest of the world is.  The problem, however, is that the fruit is either good or bad, it’s not based on the degree of badness, or how close to bad it is without being totally declared “bad.”

What has been my attitude towards obedience and fruit bearing?  For me, after making my decision to become a Christ follower, I need to constantly go back to these verses to remind myself about what a good tree actually looks like.  When I come back to these verses, I can see that fruit bearing will always show the kind of tree.  So when the fruit of my heart includes things like envy towards others who are somehow doing better than me in anything, or when my heart shows that I have patience issues, or pride or anger, or lust issues, then I know that I need to STOP, think about where I’m at, realize that the fruit is showing that my heart has gone wrong, gone cold, and then seriously repent of my actions.  It’s not always easy, and often, it requires the help of my peers, or my wife, or older brothers and sisters, to really point out that the fruit I’m bearing is inconcistent with how God would want, and then it’s on me to repent to God, and cut down the evil roots that have formed.  The fruit I bear, therefore, often act as a gauge into my own spiritual life.  When the fruit is good; when I’m loving others, seeing others’ needs before mine, not getting too caught up in the “me” show, then I know my relationship with God is intact and healthy and good.  But when the fruit I start bearing is ugly, deformed, twisted by sin and rot, then I know that I need to stop, come back to the Bible, use it as a mirror, and then start digging up those roots again.  Through pruning, which means prayer, repentance, and reflection, God can use even those times to help me bear good fruit again.

Matthew 7:7-11

“A first step toward a less naïve understanding of the verses can be made when we observe how Matthew has appropriated them.  This little section concludes the long string of imperatives that constitute the core of the Sermon on the Mount from 5:21 to 7:6.  We have been asked to forgo anger and retaliation, to love our enemies and forgive those who have injured us, and to control our criticism of others.  How can we fulfill all these demands and manifest the higher righteousness of the kingdom?  These verses remind us that for us this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.  That is, only by persistently asking, seeking and knocking at heaven’s door through prayer will we find grace to obey these impossible demands.  Solely through tenacious dependence on God’s graciousness can we deal graciously with those who provoke a negative reaction in us.” [1]

• What is the significance of the placement of Jesus’ exhortation to “ask,” “seek” and “knock” toward the end of the Sermon on the Mount?
• What are the good gifts that my Heavenly father wants to give that I should be asking for according to the Sermon on the Mount?

Matthew 7:15-23

• In what ways do people insist that a bad fruit does not necessarily mean a bad tree?
• What has been my attitude towards obedience and fruit bearing?

Matthew 7:3-27

• Why would it be the case that the path that leads to life is narrow, while the one that leads to destruction is wide?
• What are some underlying problems of the people listed below?

-        those who pay no attention to the plank in their own eye (v. 3)

-        those who do not recognize what is sacred (v. 6)

-        many who enter through the wide gate (v. 13)

-        false prophets who come in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ferocious wolves (v. 15)

-        those who say “Lord, Lord” but do not do the will of the Father (v. 21)

-        those who hear the words of Jesus but do not put them into practice (v. 26)

• What warning does this have for me and what qualities do I need to cultivate in light of these warnings?

Additional Questions:

Matthew 7:1-5

“When the disciple removes the plank of self-righteousness, she is then able to see with eyes of humility the speck that other brothers and sisters may have.  A mark of the discipleship community is the responsibility that disciples have to help each other remove the ‘speck’ of sin from each others lives, but it must come from a humble and self-examined life that has removed the plank of self-righteous judgment.  Then restoration can occur with the right attitude: ‘after self-criticism takes place, relationships are based on redemptive empathy rather than condemning detachment.’”^[2]

• Do I judge myself “in the same way [I] judge others?”
• What is the “speck of sawdust” that I am quick to point out in other people?
• What “planks” have I not paid attention to in myself?
• In what ways am I a hypocrite in this regard?

Matthew 7:6

“Our Christian witness and evangelistic preaching are not to be entirely indiscriminate, therefore.  If people have had plenty of opportunity to hear the truth but do not respond to it, if they stubbornly turn their backs on Christ, if (in other words) they cast themselves in the role of ‘dogs’ and ‘pigs’, we are not to go on and on with them, for then we cheapen God’s gospel by letting them trample it under foot.”^[3]

• In what ways can some people be like these “dogs” and “pigs” in that they do not recognize the value of God’s “sacred” word, and the values God cherishes?
• What sacred things does our society trample upon on a regular basis?
• In what ways am I involved in this?

Matthew 7:12

• Note that Jesus’ rendition of the “Golden Rule” is unique in that it is stated positively, not negatively (i.e., the general ethical teachings of many cultures emphasize that you not do to others what you don’t want them to do to you.)  What difference would there be in following the positive rather than the negative version?

Matthew 7:15-20

• Who are the “false prophets” of today that people follow?
• In what ways do they “come … in sheep’s clothing” and yet are like “ferocious wolves?”
• What is the fruit that they bear?

Matthew 7:21-23

• What would cause these people to say to Jesus, “Lord, Lord” but not do the “will of [the] Father who is in heaven?”
• According to v. 23, what defines an evildoer?  How does this challenge my notion of good deeds?
• What is utterly tragic about these people?
• What are some good deeds that I could be faithfully doing which do not arise out of my relationship with God?

Matthew 7:24-27

• What would motivate the foolish builder to build his house on sand?
• In what ways can I relate to the foolish builder?
• Reflect on the fact that the foundation of a house is not visible from the outside.  What lessons can I learn about spiritual life from this fact?
• What is the rain and wind that will expose people’s foundation?  What would be revealed as my foundation when the rain and wind come in my life?
• What can I do to solidify my foundation?

[2] Wilkins, Michael J. “Matthew”, The NIV Application Commentary. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004) 310.

[3] Stott, John R.W. The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). (Downer’s Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1978) 183.