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Directions how to avoid the errors and sins of the Pharisees and scribes, and to enter upon the way which leads into the kingdom of heaven. Practical order of grace.—Conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount.
Mat_7:7-29
( Mat_7:15-23 the Gospel for the 8th Sunday after Trinity.)
13Enter ye in at [through, äéÜ ] the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be [are they] which [who] go in 14thereat: Because [for] strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be [are they] that find it.
15Beware of false prophets, which [who] come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gathergrapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17Even so every good tree bringeth forth goodfruit; but a [the, ôü ] corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [nor] can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom ofheaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which [who] is in heaven. 22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
24Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which [who] built his house upon the sand5: 27And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
28And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: 29For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the [their] scribes.
To our mind, the transition is plain. In the former section, the awful danger of the judgment to come was set before the disciples. Weak, helpless, and conscious of their inability to escape this judgment in their own strength, or to attain the righteousness of the kingdom of heaven, the encouraging call meets them, “Ask, and it shall be given you,” etc. Seek a refuge in the New Dispensation, since the Old is to perish amid such judgments. But the general connection is even more definite. In the Sermon on the Mount, properly so called, the Lord had described the righteousness of the kingdom of heaven; while in its application, or in the practical address which followed it, He had exposed the false righteousness of the Pharisees and scribes, both in doctrine and in life. In the passage before us, He now teaches them how to avoid the way of destruction, and to enter upon that of life. Methodology or order of succession in the kingdom of heaven: 1. What to seek, Mat_7:7-14; Matthew 2. what to avoid, Mat_7:13-23; Matthew 3. the evidence of genuine religion, as exhibited in the parable of the judgment, Mat_7:24-27.
Mat_7:7. Ask, and it shall be given you.—The three terms, ask, seek, and knock, áἰôåῖôå , æçôåῖôå , êñïýåôå , indicate a gradation. Some critics, as de Wette and Meyer, hold that all the three terms refer to prayer, in accordance with the remark of Luther: “By this the Lord exhorts us the more strenuously to prayer.” Somewhat differently, Bengel seems to refer the terms to different acts: “1. Contra indigentiam vestram dona petite; 2. quœrite quœ amisistis occulta, recipientes vos ex errore; 3. pulsate, qui foris estis, ut intromittamini.” [Ask for gifts to meet your needs; seek the hidden things which you have lost, and return from your error; knock ye who are without, that ye may be admitted within.] But Bengel evidently connects the idea of prayer with the second and third degree as well as with the first; and Luther meant to say that the burden and the object of our prayers were increasingly to assume a more definite shape. Tholuck: “In practical application, the term áἰôåῖôå is generally referred to prayer, æçôåῖôå to our endeavors, and êñïýåôå to the investigation of the Scriptures.” We regard the passage as marking a climax,—the word æçôåῖôå , like áִּ÷ֵּùׁ in Jer_29:13-14, indicating earnest desire; and êñïýåéí perseverance, even though an answer seemed denied. To ask, indicates the want of an object, which can only be obtained by free gift; to seek, that it has been lost; to knock, that it has been shut up—hence this prayer which is both the work of life and the evidence of life.
Mat_7:8. For every one that asketh, receiveth.—Such, indeed, is the invariable rule. Perseverance in prosecuting that to which we may fairly lay claim, is generally crowned with success even among men. How much more, then, if our object be the kingdom of heaven, and our efforts those of prayer! (The conditions of it appear from the context.) This applies, in the first place, to the subjective bearing of our spiritual efforts. The following verses show that it is equally true objectively, or with reference to Him from whom the blessing is sought.
Mat_7:9-10. Or what man?—The word or does not mark the antithesis,—If it were not so,—but refers to the contrast between the objective and the subjective certitude of prayer.—The sudden turn in the address is exceedingly striking: “Or where is there a man of you whom his son shall ask for bread (and who shall—no!),—he will surely not give him a stone?” The meaning is: However wicked any of you may be, if his son were to ask him for bread, surely he would not give him a stone, etc. Bread and stone, fish and serpent, however similar in outward appearance, are vastly different in reference to the nourishment they afford. There is evidently a gradation in the expressions. The most hardened parent would not meet the entreaty of his child by such cruel deception. It is noticeable that the text does not refer to the possibility of not being heard, but that it sets before us the alternative of a genuine and a deceptive answer. This indicates that, if God were not to hear our prayer, our state would not simply continue what it had been before, but that the heart would become a stone, and meat for the serpent.
Mat_7:11. Being evil.—Meyer: Although, compared with God, ye are morally evil ( ðñὸò ἀíôéäéáóôïëὴí ôῆò ἀãáèüôçôïò ôïῦ Èåïῦ , Euthymius Zigabenus). But this “comparison with God” must not be pressed. We had rather explain it: Before God, measured even according to the human standard, ye are evil. The statement undoubtedly implies the sinfulness of man, both in its universality and in its limitation by traits of humanity and kindness.
Know how to give good gifts—not, soletis dare (Maldonatus). The reference here is not to the ability of man, in opposition to his actual performance but to the powerful and ineradicable instinct of paternal affection, which, in a certain sense, and for certain purposes, is capable of overcoming even our ðïíçñßá . If the paternal feelings of man are indestructible, how much more will the goodness of God continue for ever!—A conclusion a minori ad majus. Good things; in Luk_11:13, more definitely, the Holy Spirit. The object is here left more indefinite, as opening up in measure as we seek it.
Mat_7:12. Therefore all things whatsoever ye would.—Ewald maintains that this should have been inserted in Mat_5:44, before the word ἀãáðᾶôå . The word “therefore” implies, indeed, a reference to the preceding context; which, however, we find in the close of the former verse, where the free mercy of God was set before the disciples. As if it were said: In prayer commit yourself with perfect confidence to the God who giveth every good and perfect gift; but on that very ground imitate Him in your conduct toward your neighbors. God answers prayer, for it is His Spirit who teaches us to pray. Do to your neighbor what is due to him: the demand which he addresses to you will be found in your own heart, in the shape of your demand upon your neighbor. Pray with unbounded confidence, and with the same measure bestow your affection upon your neighbor. You will descry in your own hearts what this measure should be. From this the connection will be evident. The sentence is the ethical counterpart to the promise: “Ask, and it shall be given you,” and is analogous to the addition: “as we forgive our debtors,” in the fifth petition of the Lord’s Prayer. On similar sayings among heathen philosophers, comp. Tholuck. Wetstein quotes the following from the Rabbins: Quod tibi ipsi odiosum est, proximo ne facias, nam hœc est tota lex. There the rule is given negatively, but here positively; and hence in infinitely richer and deeper bearing. De Wette thinks that the injunction to love our neighbor as ourselves, implies much the same thing, viz., moral equality, and does not express the distinctive excellency of Christian morality, which is pure, disinterested love; for it refers not to the matter of our conduct, and we may possibly expect from others something that is evil, such as flattery. But it should be noticed that the statement applies, in the first instance, to the form or mode of our conduct. It is not said, “Do ye even that to them,” but, “Do ye even so to them ( ïὕôùò ).” We are not to do to people whatsoever they ask from us, but we are to act toward them according to what we would expect at their hands. The measure of our demands is also to be the measure of our self-denial and devotion. Thus our own heart will tell us, by our requests upon others, what is the request, and what the claim, of our neighbor. In other words, our every demand must become a performance. But this implies the mortification of egotism; and thus, what in the first place referred to the manner, applies also to the matter, of our conduct. Viewed in this light, the statement contains an injunction of love to our neighbor, according to the measure of our love to ourselves. The “peculiarly Christian element” in this injunction, is the novelty of the measure which we are to apply to our love to our neighbor. None of us would ask flattery from our neighbor, knowing it to be such. What we desire from our neighbors is, that they shall be ministers of good, not of evil, angels, not devils, to us: hence our duty toward them corresponds with this our demand.—For this is the law and the prophets.—Mat_22:39; Rom_13:9.
Mat_7:13-14. Enter ye in through the strait gate.—First the gate, and then the way (Meyer, Bengel); and not the reverse, as ascetic misunderstanding would have it,—first the way, and then the gate (Calovius: the way,—the life on earth; the gate,—exitus vitœ). Similarly de Wette and Tholuck. Perhaps the mistake has arisen from mixing up this with another figurative expression: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle,” etc., Mat_19:24. Nor can the expression åἰóÝñ÷åóèáé äéÜ , in Mat_7:13, determine our interpretation, since the same words are afterward applied to the broad way ( åἰóåñ÷üìåíïé äé ’ áὐôῆò ). The figure becomes even more striking, if we recall to mind the former advice, to knock. We see, as it were, two cities before us. The pilgrim must quit the one, which is the old world, over which judgment is to burst (Bunyan’s Pilgrimage), and enter into the other, which is the kingdom of heaven, where alone the soul can find a refuge. Again, viewing the passage in the light of the judgment, which, according to our Lord’s prediction, was to overtake Pharisaism, we may consider ancient Jerusalem as the city which must be forsaken. But there are two gates by which it may be left. One of these is strait, being the righteousness of Christ; the road is narrow—the seven beatitudes; and few are they that enter in thereat to eternal life. But there is also a wide gate—the legalism of the Pharisees, and a broad way—that of external Judaism; and many there are which hurry along this road to that awful historical destruction,—the great ἀðþëåéá of the Jewish nation. All this is but the outward manifestation of the eternal contrast between the children of light and the children of darkness. In this sense, the gate serves as the figure of their choice; and the way, as that of their walk and conduct. By the strait gate we understand humility, repentance, and renunciation of the world, through poverty in spirit. The wide gate is the self-righteousness of the Pharisees, or the spurious riches of a piety which is combined with the service of mammon. Similarly, the narrow way is the prosecution of those spiritual attainments described in the seven beatitudes; while the broad way indicates that corruption in doctrine and life, which, passing from one extreme to the other, renders the way so wide and ill-defined. The contrast between the goal of these two ways is exceedingly significant. In the one case, it is life; in the other, destruction,—first, as matter of inward experience, then of outward fact, and, lastly, of eternal destiny (rest and unrest, deliverance and destruction, salvation and condemnation). The figurative language of this passage is closely connected with what precedes about the relation of Christians to their fellow-men. It is your duty to devote yourselves to others,—not according to the measure which they demand at your hand, but according as you would have them do to you. You are not to follow the multitude on the broad way, but to seek with the few, the elect, the strait gate, in order to knock at the door of the kingdom of heaven. Such is the transition from the injunction of what we are to seek, to that of what we are to avoid.
Mat_7:15. Beware of false prophets.—If it is our duty to beware of the dangerous example given us by the great crowd of those who go astray, we must be even more careful against the small but strong influence of false prophets, derived from the powers of darkness. Meyer: “The øåõäïðñïöῆôáé are not Pharisees, nor impostors such as Judas of Galilee (Act_5:37; Joseph. De Bell. Jud. ii. 13, 4), but false Christian teachers (Mat_24:11; Mat_24:24), as appears from Mat_7:21-23. Comp. Chrysostom, Calvin, Grotius.” But the admonition “to beware” is evidently connected with the last clause of the former verse, “few are they that find it;” showing that these false prophets must somehow stand related to the Pharisees.—The great danger which ye shall have to encounter upon the new or narrow way, will arise from the influence of false prophets. The Lord foresaw that Pharisaism would in part merge with Christianity, when its representatives would become “false prophets,” or heresiarchs. It was easy to infer, that along with such Jewish forms of error, the corruptions of heathen philosophy and mythology would find their way into the Church. The main idea of the simile is the disguise of an old and evil kind under a new garb of piety. They come to you (already) in sheep’s clothing. De Wette: “Not literally in sheep’s skins, which the old prophets wore (Grotius, Kuinoel), but in clothing such as sheep wear, i.e., gentle and meek in their outward appearance.” Bengel: Vestibus ut si essent oves. The expression refers, however, not merely to their gentle and mild exterior, but also to their profession of Christianity—the garb of the lamb; while the term, “inwardly ravening wolves” (Act_20:29), indicates not only their malice generally, but the old enmity and opposition to Christianity, Mat_10:16.
Mat_7:16. By their fruits.—This is the decisive evidence. Jerome, Calvin, Calovius, and others, refer the expression “fruits” to the false doctrine of these prophets; Tholuck, Meyer, and others, to their works. But the passage alludes not to the works of ordinary professors, but to those of false prophets. These, as Spener remarks, are schools, institutions, doctrinal principles, etc.; which, of course, are closely connected with their moral characters and conduct (comp. 1Jn_4:1). The character of the Ebionite and Gnostic heresies certainly appeared in the works of their professors, in the harsh fanaticism of the one, and the antinomianism of the other, while both exhibited the sectarianism, proselytism, and hypocrisy common to all heresies.
Mat_7:16-19. Illustration of this principle from nature. At first sight, we might have expected that the idea should be presented in the opposite form. Shall we look for thorns upon the vine, etc.? But the Lord first shows what we should seek, viz., good fruit, such as grapes and figs. Compared with such fruit, the false prophets are thorns and thistles. “ Ἄêáíèáé , or ἄêáíèá , is the general name for all kinds of thorns, of which the most common bears small black berries not unlike grapes, while the flower of the ôñßâïëïé may be compared with the fig.” The false prophets resemble sharp thorns, from their fanatical and harsh traditionalism; and thistles, from their proselytizing spirit, which takes hold of and clings to every part of your person and dress. Then follows the general law of nature: As the tree, such is its fruit; as the state of mind, so the outward manifestation. Nor can it be other wise. What applies to thorns and thistles, holds equally true of every kind of tree.—By the good tree is evidently meant the fruit-tree. It is not so easy to determine what is meant by the äÝíäñïíóá ðñü í . Óáðñüò signifies, in the first place, rotten; but Meyer is wrong in applying the expression to decayed trees, which yielded only unwholesome fruit. Óáðñüí means also what is bad or unuseable; Mat_13:48, applied to fish (de Wette). Even old wine, if acrid, may be designated as óáðñüò . Hence the idea here implied, seems to be that of the old and wild growth of nature, in opposition to the new and precious fruit (comp. Genesis 2 and Col_2:8. Philosophy êáôὰ ôὰ óôïé÷åῖá ôïῦ êüóìïõ ).—The judgment denounced against false prophets in Mat_7:19, is intended to give emphasis to the admonition repeated in Mat_7:20, “By their fruits ye shall know them.”
Mat_7:21. Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord.—De Wette: “A warning against merely external worship of the Saviour, or merely external communion with Him, Mat_7:21. Chrysostom, Jerome, Augustine, Maldonatus, and after them Tholuck, erroneously refer this to the false prophets, as if it were a further explanation of the judgment denounced upon them in Mat_7:19. Meyer regards it as an application of the preceding verses to Christian teachers. But these are only spoken of in Mat_7:22. In another point also we dissent from this critic. He considers this verse as expressing in plain and literal terms what had been figuratively conveyed in Mat_7:16. The real connection between this and the preceding verses is as follows: In Mat_7:15-20, the Lord had spoken of those who taught destructive doctrines (mark the images of wolves, thorns, and thistles); while here He refers to all (whether teachers or taught) who rest satisfied with a mere profession, without reality.”—Not every one, etc. The truly pious, therefore, are among the professors.
Mat_7:22. Many will say to Me.—This marks another stage, being addressed to those who have done certain things in the name of Jesus, but without His Spirit. De Wette rightly observes, that it does not apply to those who spread dangerous doctrines. Meyer holds that the term prophesied points back to the false prophets of Mat_7:16. Against this, see, however, 1Co_13:2. In general, the passage is intended further to develop the idea formerly expressed.
In that day.—As in Mat_11:24, and in Luk_10:12, ἐí ἡìÝñᾳ êñßóåùò .
Ôῷ óῷ ὀíüìáôé , by Thy name, or through Thy name, not in Thy name (Mar_9:38),—i.e., by means of Thy name.
Prophesied, ðñïåöç ôåýóáìåí .—Grotius and Fritzsche understand it as prophesying; Meyer, as referring to the prophetic office of the early teachers, 1Co_12:10. But this included prophesying in the stricter sense.
We have cast out devils, etc., äáéìüí éáἐîå âÜëïìåí , etc.—On the difference between this and äõíÜìåéò ðïëëÜ ò , ê . ô . ë ., comp. 1 Corinthians 12. The latter passage applies more especially to miracles of healing ( ÷áñßóìáôá ἰáìÜôùí ), while the casting out of devils has its analogon in the ἐíåñãÞìáôá äõíÜìåùí . The last clause of the verse, however, must be taken rather in a general sense than as applying to any particular manifestation. It applies to religious enthusiasm generally, whether operating on the intellect, the will, or the sympathies but of a theurgic character ( ôῷ óῷ , not ἐí ôῷ óῷ ), for purposes of self-exaltation, and in the spirit of boastfulness, which Luther points out by repeating, in his version, the expression, “have we not,” three times. But, despite their works, the true foundation is awanting,—Christian love having never been called into exercise: 1 Corinthians 13; Joh_13:34-35.
Mat_7:23. And then will I profess unto them.—The expression may mean, explain; although it alludes, no doubt, to their profession, as if the Judge Himself were grieved in having to explain it to those self-deluded persons. At any rate, it indicates that the hollowness of many a fair appearance will only be exposed on that day.
I never knew you.—If the fruit of love does not appear, the inmost individuality of man, that which constitutes his personal character, is not brought out. For practical purposes we may explain it: I never knew you as My people.
Depart from Me—Psa_6:8; Mat_25:41—ye that work iniquity.—Not merely on account of what is awanting in them, but as having deceived themselves and others, and unwarrantably used the name of the Lord for the purpose of advancing their own honor.
Mat_7:24-27. Therefore, whosoever heareth.—This is an inference from the preceding warning, presenting the most terrible form of judgment—that which is to overtake those who feign greatness of faith, or high spiritual advancement. At the same time, it forms also a most solemn and striking conclusion to the whole Sermon on the Mount.
Ὁìïéþóù .—The meaning of the active mood is explained by the passive reading ὁìïéùèÞóåôáé , which is supported by many authorities. The latter evidently signifies, “he shall be esteemed, or treated like.” Accordingly, the active mood here must be rendered: I shall esteem, or treat, him in the judgment (Tholuck and Meyer). The circumstance, that the verb in the active mood generally signifies, to liken (Mat_11:16; Luk_13:18-21), would appear to favor the passive reading.
Upon a [the] rock.—Theophylact, Jerome, Olshausen [Alford, Wordsworth], refer this to Christ; others take it in a more general sense. But the bearing of the whole passage implies that Christ is the spiritual Rock upon which to build the house. Here it is true more implicite than explicite.
The sand.—According to Olshausen, human opinions; but more properly, according to the connection, all that which is transitory—the teaching and works of man.
The winds.—Bengel: temptations; Meyer: the dolores Messiœ. We take it more generally, as the trials intervening between this and the judgment.
It fell not.—Implying not merely life, but triumph; just as the falling involves not merely ἀðþëåéá , but the shame of being rejected.
Mat_7:28-29. Conclusion of the narrative.— ἮíäéäÜóêùí .—The verb åἶíáé is added to the participle by way of increasing its force. It frequently denotes duration, continuance: He was teaching.
As having authority, viz., to teach; referring not merely to human authority, nor to capacity (Fritzsche: docendi copia), nor even to Divine mission, but to the full power of the word which is at the same time the full authority of the word.
Ïἱãñáììáôåῖò .—Some codd. add. áὐôῶí . Another reading, still less approved, adds, ïἱ öáñéóáῖïé . Not that the scribes appeared, in comparison with Jesus, “as having arrogated to themselves the office of teacher” (de Wette); but as wanting the seal of the Spirit, and hence of their Divine mission and authority.
2. Christ conveys a twofold assurance of the safety of the way on which He would have us enter. He not only gives His own full and personal guarantee, but He illustrates and enforces what He recommends by grounds derived from life, from nature, and from experience. Among them, He adduces, 1. the success of earnest human endeavors ( Mat_7:8); 2. the affectionate care of earthly parents, although themselves evil ( Mat_7:9; comp. also Isa_49:15; Eph_3:14); 3. the moral duty implied in the ordinary demands which we make upon our neighbors ( Mat_7:12); 4. the contrast between the highway along which the multitude travels, and the narrow path on which the elect walk ( Mat_7:13); 5. the natural law, according to which the fruits correspond to the tree, and the contrast between good and bad trees ( Mat_7:16); 6. the right and proper disposition of things: the evil tree is cast into the fire ( Mat_7:19); 7. the teaching of experience, as illustrated by the house reared upon the rock, and that erected upon a foundation of sand ( Mat_7:24).
3. The following are the leading characteristics of the way of salvation: I. In reference to what we are to seek,—(a) Religious aspirations: asking, seeking, knocking (the evidence of true asking is, that it is followed by seeking, just as knocking is the evidence of seeking. The expression, to seek, alludes to the hidden path between the rocks; hence it is said, “Few here be that find it”). (b) Moral aspirations springing from inward sincerity and earnestness. (c) Actual decision: we are to leave the city of destruction, and to enter that of salvation. This forms a transition, II. to what we are to avoid: (1) With reference to that which is without. (a) We are not to be carried away by the multitude,—to avoid that which is easy, mere passiveness. (b) We are not to be led astray by false prophets. Search and try beyond the outward appearance (not as it may appear at the time, but wait for the autumn and the fruits). (2) With reference to that which is within. (a) We are to beware of a dead profession and merely nominal Christianity, which will prove equally discordant with God, with His will, and with Christian duty to our neighbor. (b) Above all, we are to beware of confounding enthusiasm or excitement with spiritual life, love to the Saviour, and fellowship with Him. III. The true test. The prospect into the future, which at the same time implies an examination into the foundation of our present state: (a) Anticipation of the storm which is to burst; (b) of the sunshine which is to follow, and to shed its light either upon a ruin, or on a fabric that has stood the tempest; (c) anticipation of the revelation of Christ as Judge, by receiving Him into our inmost hearts as the foundation of our faith and life.
4. Heresy; dead orthodoxy, or adherence to the letter; and religious fanaticism without spiritual experience: what an awful climax!
5. True prudence consists in spiritual wisdom. In building our house, we must look forward to the ultimate catastrophe and to eternity. What applies to the individual, is equally true of the community. The simile here used has received its grand fulfilment in the contrast presented between the unbelieving and the believing portion of the synagogue at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem. (Comp. Romans 9-11. Leben Jesu ii. 2, 635; iii. 88.)
6. Special remarks.—(1) As to prayer. The words of the Lord imply that every prayer will certainly be heard and answered. Of course, this remark only holds true of genuine prayer,—which presupposes, (a) a right motive (from God); (b) a right spirit (self-surrender); (c) a corresponding expression (filialness); (d) a right object (our salvation in the glory of God, or the glory of God in our salvation). Heubner: We cannot be absolutely certain that our prayers shall be heard, unless they concern the kingdom of God or our own salvation. For temporal blessings we can only pray conditionally (which will, at any rate, be the case in every genuine prayer); nor is the promise of an answer absolute in such circumstances. Still, we are both permitted and encouraged to make known all our requests; and the more necessary the object is which we seek, the more confidently may we hope for an answer.—The Lord bestows temporal gifts even without our supplication; but spiritual blessings are granted only in answer to prayer. (Comp. the passage in the Apolog. of Tertullian about prayer, as the only kind of violence allowed to Christians,—“Hœc vis Deo grata est.”)—“It is remarkable that, despite man’s sinfulness, such love for their offspring remains in the heart of fathers and mothers. A glorious symbol this of the in finite love of our heavenly Father.”—(2) Rule for our conduct toward our neighbor—negatively: Do not unto others what you would not have them do unto yourself. (Tobith Mat_4:15. The opinion of Salvianus on this passage, see in Heubner’s Com., p. 101.) With this, Kant’s celebrated moral principle may be compared: Act in such a manner that your conduct may be capable of being elevated into a maxim applicable to all, or a universal principle. The rule here laid down by the Lord finds an echo in every breast. But it deserves notice, that while others may have expressed it in an imperfect and negative manner, the Saviour alone disclosed it in all its richness and fulness.—(3) The narrow way and the strait gate, the broad way and the wide gate. We must not overlook the historical application of this simile; nor yet its general import, as relating to penitence and impenitence, to faith and unbelief, to sanctification and destruction. Heubner: “Oh! how many go on the broad way! Thus the majority of men hasten to ruin, and will ultimately be condemned.” But Heubner here combines two very different statements, which are not necessarily connected. Does not grace rescue many a soul from the path of destruction even at the last hour? But apart from this, it is well to call attention to the awful prospect set before man in this passage. See the sentences of Augustine, Luther, and others, on the passage, quoted by Heubner, p. 102.—Beware, etc., Mat_7:15.—The three kinds of false spirits among Christians are here described with marvellous accuracy and delicacy of touch: (1) False prophets, manifestly referring to heretics; (2) false professors; (3) spurious enthusiasts. On the different explanations of fruits, see Heubner, p. 106.
“As the thorns and thistles must have shown, at first sight, that the tree on which they grew was corrupt, it is evidently a mistake to refer that simile to trees which never bare fruit, or to such as are half decayed, but which, as is well known, of times yield some excellent fruit. Undoubtedly, it must apply to degenerate trees. Accordingly, the expression is significant, and indicates that our Lord acknowledged a gradual depravation of nature corresponding to the progress of moral evil in the world, of which the thorns and thistles are the symbol.” (Genesis 3; Leben Jesu, ii. 2, 645.)
In the concluding simile, the contrast between a life of true faith and mere profession is set before us, just as the figure of the twofold building represents, on the one hand, the Church as the great structure reared by Christ, and, on the other, the building raised by the hierarchy.
Ask.—The unconditional promise of answer in every real want, or infinite and prevening love: 1. Expressed in the Divine arrangement: ask—seek—knock; 2. illustrated by a general principle, applicable to temporal as well as spiritual things: “For every one that asketh,” etc.; 3. symbolized and proved by the affection of earthly parents.—Every genuine spiritual aspiration shall be satisfied; “for every one that asketh,” etc.—The characteristics of true prayer. It Isaiah , 1. genuine asking; and becomes, 2. earnest seeking; and 3. urgent knocking.—Gradual progress in seeking after the kingdom of God. The search becomes,—1. increasingly definite in reference to its object (a) the gift of God; (b) spiritual treasure; (c) the door of heaven; 2. leads to an increased sense of our own poverty and ruin (want; sense of having lost; sense of standing without, of being lost); 3. increasingly urgent in its manifestations; and hence, 4. results in increasing dependence upon God (He must give, disclose, and open).—The love of an earthly father a dim representation of the love of our heavenly Father: (a) From its character; (b) from the confidence in His disposition which we cherish; (c) from our experience of past benefits.—The ruins of true humanity left in our sinful nature, an indication and proof of our Divine origin.—Christ presupposes the corruption of man, 1. to such an extent, as to speak of it only in connection with promises of salvation; 2. so fully, as to except none; 3. so kindly, that He mentions at the same time any features of genuine humanity still left.
Therefore all things ( Mat_7:12)—the law and the prophets, as included in the principle laid down by the Lord: “therefore all things,” etc.: 1. Proof of it; 2. inference from it.—This principle, as describing the conduct of Christ Himself (Mat_5:17-18); as explaining the nature of true love, Rom_13:10; as both the gift and the requirement of His Spirit.—The claims of others upon us are pled by the voice in our own hearts.—Our demands the measure of our bestowing upon others.
Enter ye in.—Entrance into life rendered difficult: 1. From certain peculiarities which deter: (a) The gate is strait; (b) the way is narrow; (c) difficult to find; (d) there are few companions on it. 2. By the attractions of the other road: (a) The gate is wide (the principal entrance); (b) the way broad (highway); (c) many walk on it; and do not merely walk, out intend and expect to go into the city by it ( åἰóåñ÷üìåí ̀ ïé äé ’ áὐôῆò ).—Marks of the true way.—Marks of the false way.—We are neither to follow the multitude along the highways, nor false prophets into byeways.—Beware of false prophets: 1. Why? Because they are false prophets, (a) in sheep’s clothing
Very deceptive; (b) inwardly, ravening wolves
Very destructive. 2. By what marks shall we know them? (a) By their fruits. From prophets we expect good fruit, such as figs and grapes; but these yield only the fruits of the wilderness—thorns and thistles. (b) From the judgment which quickly overtakes them.—False comfort flowing from trust in a dead profession.—Dead profession is not rendered better by our surrendering the Christian name, but by a spiritual renewal.—Who shall enter into the kingdom of heaven? 1. He only who confesses the Lord; 2. not every one who outwardly confesses Him; 3. he who proves the truth of his profession by a holy obedience.—Life in Christ, the will of the Father concerning us.—It is one thing to do many works by the name of Christ, and another to do them in the name of Christ.—Even enthusiasm and outward success are not sufficient evidence of our discipleship.—Spurious enthusiasm generally betrays itself by its boastfulness.—Many who appear great in Church and State, will in that day be deprived of their assumed character, and of their claims to respect.—The threefold judgment upon false prophets, dead professors, and zealots and selfish enthusiasts—The judgment implied in the words, “I never know you.” This means: 1. Ye have never known Me 2. never known yourselves; 3. and therefore cannot be known of Me.—To know, to love, and to praise, go hand in hand.
The house built upon the rock, and that reared upon the sand.—The rock and the sand; or the Eternal Word in its compactness and firmness, and the world, resembling particles of sand, without cohesion.—Every spiritual structure shall be tried. 1. The truth of this statement: (a) As proved by experience; (b) even the kingdom of God, or the inner life, has its tempests. 2. Inferences: (a) Many a false building has already been swept away; (b) how careful should we be in rearing our own structure!—The word of Christ a word of power: 1. Of real power (of truth, of love, of life, of the Spirit); 2. of perfect power (of full authority and omnipotence).—The teaching of the scribes and the teaching of Christ. The former powerless, despite their appearance of power, authority, science, and enthusiasm; the latter all powerful, in the midst of deepest outward poverty and contempt.
Starke:—Ask: Psa_50:15; Isa_55:6; Psa_21:2-3; Zec_10:1; Jam_1:5. Seek: Jer_29:13-14; Luk_15:5-9. Knock: Luk_13:24; Act_12:13-16; Rev_3:20; Gen_32:26-29.—Augustine: Ideo non vult cito dare, ut tu discas ardentius orare.—He who would show others the way, must himself seek everything from God in prayer: 2Co_3:5-6; Act_10:9.—True prayer is converse with God. Psa_19:14.—Quesnel: O Lord, we ofttimes ask for the stone of temporal possessions, which would make our heart a stone; but, instead of it, Thou hast given us the bread of Thy grace, of Thy word, and of Thy Son: Pro_30:7.—Foolish children that we are, how often do we regard as a stone what is better for soul and body than the finest bread, and as the poison of serpents, what proves the most blessed medicine for our hearts! Pro_20:24.—Every earthly parent may help to remind us of the love and faithfulness of God toward His own: Isa_63:7; Isa_49:15.—Even if it were possible that all earthly parents should forget their duty, yet will God prove a Father: Isa_49:15.—The affection of parents toward their children, a symbol of the hearing of prayer.—“Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would.” En speculum paratissimum, justitiœ breviarium, compendiosum commonitorium. Jerome.—Each one of us carries in his breast an adviser, judge, and monitor of his conduct toward his neighbor: Psa_15:3; Mat_22:39; Eph_4:25 : 1Ti_1:5; Gal_5:14; Rom_13:10.—Here you have the test of what you owe to your neighbors—the spring of equity and the bond of mutual forbearance.—Selfishness will always find a ready excuse: 1Co_4:7; Luk_18:11.—Enter ye in at the strait gate. There are only two roads which lead to eternity,—that of the world and of the flesh, which leads to hell and condemnation; and that of the Spirit, which leads to heaven and eternal life. Therefore be sure which of these two thou hast chosen.—Strive to enter in at the strait gate: Luk_13:24; Php_2:12.—Christians are pilgrims: Psa_39:12; Heb_11:13.—In its folly, the world hastens along the broad way to hell, to the sound of music and revelry.—The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to be revealed: 2Co_4:17; Rom_8:18.—Luther:—It is not the Lord Jesus who makes the road to heaven so strait and narrow, but rather the devil, the world, and our own flesh: Mat_19:21-22; Pro_26:13.—Why is it that so few find the way to heaven? Because of their negligence in seeking, their sloth in striving, their daring in resisting God, and their malice in sinning. Hence their condemnation rests upon their own heads: 2Pe_1:8; Act_14:16; Joh_8:12; Act_14:22; Rev_7:14.—Let us not be offended at the small number of believers, Isa_1:8; Zep_3:12; nor at their many afflictions; but comfort ourselves in view of their blessed end, Zep_3:17; Rev_3:20.—Beware—Php_3:18; 1Jn_4:1—of false prophets, Jer_14:14; Jer_23:26; Mic_3:5-12; Zep_3:4; 2Pe_2:1; Rev_16:13.—Sheep’s clothing, Joh_10:5; 2Co_11:13-15; Jer_23:21.—Ravening wolves, Joh_10:8-12; Act_20:29; 2Ti_2:17-18; Eze_21:29; Mat_10:16; 2Co_11:13-14.—Quœnam sunt istœ pelles ovium, nisi nominis Christiani extrinsecus facies? (Tertullian.)—Hœretici sunt habitu oves, astu vulpes, actu et crudelitate lupi. (Bernhard.)—Trust not every spirit, nor every talker or seducer.—To speak like an angel, to pamper the flesh, to gain the simple by outward devotion, by authority, by age, by tears or groans, to give one’s body to be burned, to do miracles,—are not the signs of a true prophet: the worst deceivers have exhibited all these, Mat_24:4-11; 2Th_2:9-10.—Sound doctrine and the fruits of sanctification the evidence of a true prophet: 2Ti_4:3-4; Eze_13:18; Jer_23:25-26; Jer_23:32; Hos_12:1.—Majus:—Every Christian should try the spirits, and recognize the truth: Act_17:11, the men of Berea.—All who lead us astray from the narrow way are false teachers, Jer_5:31; Hos_11:1-2.—Let no one imagine that there is any Church entirely free from heretics, sectarians, or false teachers.—By their fruits. Luther:—As if He would say,—The appearance of false prophets may be fair, as if it were a precious thing; but wait a while, until it is time to gather and to collect the fruits, and see what you will then find upon them.—Behold the goodness and the severity of God in the fruits of the earth. By reason of sin it bears thorns and thistles, but it also brings grapes and figs.—False teachers are like thorns and thistles. Their teaching affords no consolation, and only wounds the heart and conscience. Son_5:7.—The marks of false teachers appear in the way they administer their office, in their doctrine, life, and conversation, in their motives, and in the conduct of their disciples, Joh_15:20. Zeisius.—The hireling and the false prophet.—It is the duty of Christians to prove all things, and to hold fast the word of God, 1Th_5:21; Exo_18:15.—Quesnel: Love, or rather faith, is the root of the good tree. So long as this root remains healthy, the tree will not yield the corrupt fruit of sin; but if it is awanting, you will in vain look for the fruits of righteousness, 1Ti_1:5.—Majus: A wicked person may be transformed into a righteous; but, so long as he remains wicked, he cannot do anything that is good, Mat_12:34; Phm_1:11-12.—Every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit. Joh_15:2-6; 2Ti_3:9; Isa_8:20; Rev_19:20; Gal_5:12; Mat_13:30; Psa_109:2.—Not every one who saith. 1Jn_5:12; 1Th_4:3; 1Pe_1:15; Mat_5:19; Joh_4:23; Rom_2:13; Jam_1:22; Joh_3:16-36.—Quesnel: To call God our Lord, and yet not to honor Him by our works, is to condemn ourselves, 2Co_5:15; Luk_10:28.—Much knowledge, without corresponding practice, entails the heavier judgment; do what thou knowest. Hedinger. Joh_15:14.—False Christianity makes its boast in words, in knowledge, and appearance—ch. Mat_23:27; 2Ti_3:5,—but true religion consists in deed, and is spirit and life. The former may be likened to a painted figure; the latter, to a living man, Mat_5:16.—Many will say to Me in that day. Mat_24:36; 1Co_13:1-2; Php_1:15; Act_19:13; 2Co_11:13; 2Th_2:9; Rev_13:13.—So deeply rooted is false conceit in our minds, that even in the day of judgment men will not be able to comprehend how they incurred condemnation, Mat_25:44.—Quesnel: How many preachers are there, who in the pulpit seem to be prophets; and how many ministers whose success is admired, but who, in the sight of God, are nothing, because they neglect His will! Luk_13:26.—Then will I profess unto them,—openly on that day. Joh_10:14; 2Ti_2:19; 1Co_8:3; Mat_25:12; Joh_10:27; Psa_1:6.—Dei agnoscere servare est; Dei agnoscere custodire est; non agnoscere damnare est. Augustine.—The grace of God saves a soul, and not gifts.—Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, etc. Joh_3:17.—The Rock is Christ, Mat_16:18; 1Co_3:11; 1Co_10:4; Jer_17:7; Psa_118:22; Isa_28:16; Act_4:11-12; Rom_9:33; 1Pe_2:5-7.—To build on Him, is to believe on Him.—At the close of a sermon, we should admonish our hearers to obedience and earnest application of the word.—Quesnel: To employ ourselves in this building, is to be truly wise, Isa_58:11-12.—The wisdom of the just appears in their showing their faith by their works.—And the rain descended. Psa_124:5; Psa_18:5; Rev_12:15; Jer_51:1; Eph_4:14; Psa_46:6; Isa_25:4; Isa_32:2; Rom_8:35.—Quesnel:—By the practice of piety do we make our calling and election sure, 2Pe_1:10; 1Ti_4:7-8.—Cramer: True Christians are exposed to many a tempest and storm, but we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.—Perseverance to the end the crowning manifestation of faithful allegiance to Christ, 2Ti_4:7-8; Rev_2:10.—And doeth them not. Jam_1:22-24.—Majus: Hypocrisy bears to the world the aspect of a great building, but it has no foundation, and will fall, Luk_18:11-14.—And the rain descended; i. e., adversity and strong temptations befell him, Psa_32:6; Pro_16:4. Under such trials a merely external Christianity speedily fails.—This refers to the final judgment, when body and soul shall be destroyed in hell, Gen_7:21; Exo_14:27-28; Job_8:14; Psa_1:5; Psa_34:22; Psa_73:19.—Quesnel: That fall cannot be repaired again.
Heubner:—Ask grace and the forgiveness of sin. Seek, earnestly aim after, perfection. Knock at the door of heaven, and it shall be opened.—Whatever is needful for our salvation shall be granted in answer to our prayers.—Ask in a childlike spirit for what you may stand in as absolute need of, as of bread, and God will give it you.—“Therefore, all things whatsoever,” etc. In your dealings, put yourself mentally in the place of your neighbor.—The strait gate: true repentance.—“Strait” refers to the anxiety of the heart in the matter.—The wide gate: impenitence.—Appearances deceive.—Beware of mere appearance.—Neither good works alone, nor sound doctrine alone, constitutes good fruits; the latter are the results of both life and doctrine.—A good tree is that which has been ennobled, and refers to a regenerate man; a corrupt tree is that which has degenerated, and means the unrenewed or natural man.—The culture of grace alone can ennoble a man.—A corrupt tree has no place in the garden of God.—“Not every one that saith, Lord, Lord.”—The most splendid talents are oftentimes combined with a wicked heart; the most splendid deeds are ofttimes of dubious value. A man may be the most enthusiastic speaker, the opponent of every injustice and wrong, and the bold champion of all that is good and noble,—yet all from selfishness and unworthy ambition.—Each sin renders a man more untrue to himself.—The future judgment will consist in the manifestation of the secrets of our hearts. Then the game is up, and it will be said: Off with the masks. This applies especially to unworthy ministers.
The pericope, Mat_7:15-23.—Warning of the Lord against byeways which lead to destruction: 1. Warning against being led astray by others—by false prophets, i. e., either by false teachers, or by any who would seduce us from the truth; 2. against being led astray by our own hearts, by hypocrisy, and mere profession.—Fourfold form of the call of the Lord: (a) As a Divine call; (b) as the utterance of Divine truth; (c) as that of the pure and holy heart; (d) as that of His love and concern for the souls of men.
The pericope, Mat_7:15-23. Erdmann:—Concerning the true import of human works.—Dräseke: The desire to appear good: 1. Its nature; 2. its origin; 3. its moral character; 4. its unavoidable dangers.—Reinhard:—On the only certain mark of a state pleasing to God. It consists not, 1. in outward decency; nor, 2. in a public profession of the Gospel; nor, 3. in personal attachment to Jesus (?); nor, 4. in extraordinary works (?); but, 5. in faith in Jesus, and in an endeavor to attain holiness by that faith,—our aim being directed toward the reality, rather than the outward form.—Marheineks:—How do we prove ourselves to be true professors of Christ? 1. Not by outward appearances merely, but by the power and life of faith; 2. by works of love; 3. by joy, peace, and hope. Nitzsch:—The true value of good works (Selections of Sermons i., p. 12). Zimmermann:—The tree an image of man (root, stem, marrow, branches, leaves, blossoms, fruit). Fr. Krummacher:—Who enters into the kingdom of heaven (Voices of the Church, Langenberg, 1852, p. 49). Sermons on Mat_7:15, by Rautenberg, Souchon, Ahlfeld. Höpfner:—Four things necessary to constitute a Christian: 1. Faith makes a Christian; 2. life proves a Christian; 3. trials confirm a Christian; 4. death crowns a Christian.
BY THE AMERICAN EDITOR
*Novum Testamentum Sinaiticum, sive Novum Testamentum cum Epistola Barnabœ et Fragmentis Pastoris (Hermæ). Ex Codice Sinaitico auspiciis Alexandri II., omnium Rus