Not every chapter has one connecting thought. Matt 7 is sort of like a basket with several types of delicious snacks.
A few abbreviated thoughts on Matthew 7:
1-6 First of all, vs 6 does seem to fit with the subtitle “don’t judge”. I’m reminded that these sub paragraph headers were added later, and sometimes aren’t helpful. Thinking of not judging, it takes humility to accept that someone else may know more than you, or see the situation differently from you. Most people want to “rush to judgment” these days. Perhaps it’s because we’re too lazy or impatient to grapple with the thought. Maybe it’s just easier to make a blanket judgment and move on. It could also simply be arrogance, as I mentioned at first. Either way, if I don’t pause long enough to see the other person’s actions with love and humility I bring judgment on myself.
7-11 Ask and you will receive. But you must ask in keeping with God’s will, and you must trust that God will not provide to you something that will harm you. The Lord references children in this passage. If I child asks me for a car, or if they ask for something far beyond them…I think I asked one of my grade school teachers to marry me…. We should pray that we don’t receive what we ask for. Instead of worrying about whether or not we will receive what we ask for, we should be praying that we will “ask wisely”.
12 Probably should be with the section on judging others.
13-14 Jesus is the narrow gate. Narrow indeed! There is no other entrance into heaven except through the Son. The pathway is difficult because it forces us to deny our self will. If we die to self (no easy task) the path becomes much easier. I have hiked a few difficult trails in my day, but I never regretted it. The sense of accomplishment, the view, the height, the sounds and smells and the knowledge that it took sacrifice to get there all brought a sense of satisfaction. The Christian life is no different, and on top of that, it is the only path to my desired destination. Every other trail I hiked eventually brought me back to the starting point, where I continued on my journey along with those who didn’t take the trail. This trail forces me to part company with those who will not travel with Jesus. Thinking along those lines, I certainly will still encounter people along the way who aren’t “fellow travelers” and I can encourage them to travel with me. I find myself wondering how to reconcile this verse with Matthew 28 “go and make disciples”. This is a different kind of trail, maybe better seen as a strict diet or exercise regimen.
15-19 I need to remember this: actions are considered fruit. Fruit isn’t just attributes or leading others to Christ. How I behave is fruit.
21-23 Along with actions, obedience is key to relationship and acceptance. Even if I do some of the right things, I won’t be accepted if I violate God’s laws. A person shopping in the grocery store may pay for their purchases before leaving but still be arrested for eating fruit they didn’t pay for inside the store. How does this line up with being saved by grace, and not by works?
24-29 Houses without solid foundations go up quicker and look just as nice as the well built homes. In fact, they may survive for quite some time before they fall apart. The person who purchases and lives in that home may not recognize their error until well after the builder has left the area. That takes me back to the passage on false teachers, who try to encourage us to live in poorly built homes (bad theology). Study takes time and often it isn’t exciting, but it does pay a large dividend when trials and the “storms of life” come our way.
Loving Jesus,
PR