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Matthew

About this book
Chapter 7

1 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.⁠ 2 For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive.⁠ 3 Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to see the beam of wood in your own?⁠ 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ while there is a beam in your own? 5 You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.⁠ 6 Do not give what is holy to dogs⁠ or throw your pearls before pigs;⁠ otherwise they will trample them under their feet and turn around and tear you to pieces.⁠ 7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;⁠ knock and the door will be opened for you.⁠ 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.⁠ 9 Is there anyone among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!⁠ 12 In everything, treat others as you would want them to treat you,⁠ for this fulfills the law and the prophets.⁠ 13 “Enter through the narrow gate because the gate is wide and the way is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.⁠ 14 How narrow is the gate and difficult the way that leads to life, and there are few who find it! 15 “Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves.⁠ 16 You will recognize them by their fruit. Grapes are not gathered from thorns or figs from thistles, are they?⁠ 17 In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit.⁠ 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.⁠ 20 So then, you will recognize them by their fruit. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’⁠ will enter into the kingdom of heaven—only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.⁠ 22 On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many powerful deeds in your name?’ 23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!’⁠ 24 “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on rock.⁠ 25 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because its foundation had been laid on rock. 26 Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed—it was utterly destroyed!” 28 When Jesus finished saying these things,⁠ the crowds were amazed by his teaching,⁠ 29 because he taught them like one who had authority, not like their experts in the law.

Texts in conversation

Compare Deuteronomy 32:45 and Matthew 7:28

Hebrew Bible · New Testament

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Summary

In Matthew 7, Jesus echoes Deuteronomy 32, where Moses finishes reciting his song to Israel. Both use similar language to highlight the close of a long speech, and Matthew uses this to depict Jesus with the same authority as Moses.

Passages

Deuteronomy 32:45

Hebrew Bible
43 Cry out, O nations, with his people, for he will avenge his servants’ blood; he will take vengeance against his enemies, and make atonement for his land and people. 44 Then Moses went with Joshua son of Nun and recited all the words of this song to the people. 45 When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel 46 he said to them, “Keep in mind all the words I am solemnly proclaiming to you today; you must command your children to observe carefully all the words of this law. 47 For this is no idle word for you—it is your life! By this word you will live a long time in the land you are about to cross the Jordan to possess.”
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Deuteronomy

Matthew 7:28

New Testament
26 Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed—it was utterly destroyed!” 28 When Jesus finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed by his teaching, 29 because he taught them like one who had authority, not like their experts in the law.
70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

References

"... No sooner had Jesus uttered his words of warning about an impending ominous event than the narrative overtakes his preaching, revealing the unfolding of end-time events. Some commentators consider Matthew’s five notations of points in the narrative when Jesus had concluded speaking (viz. 7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1) to indicate five internal divisions within the texts, corresponding to the Five Books of Moses. In my opinion, the use of “concluded all of these words” is an indicator of prophetic significance. Jesus has spoken, and his words are about to become reality. In 1 Samuel 24:16 the use of the same phrase is also forward looking: “And it was as David concluded these words ...” David had just declared to Saul that God would judge between the two of them; one would be found innocent and the other guilty. In so doing he quoted an ancient proverb: “From the wicked comes forth wickedness,” which also sums up Jesus’ message in the previous chapter. Just as the events of history overtake David’s words, so too with Jesus. It seems unlikely that these literary parallels between Jesus and David are random or accidental ..."
Herbert W. Basser and Marsha B. Cohen, The Gospel of Matthew and Judaic Traditions: A Relevance-Based Commentary, BRLJ 46 (Leiden: Brill, 2015), 656.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Deuteronomy 32:45 and Matthew 7:28

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