Matthew 7:1-12 Lesson 12

Matthew 7:1-12 Lesson 12

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this Lesson

The Sermon on the Mount continues.

Praise Jesus for his wisdom in giving us the teachings, principles, inspiration, and encouragement found in the Gospel of Matthew. Thank Jesus for what He reveals about Himself and ask Him to teach you to know, love, and obey Him throughout your studies.

Study Tip:

Go into Bible work with an idea of what you want to get out of it.
Make a list of what you're looking for in your studies.

The Gospel According to St. Matthew

The King James Bible

Matthew 7:1-12
Judging, giving, asking

1Judge not, that ye be not judged.

2For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

3And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

4Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

5Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

6Give 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 and rend you.

7Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

8For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

9Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

10Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

11If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

12Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

Margin notes:

"With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." (7:2) - Means, "The yardstick you use to measure (others) is the yardstick that will be used to measure you."

"Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" (7:3) - "Why do you worry about the sliver in your brother's eye but don't consider the log that is in your own eye."

"Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine." (7:6) - "This means we should use common sense and tact in talking about our religion. Else we may do our cause more harm than good." (Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; page 434).

"Turn again and rend you." (7:6) - "Turn and tear you apart."

"Ask, and it shall be given you." (7:7) - Means, turn to God when you're in crisis or need spiritual guidance. He will answer your prayers but remember, even if God's answer isn't the one you for praying for, it will always be in your best interest. Jesus will repeat this teaching in Mark 11:24, John 14:13, 15:7 and 16:24.

"If ye then, being evil." (7:11) - Jesus is contrasting sinful mankind (Genesis 6:5) with God.

"Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." (7:12) - "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." This is referred to as "The Golden Rule" and is the basis on which Christian goodness and mercy are built. Jesus repeats this advice in Luke 6:31-32.

Jesus teaches a similar message on judging (7:1-5) in Luke 6:39-45.

New Living Translation

Matthew 7:1-12
Do Not Judge Others

1 "Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.

2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.

3 "And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own?

4 How can you think of saying to your friend, 'Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you can't see past the log in your own eye?

5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye.

6 "Don't waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don't throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.

Effective Prayer

7 "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

9 "You parents-if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead?

10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not!

11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

The Golden Rule

12 "Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's Question:

1. Is it alright to judge others? (7:1-5)

I value your input. Let me know your suggestions for improving these lessons.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. In verse 7:1 Jesus is speaking against the Pharisees' way of judging others, judging as if they were beyond reproach. For us to judge others for the specks in their eyes when we have beams in our own is prideful, arrogant, and foolish. The beams in our eyes give us a distorted point of view and prevent us from seeing clearly (7:5). It is better for us to evaluate our own conduct and make the necessary improvements. However, Jesus does allow us to judge right from wrong and to judge false prophets (Matthew 7:15-20). But we shouldn't judge the intentions of someone else's heart. What lies hidden in the inner person can only be known to God. Because we are hypocritical, unfair, self-righteous, and imperfect, we make poor judges. Remember, as sinners we will one day be judged (1 Corinthians 4:3-5).

Application thought for the day:

All we need to do is ask God for salvation, and He will give it to us (7:7-11).

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; "The Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies"; "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course, the "King James Bible". All were critical in putting these lessons together.
© 2020 evolke

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