Matthew 7:12

Friday, 7 February 2025

Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Therefore, all as what you may determine that men, they should do to you, thus also you, you do to them. For this, it is, the Law and the Prophets” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus finished a thought concerning the nature of man in relation to God. We are evil, but we still bear hints of His nature, doing what is right toward our children, but He provides more abundantly than we do. Now, He makes a summary statement, beginning with, “Therefore, all as what you may determine that men, they should do to you.”

He uses the word oun, translated as therefore. HELPS Word Studies says that it “is typically translated ‘therefore’ which means, ‘By extension, here’s how the dots connect.’” The question that arises quite often with the use of this word is naturally, “What dots?”

At what point do the dots begin for there to be this summary “therefore?” It is not always easy to determine. In the case of Jesus’ words now, it seems extremely difficult to find the logical point where His words began. In fact, the thoughts since 7:1 have not seemed to logically fit into what He is now saying in verse 7:12.

Despite this, He is giving a summary that consists first of how His disciples want others to treat them, “what you may determine that men, they should do to you.” In the manner they desire, He continues with, “thus also you, you do to them.”

His words are often called the golden rule. The way you want to be treated, so you must also do toward others. The thought, though expressed a bit differently, is similar to the conclusion others have made. For example, Confucius, using the negative of the precept, said, “Do not to others what you would not wish done to yourself.”

Likewise, Rabbi Hillel said, “…whatsoever is hateful to thee, that do not thou to thy neighbor, ‘this is all the whole law,’ and the rest is an explication of it, go and be perfect.” Jesus finishes His thought in a similar manner, saying, “For this, it is, the Law and the Prophets.”

In other words, this precept sums up the Law and the Prophets. The thought is not unlike what the Lord has already said in Leviticus 19:18 –

“You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”

Jesus will again use this terminology concerning the Law and the Prophets later in Matthew 22, also citing Leviticus 19 –

“Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 ‘On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.’” Matthew 22:37-40

Jesus refers to both loving God and loving one’s neighbor as being that on which all the Law and the Prophets hang in Matthew 22. However, Jesus only cites the part about interactions between oneself and others here. Therefore, the sentiment among many scholars is like that of Matthew Poole, saying, “This precept containeth in it the substance of all that is to be found in the books of the law and the prophets which concerneth us in reference to others, the sum of the second table, which requireth only justice and charity.”

In other words, they say that what Jesus is saying here isn’t a sum of the whole Law and the Prophets but that part dealing with interactions between others (the second tablet of the Ten Commandments), while the interactions between the Lord and men are contained on the first tablet.

This has to be read into Jesus’ words. He does not say this. He says that what He has taught is the Law and the Prophets. But how can this be if His words now only deal with interactions between others? The answer is what the word oun, therefore, summarizes, which is everything since Matthew 5 where Jesus said –

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-20

Since that point, Jesus has brought in the nature of the law in many aspects, including Israel’s relationship with the Father. That is seen, for example, in the Lord’s Prayer and what He says in the surrounding words –

“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:8-15

One cannot disassociate his relationship with God when dealing with others while under the law. Jesus has clearly laid out the impossible weight of the law that rests upon those under it. It is the reason for His coming. A person’s righteousness must exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees. In fact, he cannot err in a single point of law (a jot or tittle) and be held blameless before the law.

That is why Jesus’ coming was necessary. Without God’s personal intervention, not a person could be saved. Man, apart from the law, is already condemned (John 3:18, Romans 5:12, etc.). How much more condemnation, then, came with the giving of the law.

Man is being given schooling on what he needs to be right before God. That “what” is a Who, Jesus. Only He can meet the demands of the greater understanding of the law that He has set forth so far in Matthew 5-7. Without Him, all men stand condemned.

Life application: Paul is quite clear concerning the reason for the law –

Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. 22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.” Galatians 3:21-25

The Gentiles were never under the Law of Moses. The Jews could not fulfill the Law of Moses but were kept under guard by it until Christ came. The law was given as a means of instruction concerning what God was going to do in the giving of Jesus Christ.

Unfortunately, so many have failed to see this. Instead, they keep themselves under the law (Jews), or they place themselves under the law that was never given to them (Gentiles trying to show God that they are worthy of His merit).

All men must come to God with empty hands. In essence, “Lord God, I have no merit or standing before You. I put my trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ alone.”

Heavenly Father, thank You for the cross of Jesus Christ where we find complete reconciliation with You. Jesus is our only trust, and He is our complete hope. Amen.

 

Matthew 7:11

Thursday, 6 February 2025

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Matthew 7:11

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Therefore, if you – being evil – you have known to give good gifts to your children, how much more your Father, the ‘in the heavens,’ He will give good to those asking Him” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus questioned if a father would give a serpent to a son who asked for a fish. The obvious answer would be that he would not. Now, He continues with, “Therefore, if you – being evil.”

His words are based on a comparison between humanity and God. There are different degrees of evil. We can say, “That person is eviler than any other I have ever known!” However, in comparison to God, all humans are evil.

Evil is not a thing in and of itself. Rather, it is a lack of goodness. When a car has a hole because of rust, the hole is a lack of the metal that is supposed to be there. The rust is the process by which the hole comes about. But the hole is not a thing. Rather it is a lack of the good thing, meaning metal. It is brought about by an external agent.

In the case of humans, we have a lack of perfection because of sin. Thus, we are evil in comparison to absolute perfection. This is the point Jesus is making. Despite being evil, however, He next says, “you have known to give good gifts to your children.”

Jesus introduces the word doma, a gift. It is something that is presented to another. In this case, the implication is that what is presented comes from beyond the immediate means of the person who receives it. Otherwise, it would be something that would have already been earned or obtained on his own. This doesn’t mean the person couldn’t earn or obtain it, but that, at present, it is not within the scope of that person’s assets.

As parents, humans have the ability and the desire to give such gifts to our children. Though we lack perfect goodness, we have shades of goodness from person to person. Even the most corrupt person, however, will have something good about him. It might take quite a while to figure out what it is, but it is there.

Despite this, Jesus is noting that the general state of humanity is that a father, in his state of being evil, still has the sense to tend to his child and give him what he needs and even what the child may ask for beyond his needs. As this is true with someone who is evil, “how much more your Father.”

Jesus now brings in the comparison, meaning the perfect Father who is God. If the man who lacks perfect goodness knows how to tend to his own children, how much more will God know how to tend to His children?

We are on earth in a fallen economy. God is “the ‘in the heavens.’” He sees everything perfectly, and He tends to everything perfectly. He is infinitely wise and will always do what is right. When it is appropriate, He will give His children exactly what they need to meet His infinitely perfect plans. As Jesus says, “He will give good to those asking Him.”

Of course, this must be in accord with His nature and plans, but when the circumstances are appropriate, God will perform perfectly in providing for His children.

Life application: It must be understood that the things we receive from God are appropriate to our needs and the situation in which we exist at any given time. If a saved person lives in a nation that is living contrary to God, it may be appropriate that God withhold the rains from the nation as a whole.

In withholding the rains, there will be a lack of food. In a lack of food, there may be hunger. In such an instance, it means that people will starve, including the saved person. But this will serve a greater purpose. The book of Lamentations describes the suffering of Israel due to their rejection of what is good.

Although the people who experienced those sufferings were experiencing evil, meaning a lack of goodness, they were also experiencing good from God through chastisement. They were being rightly disciplined, and yet they were being saved as a people through their discipline.

It is not appropriate to question God’s goodness when we don’t have all the facts at our disposal. In times of terrible troubles, we should remain people of faith and consider that His ways are higher than our own. We should submit to Him and honor Him, even when we feel the gifts we are receiving are inappropriate. For sure, they are not. They are the good things we need for our situation and to meet His glorious plan for His redeemed.

O God, troubles and trials have been experienced by Your faithful people all along. Job suffered greatly, and yet we can now read the record of his life and understand why those things happened. Give us the desire and ability to trust You, even through the difficulties and trials we may not understand. Amen.

 

Matthew 7:10

Wednesday, 5 February 2025

Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? Matthew 7:10

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And if fish he may ask, not serpent he will give him?” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus questioned His disciples, asking what man would give his son a stone when he had asked for bread. He now repeats the sentiment to emphasize His words, saying, “And if fish he may ask, not serpent he will give him?”

Both creatures are introduced into the New Testament. The first is the ichthus (or ichthys), fish. For several of the disciples, this would be a personal example because they were fishermen in the Sea of Galilee. The second is the ophis, snake. It is derived from optanomai, to appear or gaze. The connection is the idea of sharpness of vision.

The snake is used not only to describe the creature but also sly or cunning people, such as in Matthew 23:33, and of the devil (Satan) as in 2 Corinthians 11:3 and elsewhere.

The thought Jesus presents is similar to the first concerning sly or cunning people because, depending on the fish, it can somewhat resemble a snake. It would be a close but mocking response to the request. Further, a snake is unclean according to the Mosaic law. Therefore, if this is all he had to eat, it would cause the son to purposefully violate the dietary prescriptions found in Leviticus 11:42 –

“Whatever crawls on its belly, whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet among all creeping things that creep on the earth—these you shall not eat, for they are an abomination.”

Life application: The word translated as fish, ichthus (ichthys), eventually became the symbol of Christianity. Today, the “Jesus fish” is seen on the back of cars and other conspicuous places as displayed by Christians.

The fish had a prominent role in Jesus’ ministry because He had called some of His disciples out of their boats as they fished, asking them to follow Him. He used fish in the multiplication of food when feeding the five thousand and then the four thousand. In fact, the two things Jesus uses in His example in Matthew 7, loaves of bread and fish, are the two things He used in the feeding of these masses.

Jesus also used the fish to teach Peter a lesson concerning who He is in Matthew 17:27. His miracles, where an abundance of fish was gathered in the nets of the disciples, are taken as a metaphor for the abundance of souls that would be saved through Him. It is because of these things that the fish became the symbol of Christianity.

But along with that, the word ichthys was turned into an acrostic to refer to Jesus –

Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, Θεοῦ Υἱός, Σωτήρ (Iēsous Christos, Theou Yios, Sōtēr), which translates into English as “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Saviour.”

Hence, this is the reason why there are often Greek letters inside of the ichthus fish on the back of cars and elsewhere.

Unfortunately, variations of the Jesus Fish, such as the Darwin Fish, have arisen in modern times to mock Christianity. Despite this, displaying the Jesus Fish is something we can do to let the world know that we are Christians.

Lastly, the Roman Catholic tradition of not eating meat (Catholics 14 and older) on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, as well as Fridays during Lent, and other Fridays, and instead eating only fish, is nonsense. It is unscriptural and has nothing to do with faith in Jesus Christ –

“One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.” Romans 14:5, 6

We are so grateful to You, O God, for the freedom we have in Jesus. We are not bound to the Law of Moses, and we are not subject to the inane doctrines of aberrant sects and denominations that refuse to accept the grace and freedoms revealed in Your word. Thank You that through Christ Jesus we can live for You and worship You in spirit and truth. Amen.

 

Matthew 7:9

Tuesday, 4 February 2025

Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Matthew 7:9

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Or what man, he is, from you, whom his son if he may ask him bread, not stone he will give him?” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus noted that those who ask, seek, and find will get what they have pursued. Now, He continues with, “Or what man, he is, from you.”

Jesus begins a question, but He does so by addressing a single person out of the whole. People generally like to be considered a part of a group, and so to single out one from the group is to highlight them as exceptional, either in a positive or negative way.

The words beg for the audience to listen carefully because if one is being identified in a positive way, he will get satisfaction from being separated from the others. If in a negative way, he will shy away from drawing such attention to himself and being separated from others as offensive.

As such, the words call for heeding the rest of the question to know how to respond. Next, Jesus says, “whom his son if he may ask him bread.”

It is the most common of events between the closest of family. The father/son relationship is normally one which is based on love, respect, trust, etc. The response of the father to a request for bread is almost universally expected to be a positive one.

Unless there was a famine or some other reason that the request could not be favorably responded to, the answer to the request would be to grant it without hesitation. However, now comes the reason why the single is highlighted from the whole with the words, “not stone he will give him?”

The word , not, is used here as an interrogative. The question is essentially, “What man is there among you who would do this?” At this point, anyone listening would immediately shake his head and deny he would do such a thing, knowing that his inclusion in the group would suddenly be in jeopardy.

Bread comes from the ground as grain. It is then formed into bread and used for eating. However, it generally has the appearance of a stone which also comes from the ground. If it is flatbread, there are lots of flat stones in the area. If it is round bread, there would be lots of those too. If it was a slice of bread, there would even be stones that look like that.

But stones can’t be eaten. Instead of filling the stomach, they will break the teeth. The act would be rude, heartless, and deceitful, and the son would henceforth lack trust in his father.

Even without going further, the words are already indicating where Jesus is going with the question. He has spoken about asking, seeking, and knocking. With the father/son concept introduced, He is preparing His hearers to understand the nature of God who created humans in His image.

Life application: God has said in His word that the creation took place in six days. If evolution is true, then it is as if God has given us a stone in place of bread. The word, though seemingly reliable in one area, cannot be trusted in another area. Therefore, the whole loses integrity.

And yet, with evolution being considered the answer by the scientific elite as to how creation has developed, the manner in which Jesus’ question has been formed could be applied to the Bible as well. The Bible presents Jesus as the Bread of life. And yet, the Bible has handed us a stone from our heavenly Father.

How can He be trusted any longer if He would laughingly deceive us in such a manner? In such an instance, either the scientific model is true, and we have misread the presentation of the bread presented in Scripture, or our evaluation of Scripture concerning a literal six-day creation is true, and the scientific model is faulty.

In such an instance, we must fall back on the words of verses 7 and 8. If God is God and the knowledge of what and how He has done things is attainable, then we need to ask, seek, and knock. And this is just what creation scientists have done.

In using this process, they have formed models of creation that align with Scripture and respond to evolutionists with brilliant insights that call the evolutionary model into question.

God formed man, not the other way around. If we can trust that our fathers will provide for our needs in a physical manner, we can trust that God will provide for our spiritual understanding. In the end, it may at first take a step of faith to accept creation, but it also can take a step of faith to bite into bread. However, the more in tune we are with the Giver, the more we can trust His gifts.

Glorious Lord God, help us to read the words of Scripture with understanding and the insight needed to form a bond of trust between us. If we have made wrong conclusions, open our minds to what is right. May our pursuit of You be proper and pleasing to You. Amen.

 

Matthew 7:8

Monday, 3 February 2025

For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 7:8

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“For all ‘the asking’ he receives, and ‘the seeking’ he finds, and ‘the knocking’ he will have opened” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus said, “You ask, and it will be given you. You seek, and you will find. You knock, and it will be opened to you.” Now, He explains why this should be done, beginning with, “For all ‘the asking’ he receives.”

The words of this verse, as with the words of the previous verse, must be taken as conditional and the context must be considered. It would be presumptuous to assume that God is going to just hand out everything that people ask for. It must be that the requests are in accord with His word, His nature, and His will.

However, the one asking is assured that God will give what is asked for if it meets these and any other necessary requirements. Jesus next says, “and ‘the seeking’ he finds.”

The person has prayed for the discernment and wisdom necessary to be in accord with God’s will. From there, he seeks out what he is looking for. After that Jesus says, “and ‘the knocking’ he will have opened.”

The process is complete in this. The first step, that of acknowledging through prayer that God’s hand in a matter is needed. The second step is to acknowledge that with God’s hand, we will put in our effort to seek out what is necessary for the goal to be accomplished. The third step is to have opened (as implied by knocking for access) to us what has been set forth and then searched out.

Life application: Jesus’ words cannot be taken as a carte blanche approval by God of getting everything one wants. As noted above, requests must be in accord with His word, His nature, and His will.

If a man were to request God to allow him to find a husband, that would not be in accord with any of the three. If he were to ask for a wife, that would be acceptable according to the first two, but maybe not in accord with His will for that person.

If someone were to ask for a particular wife, it would be illogical to assume he would be given her if another person asked to marry the same woman and God had already set the plans for that in motion.

As can be seen from just these few basic examples, what Jesus says in these verses is not what they appear to say on the surface. And yet, it is not uncommon for people to use what Jesus says almost as a talisman for good fortune at every turn.

The problem with holding such a position, or someone teaching such things, is that dissatisfaction will inevitably set in and a feeling that the word cannot be trusted will also arise. And this results because people are not willing to think through what is said, much less check the greater context of whatever is being conveyed.

Jesus is speaking of spiritual matters and issues that involve interactions between others and between people and God. To go beyond that is to expect something that is not what is being referred to. Be sure to remember the context before you form a pretext.

Lord God, thank You that we can come to You and lay our petitions before You. We know that You hear and respond to prayer when it is in accord with Your word. Therefore, may our prayers reflect Your will so that they will not be hindered when we bring them before You. Amen.