Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to:
Matthew
Book: Matthew
Chapter: 7
Overview:
Christ reproves rash
Judgment.
(1-6) Encouragements to
Prayer.
(7-11) The broad and narrow way.
(12-14) Against false prophets.
(15-20) To be doers of the
Word, not hearers only.
(21-29)
1-6 We must
Judge ourselves, and
Judge of our own acts, but not
make our
Word a
Law to everybody. We must not
Judge rashly, nor
pass
Judgment upon our
Brother without any ground. We must not
make the worst of people. Here is a just reproof to those who
quarrel with their brethren for small faults, while they allow
themselves in greater ones. Some sins are as motes, while others
are as beams; some as a
Gnat, others as a
Camel. Not that there
is any
Sin little; if it be a
Mote, or splinter, it is in the
Eye; if a
Gnat, it is in the throat; both are painful and
dangerous, and we cannot be easy or
Well till they are got out.
That which
Charity teaches us to
Call but a splinter in our
Brother's
Eye, true
Repentance and godly sorrow will teach us to
Call a
Beam in our own. It is as strange that a
Man can be in a
sinful, miserable condition, and not be aware of it, as that a
Man should have a
Beam in his
Eye, and not consider it; but the
God of this world blinds their minds. Here is a good rule for
reprovers; first reform thyself.
7-11 Prayer is the appointed means for obtaining what we need.
Pray; pray often; make a business of
Prayer, and be serious and
Earnest in it. Ask, as a beggar asks
Alms. Ask, as a traveller
asks the way. Seek, as for a thing of value that we have lost;
or as the merchantman that seeks goodly pearls.
Knock, as he
that desires to enter into the
House knocks at the door.
Sin has
shut and barred the door against us;
By Prayer we
Knock.
Whatever you pray for, according to the promise, shall be given
you, if
God see it fit for you, and what would you have more?
This is made to apply to all that pray aright; every one that
asketh receiveth, whether
Jew or Gentile, young or old, rich or
Poor, high or low, master or servant, learned or unlearned, all
are alike welcome to the
Throne of
Grace, if they come in
Faith.
It is explained
By a comparison taken from earthly parents, and
their readiness to give their children what they ask. Parents
are often foolishly fond, but
God is all-
Wise; he knows what we
need, what we desire, and what is fit for us. Let us never
suppose our heavenly
Father would bid us pray, and then refuse
to hear, or give us what would be hurtful.
12-14 Christ came to teach us, not only what we are to know and
believe, but what we are to do; not only toward
God, but toward
men; not only toward those of our party and persuasion, but
toward men in general, all with whom we have to do. We must do
that to our neighbour which we ourselves acknowledge to be fit
and reasonable. We must, in our dealings with men, suppose
ourselves in the same case and circumstances with those we have
to do with, and act accordingly. There are but two ways right
and wrong, good and evil; the way to
Heaven and the way to
Hell;
in the one or other of these all are walking: there is
No middle
place hereafter,
No middle way now. All the children of men are
saints or sinners, godly or ungodly. See concerning the way of
Sin and sinners, that the
Gate is wide, and stands open. You may
go in at this
Gate with all your lusts about you; it gives
No
check to appetites or passions. It is a broad way; there are
many paths in it; there is choice of sinful ways. There is a
large company in this way. But what profit is there in being
willing to go to
Hell with others, because they will not go to
Heaven with us? The way to eternal
Life is narrow. We are not in
Heaven as soon as we are got through the strait
Gate. Self must
be denied, the body kept under, and corruptions mortified. Daily
temptations must be resisted; duties must be done. We must watch
in all things, and walk with care; and we must go through much
Tribulation. And yet this way should invite us all; it leads to
Life: to present comfort in the favour of
God, which is the
Life
of the soul; to eternal bliss, the
Hope of which at the
End of
our way, should make all the difficulties of the
Road easy to
us. This
Plain declaration of
Christ has been disregarded
By
many who have taken pains to explain it away; but in all ages
the real
Disciple of
Christ has been looked
On as a singular,
unfashionable character; and all that have sided with the
greater number, have gone
On in the broad
Road to
Destruction.
If we would serve
God, we must be firm in our religion. Can we
often hear of the strait
Gate and the narrow way, and how few
there are that find it, without being in pain for ourselves, or
considering whether we are entered
On the narrow way, and what
progress we are making in it?
15-20 Nothing
So much prevents men from entering the strait
Gate, and becoming true followers of
Christ, as the
Carnal,
soothing, flattering doctrines of those who oppose the
Truth.
They may be known
By the drift and effects of their doctrines.
Some part of their temper and conduct is contrary to the mind of
Christ. Those opinions come not from
God that lead to
Sin.
21-29 Christ here shows that it will not be enough to own him
for our Master, only in
Word and tongue. It is necessary to our
happiness that we believe in
Christ, that we repent of
Sin, that
we live a holy
Life, that we
Love one another. This is his will,
even our
Sanctification. Let us take heed of resting in outward
privileges and doings, lest we deceive ourselves, and perish
eternally, as multitudes do, with a
Lie in our right
Hand. Let
every one that names the name of
Christ, depart from all
Sin.
There are others, whose religion rests in bare hearing, and it
goes
No further; their heads are filled with empty notions.
These two sorts of hearers are represented as two builders. This
Parable teaches us to hear and do the sayings of the
Lord Jesus:
some may seem hard to
Flesh and
Blood, but they must be done.
Christ is laid for a foundation, and every thing besides
Christ
is sand. Some build their hopes upon worldly prosperity; others
upon an outward profession of religion. Upon these they venture;
but they are all sand, too weak to
Bear such a fabric as our
hopes of
Heaven. There is a storm coming that will try every
Man's work. When
God takes away the soul, where is the
Hope of
the
Hypocrite? The
House fell in the storm, when the builder had
most need of it, and expected it would be a shelter to him. It
fell when it was too late to build another. May the
Lord make us
Wise builders for eternity. Then nothing shall separate us from
the
Love of
Christ Jesus. The multitudes were astonished at the
Wisdom and power of
Christ's doctrine. And this sermon, ever
So
often read over, is always new. Every
Word proves its Author to
be Divine. Let us be more and more decided and
Earnest, making
some one or other of these blessednesses and
Christian graces
the main subject of our thoughts, even for
Weeks together. Let
us not
Rest in general and confused desires after them, whereby
we grasp at all, but catch nothing.