Purpose

To present Jesus as the promised Messiah and King, especially to Jewish readers.

Author

Matthew, also called Levi, was a tax collector before Jesus called him. As a tax collector, he was skilled in record-keeping and would have been literate in multiple languages, making him perfect to write for Jewish audiences.

Historical Context

Written: 50-70 AD. Written to show Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies.

Significance

Bridges the Old and New Testaments, showing Jesus as the promised Messiah and King.

Key Themes

Jesus as Messiah, Kingdom of Heaven, Fulfillment of Prophecy, Discipleship, Great Commission

Interesting Facts

• Matthew quotes the Old Testament more than any other Gospel (over 60 times)
• The phrase 'Kingdom of Heaven' appears 32 times - only in Matthew
• Matthew includes 5 major teaching sections, paralleling the 5 books of Moses

Prophecies

• Over 300 Old Testament prophecies fulfilled in Jesus Fulfilled: Jesus fulfilled every Messianic prophecy perfectly

Matthew Chapter 7 serves as the culmination of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, where He emphasizes the principles of judgment, prayer, and discernment. The chapter opens with a well-known admonition against judgment, warning listeners that the standards they use to judge others will be applied to them. This teaching challenges the hypocritical attitudes often seen in religious communities, where individuals fail to confront their own faults while critiquing others. Jesus uses the metaphor of a log in one's own eye compared to a speck in a brother's eye to illustrate this hypocrisy, urging a personal examination before pointing out others' shortcomings. The chapter continues with encouragement regarding prayer, where Jesus reassures His followers that God is a generous Father who delights in giving good gifts to those who ask. This segment includes the famous 'Ask, Seek, Knock' passage, which emphasizes the importance of persistence in prayer and reliance on God's goodness. Jesus also introduces the Golden Rule, which encapsulates the ethical teachings of the Law and the Prophets by encouraging individuals to treat others as they wish to be treated. As the chapter progresses, Jesus warns of the perils of false prophets, likening them to wolves in sheep's clothing. He instructs His followers to discern the true nature of these individuals by their fruits, emphasizing that good trees produce good fruit, while bad trees produce bad fruit. This metaphor serves as a reminder of the necessity of discernment in spiritual matters, as not everything that appears good is genuinely so. The chapter concludes with a stark contrast between the narrow path leading to life and the wide path leading to destruction, emphasizing the importance of choosing the right way in the journey of faith. Overall, Matthew 7 encourages self-reflection, genuine prayer, ethical living, and discernment in the face of spiritual deception.

Purpose

To present Jesus as the promised Messiah and King, especially to Jewish readers.

Author

Matthew, also called Levi, was a tax collector before Jesus called him. As a tax collector, he was skilled in record-keeping and would have been literate in multiple languages, making him perfect to write for Jewish audiences.

Historical Context

Written: 50-70 AD. Written to show Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies.

Significance

Bridges the Old and New Testaments, showing Jesus as the promised Messiah and King.

Key Themes

Jesus as Messiah, Kingdom of Heaven, Fulfillment of Prophecy, Discipleship, Great Commission

Interesting Facts

• Matthew quotes the Old Testament more than any other Gospel (over 60 times)
• The phrase 'Kingdom of Heaven' appears 32 times - only in Matthew
• Matthew includes 5 major teaching sections, paralleling the 5 books of Moses

Prophecies

• Over 300 Old Testament prophecies fulfilled in Jesus Fulfilled: Jesus fulfilled every Messianic prophecy perfectly

Matthew Chapter 7 serves as the culmination of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, where He emphasizes the principles of judgment, prayer, and discernment. The chapter opens with a well-known admonition against judgment, warning listeners that the standards they use to judge others will be applied to them. This teaching challenges the hypocritical attitudes often seen in religious communities, where individuals fail to confront their own faults while critiquing others. Jesus uses the metaphor of a log in one's own eye compared to a speck in a brother's eye to illustrate this hypocrisy, urging a personal examination before pointing out others' shortcomings. The chapter continues with encouragement regarding prayer, where Jesus reassures His followers that God is a generous Father who delights in giving good gifts to those who ask. This segment includes the famous 'Ask, Seek, Knock' passage, which emphasizes the importance of persistence in prayer and reliance on God's goodness. Jesus also introduces the Golden Rule, which encapsulates the ethical teachings of the Law and the Prophets by encouraging individuals to treat others as they wish to be treated. As the chapter progresses, Jesus warns of the perils of false prophets, likening them to wolves in sheep's clothing. He instructs His followers to discern the true nature of these individuals by their fruits, emphasizing that good trees produce good fruit, while bad trees produce bad fruit. This metaphor serves as a reminder of the necessity of discernment in spiritual matters, as not everything that appears good is genuinely so. The chapter concludes with a stark contrast between the narrow path leading to life and the wide path leading to destruction, emphasizing the importance of choosing the right way in the journey of faith. Overall, Matthew 7 encourages self-reflection, genuine prayer, ethical living, and discernment in the face of spiritual deception.