Matthew 7:1–12

Be careful how you talk about other people’s bad habits!

We do not gain anything when we talk about people’s bad habits in the wrong way. To do this can be unkind. It can show a lack of care. It may not be sincere. Instead, we should look to God. He provides what we need.

The person who is always noticing bad habits (Matthew 7:1–6)

Read Matthew 7:1. Jesus did not mean that we must always ignore the bad habits of other people. He was referring to the sort of people who are always looking for bad habits. They enjoy finding them too (Matthew 7:3). It shows someone who is unkind. That person thinks that he or she would never be like that. That person does not show love or mercy.

People like this are only aware about the weaknesses of other people. They do not look at themselves. They are always finding reasons to talk about other people’s bad habits. But they are never aware of what they lack. In fact, the bad habits that they find in other people are their own worst bad habits. But, usually, they are not aware of this (Matthew 7:5).

Something else makes it even worse. Someone like this talks about another person’s bad habits. But that person is a ‘brother’ (another Christian). It is someone whom he should be helping. Jesus made it clear that the matter is very serious. (Read Matthew 7:1-2.)

Jesus said three things about looking at other people in the right way:

• A good judge of people needs clear sight. He or she must understand things clearly. A blind optician (someone who tests people’s eyes) is of no help at all! So, before we judge a Christian ‘brother’, we must examine ourselves. We must repent. We must pray to God for help. (Read Matthew 7:7 especially.)
• There may be a time to tell someone about a bad habit. But we must always do it in the right way. Our attitude must be right. It must be for the benefit of the other person too.
• We must always be careful if we speak about someone’s bad habits (Matthew 7:6). Jesus gave two examples. First, there were dogs. They were wild, large, fierce and ugly. Then, he mentioned pigs. God gave orders to Jews about them. Jews must not eat pigs. They must not even touch dead bodies of pigs. (Read Leviticus 11:7 and Deuteronomy 14:8.) Jesus was saying that we must deal with people carefully.

God loves to answer our prayers

The standards for a real disciple are very high. This includes Matthew 7:1–6! Men and women cannot reach these standards. But, help is available from the Father. (Read Matthew 7:11. Then compare Matthew 6:9.) God is always ready to give his help. The standards are too high. The disciple cannot do it. But God can do it in him or her (Matthew 7:7–8). The disciple must depend on God. As he does this, he must continue to ask. Then he will receive from God. He must continue to look for what he wants. Then God will show him the answer. He must continue to ‘knock’. This is a word picture. It shows that he is not going to stop until he has an answer. God will answer someone who is like this. (Note: ‘He’ means ‘he’ or ‘she’.)

Everyone who looks for help in this way will find it. God will give in exact proportion to the need. He will not do anything that is unkind. It will not hurt us rather than help us. A human parent wants to satisfy the needs of his children. So, there can be no doubt that God will do the same!

Matthew 7:12 seems to be the end to Matthew 7:1–11. It seems to end the whole sermon (talk) so far. People have often given a certain meaning to it. They say that God accepts the person who lives by this standard. But, Jesus could not mean this. He taught that God accepts only one type of person. God accepts the person who trusts him completely. God knows that we must all have his help. We see this in Matthew 7:7–11 especially. But, he taught it all through his sermon. Jesus taught, too, that men and women always need mercy. They need God to forgive them.

Read Matthew 22:35–40. Someone asked Jesus a question. ‘Which is the most important command of the law?’ Jesus said words from Deuteronomy 6:5. ‘You must love the Lord your God.’ Then he said that the next command was like it. He said words from Leviticus 19:17–18. ‘You must love other people in the same way as you love yourself.’ Jesus added: ‘Think about all of the Law. Think about what the prophets wrote. They all take their meaning from these two commands.’

Read what he said in Matthew 7:12. ‘You want other people to behave in a certain way to you. You must behave in the same way to them. This is what the Law means. This is what the prophets taught. ‘So, Matthew 7:12 seems to be a short account of what Jesus taught in Matthew 22:35–40. All the moral standards of the OT come from these principles. First, love God. (Read Deuteronomy 6:5.) Then, love other people as you love yourself. (Read Leviticus 19:18.)

Questions

• Think about someone who tends to look for bad habits. Are you like them? (Think carefully about this.)
• How can members of churches make it possible to show people their bad habits in a helpful way? What we say should not make people sad. Is it ever possible to do this? How can we avoid a wrong attitude when we talk to someone about a bad habit?
• A non-Christian may think that he or she is obeying verse 12. What would you say to him or her?