Matthew 7:13–29
13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy1 that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
1 Some manuscripts For the way is wide and easy
Section Overview
The Sermon on the Mount closes with a call to decision. As he so often does, Jesus teaches through metaphors, using four images that present alternative paths or choices. Jesus does not command; he presents possibilities and explains where they lead. Jesus concludes his message on kingdom life not with a summary of his points but with an appeal to follow him in the harder-but-better path.
Jesus punctuates this sermon with luminous policy statements: “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (5:48). “No one can serve two masters. . . . You cannot serve God and money” (6:24). “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (6:33). Matthew 7:13–27 is not another policy statement but a plea to discern the difference between nominal adherence and full-blooded discipleship and to choose the latter.
Section Outline
III. The First Discourse: Discipleship in Jesus’ Kingdom (5:1–7:29) . . .
F. Jesus Calls to Decision (7:13–27)
1. Two Paths (7:13–14)
2. Two Trees (7:15–20)
3. Two Ways to Call on Christ (7:21–23)
4. Two Foundations (7:24–27)
G. The Authority of Jesus (7:28–29)
The passage comprises four sections, in an A-B-B-A structure. The first and last sections present two options. The first section describes two roads (7:13–14): the first road is wide, easy, and well traveled, but it leads to destruction, while the second is narrow, hard, and little traveled but leads to life. The last section sketches two houses on two foundations (vv. 24–27). One, resting on the rock, withstands storms. The other, resting on sand, collapses in them. Both sections trust hearers or readers to complete Jesus’ teaching by taking the hard road and building on the rock.
Sections two and three imply, but do not state, that there are two kinds of prophets and two ways to call on the Lord (vv. 15–23). By presenting the negative only, both sections function as warnings. In verses 15–20, Jesus declares, “Beware of false prophets,” and tells his hearers to recognize them not by appearances but by fruit. Similarly, verses 21–23 declares that many who call Jesus “Lord” do so falsely. Jesus focuses on false confessions, which will be worthless on judgment day.
Each metaphor in verses 13–27 contains a warning. Many take the road that leads to destruction (v. 13); the false prophet will be recognized (v. 15); and the diseased tree will be cut down and burned (v. 19). To those who call on Jesus’ name falsely he will declare, “I never knew you,” and send them away (v. 23). So Jesus labels the dire consequences of hypocrisy and superficial commitment. Explicitly or implicitly, each segment also urges disciples onward: to the right path, to true prophets, to genuine confessions, and to lasting foundations.
The sermon is then followed by a brief epilogue.
Response
The ethical content of the sermon ends at 6:34 or 7:12. Then 7:13–27 tells everyone what to do with Jesus’ instruction. Yes, he charts a hard way, but it is right to take it (vv. 13–14). Further, genuine discipleship demonstrates itself in the vitality of its works (vv. 15–20). Good deeds are both the result and the demonstration of salvation. Works cannot save, but living faith must work. Adolf Schlatter wrote:
Verses 21–23 are sobering for the religiously active. Jesus prophesied, cast out demons, performed miracles, and commissioned his disciples to do the same (10:7–8). Yet it is possible to do all that and to call Jesus “Lord” and yet still to hear, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” It is possible to be lawless despite religious activity. “Religion” without faith or love is as dangerous as devotion to wealth, sensuality, or power (Rev. 11:8; 13:1–18). There is a proud, loveless, faithless church activity that separates from God. So the religious might neither know Jesus nor be known by him.
Taking the Sermon on the Mount as a whole, we see that the ideal response depends on its broader context, Matthew as a whole. The sermon can feel legalistic, but it is not a self-contained unit; it fits into Matthew’s story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. The Jesus who gives the law also gives himself to ransom lawbreakers. He gave himself, even for disciples who failed to stand for him when standing mattered most.
At the close of the sermon, Jesus poses a series of questions that Matthew passes on to his readers: What gate have you entered? What way do you take? What fruit do you bear? What tree are you? Do you sincerely call Jesus “Lord”? Is your religious activity driven by love of God and his knowledge of you? Have you built your house on the rock? Matthew 7:24 connects this rock to hearing and doing Jesus’ words. But elsewhere, Scripture says God is a rock or the Rock, a refuge for his covenant people (Pss. 31:2–3; 42:9; 62:1–7; 78:35; 92:15; 94:22; 95:1; and more). The wise reader asks, “What is my rock? Who is my rock?” As the reader goes through Matthew, he comes to an apparent answer in Matthew 16:13–18, when Peter confesses that Jesus is more than a prophet or teacher. He is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Some manuscripts For the way is wide and easy
7:13–14 Psalm 1 contrasts “the way of sinners” with “the way of the righteous” (1:1, 6). Earlier, Moses told Israel, “I have set before you life and death. . . . Therefore choose life” (Deut. 30:19; cf. Deut. 11:26; Josh. 24:15). Jesus opens with a command: enter the narrow gate, for the spacious and easy path leads “many” to destruction.
A significant textual variant opens Matthew 7:14. The verse begins with either ti or hoti: either how narrow is the gate or because narrow is the gate. “How” (ti) has slightly better manuscript support, but “because” follows Jesus’ typical speech patterns and thus is a wise translation. So then, many take the path to destruction because it is easier. The narrow gate is harder, but it leads to life.
“The gate is narrow” because Jesus forbids certain acts. He commands “do not” in 5:34, 36, 39, 42; 6:3, 7, 16, 19, 25, 31, 34; 7:6. These prohibitions restrict or narrow options for behavior. Jesus also makes theological statements that teach disciples how to think and how not to think. He warns, “No one can serve two masters,” although many think they can (6:24). When Jesus says, “Do not be anxious,” he corrects all who think worrying is essential. Jesus forbids an array of thoughts and emotions, and this is “hard” in societies that stress freedom of thought.
Jesus notes that “many” take the road to destruction (7:13). In 8:11 he will say that “many” will come to the eschatological feast. This contrast shows 7:13 does not forecast the final percentage of the redeemed (and so oppose optimistic eschatologies); rather, Jesus restates the austerity of discipleship. One must first find and enter a narrow gate, then persevere on a hard way. The decision is not popular, and the walk is not easy.
7:15–20 It is hard enough to find the narrow gate and to follow the hard path. But false prophets add to the difficulty. These figures, familiar from the OT, wrongly claim to speak for God. True prophets, led by God, describe and evaluate events past, present, and future. They call people to repentance and articulate painful truths, which rebellious people do not want to hear. Israel told the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions, leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel” (Isa. 30:10–11). Second Chronicles 18:1–27 graphically demonstrates that false prophets can think they speak for God. But alas, they tell people what they want to hear (2 Tim. 4:3). They say “‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace” (Jer. 8:11). Today, they declare a prosperity that twists the truth.
Jesus calls “Beware,” or “Watch out” (Gk. prosechō). False prophets look and sound good, but they are “ravenous wolves” (Matt. 7:15). “Ravenous” translates harpax, which normally refers to those who swindle or extort. This reminds readers that false prophets may profit handsomely from their deception. False teachers love money (1 Tim. 6:3–10); elders should not (Titus 1:7; cf. Acts 20:33; Amos 7:12–13 [in full context]).
Jesus instructs disciples to pay attention, then tells them to what they should attend. Twice he says, “You will recognize them by their fruits” (Matt. 7:16a, 20). Both times, he places “fruits” first, for emphasis. He expands the point with several analogies. The first two assume that people briefly confuse one plant with another. But once the proper identification occurs, no one expects to gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles (7:16b). Again, the telling point is the fruit. Trees bear according to their nature; they cannot do otherwise. The identification of trees—or people—is certain, “but not necessarily easy or quick.” After all, in the parable of the fig tree (Luke 13:6–9), the owner tests his tree for four years before passing judgment.
Good fruit springs from good trees, while diseased trees bear rotten fruit. False prophets can deceive at a distance, for a time, but their fruit eventually reveals their character. In his sustained comments on false leaders in 2 Timothy 2, Paul warns that false teachers cause quarrels (2:14), stimulate ungodly behavior (2:16), upset the faithful (2:18), and create controversy, quarrels, and division (2:23).
The sensible arborist cuts down and burns diseased trees. This does not mean false prophets should be executed. In the NT, the punishment for heresy is excommunication, not execution. Similarly, the punishment for continual criticism of a leader is the end of communication, not death (Titus 3:10). The church has spiritual, not temporal, authority. It is a nation that is holy but borderless (1 Pet. 2:9–10). Its weapons are spiritual, not physical (Eph. 6:10–20).
7:21–23 The third image qualifies the second. A good tree is recognized by its fruit; nonetheless, it is possible for pseudodisciples to prophesy, cast out demons, or perform “mighty works” (v. 22; dynamis normally refers to a miracle), all in Jesus’ name, yet fail to do the Father’s will. They may even call Jesus “Lord” and neither know him nor be known by him. This is not hypothetical; Judas prophesies and casts out demons, yet Jesus calls him a “son of destruction” (or “son of perdition”; John 17:12 KJV).
If Matthew 7:16–20 stressed the necessity of good fruit, 7:21–23 insists that good fruit be assessed correctly. For acts to be truly good, they must meet God’s standards (his laws and values), have the right motives (love for God and neighbor), and pursue the right goal (the glory of God and the good of his creation). The starting point is faith.
The first scene names two ways; the second, two fruits; the third, two destinies. Tragically, “many” will come “on that day” with false confidence in their confession of faith and roster of notable deeds. “That day” is virtually a technical term for the last day, judgment day, the end of the world as we know it (cf. Matt. 24:22; Luke 10:12; 2 Tim. 4:8; from Isa. 24:21; 25:9; 26:1; 27:1). The many will say “Lord, Lord,” but he will say, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matt. 7:23).
The skeptic may complain that Jesus’ way is hard indeed. First he demands “good fruit,” then he says neither confessions of faith nor great deeds are sufficient. But Jesus’ point is clear: people can call Jesus “Lord” and engage in amazing religious activity without having faith.
It is good to call Jesus “Lord,” especially when the intent is not merely to give a respectful address (8:2, 6, 21) but to render the honor due to the God of Israel. Jesus knows the title can be empty, as Peter demonstrates in 16:22. And yet it is possible to call him “Lord” and do great things in his name without faith or love. But faith is imperative. Paul warns, “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23). As John Frame says, “Our chief work (and it is a work) is to believe, to really believe, in Jesus.” Love of God has the same status (Matt. 22:37–38), so that faith in God and love for God are essentially one.
Behind this paragraph lies a substantial implicit Christology. First, Jesus deserves to be called “Lord.” Second, God is his Father in a unique sense, so that he may call him “my Father,” not just “Father” or “our Father.” Above all, Jesus assumes he will judge mankind. Jesus knows the thoughts and hypocrisies of men (9:4; 12:25; 22:18; 23:13–33), so he will justly judge everyone. He will send his angels to remove evildoers from his kingdom (13:41) and will reward “each person according to what he has done” (16:27). On judgment day, he will summon all flesh to stand before “his glorious throne” (19:28; 25:31). From there he will pronounce eternal weal or woe. When the judgment of the wicked begins and Jesus says, “Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness,” the verdict assumes that the essence of punishment of the wicked is separation from God and from Jesus, his Son (7:23; 25:34, 41).
7:24–27 The final metaphor presents both an antithesis and a call to decision. There are two kinds of foundations, and two kinds of builders construct houses on these different foundations, sand or rock. In dry weather both look sound, but when great rain, winds, and water torrents come, the quality of the foundation is revealed. The house built on the rock will stand, whereas the house built on sand will fall with a great crash.
The last paragraph begins, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine,” but the Greek word order is noteworthy: “Everyone who hears me, these words, and does them” is like a wise man. This suggests that when we hear Jesus’ words, we hear him in a unique sense. When people talk, there is a gap between their words and their person. They misspeak, exaggerate, and lie. They endorse laws they do not follow and extol character traits they do not possess. They change their minds and contradict themselves. They make brilliant statements, then forget what they said. So there is a gap between speakers and their words. Not so with Jesus. His words perfectly represent his mind, character, and behavior. To hear his words is to hear him. Jesus knows, is, and does exactly what he says. Therefore, especially given Jesus’ identity and character, the wise man, who does what Jesus says, builds an impregnable “house on the rock” (v. 24). To fail to hear his words is to build on sand and to invite collapse in the testing. So Jesus urges hearers to choose the right foundation. To hear and heed Jesus is to build on a rock.
7:28–29 Verse 27 completes the Sermon on the Mount. The end of each block of teaching in Matthew (chs. 5–7; 10; 13; 18; 24–25) concludes virtually the same way: “When Jesus [had] finished . . .” Here Matthew describes the reaction: amazement at the authority of Jesus. The scribes constantly quote leading rabbis; Jesus speaks on his own authority: “Truly I say to you.”