We remain on the mountainside as Jesus teaches His disciples and the crowd. Teachings within this chapter include not judging others, prayer, the golden rule, the narrow gate, the tree and its fruit, true disciples and building on a solid foundation. Let’s get into these.
Verse one instructs us not to judge others. It informs us that if we choose to judge others, God will judge us in the same way that we judge them. I know you’ve heard the old song, “Sweep around your own front door before you try to come and sweep around mine”. That’s basically what verses three through five are saying. How can you judge someone when you yourself have your own faults and issues that need your attention?
Verses seven and eight encourages believers to keep pursing God. Keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking. Keep on because those who keep on eventually receive, find, and encounter open doors. We all know the golden rule as we were taught it as children. Jesus did not instruct us to treat people how they treat us. He did not instruct us to treat people how we feel they deserve to be treated. He instructed us to treat others how we desire to be treated (verse 12). And that, my friend, takes the Holy Spirit and His transformative power working within us.
The “road to Heaven” is narrow and difficult; So much so that few people ever find it (verses 13 and 14). These verses are referring to our journey of faith with God. It is not one of popularity or selfishness. Instead, it can is uncommon, lonely, and selfless. We forsake ourselves to be transformed into His image so that we are effective in serving the people within His Kingdom. This journey calls for people that are truly dedicated to God not for the gifts and blessings, but for the betterment of others as well as oneself. It takes us surrendering our wills to God and taking up His will. True disciples do the will of God and are the only ones who will enter into Heaven as declared in verse 21. We must not only know the Word of God; we must also obey the Word of God. This ensures that when the rain comes and the winds blow, we will remain steadfast and unmovable because our foundations will be on solid rock, God.
I went out of order to a certain extent in this reflection, but some of these teaching tied into each other. The last reflective point in this chapter is the tree and its fruit. In verse 15, Jesus teaches us to beware of false prophets that are wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing. He tells us that we will be able to distinguish them by the way they act. If someone has a relationship with and serves God, they should manifest it via their lifestyles not just their words. I can’t say that I have a relationship with and serve God, but I live any kind of way, do not display His love, cannot be unified, etc. Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Real Talk with Keve 