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2025 Study of Matthew’s Gospel #5

THE GOLDEN RULE OF THE KINGDOM

Matthew 7:1-12

Key Verse 7:12

1. Why do you think Jesus teaches us not to judge others (1-2)? What mistakes are we likely to make when we try to help others (3-4)? Before helping others, what do you think we need to do first, and why (5)?
2. What might “what is sacred” and “pearls” represent (6a)? Why do you think Jesus warns us not to give them to “dogs” and “pigs” (6b)? How do you think this verse connects to Jesus’ teaching in verses 1-6?
3. What do you think it means to ask, seek, and knock in the context of prayer (7-8)? What kinds of things should we be asking, seeking, and knocking for in our relationship with God? What does Jesus promise those who keep asking, seeking, and knocking?
4. According to Jesus, how do earthly fathers treat their children, even with their limitations (9-11a)? What does this comparison reveal about God’s nature as our heavenly Father (11b)? In what ways should this understanding shape how we pray and live as God’s people?
5. What principle does Jesus teach (12)? In what areas of our daily lives and relationships should this principle be applied? Why do you think this principle sums up the Law and the Prophets (22:37-40)?

2025 Matthew’s Gospel May 11, 2025

THE GOLDEN RULE

Matthew 7:1-12

Key Verse 7:12

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

I have an episode when my wife and I were living with a Bible student, a college freshman girl, in Venezuela. She often left her dirty dishes in the sink, and I ended up washing them multiple times. Over time, I grew frustrated and began judging her in my heart. Wanting to correct her, I taped a Bible verse above the sink: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve...” (Mark 10:45). I hoped she would read it, feel convicted and start washing her own dishes, but nothing changed. I became more upset and even told my wife, “How can she read that verse and not change? You need to teach her better.” My wife spoke with her and later told me what she had said. Do you know how the girl understood the verse that was taped above the sink? She thought the verse wasn’t for her but for me. She thought that I had put that Bible verse above the sink because I was struggling to learn how to serve like Jesus. I realized that she was right. I should have accepted that verse deeply. It’s difficult to examine ourselves before God’s word, and far too easy to use it to judge others instead.

The Sermon on the Mount gives clear guidance on how Jesus’ disciples should live in this world. Today’s passage focuses on how we should relate to others. Verse 1 says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” So what does Jesus mean by “Do not judge”? First, He’s not talking about legal judgments, like what court judges do. He’s also not talking about church discipline, where someone who sins and refuses to repent is corrected by the church. In fact, 1 Corinthians 6:1 tells us that if there’s a dispute between believers, we shouldn’t take it to secular courts but let the church handle it. So using “Do not judge” in those situations doesn’t really fit. Jesus also isn’t warning against making moral or spiritual judgments as we follow Him. In verse 6, He says, “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs.” That clearly requires discernment—knowing who those people are and acting wisely. Lastly, offering loving, thoughtful, and humble correction to help someone is not the kind of judgment Jesus is warning against either.

“Do not judge” isn’t about avoiding all judgment—it’s about not being harsh, hypocritical, or self-righteous in how we treat others. When Jesus said, “Do not judge,” He was thinking of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law—the religious leaders of His time. They were full of pride, believing they were better than others, and they judged and looked down on people. In their arrogance, they acted like they were sitting in God’s place, passing judgment on everyone else. Their words and actions lacked love and mercy, and instead of helping people, they hurt and condemned them. Even though they had plenty of sins themselves, they didn’t repent. Instead, they focused on pointing out other people’s faults. They were hypocrites. Jesus wanted His disciples to be completely different from them.

Why shouldn’t we judge others? Because we’ll be judged too. Jesus said, “In the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (2). You’ve probably heard about pointing fingers—when you point one finger at someone else, three fingers are pointing back at you. When we judge others, we make ourselves open to being judged in the same way. If we don’t want others judging us, then we shouldn’t judge them either.

But our sinful nature doesn’t just let us be. When we see someone whose behavior, tone of voice, appearance, personality, morals, or faith in life doesn’t match our standards, we feel this strong urge to point it out and judge them. Our mouths start itching to say something. That’s when we should cover our mouths with both hands—but we don’t. Instead, we let it out and judge others. We say things like, “Those people should be thrown straight into a prison in El Salvador!” or “You failed in life because you’re lazy!” or “You’ve been a Christian for so long—why haven’t you changed?” or “You enjoy chicken and beer? And you call yourself a Christian?” Just like that, we pass judgment. This happened to me last month when I went to the eye doctor. A young woman came in to examine my eyes, and I noticed her right hand was completely covered in tattoos. Instantly, I questioned whether she could really do her job well. But the truth is, her tattoos had nothing to do with her skill. But I judged her for it. She did a great job—she checked my eyes carefully, explained everything clearly, and answered all my questions kindly. By the end, I was wishing she was my regular eye doctor. It reminded me how easily I judge people by appearances, especially when they don’t match the standards I’ve made in my own mind.

Jesus tells us not to judge others, but to first take a good look at our own faults. He says, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?” (3–4) The speck of sawdust is just a tiny piece of wood dust. In contrast, the plank is a large, flat piece of wood used in construction. Now look at this image—can someone with a plank in their own eye possibly see clearly enough to notice the tiny speck in someone else’s eye? And yet, that’s exactly what happens—someone with a plank in their own eye tries to take out a speck from another person’s. Is that even possible? Imagine you’ve got something in your eye, and a blind person walks up holding tweezers, saying he’ll help take it out. Would you let him?

Please look at verse 5: “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Jesus tells us to first take the plank out of our own eye. Then we’ll be able to see clearly and help our brother with the speck in his eye. In other words, we need to look at ourselves in light of God’s word, repent, obey, and be changed first. What does Jesus call someone who tries to fix another person’s small mistake without repenting of their own big sin? He calls them a “hypocrite.” A hypocrite is someone who pretends to be moral or spiritual on the outside, but isn’t in reality. It’s someone whose words and actions don’t match—someone who judges others while doing even worse themselves. As Jesus’ disciples, we must be careful not to let the yeast of hypocrisy grow in us. Like the Pharisees, we must not judge and condemn others while refusing to repent ourselves. Instead, we must stand before God’s word with humility, look at ourselves first, repent, and be transformed.

But when Jesus says, “Do not judge,” He’s not telling us to be naive or to accept everything without discernment. Look at verse 6: “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” Many of us love dogs, so you might ask, “What’s wrong with dogs?” But the “dogs” Jesus refers to here are not our pets. They were wild street dogs that roamed around the villages of Israel. They dug through trash, made a mess, threatened people, and behaved in shameful ways out in public. That’s why they were seen as dirty and impure. Pigs were also considered unclean and impure animals by the Jews. The Jews didn’t raise them and didn’t eat them. Pigs were even used as a symbol of desecration in the temple of God. So what are the “sacred things” and “pearls”? They represent the gospel of Jesus Christ, the glorious kingdom of God, and the Church that represents His kingdom on earth. We must not let those who openly reject God trample on the gospel or defile the Church. Instead, we must stand firm in the truth, rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to discern the dogs and pigs, preach the message of repentance to them, and protect the gospel of Jesus and His Church from them.

Let’s read verse 7 together: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Now, Jesus moves on from the topic of “Do not judge” and begins teaching about prayer. At first glance, it might seem like a break in the flow. In fact, in Luke 11, we find a similar teaching that comes right after the Lord’s Prayer. But here in Matthew, we can see a deep connection between “Do not judge” and “Ask, seek, and knock.”

“Ask, seek, and knock” speaks to the attitude we should have when we pray. “Ask” means coming to God in faith with our requests. “Seek” adds action to asking—it shows that we are earnestly looking for what we’re asking for. “Knock” includes both asking and seeking, but also adds perseverance. It means knocking again and again, not giving up. So when we pray, our approach needs to be more active and persistent. These three verbs—ask, seek, and knock—are written in the present imperative in Greek, which means they express ongoing, continuous action. The more accurate way to read this verse would be: “Keep asking,” “Keep seeking,” and “Keep knocking.” Jesus is showing us that when we come to God in prayer, we should come with persistence, not just once or twice, but again and again.

Jesus gives a promise to His disciples who ask, seek, and knock: “For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (8). If we ask in faith, it will be given to us. If we seek actively, we will find. And if we keep knocking, the door will open. Some of us are currently looking for a job. We ask God in faith to provide the right job—and God hears and answers that prayer. But we also need to seek actively. We look at job postings, send out resumes, and make the most of tools like LinkedIn and Indeed. Since networking is so important, we should also connect with people working at companies we’re interested in and ask for referrals. Beyond that, we may need to knock directly on doors—reaching out to companies we want to work for, even if there’s no open posting. And if we don’t reach the HR manager the first time, we keep trying. Eventually, the door will open. Our prayers should be active and persistent—just like the way Jesus teaches us to ask, seek, and knock.

Who is the one we’re praying to? Our Father in heaven. He loves us, hears our prayers, and answers us. Now let me ask: If your son is hungry and asks for bread, is there any father here who would give him a stone instead? I’m sure many fathers here would take his son or daughter out for Korean BBQ. How about this: is there anyone here who, if their children asked for a fish, would give them a snake instead? Surely not. The “snake” here likely refers to a water snake. The snake represents something harmful, unclean, or even evil. Is there any father here who would give a snake when their child asks for fish? Of course not! Our earthly fathers aren’t perfectly good. They can be emotional and quick to anger. But still, at the core, a father loves his son.

Look at verse 11: “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Our Father in heaven is good, and He loves us. Wouldn’t He give good gifts to us when we pray? Luke 11:13 tells us what the best gift is—“the Holy Spirit.” Our heavenly Father is willing to give us the best gift of all, His Spirit. So then, in the context of this passage, what should we be asking our Father for? Since today’s passage focuses on our relationships with others, we should pray for the power to love others and not judge them.

Look at verse 12: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” This is what’s widely known as the Golden Rule. It’s called that because it’s seen as one of the most universal and essential moral principles when it comes to human relationships. Many great teachers throughout history have taught something similar. Confucius said, “Do not impose on others what you do not wish for yourself.” Buddha said, “Treat not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.” In Hinduism: “Do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you.” And in Judaism: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor.” These are all similar to Jesus’ teaching. But there’s one key difference: Jesus says, “Do to others.” His teaching calls for active love. The others say, “Do not do to others,” which is passive. Jesus commands us to take action in love.

“In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” The phrase “in everything” tells us that this teaching should be applied universally in every area of our lives. Do you want others to respect you? Then show respect to others. Do you want others to understand you? Then take time to understand others. Do you want others to forgive you? Then be willing to forgive others. Do you want others to trust you? Then choose to trust others. This is the heart of the Golden Rule.

Jesus said that “do to others what you would have them do to you” sums up the Law and the Prophets. This teaching lines up perfectly with what He later taught about the greatest commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37–40). At the core of the Golden Rule is love. To love God and to love your neighbor—that’s what the Golden Rule is all about.

But is it easy to live by the Golden Rule? No, it’s actually very hard. Our sinful nature is selfish—we want others to do for us what we want, but we don’t naturally want to do for others what they want. That’s why we can’t live out the Golden Rule on our own. We need the love of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. Other religions teach people to follow the Golden Rule through their own efforts. But Jesus, knowing our weakness, invites us to come to God in prayer. He wants us to humbly admit our limitations and ask for the Spirit’s help. He wants us to pray, “God, please give me the strength to love You and love my neighbor. Help me to live out the Golden Rule in my life.” If we need the strength to forgive someone who hurt us, Jesus wants us to ask earnestly, seek that person actively, and even knock on their door again and again to be reconciled. That’s how Jesus’ disciples are called to live in this world.

Today we learned how we, as citizens of the kingdom of heaven and disciples of Jesus, should live in our relationships with others. I pray that we may not judge others but love them. May we humbly come before God, knowing that we cannot love others on our own strength, and ask for God’s help and power. And by His grace, may we live as faithful disciples of Jesus who put the Golden Rule into practice. Amen.