Matthew 7:13-23

The Sermon on the Mount concludes with three striking and distinct contrasts between two roads (7:13-14), two trees (7:15-23) and two foundations (7:24-29).

Two Roads (7:13-14)

There are two gates and two paths to which they lead.  The narrow gate is hard to find, being a narrow gate.  And it leads to a narrow, difficult path, one that is hard to follow.  Understanding Jesus’ reference to a narrow path is not hard.  This is exactly what He has been laying out before us in this Sermon.  His whole point has been to take the righteousness of the experts and then tell us more is required.  We are not surprised when He says there are few who find it.  But we must not miss that this is the path that leads to life.  It is abundant life (John 10:10) and it is eternal life (John 3:16).

In the similar passage in Luke 13:24 Jesus says we must strive to enter at this gate.  This truly makes sense.  Pride and selfishness will cause us to choose the broad path which most people choose.  We are in the habit of assuming that the easy choice is the right choice.  But if we choose against Jesus in this matter it will lead to our destruction.

Two Trees (7:15-23)

This second illustration is explained in v15.  The issue is with people who teach a righteousness that conflicts with Christ.  They will assure us that God loves us and would never call us to a path that is characterized by difficulty.  Surely He will bless us financially, physically, in all our relationships, and so forth.  Jesus assures us these are false prophets (preachers who lie) who look like sheep (like they belong with Jesus’ followers) but who underneath the costume are ravenous wolves.

In vs. 21-23 Jesus makes a statement that to some is startling.  Not all who look like His followers are in fact His followers.  When He says only he who does the will of My Father in heaven will enter His Kingdom, Jesus is simply restating what He has already said in the Sermon.  It is not simply what we are on the outside but what we are inside that matters.

This helps us to see the middle of the paragraph.  The fruit by which you will know these false prophets is their adherence to the kind of lifestyle He has set forth in Matt. 5-7.  Like any of us the prophet will not achieve perfection but will find His righteousness in Christ.  But he will not be guilty of hypocrisy, of excusing his sin, or holding himself to a different standard.

 Does the message of the preacher agree with his professed Lord, Jesus Christ?  Do they ascribe to the life He calls men to?  For example, are they happy when persecuted?  Do they confess their sins or excuse them?