House on rock

Context, Structure, Form

Matthew 7:21-23 is the climax of the eschatological teachings of the Sermon on the Mount.[1] It talks about people who profess their allegiance to Jesus and engage in charisma but are inadmissible to the Kingdom of God because they did not do the will of God. It is followed by a parable of eschatological judgment in vv.24-27.[2] Finally, Matthew concludes the first major section of the teaching of Jesus with the response of the crowd towards Jesus in vv.28-29.

Exegetical notes: Obeying God 

Matthew 7:21-23 

Matthew 7:21-23 discusses a group of people who professed allegiance to Jesus but were inadmissible to the Kingdom of Heaven. The context of the discussion is eschatological salvation. The future tense clause εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν (v.21) and the phrase “in that day” (v.22) probably indicate eschatological salvation and judgment.[3] It might be possible that Matthew continues his discussion of fraudulent prophets here.[4] Another suggestion is that, unlike consciously fraudulent prophets, this group was surprised by their inadmissibility to the kingdom and they were not aware of their failures despite their charisma and confession. They confessed the primary Christian confession that Jesus is Lord (cf. Rom. 10:9; Phil 1:11; 1 Cor 12:3). They called Jesus “Lord, Lord.” They engaged in charismatic activities such as prophecy, miracles[5], and exorcism in the name of Jesus (v.22).  Verse 22 used τῷ σῷ ὀνόματι thrice, emphasizing their use of Jesus’ name. Unlike false prophecy, doing miracles and exorcism might not be false claims.

However, they were not admitted to the Kingdom of Heaven because they did not do the will of God: “the one who does the will of my Father in heaven” (v. 21c). The language here may refer back to the teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Doing the will of God may not be just a mere ethical category here but it includes knowing and being known by Jesus.[6] “To know” (v.23) is used in biblical literature to refer to more acquaintance and recognition; it indicates a relationship with Jesus. Moreover, Jesus rebukes them saying “depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (v.23). The language in this phrase echoes in several OT passages (Job 21:14; 22:17; Pss 6:8; 139:19), especially Ps 6:8. R.T. France observes that “lawlessness” is a general term for Matthew to convey a behavior that is displeasing to God.[7] It is an appropriate word to refer to Matthew’s view that sin is a violation of the will of Father.[8] Lawlessness is the opposite of doing God’s will. To enter into the kingdom of God, one needs obedience to God’s will than a mere profession of the name of Jesus or charismatic activities. 

Matthew 7:24-27

The Sermon on the Mount concludes with the parable of a wise man and a fool in Matthew 7:24-27,  characterizing wisdom theme in Matt 6:19–7:24.[9] The opening word of the parables, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them” (v.24a, ESV), recalls several scriptures that have similar exhortation to obey the word (Exod 15:26; 23:22; cf. Exod 24:3, 7; Deut 5:27; 6:3; 7:12). Hearing and obeying wise words is a standard aspect of the wisdom tradition (Job 34:2; Prov 1:5).[10] The word φρόνιμος is a favorite word of Matthew and occurs several times. A wise man not only hears the word but also obeys it or acts upon it. He is compared to a house built on rock, a solid foundation. In contrast, a person who does not obey the word of Jesus is compared to a fool who built a house on sand. The rain, storm, flood, and destruction of the house on the stand by storm (καὶ ἔπεσεν) metaphorically indicate the rigor of the eschatological judgment.[11]

Matthew 7:28-29

Matthew concludes the Sermon on the Mount with “And when Jesus finished these sayings” (v.28a). His other discourses also conclude similarly, with the exact phrase “when Jesus finished” (Matt 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1). Matthew intentionally imitates the language of Pentateuch (Deut 31:24; 32:45; Num 16:31; Deut 31:1): “When Moses finished.” This may suggest that Matthew deliberately arranged Jesus’ teachings into five discourses as part of his typology of Moses.[12] When Jesus finished his teaching, the crowd was amazed. Matthew used the verb ἐξεπλήσσοντο in the imperfect tense, implying an ongoing effect.[13] The reason for their amazement is mentioned: “for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (v.29). The scribes placed their authority on the interpretative traditions whereas Jesus demonstrated a manner of inherent authority and confidence saying “I tell you” (5:17-48).[14]

Further Reading

Bibliography

Basser, Herbert W. The Gospel of Matthew and Judaic Traditions: A Relevance-Based Commentary. The

Brill Reference Library of Judaism. Boston: Brill, 2015. 

Betz, Hans Dieter, and Adela Yarbro Collins. The Sermon on the Mount: A Commentary on the Sermon

on the Mount, Including the Sermon on the Plain (Matthew 5:3-7:27 and Luke 6:20-49).

Hermeneia. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995.

Evans, Craig A. Matthew. New Cambridge Bible Commentary. New York: Cambridge University Press,

2012.

France, R. T. The Gospel of Matthew. NICNT. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007.

Hagner, Donald Alfred. Matthew. WBC. V. 33a, 33b. Dallas: Word Books, 1993.

Turner, David L. Matthew. BECNT. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008.

 

 


[1] Hans Dieter Betz and Adela Yarbro Collins, The Sermon on the Mount: A Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, Including the Sermon on the Plain (Matthew 5:3-7:27 and Luke 6:20-49), Hermeneia (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995), 540.

[2] Luke’s Sermon on the Plain also ends with the same parable (6:47–49) but different in its wordings.

[3] Donald Alfred Hagner, Matthew, WBC, vol. 33a (Dallas: Word Books, 1993), 488.

[4] Craig A. Evans, Matthew, New Cambridge Bible Commentary (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2012),177.

[5] The term δυνάμεις may be understood as mighty deeds or miracles in this context.

[6] R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew, NICNT(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007), 204.

[7] France, The Gospel, 206.

[8] France, The Gospel, 490.

[9] Evans, Matthew, 204.

[10] Evans, Matthew,181.

[11] Hagner, Matthew, 498; David L. Turner,  Matthew, BECNT (Grand Rapids : Baker Academic, 2008),222.

[12] Evans, Matthew,183.

[13] Hagner, Matthew, 505.

[14] France, The Gospel, 208; Herbert W. Basser, The Gospel of Matthew and Judaic Traditions: A Relevance-Based Commentary (Boston: Brill, 2015), 211. 

 

 

Sam Lal K S