Some translations soften the end of Matthew 7:12 to say this sums up the law and the prophets. But Jesus says it is the law and the prophets, their true meaning and essence. Summarizing the law was a popular game among the teachers of his day. They loved to debate...
Notice how Matthew 7:12 begins: so whatever you wish. That little word so is doing a great deal of work. It reaches back not just over the verses right before it but over everything Jesus has said since chapter five. Blessed are the poor in spirit. You are the salt of...
You have probably seen this verse before. It hangs on classroom walls and gets printed on coffee cups, quoted by people who have never opened a Bible. We call it the Golden Rule, and that very familiarity is a problem. When a verse becomes a slogan, we tune it out. We...
Step back now and see the whole passage as one piece. Matthew 7:7-11 does not stand alone. It comes at the end of a long string of commands we cannot keep, and just before Jesus sends us through the narrow gate. It is the engine room of the Sermon on the Mount, the...
If the Father truly gives good things to those who ask, why is prayer so often our last resort instead of our first? Here is the diagnosis: somewhere deep down, we are not sure what kind of Father we have. What you believe about the Father shapes how you pray, and for...
