Chapter 7

1 Christ ending his sermon in the mount, reproveth rash judgment, 6 forbiddeth to cast holy things to dogs, 7 exhorteth to prayer, 13 to enter in at the strait gate, 15 to beware of false prophets, 21 not to be hearers, but doers of the word: 24 like houses builded on a rock, 26and not on the sand.

1. Judge not. Jesus here refers particularly to judging another’s motives, not to judging the right or wrong of his acts. God alone is competent to judge men’s motives, because of the fact that He alone is able to read men’s innermost thoughts (see Heb. 4:12; DA 314). Looking thus on men’s hearts, God loves the sinner the while He hates the sin. Able to discern only the “outward appearance” (1 Sam. 16:7) and not the heart, men inevitably make mistakes. Jesus does not here refer to that fine sense of discrimination by which the Christian is to distinguish between right and wrong (Rev. 3:18; cf. 5T 233), but rather to the habit of censorious, sharp, and usually unjust criticism.

2. With what judgment. Compare Mark 4:24; Luke 6:38. The measure we give will be the measure we receive, for injustice provokes injustice. More than that, the injustice of one man toward his fellow men provokes divine judgment, as Jesus taught in the parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matt. 18:23–35). We may condemn the offense, but, like God, we must ever be ready to forgive the offender. We can extend mercy to the offender without in any way condoning the evil he may have done.

3. Why beholdest thou? Compare Luke 6:41. Our proverb, “Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones,” has a similar import. There is also an Arabic proverb that runs, “How seest thou the splinter in thy brother’s eye, and seest not the cross-beam in thine eye?”

Mote. Gr. karphos, a mere “chip,” or “splinter,” of dried wood, chaff, etc. In the eye this would be a most irritating particle, however small its size. The “mote” represents, of course, the lesser fault. The censorious man always readily detects any fault, however small, in another man.

Beam. Gr. dokos, a “log,” or “plank,” a piece of timber used in the construction of a house.

4. How wilt thou say? Compare Luke 6:42.

Let me pull. This offer is not prompted so much by a desire to be helpful as to call attention to the fact that the mote is there and to the presumed wisdom and skill of the person making the offer.

A beam. Completely forgetful of the times that he himself has erred, and of his own weaknesses, the hypocrite becomes impatient with his erring brother. How often so-called Christians express profound indignation at the course others have taken, or are presumed to have taken, only to have later events reveal that they themselves are guilty of the very sins of which they accuse others. This was true of the Pharisees who brought to Jesus the woman taken in adultery (John 8:3–11; DA 461), and also of Simon when he judged Mary (Luke 7:36–39; DA 566). The Christian who discovers his brother in a fault will “restore such an one in the spirit of meekness,” considering that he himself may have been tempted and may have fallen on that very point, or may do so in the future (Gal. 6:1).

5. Thou hypocrite. The critical, censorious person is always a hypocrite, and his criticisms are aimed, in part, at drawing a cloak over his own hypocrisy. See on ch. 6:2.

See clearly. It is only when a man is ready and willing to suffer himself, if need be, in order to help his erring brother, that he can “see clearly” enough to be of any help to him (see MB 128). To help others see and remove defects in their characters and lives is the most delicate of operations in the field of human relations, and requires the clearest and most discriminating eyesight on the part of the person who proposes to conduct the operation.

6. Give not. From minor or imaginary wrongs in the life and character of others Christ turns to the Christian’s attitude toward those who are clearly and completely in the wrong and have no desire to escape from sin.

That which is holy. Probably a reference to offerings or sacrifices brought to the Temple and consecrated to sacred use. The Mishnah says, “We are not allowed to redeem dedicated [animals] in order to give them to the dogs to eat” (Temurah 6. 5, Soncino ed., p. 224; cf. Talmud Behoroth 15a, Soncino ed., p. 105). The gospel worker is not to waste time upon those who “make the gospel only a matter of contention and ridicule” (see MB 129; 3T 450).

Dogs. Throughout the Orient even today dogs are the scavengers of town and city, and are, for the most part, half-wild creatures. For the Jews the dog was also a ceremonially unclean animal, and since it had but little domestic value, was looked upon as utterly despicable (see on Job 30:1).

Pearls. Gr. margaritae, from which comes the English name Margaret. Jesus here possibly thinks of the small seed pearls, similar in size and color to grain, and which might at first be mistaken by the swine as feed.

7. Ask.Having set forth the lofty ideals of the kingdom of heaven (chs. 5:21 to 7:6), Jesus now turns for the remainder of His discourse to the means by which citizens of His kingdom can make these noble graces part of their lives (ch. 7:7–12). He leads His hearers to the dividing of the ways and calls their attention to the fact that citizenship in His kingdom involves great personal sacrifice (Matt. 7:13, 14; cf. Luke 14:27–33), and should not be assumed thoughtlessly. He warns against the philosophy and counsel of their pretended religious leaders, the wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matt. 7:15–20), and concludes with a most earnest appeal to live according to the principles of the kingdom (vs. 21–27).

Recognizing the impossibility for sinners, of themselves, to order their lives in harmony with the principles of the divine law, Christ points His listeners to the Source of power for Christian living. All that citizens of the kingdom need is theirs for the asking. What they cannot do in their own strength can be accomplished when human effort is united with divine power. Those who ask will not be disappointed (vs. 9–11). God is not sparing with the gifts of heaven; He does not deal with men in the way they deal with one another (vs. 1–6), but is gracious and merciful.

9. What man? Not a father in the audience would for a moment be so heartless and cruel. And if, even in their human imperfection, they would not consider such a course of action, how much less likely was it that their Father in heaven would do so.

11. How much more? In His teaching Christ often made use of the device of appealing from the lesser to the greater; in this instance, from the love of human parents to the infinitely greater love of the heavenly Parent (see ch. 6:30). Jesus takes human nature at its best, and then points men to the incomparably greater character of God.

Give good things. Children generally have no inhibitions when it comes to asking for things. We need have no hesitancy in coming to the Giver of “every good gift and every perfect gift” (James 1:17).

12. Therefore. See on Matt. 7:7; cf. Luke 6:31. The way in which the Christian treats his fellow men is the acid test of the genuineness of his religion (1 John 4:20; cf. Matt. 25:31–46).

The golden rule summarizes the obligations of the second table of the Decalogue, and is another statement of the great principle of loving our neighbor (see Matt. 19:16–19; 22:39, 40; cf. 1 John 4:21). Only those who make the golden rule their law of life and practice can expect admission to the kingdom of glory. Our attitude toward our fellow men is an infallible index of our attitude toward God (see 1 John 3:14–16).

Profound thinkers of other times and other cultures have discovered and stated the sublime truth expressed in the golden rule, generally, however, in a negative form. For example, to Hillel, most revered rabbi of the generation before Jesus, these words are credited: “‘What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor; that is the whole Torah, while the rest is the commentary thereof’” (Talmud Shabbath 31a, Soncino ed., p. 140). The golden rule also appears in the Apocryphal book of Tobit (ch. 4:15): “Do that to no man which thou hatest,” and in the Letter of Aristeas (ed. and tr. by Moses Hadas, p. 181): “‘Just as you do not wish evils to befall you, but to participate in all that is good, so you should deal with those subject to you and with offenders.’”

It is worthy of note that Jesus transformed a negative precept into a positive one. Herein lies the essential difference between Christianity and all false religious systems, and between true Christianity and that which consists in the form of religion but denies the vital power of the gospel. The golden rule takes supreme selfishness, what we would like others to do for us, and transforms it into supreme selflessness, what we are to do for others. This is the glory of Christianity. This is the life of Christ lived out in those who follow Him and bear His name (see on ch. 5:48).

This is the law. Christ emphatically denies that the principle set forth in the golden rule is something new; it is the very essence of the law, as given through Moses (the Torah), and what the prophets wrote; in other words, of the entire OT (see on Matt. 5:17; Luke 24:44). He who assigns the law of love to the NT alone, and relegates the OT to the oblivion of a worn-out religious system, makes himself a critic of the Master, who specifically declared that He came with no thought of changing the great principles set forth in “the law, or the prophets” (see on Matt. 5:17, 18; Luke 24:27, 44). The entire Sermon on the Mount, from Matt. 5:20 to 7:11, is illustrative of this great truth. Having stated that He did not come to abolish the teachings of Moses and the prophets, Christ set forth in detail His attitude toward the law by magnifying it and making it honorable (see Isa. 42:21).

13. Enter ye in. In vs. 13 and 14 Jesus formally invites His audience to accept His principles as the working policy of their lives, and points out to them the way to begin, and where to begin. He is the “door” (John 10:7, 9) and the “way” (John 14:6). He who would enter into the kingdom of heaven, who would “have life” and “have it more abundantly,” must needs enter by Him; there is no other way (John 10:7–10). Compare Luke 13:24.

Strait. Gr. stenos, “narrow.” “Strait” must not be confused with “straight.” The gate stands at the beginning of the way, not at the end. It is narrow, and through it may pass only that which is essential to the journey along the way. Anciently the gates of cities were closed at sunset, and since the cities were often situated atop hills or precipitous rocks, the path that led upward to the gates was often narrow. He who would enter before the closing of the gate must “strive” by persevering effort up the pathway that leads home, to be in time “to enter in” (see Luke 13:24).

Broad is the way. The concept of the “two ways” appears often (see Deut. 11:26; 30:15; Jer. 21:8; cf. Ps. 1).

14. Because. Important textual evidence may be cited (cf. p. 146) for the reading “how.”

Strait is the gate. Compare ch. 19:24. The narrowness of the gate calls for self-denial on the part of the one entering it.

Narrow. From the Gr. thliboµ, “to compress,” “to squeeze,” hence a way that is compressed, or narrowed, as in a defile between high rocks, in comparison to the “broad,” or easy, way.

Few there be. For the simple reason that they do not want to find it, for whosoever will may enter in (see Rev. 22:17).

15. False prophets. Compare Matt. 24:5, 11, 24; Mark 13:22. A true prophet is one who speaks for God. Accordingly, a false prophet is one who pretends to be speaking for God when in reality he speaks only the perverted thoughts of his own perverse heart (cf. Isa. 30:10; Jer. 14:13–15; 23:16, 17, 21, 25, 30–32, 38; 29:8, 9; Eze. 13:2, 3, 10, 11). Compare Jeremiah’s experiences with the false prophets of his day (Jer. 27–29).

The false prophets are those who profess that it is possible for men to enter in by the broad gate and the broad way. They are the “thieves,” whose only purpose is to steal, to kill, and to destroy (John 10:7–10). For apostolic warnings against false prophets see Acts 20:28–31; 2 Thess. 2:3, 7; 2 Peter 2; 1 John 2:18, 19.

In sheep’s clothing. The likeness of the “wolves” to the “sheep” was only external. There had been no change of heart, but only of appearance, the purpose being, of course, to deceive the sheep and lull them into a false sense of security in order to devour them with greater ease. God’s people are often pictured as sheep, and God as their Shepherd (Ps. 23:1, 2; 78:52; 80:1; 100:3; Isa. 40:11; Isa. 53:6; Eze. 34:10–19; John 10:1–16; etc.).

Ravening. Gr. harpax, “rapacious.” These “wolves” are not only wicked at heart, but opposed to truth and to those who adhere to it. It is their purpose to bring harm to the sheep in order to bring benefit to themselves. Greedy for gain and for power, they are more dangerous than the “dogs” or the “swine” of v. 6. See on Micah 3:5–11.

Wolves. Compare Zeph. 3:3; Matt. 10:16; John 10:12.

16. Shall know. Gr. epiginoskoµ, “to know fully.” The metaphor changes; the “sheep” are not entirely unprotected—it is within their power to detect the “wolves” by their bearing and by the way they act. The appealing claims these false prophets set forth are no proof of their true character. Their fair words and exalted profession are no valid test of what they really are, nor can their miracles (v. 22) be depended on. The words “you will know them” may be taken as a promise that the “sheep” who know their Shepherd’s voice (John 10:4) will not be deceived by the fair words of the “wolves” (see 5T 233). Those who truly love the Lord and are fully surrendered to His will need have no fear of being led astray if they obey the voice of God speaking to their souls day by day through His Word and through the counsels He has given (GC 598; 8T 298). In the great hour of testing that lies ahead, only those who know the truth and love it will be secure against the deceptions of Satan (Hosea 4:6; 2 Thess. 2:9, 10; 6T 401). Compare Matt. 12:33–35; Luke 6:43–45.

Gather grapes of thorns. Compare James 3:11, 12.

17. So every good tree. Compare ch. 12: 33, 34.

Good fruit. That is, fruit that has a good appearance, a good flavor, and that tastes good. It is attractive in every way. The “fruit of the Spirit” is given in Gal. 5:22, 23.

Corrupt. Gr. sapros, “rotten,” “decaying.” The same word is translated “bad” in ch. 13:48.

Evil fruit. The works of the flesh are listed in Gal. 5:19–21. Compare the “wild grapes” of Isaiah’s parable of the Lord’s vineyard (Isa. 5:1–7), and the figs, so bad that they could not be eaten, of Jer. 24:2, 8.

18. A good tree. Compare Luke 6:43. A person whose character is sound will automatically display that character in his words and deeds.

19. Hewn down. John the Baptist had spoken of “the axe” being “laid unto the root of the trees” (see on ch. 3:10). In a later parable Christ again used the figure of cutting down a worthless tree (Luke 13:6–9).

Cast into the fire. See on ch. 3:10. In the fires of the last day the evil fruit, or “works,” shall be “burned up” (2 Peter 3:10–12).

20. Wherefore. Or, “thus.”

By their fruits. See on v. 16. The statement with which the metaphor of the fruit tree and its fruit was introduced is here repeated at its close, for emphasis.

21. Not every one. The words “not” and “but” highlight the strong contrast between the mere talker and the actual doer of God’s will. Mere profession is worthless. He who pretends to know God and yet disobeys His commandments “is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4), irrespective of any appearance to the contrary.

Lord, Lord. To address Christ as “Lord” is to profess the belief that He is indeed the Messiah, and implies that the speaker has assumed the role of disciple.

He that doeth. That is, he who performs the will of God when he learns of it. Faith in God must accompany the doing, or the doing is only a form. It is true that “faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone” (James 2:17), but it is equally true that works unaccompanied by a sincere and living faith are also “dead” (Heb. 11:6). Those who do not know the will of God are not held accountable for it (Luke 12:47, 48), but those who have heard God’s voice speaking to their hearts and yet persist in ways of their own choosing “have no cloke for their sin” (John 15:22) and are in danger of presumption.

22. Many will say. Here for the first time Jesus indirectly alludes to the fact that He will appear on “that day” as judge of all men (cf. ch. 26:64). Those who thus address Christ as Lord on the great final day of judgment do so as professed Christians. They have pretended in this life to be His followers, but have been weighed and found wanting.

That day. The great final day of judgment (cf. ch. 25:32, 33, 41). “That day,” or “day of the Lord,” is often mentioned by the OT prophets (see Isa. 2:11, 17, Joel 2:1; 3:14; Amos 5:18, 20; Zeph. 1:15; cf. Mal. 3:17; 4:1; Luke 10:12; 2 Thess. 1:10; 2 Tim. 4:8).

Prophesied in thy name. The form of the question in Greek implies that those speaking expect a positive answer. They are saying, “Surely we have prophesied in thy name, have we not?” They would hardly claim before the great Judge of the universe to have done so if the claim was not, apparently, substantiated by the facts. This is the measure of their self-conceit and self-deception. It is as if they protest to the Judge that His decision is unfair, and that He cannot rightfully treat them as renegades. They have been preaching in His name, have they not? But they have forgotten that ostensible worship of God based on human tradition is vain.

Cast out devils. Presumably the most difficult of all miracles (see on Mark 1:23), and thus typical of all others that might be mentioned. When the Seventy returned from their first evangelistic expedition, it was the fact that “even the devils” were subject to them that seemed most significant to them (Luke 10:17). See Additional Note on Mark 1.

Many wonderful works. Perhaps including even actual miracles (cf. GC 553, 588), performed as evidence purporting to demonstrate the presence of God with them and His approval of their teachings (see Rev. 13:13, 14; 2 Thess. 2:9, 10). It is evident from the Scriptures that the performance of miracles is not of itself conclusive evidence that divine power has been in operation. The greatest miracle of time and eternity is a life transformed according to the divine likeness (see DA 406, 407). Those who profess to be prophets are to be tested by their lives (see on Matt. 7:16), and not by their professed miracles. See pp. 208, 209.

23. Profess. Gr. homologeoµ, here meaning “to declare frankly.”

I never knew you. Or, according to the form of the Greek verb, “I never recognized [or, “became acquainted with”] you.” This is evidence that their teachings and miracles had not been spoken and performed in harmony with the will of God, or by His power.

Depart from me. Compare ch. 25:41. Sin results in a final and complete separation from God.

Iniquity. Gr.anomia, “lawlessness,” or “lack of conformity with law.” The workers of iniquity are “lawless” because they have refused to conform their lives to the perfect pattern set forth in the law of the kingdom of heaven—and “sin is the transgression of the law [anomia] ” (1 John 3:4). On the Mount of Olives Christ said that in the last days “iniquity,” anomia, would abound (Matt. 24:12), and a few decades later Paul observed that the “mystery of iniquity [anomia] ” was already at work (2 Thess. 2:7).

24. Therefore. The conclusion and appeal of the Sermon on the Mount is presented in the form of a twofold parable. Compare Luke 6:47–49.

Heareth. Christ doubtless refers here to more than merely listening. Those who hear these sayings apparently grasp their meaning, at least to the extent that they have sufficient light to act if they choose to do so, and thus are responsible before God (see on v. 21).

Doeth them. See on v. 21; cf. ch. 5:19. It is a dangerous thing to hear a divine command if what is heard is not translated into action, for hearing inevitably brings with it responsibility for corresponding action. The “sons of God” are those who follow the leading of His Spirit (Rom. 8:14). Obedience transforms the words of Christ into personal character. See on John 5:24.

I will liken him. Textual evidence favors (cf. p. 146) the reading, “He will be likened.”

His house. That is, the “house” of character.

Upon a rock. The Lord Jesus Christ is the “rock” on which the individual Christian and the Christian church as a community of character builders are to be built (see on ch. 16:18). According to Luke 6:48 the builder “digged deep” in order to have a firm foundation. To build firmly requires much time and effort; it is far simpler to build a house without going to the trouble of providing a solid foundation.

25. The rain descended. Note the abrupt style, the short statements that describe the storm—a vivid literary device.

Winds. The “winds” of temptation and trial (DA 314), perhaps particularly the winds of false teaching that tend to remove a person from the firm foundation of faith (Eph. 4:14).

It fell not. Happy the man who, wrestling “against the rulers of the darkness of this world,” is “able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Eph. 6:12, 13). Happy the man who, when the storms of life are over, finds that, by the grace of Christ, his character has withstood “all the fiery darts of the wicked” (Eph. 6:16). His soul is anchored to the great Christian hope (Heb. 6:19; Titus 2:13; cf. Heb. 10:35), and he cannot fall.

Founded upon a rock. That is, upon the “sayings” of Christ, here specifically those of the Sermon on the Mount (v. 24). The words of Christ never pass away (ch. 24:35), but stand forever (Isa. 40:8; 1 Peter 1:25). There is salvation in no other but Him (Acts 4:12).

26. Doeth them not. The parable is now repeated in negative form for emphasis—repetition being a common feature of the teachings of Jesus. The difference in the two instances is in the foundation only; all else is presumably the same. It is evident that the man here represented knew better (see on v. 24).

A foolish man. “Foolish” because he did less than he knew should be done. Compare the man without a wedding garment (ch. 22:11–13) and the five foolish virgins (ch. 25:2, 3).

Upon the sand. He who turns a deaf ear to the gospel builds on the shifting sand of self, upon his own efforts (MB 152), and upon human theories and inventions (DA 314).

27. The rain descended. The dry sand, that looked so safe and inviting in fair weather, becomes a raging torrent with the heavy rains.

It fell. See on v. 25.

Great was the fall. Compare the fall of those who have made lies their refuge (see Isa. 28:16–18), and of those who have built the wall of character with untempered mortar (cf. Eze. 13:10–16).

28. It came to pass. For reactions to the teaching of Jesus similar to that recorded here see Mark 1:22; Luke 4:31, 32.

These sayings. Those recorded in chs. 5–7.

Doctrine. Gr. didacheµ, “teaching” (see on Mark 1:21, 22). The people were amazed; His teaching was so different from that of the scribes in the synagogues.

29. Having authority. Not dogmatically, but on His own authority rather than by quoting earlier expositors of the law, as the rabbis did in their teaching. Note the frequent use in the Gospels of the expression, “Verily I say unto you” (see on ch. 5:18), and its counterpart, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (ch. 11:15).

The scribes. Textual evidence favors (cf. p. 146) the reading “their scribes,” meaning the ones to whom these very people had listened (cf. “their” in Luke 5:30). The scribes’ teaching was dogmatic, and based on the traditions of the elders. There was life-giving power in the method of Christ’s presentation, as well as in the truths He set forth, in contrast with the dead formalism of the teaching of the scribes. Textual evidence may also be cited (cf. p. 146) for adding, “and the Pharisees.”

additional note on chapter 7

In the writings of the rabbinical scholars are to be found numerous parallels to the religious and moral teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount and elsewhere. The question is: To what extent was the one dependent on the other? Modern Jewish scholars contend that, for the most part, Jesus was dependent on the Jewish tradition of the schools of His day. T. Tal (Een Blik in Talmoed en Evangelie, Amsterdam, 1881) declared that the moral teachings set forth in the NT appear without exception in the Talmud, and, furthermore, that the Talmud was the source from which the Gospels borrowed their moral teachings. A more recent Jewish scholar sets forth the claim that “throughout the Gospels there is not one item of ethical teaching which can not be paralleled either in the Old Testament, the Apocrypha, or in the Talmudic and Midrashic literature of the period near to the time of Jesus” (Joseph Klausner, Jesus of Nazareth [tr. by Herbert Danby], p. 384). He states further that “Jesus scarcely introduced any ethical teaching which was fundamentally foreign to Judaism. So extraordinary is the similarity that it might almost seem as though the Gospels were composed simply and solely out of matter contained in the Talmud and Midrash” (ibid., pp. 388, 389). Many Christian commentators, though not going to the extremes of the Jewish scholars noted above, still quote numerous parallels in rabbinical literature, creating the impression that Jesus actually taught little but that with which the Jewish mind was already familiar. See pp. 96-100.

That striking parallels exist, no one can deny. But that Jesus drew from rabbinical literature for His moral teachings does not necessarily follow. Perhaps the most extensive comparison ever made between the New Testament and Jewish literature is that by Strack and Billerbeck, in Kommentar zum Neuen Testament aus Talmud und Midrasch, a monumental work of 4,102 pages. Inasmuch as the authors are, doubtless, the leading authorities on the subject, it is of interest to note their observations and conclusions. These are contained in an epilogue to the comments on the Sermon on the Mount (vol. 1, pp. 470-474). They note that with one exception (the saying of Hillel, see on Matt. 7:12) the parallels to the Sermon on the Mount, insofar as they are credited to rabbis, by name, all belong to rabbinical teachers that lived after the time of Jesus. Against this it is sometimes argued that many sayings, although bearing names of later authors, are of earlier origin, thus making it possible for them to have served as a source for Jesus. However, Strack and Billerbeck maintain the well-established rule that a saying that is handed down under a certain author’s name actually belongs to the scholar whose name it bears, unless it can be proved from competent sources that the saying existed earlier.

When this rule is applied to the sayings in the Sermon on the Mount, it becomes immediately evident that the vast majority of them must be attributed to Jesus inasmuch as He antedates the scholars to whom they are assigned in rabbinical literature. It is not denied that some of these sayings may have been older, but the burden of proof rests with the objector to supply evidence in every instance that the saying was actually older.

Let us examine for a moment the other side of the question. To what extent may Jesus have been the source for some of the sayings in rabbinical literature? Strack and Billerbeck note evidence that the older tannaitic scholars who lived around the year a.d. 100 were familiar with some of the sayings of Jesus. For example, the statement of Matt. 5:17 comes up in a discussion between Gamaliel II (c. a.d. 90) and a Christian (Talmud Shabbath 116a, 116b, Soncino ed., p. 571). We cannot estimate the influence Jesus had on the development of Jewish thought, especially during those early years when the synagogue and the church were rather closely related. The following is an appraisal of the situation: “It has even been suggested, though it is never likely to be proved, that the criticisms made by Jesus may, at a later time when their origin was forgotten, have played some part in the development of the Jewish code as it took shape in the Mishnah and the Talmud” (H. D. A. Major, T. W. Manson, and C. J. Wright, The Mission and Message of Jesus, p. 304).

When it is remembered that there are, proportionately, few rabbinical sayings extant that have not originated in a Scripture text or at least lean on one, it is not surprising that parallels can be found between these sayings and those of Jesus, who gave the OT Scriptures. To the extent that pious men through the ages permitted themselves to come under the influence of the Spirit that inspired these writings, to that extent their sayings have reflected the light of Heaven. In fact, this observation explains why philosophers outside the pale of revealed religion, such as Confucius and Plato, have frequently set forth lofty ideals. Jesus is the “true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9; cf. DA 465).

Though parallels between the sayings of Jesus and those of Jewish scholars are demonstrable, there are at the same time significant differences, as Strack and Billerbeck point out. No later Jewish scholar has left behind such a multitude of religious and moral sayings as has Jesus. No later Jewish scholar has been able to put forth his sayings in the brief and authoritative manner that we admire so much in the teachings of Jesus. Above all, no later Jewish scholar followed the same objectives as did Jesus, and in this lies the chief difference, despite all similarities. Jesus struck directly at the Pharisaical doctrine of salvation by works, and taught boldly the inadequacy of legalistic righteousness. At the same time He showed His people a new way that leads to a higher righteousness. Rabbinical literature gives overwhelming evidence that the religion of the Jews, as expounded by the rabbis, was one of self-redemption. The religion of Christianity, on the other hand, is not locked up in a particular collection of ethical truths and teachings, but alone in Jesus, His person and His work.

The spiritual significance of the teachings of Jesus is not to be measured simply by their great moral principles. Many of these had already been set forth in the OT, or in the sayings of men who were, in varying degree, illuminated by the light of Heaven. But Christ spoke as never man spoke, and with an authority that commanded attention. That which sharply distinguishes our Lord is the fact that He is divine—other teachers were human. He came not only to tell men how they should live but to impart to them power to live such a life. He not only came to show men that sin is evil and righteousness is the true goal of life, but came to blot out past sins and to impart to men righteousness from heaven above. This, human teachers could not do. At best they could point men to a better way. But Jesus was “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). By the Father, He was “made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30).

Jesus is the “true Light” (John 1:9). He is the source of all light that is light, not the reflector of other men’s light (see on John 1:9; 5:35). All that is good and ennobling originated with Him and leads to Him.

Ellen G. White comments

1    DA 314; MB 123; 7T 279

1, 2 Ev 639; MH 485; TM 273

1–43T 93

1–58T 85

1–29TM 125

2     COL 251; CS 47; GC 29; MB 136; PP 625; 2T 136, 256; 4T 139; 5T 53, 247, 278, 608

3     MB 125; 5T 92

4     3T 465; 4T 62

5     MB 126

6     MB 129; 3T 426

6–12EW 24

7     FE 300, 399; GC 528; GW 258; MM 13; SC 95, 96; TM 323, 379, 485; 3T 415; 6T 95; 8T 23; 9T 279

7, 8 CT 242; MB 130

7–11    MYP 123

9     Ev 200

9–11    AH 299; MB 132; 5T 201

11   SL 84; 1T 121; 5T 157

12   AH 423; DA 640; Ed 136; LS 303; MB 134; MH 105; ML 165, 200; PK 652; 2T 136; 4T 310, 350, 359, 487, 490; 5T 179, 338; 8T 134; WM 202

13   3T 199, 438; 4T 218, 364; 5T 172, 437

13, 14  CT 366; FE 200; GW 160; MM 62; 1T 127; 2T 479, 592; 8T 65

14   AA 565; GW 135; MB 138; ML 69; LS 190; 2T 688; 4T 364, 503, 589; 5T 435; 9T 23

15, 16  Ev 597; MB 145; 4T 376

15–20Ev 589; 4T 230, 232; 5T 668, 671

16   CT 189, 536; GC 465, 520; LS 45; 1T 412, 482; 5T 129, 394; 8T 326

16–181T 454

17   DA 314; SL 58; 2T 328; 4T 311; 5T 98

18   Ev 308; 4T 347; 5T 98

20   AA 523; CT 329; Ev 287; FE 89; GC 397; LS 325; TM 33, 466; 1T 193, 289; 2T 88, 442, 598, 656, 663; 3T 249; 4T 230, 239, 311; 5T 98, 342

20–231T 416

21   COL 272; PP 207; 1T 482

21–274T 613

22   COL 412

22, 23  MB 145; 5T 73

23   AA 423; CS 128; 4T 514, 517; 5T 398; 7T 71; 9T 252

24   GW 103; 4T 656; 5T 129

24, 25  DA 314; FE 289; 3T 414; 4T 117; 8T 173

24–27CT 61; TM 126; 8T 297

25   MB 147; 6T 146

26   ML 73, 85; 3T 475; 5T 129; 6T 16, 143

28   FE 238

28, 29  MB 47; 7T 269

29        CH 318; CSW 109; CT 240; DA 253; Ev 55, 56; FE 236, 406, 407; 5T 254; 8T 201; WM 287