In The Sound of Music, governess Maria teaches a music lesson to the seven Von Trapp children by singing: “Let’s start at the very beginning; a very good place to start.” For our study on what the Bible says about communication, we will also begin at the very beginning. It’s an essential place to start.

Of course, many Bible studies find their origin in Genesis chapter 1— as they should. Much of our theology and our understanding of the world must start with this account. From this foundational passage, we learn that God is beautiful and creative, powerful and ordered. He is perfect, compassionate, and the origin of life itself. The world He created was also perfectly ordered and able to sustain life.

But for the purpose of this study, we are going to focus on another attribute of God that is equally evident in today’s passage—but perhaps less extolled. Genesis 1 not only proclaims God as Creator; it also presents Him as Communicator.

In Genesis 1, we watch as God speaks the world into being. With divine commands, He produced the light (v. 3), the sky (v. 6), the seas, earth, and vegetation (vv. 9–11), the sun, moon, and stars (v. 14), the fish and birds (v. 20), and the animals (v. 24). Then, in a second communicative act, He gave names to many of His created works: “day and night” (v. 5), “sky” (v. 8), “land and seas” (v. 10). One of the most fundamental functions of language is to label the world around us.

God ascribed value to His creation, pronouncing it “good.” He then used language to bless His creatures and instruct them toward flourishing (vv. 22, 28). Most importantly, God revealed Himself as One we are able to know.

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A Roman centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant (Matt. 8:5–13). Shall I come to your home? Jesus asked. The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

In this encounter the centurion’s faith was expressed in his straightforward description of Jesus’ authority. The crowds listening to the Sermon on the Mount were similarly amazed at Jesus (v. 28). His disciples were amazed at His statement about how hard it was for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 19:24). In addition, the crowds were astonished at His answer to the Sadducees regarding the resurrection of the dead (Matt. 22:32–33).

In each of these cases, Jesus spoke with authority in contradicting popular opinion, common interpretations of the Law, or the religious leaders of the day. The Sermon on the Mount specifically conveyed authority that was “not as their teachers of the law” (v. 29). Jesus had asserted His divine authority throughout His ministry, for example, His authority to forgive sins (Matt. 9:6). The Great Commission that we obey today is founded on this: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:18).

What were the religious leaders of Jesus’ day missing? They had layered over God’s Word with traditions and legalism. They had no heart to obey. They were not seeking to draw near to the Lord. Jesus, on the other hand, is the Author of all Scripture!

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Have you ever played Jenga? In this game, players take turns removing wooden blocks from below, then re-placing them higher up. Everything must balance, but as the game goes on, the structure becomes increasingly unstable. When the tower collapses, the game ends.

As we near the end of Matthew 7, Jesus once again uses true and false contrasts to challenge everyone hearing or reading the Sermon on the Mount. He first describes a wise man who built his house on a foundation of rock (vv. 24–25). As a result, when the storm came, the house stood firm. This describes “everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice,” that is, obeys them.

By contrast, a foolish man built his house on a foundation of sand (vv. 26–27). As a result, when the storm came, the house collapsed. In fact, “it fell with a great crash.” This describes “everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice” that is, disobeys them (also see Ezek. 33:31).

Wisdom, obedience, life, and endurance or perseverance all go together. In the same way, foolishness, disobedience, death, and destruction all go together. These are the two ways the two gates lead to in Matthew 7:13–14. Jesus Himself said He is the one and only way to God (John 14:6). And Scripture also testifies that God is the Rock (Ps. 18:2; 62:2). Lives built on the Rock won’t be spared the storms of life, but they will be able to endure them. Lives built on sand, on the other hand, will ultimately collapse: Jesus never knew them.

Jesus’ challenge or exhortation is clear: Obey My words. As He also said, “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15).

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“When the Son of Man comes in his glory,” Jesus said, “and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” This judgment parable is marked by surprise and simplicity. Both sides express surprise to which Jesus responds simply, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (see Matt. 25:31–46).

Similar dynamics are found in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 7, the people condemned to hell are surprised. They say to the Lord, “Did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?” (v. 22). And Jesus responds simply, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (v. 23).

How is this possible? How could people do amazing things in the name of Christ and yet He never knew them? Because there really are false teachers, false prophets, and false disciples out there! Despite appearances, their fruit is rotten at the core. Jesus warned, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven” (v. 21).

How can we tell the difference between true and false? In the context of following Christ—not one’s initial salvation—the difference is simple. “The one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” is the true disciple (v. 21; Mark 3:35). The fact is that miracles can come from supernatural sources other than God. But only true disciples obey God. That’s why “evildoers” (v. 23) can also be translated “lawbreakers.” While we can sometimes be mistaken about “fruit,” God’s judgment is perfectly accurate and just.

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On the island of Crete there stands an olive tree estimated to be 3,000 years old. Called “the Olive Tree of Vouves” (the village in which it’s located); it welcomes 20,000 visitors per year. If you’re unable to go in person, a three-dimensional model of the tree can be found online.

Astonishingly, this ancient tree still bears fruit. Which fruit? Olives, of course! (Yes, olives are a fruit.) What else would it bear? Olive trees bear olives. Apple trees bear apples. Peach trees bear peaches. Fig trees bear figs. The same consistency we find in nature is also found in the spiritual realm. The same litmus test we apply to false prophets can also be applied to all self-identified followers of Christ. Some are true, but some are false. The latter will be “thrown into the fire,” that is, sent to hell (v. 19; Matt. 25:46). They never did possess genuine saving faith.

The principle is straightforward: A good tree will bear good fruit, and a bad tree bears bad fruit. This is stated in one verse and repeated for emphasis in the next (vv. 17–18). It is simply impossible for this not to be true! It cannot not be true.

The application is similarly direct: “By their fruit you will recognize them” (v. 20). In context, “them” means false prophets, but it can also refer to self-professed followers of Christ, given the verses that follow (in tomorrow’s devotion). As mentioned yesterday, “fruit” means the results of a person’s words and actions. We should be careful, though, to see “fruit” as God does. Too often we see it in terms of our culture. For example, if a church is growing in numbers or resources, we assume this is godly success. But the Lord doesn’t evaluate in such ways. To Him, it’s all about faithfulness and obedience.

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Fans of the Peanuts comic strip know that Linus often talks about the Great Pumpkin around Halloween. He tries to convince others to sit with him in the pumpkin patch on Halloween night, waiting and hoping for the Great Pumpkin to appear. Some kids call him a “false prophet.” “No one in my class has ever seen a false prophet,” says Sally. “How about joining me for ‘Show and Tell’?”

There are two kinds of prophets implied in today’s reading: true and false. Followers of Christ are to watch out for and be on guard against false prophets (v. 15). The picture of a wolf in sheep’s clothing tells us that false prophets are deceptive and harmful. They might claim to be telling God’s truth but they’re lying. They’re “ferocious,” actively prowling to do damage. This word has also been translated “ravenous” or “vicious.”

We will recognize false prophets by their fruit, that is, the results of their words and actions (v. 16). After all, people do not pick grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles! But they might tickle our ears and fill us with false hopes: “They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD” (Jer. 23:16). All this suggests that false prophets won’t be difficult to recognize… if we’re careful and on our guard.

Watchfulness is an underrated virtue, but one that is often recommended by Jesus. He spoke of it in connection with His return (Matt. 24:42–43). The end times will be characterized by false prophets who might deceive even true followers of Christ (Matt. 24:24). In fact, “Many will follow [false prophets’] depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute” (2 Peter 2:1–3). But don’t worry—their doom is assured!

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The narrow gate and the narrow way are vividly visualized in John Bunyan’s classic The Pilgrim’s Progress. The main character, Christian, meets others who climb over the fence instead of passing through the narrow gate, and some who choose an easier path. At times he’s tempted off the right path himself but nothing good ever happens in these cases. Christian learns his lesson, but other would-be pilgrims fail spectacularly.

The Sermon on the Mount some-what resembles wisdom literature, in that topics can change quickly. There’s not always a direct connection from one topic to the next. That’s the case throughout much of Matthew 7.

The idea of two spiritual paths is a common metaphor in Scripture, often seen, for example, in Psalms and Proverbs. The wrong path is wide and broad, which leads to destruction, that is, hell (v. 13). The right path is the small gate and narrow road. These lead to life, that is, heaven (v. 14). This is not the same as seeing the world in black-and-white. Wisdom, after all, is contextual. Rather, the metaphor of two paths contrasts two ways of life or two trajectories of choices over time. Most translations also contain the idea that the broad road is easy, and the narrow one is difficult. Our tendency is to choose the easier way, but God’s intention is in the other direction.

Jesus’ teaching is simple: Take one way and not the other. It will be simple to tell the difference. One will be easy and the other hard. One will be taken by many, the other by few. The New English Translation even makes verse 14 an exclamation: “How narrow is the gate and difficult the way that leads to life, and there are few who find it!”

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As I was writing this devotional, my daughter celebrated a birthday. I selected the perfect gift and wrapped it—a rock from our backyard. No. Of course not. What kind of father would do that? Instead, I gave her something called a Squishmallow, a gift I knew she would love.

As Jesus pointed out, if human fathers know how to love their children, how much more does our heavenly Father love us! Our confidence to ask, seek, and knock (as we learned yesterday) is ultimately rooted in the goodness and love of our Father God (vv. 9–11). If our child asked us for bread, we would not give them a stone. Why not? Because we love them and want the best for them. Once again, Jesus was arguing from the smaller to the greater: If we, sinners though we are, know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more will God do the same! So why are we afraid to trust Him?

This is a humbling analogy for us. We know how to give good gifts to our children even though we’re evil (v. 11). Ouch. And that’s a best-case scenario. We all know that some parents do treat their children in truly evil ways. God never does so.

Jesus concluded: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (v. 12). This is sometimes called the Golden Rule. If applied, it would definitely slow down our tendency to judge (v. 1)! It’s not just an ethical idea that sounds fair. As we see here, in context, it’s based on the goodness of God: Since God does good things for us, we should do good things for others.

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In the sitcom The King of Queens, Carrie gets a raise at work after praying about it in church. She starts to pray regularly, asking God for all sorts of material things. This irritates her husband, Doug, who accuses her of using God as her personal genie. “You obviously have no idea what you’re doing,” Doug says.

So what did it mean when Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you” (v. 7)? Taken in context, Jesus is giving us a principle and a promise. The context is the kingdom of heaven. All our asking and receiving are done within and in obedience to God’s will. When we ask something of God there can be no hint of evil or selfishness. Within this context, the principle and the promise is that God answers our prayers. He wants us to come to Him and ask!

Jesus structured His teaching here as two beautiful sets of parallelisms. The first set is the imperative verbs “ask,” “seek,” and “knock,” followed by the matching positive results of “given,” “find,” and “opened” (v. 7). The second set gives the reasons (v. 8). The verbs used—“asks,” “seeks,” and “knocks”—are followed by the same matching positive results—“receives,” “finds,” and “opened.”

The verbs in verse 7 indicate repeated action, that is, persistence or perseverance in prayer, with an underlying faith in the Father’s wisdom and love. Repetition does not imply babbling (Matt. 6:7) but persistence. This is the way it works in God’s kingdom. We can pray for anything, resting trustfully in the fact that He knows what is best for us and will do what is best for us. The right attitude is always “Your will be done” (Matt. 6:10).

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One day, the religious leaders brought a woman caught in adultery to Jesus (John 8:1–11). They said, “In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” Jesus responded, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” The crowd dispersed as each person realized his own sinfulness. Only Jesus was worthy to cast the first stone, and He chose not to do so.

That same spirit is behind today’s teaching. “Do not judge” does not mean to “never judge,” as it’s often misinterpreted (vv. 1–2). After all, we’re instructed to judge or evaluate fellow believers when accountability is needed (1 Cor. 5:12). Instead, “do not judge” means that we should not judge self-righteously or hypocritically. We will be judged by the same standard we use on others.

Judgmental hypocrisy means, among other things, to criticize others when we are actually guilty of the same thing ourselves (vv. 3–5). Jesus uses a humorous but tragic image to drive His point home: It’s like a man with a wooden plank in his eye criticizing a man who has only a speck of sawdust in his. Having a judgmental spirit can warp our perspective! Notice that Jesus didn’t say to ignore the problem or to pretend everything’s okay. Rather, we should fix our own problem before we help someone else.

The next verse implies that we should pick the right time to do so (v. 6; Prov. 13:10). If we choose the wrong time, the person won’t listen. It will be like throwing pearls before swine. They’ll simply trample on our advice or reproof. Something valuable is bound to be wasted in this case, and the original speaker might even be harmed as well.

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