Judge and Word

Matthew 7:7-29 is read here as a genuine masterpiece of construction rather than simply a collection of closing sayings, with 7:12's Golden Rule sitting at its structural center. The imagery and drama running through 7:7-27 gets its due as craft rather than decoration. Christ closes the whole sermon by naming himself both Judge, in 7:21-23, and Word, in the wise and foolish builders of 7:24-27.