21-23
fruit is now explained further: fruit is not what a man says, but what he does. The way of distinguishing the two kinds of prophet is by their deeds; and Jesus, the judge at the last day, will judge by deeds and not bywords. (N.B. prophesy in v. 22 and cf. false prophets in v.15; for prophesy in your name cf. Jer. 14:14) For Jesus as judge, cf. 3:12, he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.

I never knew you: Cf. 25:12, I do not know you: knew is here used in the sense of ‘acknowledge, recognize’. Jesus says that though they claimed his authority for what they did (in your name) he had not commissioned them.

Depart from me: Cf. 25:41. Depart from me, you cursed (different words for depart are used in the Greek). The whole sentence here, depart from me, you evildoers, is a quotation from Ps. 6:8.

24-27
The last paragraph is addressed to every one who hears the teaching of Jesus, and it applies the principle of judgement by deeds, which has been expounded in the case of the false prophets, to every disciple: they will all be judged by what they have done. The wise man builds on rock and his house does not fall; the foolish man builds on sand and his house falls. The wise man is the man who does Jesus’ words – i.e. obeys his teaching; and the foolish man is the one who disobeys. For wise and foolish contrasted in this way, Cf. 25:2 wise and foolish maidens. The last days are compared to the flood at the time of Noah. This is the temptation and evil from which the disciples are to pray to be delivered (6:13).

These last few verses of this first section of teaching in Matthew have made us look on to the fifth and last section of teaching, 23-25 and in particular to Chapter 25 – e.g. with the wise man and the foolish man in vv. 24,26, cf. the parable of the ten maidens, wise and foolish, in 25:1-13. The door was shut in that parable, and, though they asked for it to be opened, saying Lord, Lord (cf. 7:22) the bridegroom said, I do not know you (cf. 7:23).

THE ASTONISHMENT OF THE CROWDS

7:28,29 ( = Mark 1:22)

We have here the first of the five instances of Matthew’s formula for passing from continuous teaching to narrative (the other instances are 11:1, 13:53, 19:1, 26:1).

The words from the crowds were astonished to scribes are taken from Mark 1:22, with one alteration – Matthew has added their to scribes.

28
these sayings, (tous logous toutous): The same words in Greek are translated these words in vv. 24, 26. The context of Mark 1:22 is the first event which Mark describes after the calling of the fishermen (Mark 1:16-20 = Matthew 4:18-22), namely, the teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum, and healing of a man with an unclean spirit in the synagogue on a sabbath (Mark 1:21-28). Matthew took this, the first mention of teaching in Mark, and made it the occasion for a much fuller statement of his sayings. He has omitted the miracle for the moment, but retained the astonishment of the crowds.

29
The Marcan contrast between Jesus’ teaching and that of the scribes fits well into the new context which Matthew has given to this verse, after such sayings as 5:21f. You have heard that it was said to the men of old . . . But I say to you . . . Scribal teaching was exposition of the law and the prophets: Jesus’ teaching fulfils them; and the righteousness which he demands exceeds that which they represent.

their scribes: Cf. their synagogues 4:23. For Christian scribes, see 13:52, 23:34.