We got a reprieve on time, so this is the continuation of my notes from Chapter 4 in a preaching course I’m taking. Unless otherwise indicated all quotations are from the book:
Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming the Expository Sermon, 3rd Edition by Bryan Chapell
Exercises
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Indicate how explanation, illustration, and application are used in Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) and Stephen’s speech to the Sanhedrin (Acts 7:2-25).
I left off with Matthew 5:48 (ESV) [Table]):
You therefore must be perfect (τέλειοι, a form of τέλειος), as your heavenly Father is perfect (τέλειος).
Where might a Wretched man [such as] I am, who finds it to be a law that when I want to do right (τὸ καλόν, a form of καλός; see Maximos), evil (τὸ κακὸν, a form of κακός) lies close at hand, find my heavenly Father’s perfection?
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do [Table].
Walking by God’s Holy Spirit is the very place Jesus promised: I will come to you (John 14:16-18 KJV):
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
But how can a Wretched man [such as] I am, who finds it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand, learn to walk by the Holy Spirit of God? There is a potent hint hidden in plain sight in the words and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh (καὶ ἐπιθυμίαν σαρκὸς οὐ μὴ τελέσητε, a form of τελέω in the subjunctive mood). The phrase οὐ μὴ τελέσητε is called a subjunctive of emphatic negation. Paul meant, walk by the Spirit and you will not, “at any moment or time in the future,” gratify (or, bring to maturity) the desires of the flesh.
If I am gratifying or bringing the desires of the flesh to maturity, I know that I am not then, and probably have not been for some time in the past, walking by the Spirit. Instead, I am, and probably have been for some time, attempting in practice to be my own god, my own savior, to have my own righteousness derived from the law prompted by the evil [that] lies close at hand. Paul’s words become a powerful guardrail and warning when I am not by trial-and-error walking by the Spirit. The fruit of God’s Holy Spirit is the positive indicator that I am by trial-and-error walking by the Spirit:
If Christ’s own love overwhelms the apathy and antipathy toward others (including God) that lies close at hand when I want to do right, I know that I am walking by the Spirit. If his joy burns through the despair, and his peace overcomes the fear and anger and anxiety that lies close at hand when I want to do right, I know that I am walking by the Spirit. When Jesus’ patience subdues the impatience with my circumstances, with others and with Him that lies close at hand when I want to do right, I know that I am walking by the Spirit. When his kindness and goodness trample the selfishness and self-centeredness that lies close at hand under my feet when I want to do right, I know that I am walking by the Spirit. When the faithfulness of God propels me through the lethargy, doubt, confusion and prompting to quit that lies close at hand when I want to do right, I know that I am walking by the Spirit. If Jesus’ gentleness stays the violence and aggression that lies close at hand when I want to do right, I know that I am walking by the Spirit. When the Holy Spirit’s self-control steels my heart against every prompting to evil that lies close at hand when I want to do right, I know that I am walking by the Spirit.
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them,” Jesus continued to draw those who would have a righteousness of their own derived from the law into the blessedness of the full knowledge of sin. He explained what they would forfeit: “for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” He illustrated his warning with a specific application (Matthew 6:2 ESV):
Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites (οἱ ὑποκριταὶ, a form of ὑποκριτής) do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
These hypocrites were actors, the original meaning of ὑποκριτής, rather than those who act in “contradiction to” their “stated beliefs or feelings,” the modern meaning of the word. They did the action they claimed to believe. They gave to the needy but required an audience to do so. Doing good for others’ praise was not following the application Jesus gave to those who had gained knowledge of sin through the law: let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Jesus demonstrated the goodness of God with the following application to actors or those who might follow the actors’ example, to draw them into the blessedness of full knowledge of sin (Matthew 6:3, 4 ESV):
But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Can an actor, ὑποκριτής, learn from Jesus’ words and give in secret? My answer is, no, not and remain an actor. That motion, from wanting other people to think that one is righteous to wanting God to know that one is seeking righteousness, is an act of faith. One may still be trying to have a righteousness of one’s own that comes from the law, but there is a substantial difference between an actor who plays a doctor on TV and one trying to actually become a doctor.
At first, I didn’t even know that there is a righteousness that comes by way of Christ’s faithfulness—a righteousness from God that is in fact based on Christ’s faithfulness. I thought a righteousness of my own that comes from the law was the only game in town: justification by faith, sanctification by my own works was what I believed (and what I thought I was taught). I did believe that Jesus’ would help. It took some time for me to recognize that I was on my own, that Jesus refused to help me have my own righteousness derived from the law. He was always right there when I fell on my face. (It’s interesting that a metaphor for abject failure also describes a posture of worship.)
It took Him some time to persuade me that the righteousness of God [that] has been manifested apart from the law…the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe [Table] is real righteousness, not just a figment of Paul’s (or God’s) imagination, a righteousness that comes by way of Christ’s faithfulness—a righteousness from God that is in fact based on Christ’s faithfulness rather than my faithfulness, which wrought abject failure.
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites,” Jesus continued to demonstrate the goodness of God to actors and others who would have a righteousness of their own derived from the law, drawing them into the blessedness of knowledge of sin gained through the law. Jesus illustrated how actors pray (Matthew 6:5b ESV [Table]):
For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
Then He gave his listeners an application that could transform actors, and move any who attempted to have a righteousness of their own derived from the law one step closer to walking by the Spirit (Matthew 6:6 ESV):
But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do,” Jesus continued with another application. The Greek words translated the Gentiles were οἱ ἐθνικοί, a form of ἐθνικός. In the NET parallel Greek text and NA28 this was the same kind of contrast Jesus used when He said (Matthew 5:47, 48 ESV):
And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles (οἱ ἐθνικοὶ) do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect [Table].
Here, He explained the error in the Gentiles’ thinking relative to a true knowledge of God: for they think that they will be heard for their many words [Table]. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Then Jesus taught them to pray (Matthew 7:9-13 ESV; 7:13b NKJV).
Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven [Table]. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors [Table]. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil [Table]. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Jesus taught them to address the only true God as Our Father ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς: literally, “the person who is in the heavens.” The Greek word translated hallowed be was ἁγιασθήτω, a passive form of the verb ἁγιάζω. In other words, his name is set apart, differentiated, consecrated, sanctified, declared holy, and perhaps most pertinent in this context in contrast to Gentiles: declared as special above all others. Gentiles worshiped stories that were at best fantastically embellished memories of long-dead tribal leaders. At worst such stories were open invitations to malevolent spirits (Deuteronomy 32:17; 1 Corinthians 10:20).
After recognizing the God to whom they prayed and their relationship to Him, Jesus’ next instruction was to pray according to God’s purposes on earth: Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. God’s will (θέλημα) on earth was well understood by those who knew the law (Matthew 22:34-40 ESV):
But when the Pharisees heard that [Jesus] had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him [Table]. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment [Table]. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” [Table].
Then Jesus instructed them to place themselves through prayer in complete dependence upon their heavenly Father for their physical and spiritual needs (Matthew 6:11-13a ESV):
Give us (ἡμῖν) this day our (ἡμῶν) daily bread, and forgive us (ἡμῖν) our (ἡμῶν) debts, as we (ἡμεῖς) also have forgiven our (ἡμῶν) debtors [Table]. And lead us (ἡμᾶς) not into temptation, but deliver us (ἡμᾶς) from evil [Table].
He did not teach them to pray for me, but for us with no specified limit. This is significantly different from a magical prayer where one seeks to use God to work one’s own will. Even as He instructed them what to pray, Jesus incorporated a reason for their complete dependence upon God into the very words He taught them: For Yours (σοῦ, a singular form of σύ in the genitive case; i.e., God’s) is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Seeking a righteousness of one’s own derived from the law or others’ praise for such a “righteousness” is meaningless because of who God is in his holy otherness.
Then Jesus expanded one aspect of this dependence upon God: and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors (Matthew 6:14, 15 ESV):
For if you forgive others their trespasses (τὰ παραπτώματα αὐτῶν), your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses [Table].
Such contingent forgiveness should alarm anyone seeking a righteousness of one’s own derived from the law, but again Jesus’ demonstrated, even as He described, the goodness of God, by drawing them into the blessedness of the full knowledge of sin through the law. The importance He placed on forgiving others’ trespasses may not have been immediately apparent from law alone, apart from Jesus’ explicit condition. But later, Paul explained (Romans 5:20, 21 ESV):
Now the law came in to increase the trespass (τὸ παράπτωμα), but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Jesus’ instruction regarding forgiveness sounds a bit like “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy to me. I can essentially lift what I wrote elsewhere about being merciful:
While it makes sense that I will need [God’s forgiveness] as I hunger and thirst for a righteousness I do not yet possess, mourning in meekness over my spiritual poverty, while it only seems fair that I should [forgive] those around me suffering as I suffer, to actually [forgive others] seems like that very desire to do what is right that I lack the ability to carry…out. Yet, there it sits in Jesus’ saying, a veritable impediment to my own need for [God’s forgiveness]. Do I give up in despair? Or do I see his grace all around me?
And the answer to this dilemma is the same: for it is God who works in [me], both to will and to work for his good pleasure. This leads me to another potential hint whether I am walking by the Spirit or not. It’s more personal than Scriptural, so it may or may not be helpful to others.
When I’m walking by the Spirit I take what I’ve called ordinary applications pretty much in stride as fair warnings: what God who works in [me], both to will and to work for his good pleasure is doing. When I’m not walking by the Spirit these very same ordinary applications, especially if presented in a preacher’s sermon, seem like heavy burdens. And my attitude toward that preacher mirrors what Jesus said about the scribes and the Pharisees (Matthew 23:4a ESV):
They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders…
There are several options to consider: (1) Was the sermon sloppy, failing to accentuate the grace of God? (2) Was I daydreaming and failed to hear the grace of God? (3) Was the evil that lies close at hand having more sway than usual when I want to do right, prompting me to return to my own vomit, tempting me to have a righteousness of my own derived from the law? Or, (4) had I already slipped back into my old ways of do-it-yourself righteousness and stepped away from walking by the Spirit? In any event, my own reaction prompts me to consider its source with the Lord, or ask Him straight out if my heart is too deep or dark or murky for me to see clearly into it.
“And when you fast,” Jesus continued to draw both actors and those who might follow actors into the blessedness of full knowledge of sin through the law with the following application: do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. And He expanded on this application with another (Matthew 6:17, 18 ESV):
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Is the reward Jesus’ own joy (χαρὰ), the second aspect of the fruit of the Spirit? I’m not entirely comfortable positing any aspect of the fruit of the Spirit as an effect of obedience rather than its cause. But Jesus’ love for his Father flowing in and through one could cause the obedience while his joy flowed in superabundance as a result, like a positive feedback loop, or a snowball gaining mass and momentum as it rolls downhill. The exact dynamics, how God works in [one], both to will and to work for his good pleasure, may elude me until I see Him face-to-face. But that doesn’t inhibit me, or anyone else, from believing Him and receiving what He has promised. Faithfulness (πίστις) is another aspect of the fruit of his Spirit.
Jesus continued to draw his listeners into blessedness, but the treasure He spoke of seems to go even beyond the full knowledge of sin to Jesus Himself (Matthew 6:19-21 ESV):
“Do not lay up (θησαυρίζετε, a form of θησαυρίζω) for yourselves treasures (θησαυροὺς, a form of θησαυρός) on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up (θησαυρίζετε, a form of θησαυρίζω) for yourselves treasures (θησαυροὺς, a form of θησαυρός) in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure (θησαυρός) is, there your heart will be also.
Paul described this treasure as the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:5-7 ESV):
For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
But we have this treasure (θησαυρὸν, another form of θησαυρός) in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
Elsewhere he wrote that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ (Colossians 2:1-3 ESV):
For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face [Table], that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures (θησαυροὶ, another form of θησαυρός) of wisdom and knowledge [Table].
To understand what Jesus said next one must remember the law. I’ll quote the law first.
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Masoretic Text
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Septuagint
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Deuteronomy 15:7-10 (Tanakh)
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Deuteronomy 15:7-10 (NET)
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Deuteronomy 15:7-10 (NETS)
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Deuteronomy 15:7-10 (English Elpenor)
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| If there be among you a needy man, one of thy brethren, within any of thy gates, in thy land which HaShem thy G-d giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand from thy needy brother; |
If a fellow Israelite from one of your villages in the land that the Lord your God is giving you should be poor, you must not harden your heart or be insensitive to his impoverished condition. |
Now if there is among you anyone of your brothers in need in one of your cities within the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not rid your heart of love, neither shall you close up your hand from your needy brother. |
And if there shall be in the midst of thee a poor [man] of thy brethren in one of thy cities in the land, which the Lord thy God gives thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, neither shalt thou by any means close up thine hand from thy brother who is in want. |
| but thou shalt surely open thy hand unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need in that which he wanteth. |
Instead, you must be sure to open your hand to him and generously lend him whatever he needs. |
By opening, you shall open your hands to him; you shall lend a loan to him whatever he may need, in accord with what he needs. |
Thou shalt surely open thine hands to him, and shalt lend to him as much as he wants according to his need. |
| Beware that there be not a base thought in thy heart, saying: ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand’; and thine eye (עֵֽינְךָ֗) be evil (וְרָעָ֣ה) against thy needy brother, and thou give him nought; and he cry unto HaShem against thee, and it be sin in thee. |
Be careful lest you entertain the wicked thought that the seventh year, the year of cancellation of debts, has almost arrived, and your attitude (ʿayin, עינך) be wrong (rāʿaʿ, ורעה) toward your impoverished fellow Israelite and you do not lend him anything; he will cry out to the Lord against you, and you will be regarded as having sinned. |
Be careful to yourself, lest a secret word is in your heart, something lawless, saying, “The seventh year, a year of release, is near,” and your eye (ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου) be evil (πονηρεύσηται) towards your needy brother, and you will not give to him, and he will cry out to the Lord against you, and it will be for you a great sin. |
Take heed to thyself that there be not a secret thing in thine heart, an iniquity, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, draws nigh; and thine eye (ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου) shall be evil (πονηρεύσηται) to thy brother that is in want, and thou shalt not give to him, and he shall cry against thee to the Lord, and there shall be great sin in thee. |
| Thou shalt surely give him, and thy heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him; because that for this thing HaShem thy G-d will bless thee in all thy work, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto. |
You must by all means lend to him and not be upset by doing it, for because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you attempt. |
Giving you shall give to him, and you shall lend him a loan whatever he needs, and you shall not be grieved in your heart when you give to him, because through this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you may put your hand. |
Thou shalt surely give to him, and thou shalt lend him as much as he wants, according as he is in need; and thou shalt not grudge in thine heart as thou givest to him, because on this account the Lord thy God will bless thee in all thy works, and in all things on which thou shalt lay thine hand. |
I might paraphrase the Lord here: “Be careful, when I want you to do right, evil lies close at hand.” And Jesus observed (Matthew 6:22, 23 ESV):
“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
The Greek word translated healthy was ἁπλοῦς, a form of the adjective ἁπλόος: “single, single focused; sincere, without an ulterior motive; clear.” This is what Jesus contrasted to the bad or evil eye, ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου πονηρὸς ᾖ (ESV: your eye is bad). The first definition of πονηρὸς listed in the Koine Greek Lexicon online is “evil.”
God’s solution to the problem of the evil that lies close at hand has always been that one walk by his Spirit. I’ve been slow to recognize this. My conceit, perhaps, over the indwelling Holy Spirit post-Pentecost (Acts 2) may help to explain my slowness. As Jesus promised the Helper, the Spirit of Truth, He would ask his Father to give to his disciples, He said to them (John 14:17b ESV [Table]):
You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
Long before God’s Holy Spirit is in (ἐν) people, He dwells with (μένει, a form of μένω) them, drawing them into fellowship with God and into his righteousness. It’s so clear now, as I became an atheist, the Holy Spirit was right there with me, trying to persuade me that my evil eye “had the whole damn thing all wrong.” I wrote:
I remember entertaining the notion that God was trying to communicate to me through the words of this song. I even went back to the Bible to see if I could find what I had gotten “all wrong.” But the Bible said the same thing to me it always said: “God’ll getcha if you don’t watch out!”
That was my religion in a nutshell. I don’t necessarily mean my church or the things people at my church attempted to teach me: I mean the religion I believed in my heart when the light in me was darkness. I had nearly eighteen years of experience that God was unable or unwilling to do me much good. That hadn’t wrung any bells with me. I still believed in a god who could do me great harm, a god who needed to be placated but was mostly to be avoided at all costs. In other words, I worshiped an evil spirit, not because I had ever actually encountered one, but because the light in me was darkness.
In the movie Shooter Senator Charles F. Meachum (Ned Beatty) sneers, “The truth is what I say it is,” moments before another truth in the person of Bob Lee Swagger (Mark Wahlberg) ends the Senator’s life. I wrote:
The primary torment of Sartre’s hell in his play “No Exit” is not knowing for certain why, or if, one is there. Knowledge was the hardest thing to give up when I flirted with atheism. To accept that knowledge is either unattainable, or that the verdict of a jury of my peers (or even a cadre of knowledge elites) is the highest form of truth and justice, is a camel I can’t swallow.
The One with the absolute power and authority to say honestly, “The truth is what I say it is,” is love and demands by law that people love Him and each other.
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Masoretic Text
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Septuagint
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Deuteronomy 15:11 (Tanakh)
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Deuteronomy 15:11 (NET)
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Deuteronomy 15:11 (NETS)
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Deuteronomy 15:11 (English Elpenor)
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| For the poor shall never cease out of the land; therefore I command thee, saying: ‘Thou shalt surely open thy hand unto thy poor and needy brother, in thy land.’ |
There will never cease to be some poor people in the land; therefore, I am commanding you to make sure you open your hand to your fellow Israelites who are needy and poor in your land. |
For the needy shall not fail from the earth; I therefore command you to do this thing, saying, “By opening, you shall open your hands to your brother who is poor and to the needy in your land.” |
For the poor shall not fail off thy land, therefore I charge thee to do this thing, saying, Thou shalt surely open thine hands to thy poor brother, and to him that is distressed upon thy land. |
And by grace God supplies the love He demands through his own Holy Spirit: But the fruit of the Spirit is love. Jesus concluded with a couple of observations and an explanation (Matthew 6:24 ESV [Table]):
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
And his application demonstrated God’s goodness in response to this fact (Matthew 6:25 ESV).
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
He explained with a couple of illustrations, drawing his listeners into a richer knowledge of God (Matthew 6:26, 27 ESV):
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
And why are you anxious about clothing? Jesus continued. And He explained with more illustrations of God’s goodness (Matthew 6:28b-30 ESV).
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Jesus summed up with an application and explanation that made another contrast to the practice of Gentiles versus the goodness of God (Matthew 6:31, 32 ESV):
Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles (ἔθνη, a form of ἔθνος) seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
Jesus concluded this section of his sermon with an application, a promise of God’s provision, a final application with its explanation and an admonition to live one day at a time (Matthew 6:33, 34 ESV):
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness (τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ), and all these things will be added to you [Table].
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble (κακία).
Jesus continued to demonstrate the goodness of God, drawing his listeners into the full knowledge of sin through the law, with the following application presented as a warning along with a reason as explanation: “Judge (κρίνετε, a form of κρίνω) not, that you be not judged (κριθῆτε, another form of κρίνω).” He followed this with another explanation (Matthew 7:2 ESV).
For with the judgment (κρίματι, a form of κρίμα) you pronounce (κρίνετε, a form of κρίνω) you will be judged (κριθήσεσθε, another form of κρίνω), and with the measure you use it will be measured to you [Table].
Jesus further illustrated this with two rhetorical questions, and then summed up the problem of human judgments with an application addressed directly to actors (Matthew 7:3-5 ESV):
Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
Here again, if an actor heeded Jesus’ admonition to take the log out of [his] own eye, to acknowledge his own sin, he would cease to be an actor playing at righteousness and become one actually seeking righteousness, even if that were still a righteousness of his own from the law. In fact, anyone seeking to have [one’s] own righteousness derived from the law may have difficulty understanding Jesus’ command: Judge not. Judging others is the distinguishing feature that characterizes the religious mind.
Those who actually experience the truth of Paul’s words—it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure—are synonymous with those seeking the righteousness that comes by way of Christ’s faithfulness—a righteousness from God that is in fact based on Christ’s faithfulness. It is much more apparent to them to trust Christ’s faithfulness and God’s work in their brothers as well, to forgo their own judgments regarding their brothers. John wrote of Jesus (John 3:17 ESV):
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn (κρίνῃ, another form of κρίνω) the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him [Table].
Understanding this connection to Jesus’ teaching on judgment makes it possible to paraphrase that teaching: follow me. It helped me overcome my penchant to hear Jesus judging, condemning, berating or belittling people almost every time He opened his mouth, particularly when I was striving to have my own righteousness derived from the law. It helps me now to understand that Jesus did not encourage his listeners to prejudice in his next application (Matthew 7:6 ESV):
“Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
This is probably best understood in the same way that Jesus said (Matthew 10:23 ESV):
When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
At my most rabid and pig-headed my mother, brother and sister didn’t debate me. They loved me and they prayed. It wasn’t a fair fight at all. When Saul was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, the Lord didn’t send Peter, James or John to confront him. He did it Himself (Acts 9). And Saul, by the grace of God and the faithfulness of Jesus Christ became Paul the apostle to the Gentiles, who penned by the Holy Spirit (Romans 9:16 ESV [Table]):
So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
And (Romans 11:32 ESV):
For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
The Greek word ἐλεήσῃ (ESV: he may have mercy) is a form of ἐλεέω in the subjunctive mood. And the conjunction ἵνα (ESV: that) indicates that ἵνα τοὺς πάντας ἐλεήσῃ (ESV: that he may have mercy on all) is a purpose clause: “if the subjunctive mood is used in a purpose or result clause, then the action should not be thought of as a possible result, but should be viewed as a definite outcome that will happen as a result of another stated action.”
Jesus continued to show the goodness of God with three applications explained by three promises, and then three illustrations of those three promises (Matthew 7:7, 8 ESV).
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
Then Jesus illustrated God’s goodness by comparison and contrast to his listeners’ own care for their children (Matthew 7:9-11 ESV).
Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? [Table] If you then, who are evil (πονηροὶ, a form of πονηρός), know how to give good (ἀγαθὰ, a form of ἀγαθός) gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you,” Jesus’ summation was another application, “do also to them.” And He followed this summation with a reason as explanation: for this is the Law and the Prophets. Another application followed: “Enter by the narrow gate.”
Jesus had not yet been crucified: the way into the holy places is not yet opened. He had not risen from the dead. As He spoke these words there was no new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh. The narrow gate (τῆς στενῆς πύλης) was the Law and the Prophets, what we know now as the Old Covenant. If one has ears to hear (not to mention a working knowledge of the letter to the Hebrews), Jesus’ explanation included a reason why the first covenant had [not] been faultless (Matthew 7:13b, 14 ESV).
For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many [Table]. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few [Table].
And the writer of Hebrews wrote (Hebrews 8:6-13 ESV):
But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises [Table]. For if that first covenant had been faultless (ἄμεμπτος), there would have been no occasion to look for a second. For he finds fault with them when he says:
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more” [Table].
In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
I would have been one of the many who failed to find the narrow gate through the Law and the Prophets when the Holy Spirit dwelt with me. I only began to understand from the Spirit-inspired writings of the apostle Paul (written after the Holy Spirit was in him) after the Holy Spirit was in me (Romans 8:3, 4 ESV).
For God has done what the law, weakened (ἠσθένει, a form of ἀσθενέω) by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation, Jesus said. The spirit indeed is willing (πρόθυμον, a form of πρόθυμος), but the flesh is weak (ἀσθενής). Dunderhead that I was, I heard Jesus’ observation as an admonition to strengthen the flesh, rather than an invitation to walk by the Spirit as He walked. The actual situation was that the flesh was all ready too powerful, too persistent, too dominant over my thoughts and actions, so that the Holy Spirit who dwelt with me had little to no sway in my life. No wonder Jesus turned my dunderhead to Paul’s words:
…in order that (ἵνα) the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled (πληρωθῇ, a form of πληρόω) in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
The Greek word πληρωθῇ (a form of πληρόω), might be fulfilled (ESV), is in the subjunctive mood and ἵνα (ESV: in order that) makes this a result clause. In other words:
…in order that the righteous requirement of the law [is] fulfilled in us, who walk NOT according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit in me battles the flesh that weakens the law—flesh that is all ready too powerful, too persistent, too dominant over my thoughts and actions—Mano a Mano, so to speak. He will win in the end, and does so more often now than when He merely dwelt with me.
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves,” Jesus warned. And He explained how to recognize them: You will recognize them by their fruits. He illustrated by reference to fruits and fruit trees, and concluded with a restatement of his premise (Matthew 7:16b-20 ESV).
Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit (καρποὺς καλοὺς), but the diseased tree bears bad fruit (καρποὺς πονηροὺς). A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit (καρποὺς πονηροὺς), nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit (καρποὺς καλοὺς). Every tree that does not bear good fruit (καρπὸν καλὸν) is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
The bad fruit (καρποὺς πονηροὺς) of the false prophets was to persuade people to be actors or to attempt to have a righteousness of their own derived from the law. And the good fruit (καρποὺς καλοὺς) would have been to bring them into the blessedness of the full knowledge of sin: poor in spirit, having the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out; mourning because when [they] want to do right, evil lies close at hand; the meek who hunger and thirst for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, waiting for the Lord’s salvation.
Did Jesus condemn the false prophets to the lake of fire? He certainly said that fruit trees which bear no good fruit become useful as firewood. For Jesus’ attitude toward false prophets, I’ll turn to a true prophet (Ezekiel 33:11, 12 ESV).
Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel? [Table]
“And you, son of man, say to your people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him when he transgresses, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall by it when he turns from his wickedness, and the righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousness when he sins [Table].
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,” Jesus warned any who thought to become worthy by their own works, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. And He explained with a prophecy foretelling the future (Matthew 7:22, 23 ESV):
On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ [Table] And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Then they said to him, John recorded at another time and place, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” Did He mean that to believe in him whom he has sent was their work, their deed? This is the deed God requires—to believe (πιστεύητε, a form of πιστεύω in the subjunctive mood and present tense) in the one whom he sent (NET). But I notice that the NET translators treated πιστεύητε as an infinitive as they uncharacteristically ignored the subjunctive mood and either dropped the conjunction ἵνα or decided that it was to be understood as a hyphen here.
Or did Jesus mean to correct their premise as He answered their question? No, this is not your work. This is God’s work that (so that, in order that) you may believe in the one whom he sent. This is the work of God, that ye may believe (πιστευσητε, another form of πιστεύω in the subjunctive mood and aorist tense) in him whom He did send (YLT). Since faith as my own work led me to atheism, I clearly favor the latter understanding, where that ye may believe is the result of God’s work.
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock,” Jesus concluded his sermon with a contrast. He explained this part of his contrast with an illustration, declared the opposite half of his contrast and explained that with the opposite of the same illustration (Matthew 7:25-27 ESV).
And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
And when Jesus finished these sayings, Matthew concluded, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
According to a note (12) in the NET, Paul alluded to Genesis 1:3 and Isaiah 9:2 in 2 Corinthians 4:6. Tables comparing the Greek of Paul’s allusions to that of the Septuagint follow.
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2 Corinthians 4:6b (NET Parallel Greek Text)
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Genesis 1:3b (Septuagint BLB) Table
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Genesis 1:3b (Septuagint Elpenor)
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ἐκ σκότους φῶς λάμψει
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γενηθήτω φῶς
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γενηθήτω φῶς
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2 Corinthians 4:6b (NET)
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Genesis 1:3b (NETS)
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Genesis 1:3b (English Elpenor)
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Let light shine out of darkness
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Let light come into being
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Let there be light
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2 Corinthians 4:6b (NET Parallel Greek Text)
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Isaiah 9:2b (Septuagint BLB)
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Isaiah 9:2b (Septuagint Elpenor)
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ἐκ σκότους φῶς λάμψει
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φῶς λάμψει ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς (e.g., ὁ λαὸς ὁ πορευόμενος ἐν σκότει)
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φῶς λάμψει ἐφ᾿ ὑμᾶς (e.g., ὁ λαὸς ὁ πορευόμενος ἐν σκότει)
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2 Corinthians 4:6b (NET)
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Isaiah 9:2b (NETS)
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Isaiah 9:2b (English Elpenor)
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Let light shine out of darkness
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light will shine on you (e.g., O you people who walk in darkness)
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a light shall shine upon you (e.g., O people walking in darkness)
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Tables comparing Isaiah 9:2; Deuteronomy 15:7; 15:8; 15:9; 15:10 and 15:11 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and tables comparing the Greek of Isaiah 9:2; Deuteronomy 15:7; 15:8; 15:9; 15:10 and 15:11 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor), and tables comparing Matthew 6:1; 6:4; 6:6; 6:18; 6:21; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Matthew 6:25; 6:28; 6:32; 7:4; 7:6; 10:23; 7:12; 7:15, 16; 7:20; 7:25 and 7:28, 29 in the KJV and NET follow.
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Isaiah 9:2 (Tanakh)
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Isaiah 9:2 (KJV)
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Isaiah 9:2 (NET)
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| The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. |
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. |
The people walking in darkness see a bright light; light shines on those who live in a land of deep darkness. |
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Isaiah 9:2 (Septuagint BLB)
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Isaiah 9:2 (Septuagint Elpenor)
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| ὁ λαὸς ὁ πορευόμενος ἐν σκότει ἴδετε φῶς μέγα οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐν χώρᾳ καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου φῶς λάμψει ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς |
ὁ λαὸς ὁ πορευόμενος ἐν σκότει, ἴδετε φῶς μέγα· οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐν χώρᾳ καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου, φῶς λάμψει ἐφ᾿ ὑμᾶς |
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Isaiah 9:2 (NETS)
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Isaiah 9:2 (English Elpenor)
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| O you people who walk in darkness, see a great light! O you who live in the country and in the shadow of death, light will shine on you! |
O people walking in darkness, behold a great light: ye that dwell in the region [and] shadow of death, a light shall shine upon you. |
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Deuteronomy 15:7 (Tanakh)
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Deuteronomy 15:7 (KJV)
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Deuteronomy 15:7 (NET)
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| If there be among you a needy man, one of thy brethren, within any of thy gates, in thy land which HaShem thy G-d giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand from thy needy brother; |
If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: |
If a fellow Israelite from one of your villages in the land that the Lord your God is giving you should be poor, you must not harden your heart or be insensitive to his impoverished condition. |
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Deuteronomy 15:7 (Septuagint BLB)
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Deuteronomy 15:7 (Septuagint Elpenor)
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| ἐὰν δὲ γένηται ἐν σοὶ ἐνδεὴς τῶν ἀδελφῶν σου ἐν μιᾷ τῶν πόλεων σου ἐν τῇ γῇ ᾗ κύριος ὁ θεός σου δίδωσίν σοι οὐκ ἀποστέρξεις τὴν καρδίαν σου οὐδ᾽ οὐ μὴ συσφίγξῃς τὴν χεῖρά σου ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου τοῦ ἐπιδεομένου |
᾿Εὰν δὲ γένηται ἐν σοὶ ἐνδεὴς ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν σου ἐν μιᾷ τῶν πόλεών σου ἐν τῇ γῇ, ᾗ Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου δίδωσί σοι, οὐκ ἀποστέρξεις τὴν καρδίαν σου οὐδ᾿ οὐ μὴ συσφίγξῃς τὴν χεῖρά σου ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου τοῦ ἐπιδεομένου |
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Deuteronomy 15:7 (NETS)
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Deuteronomy 15:7 (English Elpenor)
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| Now if there is among you anyone of your brothers in need in one of your cities within the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not rid your heart of love, neither shall you close up your hand from your needy brother. |
And if there shall be in the midst of thee a poor [man] of thy brethren in one of thy cities in the land, which the Lord thy God gives thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, neither shalt thou by any means close up thine hand from thy brother who is in want. |
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Deuteronomy 15:8 (Tanakh)
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Deuteronomy 15:8 (KJV)
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Deuteronomy 15:8 (NET)
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| but thou shalt surely open thy hand unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need in that which he wanteth. |
But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. |
Instead, you must be sure to open your hand to him and generously lend him whatever he needs. |
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Deuteronomy 15:9 (Tanakh)
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Deuteronomy 15:9 (KJV)
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Deuteronomy 15:9 (NET)
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| Beware that there be not a base thought in thy heart, saying: ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand’; and thine eye be evil against thy needy brother, and thou give him nought; and he cry unto HaShem against thee, and it be sin in thee. |
Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee. |
Be careful lest you entertain the wicked thought that the seventh year, the year of cancellation of debts, has almost arrived, and your attitude be wrong toward your impoverished fellow Israelite and you do not lend him anything; he will cry out to the Lord against you, and you will be regarded as having sinned. |
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Deuteronomy 15:9 (Septuagint BLB)
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Deuteronomy 15:9 (Septuagint Elpenor)
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| πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ μὴ γένηται ῥῆμα κρυπτὸν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου ἀνόμημα λέγων ἐγγίζει τὸ ἔτος τὸ ἕβδομον ἔτος τῆς ἀφέσεως καὶ πονηρεύσηται ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου τῷ ἐπιδεομένῳ καὶ οὐ δώσεις αὐτῷ καὶ βοήσεται κατὰ σοῦ πρὸς κύριον καὶ ἔσται ἐν σοὶ ἁμαρτία μεγάλη |
πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ, μὴ γένηται ῥῆμα κρυπτὸν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου ἀνόμημα λέγων· ἐγγίζει τό ἔτος τὸ ἕβδομον, ἔτος τῆς ἀφέσεως, καὶ πονηρεύσηται ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου τῷ ἐπιδεομένῳ, καὶ οὐ δώσεις αὐτῷ, καὶ καταβοήσεται κατὰ σοῦ πρὸς Κύριον, καὶ ἔσται ἐν σοὶ ἁμαρτία μεγάλη |
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Deuteronomy 15:9 (NETS)
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Deuteronomy 15:9 (English Elpenor)
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| Be careful to yourself, lest a secret word is in your heart, something lawless, saying, “The seventh year, a year of release, is near,” and your eye be evil towards your needy brother, and you will not give to him, and he will cry out to the Lord against you, and it will be for you a great sin. |
Take heed to thyself that there be not a secret thing in thine heart, an iniquity, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, draws nigh; and thine eye shall be evil to thy brother that is in want, and thou shalt not give to him, and he shall cry against thee to the Lord, and there shall be great sin in thee. |
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Deuteronomy 15:10 (Tanakh)
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Deuteronomy 15:10 (KJV)
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Deuteronomy 15:10 (NET)
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| Thou shalt surely give him, and thy heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him; because that for this thing HaShem thy G-d will bless thee in all thy work, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto. |
Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto. |
You must by all means lend to him and not be upset by doing it, for because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you attempt. |
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Deuteronomy 15:10 (Septuagint BLB)
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Deuteronomy 15:10 (Septuagint Elpenor)
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| διδοὺς δώσεις αὐτῷ καὶ δάνειον δανιεῖς αὐτῷ ὅσον ἐπιδέεται καὶ οὐ λυπηθήσῃ τῇ καρδίᾳ σου διδόντος σου αὐτῷ ὅτι διὰ τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο εὐλογήσει σε κύριος ὁ θεός σου ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔργοις καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν οὗ ἂν ἐπιβάλῃς τὴν χεῖρά σου |
διδοὺς δώσεις αὐτῷ καὶ δάνειον δανειεῖς αὐτῷ ὅσον ἐπιδέεται, καὶ οὐ λυπηθήσῃ τῇ καρδίᾳ σου διδόντος σου αὐτῷ, ὅτι διά τὸ ρῆμα τοῦτο εὐλογήσει σε Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔργοις καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν, οὗ ἂν ἐπιβάλῃς τὴν χεῖρά σου |
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Deuteronomy 15:10 (NETS)
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Deuteronomy 15:10 (English Elpenor)
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| Giving you shall give to him, and you shall lend him a loan whatever he needs, and you shall not be grieved in your heart when you give to him, because through this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you may put your hand. |
Thou shalt surely give to him, and thou shalt lend him as much as he wants, according as he is in need; and thou shalt not grudge in thine heart as thou givest to him, because on this account the Lord thy God will bless thee in all thy works, and in all things on which thou shalt lay thine hand. |
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Deuteronomy 15:11 (Tanakh)
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Deuteronomy 15:11 (KJV)
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Deuteronomy 15:11 (NET)
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| For the poor shall never cease out of the land; therefore I command thee, saying: ‘Thou shalt surely open thy hand unto thy poor and needy brother, in thy land.’ |
For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land. |
There will never cease to be some poor people in the land; therefore, I am commanding you to make sure you open your hand to your fellow Israelites who are needy and poor in your land. |
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Deuteronomy 15:11 (Septuagint BLB)
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Deuteronomy 15:11 (Septuagint Elpenor)
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| οὐ γὰρ μὴ ἐκλίπῃ ἐνδεὴς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς διὰ τοῦτο ἐγώ σοι ἐντέλλομαι ποιεῖν τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο λέγων ἀνοίγων ἀνοίξεις τὰς χεῖράς σου τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου τῷ πένητι καὶ τῷ ἐπιδεομένῳ τῷ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς σου |
οὐ γὰρ μὴ ἐκλίπῃ ἐνδεὴς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς σου. διὰ τοῦτο ἐγώ σοι ἐντέλλομαι ποιεῖν τὸ ρῆμα τοῦτο λέγων· ἀνοίγων ἀνοίξεις τὰς χεῖράς σου τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου τῷ πένητι καὶ τῷ ἐπιδεομένῳ τῷ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς σου |
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Deuteronomy 15:11 (NETS)
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Deuteronomy 15:11 (English Elpenor)
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| For the needy shall not fail from the earth; I therefore command you to do this thing, saying, “By opening, you shall open your hands to your brother who is poor and to the needy in your land.” |
For the poor shall not fail off thy land, therefore I charge thee to do this thing, saying, Thou shalt surely open thine hands to thy poor brother, and to him that is distressed upon thy land. |
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Matthew 6:1 (NET)
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Matthew 6:1 (KJV)
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| “Be careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven. |
Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. |
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Matthew 6:4 (NET)
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Matthew 6:4 (KJV)
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| so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. |
That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. |
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Matthew 6:6 (NET)
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Matthew 6:6 (KJV)
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| But whenever you pray, go into your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. |
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. |
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Matthew 6:18 (NET)
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Matthew 6:18 (KJV)
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| so that it will not be obvious to others when you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. |
That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. |
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Matthew 6:21 (NET)
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Matthew 6:21 (KJV)
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| For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. |
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. |
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2 Corinthians 4:6 (NET)
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2 Corinthians 4:6 (KJV)
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| For God, who said “Let light shine out of darkness,” is the one who shined in our hearts to give us the light of the glorious knowledge of God in the face of Christ. |
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. |
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Matthew 6:25 (NET)
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Matthew 6:25 (KJV)
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| “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing? |
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? |
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Matthew 6:25 (NET Parallel Greek)
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Matthew 6:25 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)
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Matthew 6:25 (Byzantine Majority Text)
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| Διὰ τοῦτο λέγω ὑμῖν· μὴ μεριμνᾶτε τῇ ψυχῇ ὑμῶν τί φάγητε [ἢ τί πίητε], μηδὲ τῷ σώματι ὑμῶν τί ἐνδύσησθε. οὐχὶ ἡ ψυχὴ πλεῖον ἐστιν τῆς τροφῆς καὶ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ ἐνδύματος |
δια τουτο λεγω υμιν μη μεριμνατε τη ψυχη υμων τι φαγητε και τι πιητε μηδε τω σωματι υμων τι ενδυσησθε ουχι η ψυχη πλειον εστιν της τροφης και το σωμα του ενδυματος |
δια τουτο λεγω υμιν μη μεριμνατε τη ψυχη υμων τι φαγητε και τι πιητε μηδε τω σωματι υμων τι ενδυσησθε ουχι η ψυχη πλειον εστιν της τροφης και το σωμα του ενδυματος |
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Matthew 6:28 (NET)
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Matthew 6:28 (KJV)
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| Why do you worry about clothing? Think about how the flowers of the field grow; they do not work or spin. |
And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: |
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Matthew 6:32 (NET)
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Matthew 6:32 (KJV)
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| For the unconverted pursue these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. |
(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. |
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Matthew 7:4 (NET)
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Matthew 7:4 (KJV)
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| Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ while there is a beam in your own? |
Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? |
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Matthew 7:6 (NET)
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Matthew 7:6 (KJV)
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| Do not give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs; otherwise they will trample them under their feet and turn around and tear you to pieces. |
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. |
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Matthew 10:23 (NET)
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Matthew 10:23 (KJV)
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| Whenever they persecute you in one town, flee to another! I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. |
But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. |
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Matthew 7:12 (NET)
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Matthew 7:12 (KJV)
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| In everything, treat others as you would want them to treat you, for this fulfills the law and the prophets. |
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. |
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Matthew 7:15, 16 (NET)
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Matthew 7:15, 16 (KJV)
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| “Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves. |
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. |
| You will recognize them by their fruit. Grapes are not gathered from thorns or figs from thistles, are they? |
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? |
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Matthew 7:20 (NET)
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Matthew 7:20 (KJV)
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| So then, you will recognize them by their fruit. |
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. |
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Matthew 7:25 (NET)
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Matthew 7:25 (KJV)
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| The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because its foundation had been laid on rock. |
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. |
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Matthew 7:28, 29 (NET)
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Matthew 7:28, 29 (KJV)
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| When Jesus finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed by his teaching, |
And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: |
| because he taught them like one who had authority, not like their experts in the law. |
For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. |
