Bible Sampler

N e w

I n t e r n a t i o n a l

V e r s i o n

FIRST PROOFS

FIRST PROOFS

NIV L I FE C ONNECT S TUDY B I B L E

NEW TESTAMENT

FIRST PROOFS

FIRST PROOFS

I N T R O D U C T I O N

T O

M atthew
A U T H O R , P L A C E A N D D AT E O F W R I T I N G
Tradition associates this Gospel with the apostle Matthew. There has been much debate, however, regarding
the dating of Matthews Gospel. Many think it was written between AD 70 and 80, although some suggest a
much earlier date (in the 50s or 60s). The Jewish nature of Matthews Gospel may suggest that it was written
in the Holy Land, though many suggest an origination in Syrian Antioch.
AUDIENCE
Matthews original readers were predominately Jews who already believed in Jesus and confessed him as
the Son of God (14:33; 16:16; 27:54).
C U LT U R A L F A C T S A N D H I G H L I G H T S
Matthews purpose was to prove to a Jewish audience that Jesus is the Messiah: (1) He emphasized Jesus
fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy (e.g., 1:22 23; 2:15); (2) used typical Jewish terminology, such as
kingdom of heaven; (3) told the story of Jesus as a retelling of the story of Israel (e.g., Jesus came out of
Egypt analogous to the exodus; passed through the Jordan analogous to the Red Sea; suffered in the
wilderness analogous to the wilderness wandering; gave his law on a mountain analogous to Sinai; and
so forth); and (4) traced Jesus ancestry to Abraham and frequently referred to the Messianic title Son of
David instead of to Son of God (as in the Gospel of John).
AS YOU READ
Notice Matthews systematic, yet artistic, style. He did not tell Jesus story in strict chronological sequence but
grouped facts topically. Watch for the many references to the kingdom of heaven, and note Jesus teachings
about what it means to be a citizen of that kingdom.
DID YOU KNOW?

There were no sexual relations during a Jewish betrothal period, yet it was a much more binding relation
ship than a modern engagement breakable only by divorce (1:18).
No one living in the desert hesitated to eat insects, and locusts were among the ceremonially clean foods
of which the Jews were free to partake (3:4).
TIMELINE
WHEN DID THESE THINGS HAPPEN?

10 BC

AD 1

HEROD THE GREATS REIGN (C. 37 4 BC)

JESUS BIRTH (C. 6/5 BC)
JESUS FLIGHT TO EGYPT (C. 5/4 BC)
BEGINNING OF JOHN THE BAPTISTS MINISTRY (C. AD 26)
BEGINNING OF JESUS MINISTRY (C. AD 26)
JESUS DEATH, RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION (C. AD 30)
PAULS CONVERSION (C. AD 35)
BOOK OF MATTHEW WRITTEN (C. AD 60 70)

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

FIRST PROOFS
1138

FIRST PROOFS

I N T R O D U C T I O N T O M aT T h e w

Most of the salt used in Israel came from the Dead Sea and was full of impurities, causing it to lose some
of its flavor (5:13).
People in ancient times commonly hid valuables in fields (e.g., when a marauding army approached) since
there were no banks (13:44).
A person who stepped on a grave became ceremonially unclean, so graves were whitewashed to make
them easily visible, especially at night (23:27).

M aT T h e w 1 : 2 5

The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah

This is the genealogy a of Jesus the Messiah b

the son of David, a the son of Abra ham: b

2 Abra ham was the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob, c

Jacob the father of Judah and his broth
ers, d
3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah,
whose mother was Tamar, e
Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
4 Ram the father of Am minadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
5 Sal mon the father of Boaz, whose moth
er was Ra hab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother
was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
6 and Jesse the father of King David. f

THEMES
Matthews themes include:
1. Jesus, the Messiah. Matthew clearly taught that Jesus was the fulfillment of Old Testament
promises, especially that of the coming Messiah (King).
2. Righteousness. Citizens of the kingdom of heaven are called to be righteous, and ethical issues
are a major focus in Matthew. Jesus first recorded words in Matthew had to do with fulfilling righteous
ness (3:15), and he demanded that his disciples invest their treasures in Gods kingdom, not in earthly
possessions. Love for others is also emphasized.
3. The believers commission. In its closing verses (28:16 20), the book of Matthew re
veals the plan for the expansion of the kingdom of heaven. Believers are to be salt and light (5:13 16),
spreading the Good News of the kingdom to the world.

Abihud the father of Elia kim,

Elia kim the father of Azor,
14 Azor the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Akim,
Akim the father of Elihud,
15 Eli hud the father of Elea zar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the hus
band of Mary, and Mary was the
mother of Jesus who is called the
Messiah.
17 Thus there were four teen generations in all
from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to
the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile
to the Messiah.

Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah

came about d: His mother Mary was pledged to
be married to Joseph, but before they came to
David was the father of Solomon, whose gether, she was found to be preg nant through
the Holy Spirit. k 19 Because Joseph her husband
mother had been Uriahs wife, g
7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
was faithful to the law, and yet e did not want to
expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
divorce l her quiet ly.
Abijah the father of Asa,
20 But af ter he had considered this, an angel of
8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,
the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,
Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take
Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
Mary home as your wife, because what is con
9 Uzziah the father of Jotham,
ceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
give birth to a son, and you are to give him the
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
name Jesus, f m because he will save his people
10 Hezekiah the father of Ma nasseh, h
from their sins. n
Manasseh the father of Amon,
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord
Amon the father of Josiah,
had
said through the prophet: 23The virgin will
11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah c and
con
ceive
and give birth to a son, and they will call
his brothers at the time of the ex ile
him Immanuelgo (which means God withus).
i
to Babylon.
24 When Jo seph woke up, he did what the
12 Af ter the ex ile to Babylon:
angel of the Lord had com manded him and
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, j
took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
consummate their marriage until she gave birth
13 Zerubbabel the father of Abi hud,
to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

OUTLINE
I. Jesus Childhood (1 2)
II. The Beginnings of Jesus Ministry (3:1 4:11)
A. John the Baptist (3)
B. The Temptation (4:1 11)
III. Jesus Ministry in Galilee (4:12 14:12)
A. His Early Ministry (4:12 25)
B. The Sermon on the Mount (5 7)
C. Miracles (8 9)
D. Ministry (10:1 14:12)
IV. Ministry in Other Areas (14:13 17:21)
V. Jesus Returns to Galilee (17:22 18:35)
VI. Jesus Ministry in Judea and Perea (19 20)
VII. Passion Week (21 27)
A. The Triumphal Entry (21:1 11)
B. The Cleansing of the Temple (21:12 17)
C. Questions From the Jewish Leaders (21:18 23:39)
D. The Olivet Discourse (24 25)
E. The Anointing of Jesus Feet (26:1 13)
F. The Arrest, Trials and Death of Jesus (26:14 27:66)
VIII. The Resurrection (28)

b 1 Or Jesus Christ. Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) both mean Anointed One; also in
1 Or is an account of the origin
c 11 That is, Jehoiachin; also in verse 12
d 18 Or The origin of Jesus the Messiah was like this
e 19 Or was
verse 18.
f 21 Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means the Lord saves.
g 23 Isaiah 7:14
a righteous man and

1:1 The Hebrews kept extensive records of their familys

ancestry (cf. 1Ch 1 9), which were used for practical and
legal purposes: to establish a persons heritage, inheritance,
legitimacy and rights. Luke followed the traditional approach of tracing lineage through males (Lk 3:23 38), but
Matthew included five women (Bathsheba is not named but
is described), three of whom were outsiders to Israel. All the
women seemed unlikely candidates to be ancestors of the
Messiah in one way or another, yet God saw fit to include

them in his redemption plan.

1:18 19There were no sexual relations during a Jewish betrothal period, but it was a much more binding relationship
than a modern engagement breakable only by divorce.
Joseph planned to have a private divorce the only choice
that would have allowed him to maintain his personal righteousness according to the Law of Moses and yet save Mary
from public disgrace and possible death.

1139

1:1 a Isa11:1; Ro1:3

b Ge22:18
1:2 c Ge25:26 d Ge29:35
1:3 e Ge38:2730
1:6 f 1Sa16:1
g 2Sa12:24
1:10 h 2Ki20:21
1:11 i 2Ki24:1416;
Jer27:20; Da1:1, 2
1:12 j 1Ch3:17
1:18 k Lk1:35
1:19 l Dt24:1
1:21 m Lk1:31 n Lk2:11;
Ac13:23, 28
1:23 o Isa7:14

FIRST PROOFS
1140

FIRST PROOFS

M aT T h e w 2 : 1

2:1 p Lk2:47
2:2 q Jer23:5; Jn1:49
r Nu24:17
2:5 s Jn7:42
t
2:11 Isa60:3 u Ps72:10
2:12 v Heb11:7
2:15 w Ex4:22, 23;
Hos11:1
2:18 x Jer31:15
2:22 y ver12, 13, 19
z Lk2:39
2:23 a Lk1:26

M aT T h e w 4 : 8

The Magi Visit the Messiah

The Escape to Egypt

Af ter Jesus was born in Beth lehem in Ju

dea, p during the time of King Herod, Magi a
from the east came to Jerusa lem 2 and asked,
Where is the one who has been born king of the
Jews? q We saw his star r when it rose and have
come to worship him.
3 When King Herod heard this he was dis
turbed, and all Jerusa lem with him. 4 When he
had called together all the peoples chief priests
and teachers of the law, he asked them where
the Messiah was to be born. 5 In Bethlehem s in
Judea, they replied, for this is what the proph
et has written:
6 But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of

Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel. b

13 When

they had gone, an angel of the Lord

appeared to Joseph in a dream. Get up, he
said, take the child and his mother and escape
to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is
going to search for the child to kill him.
14 So he got up, took the child and his mother
during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he
stayed until the death of Herod. And so was ful
filled what the Lord had said through the proph
et: Out of Egypt I called my son. c w
16 When Herod real ized that he had been out
witted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave
orders to kill all the boys in Beth lehem and its
vicinity who were two years old and under, in
accordance with the time he had learned from
the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the
prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18 A voice is heard in Ramah,

weeping and great mourning,

Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more. d x

7 Then

Herod called the Magi secret ly and

found out from them the exact time the star had
appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
Go and search carefully for the child. As soon
as you find him, report to me, so that I too may
go and worship him.
9 Af ter they had heard the king, they went
on their way, and the star they had seen when
it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over
the place where the child was. 10 When they saw
the star, they were over joyed. 11 On coming to
the house, they saw the child with his mother
Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped
him. t Then they opened their treasures and pre
sented him with gifts u of gold, frank incense and
myrrh. 12 And hav ing been warned v in a dream
not to go back to Herod, they returned to their
country by another route.
a

1 Traditionally wise men

6 Micah 5:2,4

The Return to Nazareth

19 Af ter

Herod died, an angel of the Lord ap

peared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said,
Get up, take the child and his mother and go to
the land of Israel, for those who were try ing to
take the childs life are dead.
21 So he got up, took the child and his moth
er and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when
he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea
in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to
go there. Hav ing been warned in a dream, y he
withdrew to the district of Gal i lee, z 23 and he
went and lived in a town called Naza reth. a So

15 Hosea 11:1

2:1 Bethlehem, a village about 5 miles (8 km) south of Jerusalem, is called Bethlehem in Judea to distinguish it from
the town of Bethlehem about 7 miles (11.3 km) northwest
of Nazareth.
The Magi were likely from Persia or southern Arabia,
both of which lay east of the Holy Land. Herod was disturbed (v. 3) by the Magis announcement because he
knew he was not the rightful heir to Israels throne, having
usurped power by aligning himself with Rome. The Magis
visit likely caused him to fear that invading forces from the
east might join others within Israel to replace him with a
king from the true line of the anticipated Messiah. The religious leaders had aligned themselves politically with Herod.
If his power base were threatened, so was theirs.
2:2 The star was probably not an ordinary star, planet
or comet, though some interpreters have identified it with
the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn or with some other
astronomical phenomenon.

18 Jer. 31:15

2:4 The chief priests were in charge of worship in the

temple in Jerusalem. They included the ruling high priest;
the former high priest; and the high priestly families, all of
whom were included in the Sanhedrin the ruling Jewish
council. Scribes, or teachers of the law, were Jewish scholars,
professionally trained in the Old Testament law. They too
were members of the Sanhedrin.
2:16 The genocide of children took place, not only under
Herod during the birth of Christ, but also under Pharaoh at
the time of Moses birth.
2:22 Archelaus, one of the sons of Herod the Great, ruled
over Judea and Samaria for only 10 years (4 BC AD 6).
Unusually cruel and tyrannical, he was deposed, after which
Judea became a Roman province, administered by governors
appointed by the emperor.
2:23 The word Nazarene was derived from Nazareth, the
hometown of Jesus, who was often called a Nazarene. The
term had a friendly meaning when used by his disciples and

was fulfilled what was said through the proph

ets, that he would be called a Nazarene. b

The Baptism of Jesus

13 Then Jesus came from Gal i lee to the Jordan

to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter

him, say ing, I need to be baptized by you, and
In those days John the Baptist c came, do you come tome?
preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and
15 Jesus replied, Let it be so now; it is prop
say ing, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven d er for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.
has come near. 3 This is he who was spoken of Then John consented.
through the prophet Isaiah:
16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up
out of the water. At that moment heaven was
A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
opened, and he saw the Spirit of God n descend
Prepare the way for the Lord,
a
e
ing
like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a
make straight paths for him.
voice
from heaven said, This is my Son, o whom
4 Johns clothes were made of camels hair,
I love; with him I am well pleased. p
and he had a leather belt around his waist. f
His food was locusts g and wild honey. 5 People Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness
went out to him from Jerusa lem and all Judea
Then Jesus was led by the Spir it into the
and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confess
wilderness to be tempted c by the dev il. 2 Af
ing their sins, they were baptized by him in the ter fasting for ty days and for ty nights, q he was
Jordan River.
hungry. 3 The tempter r came to him and said, If
7 But when he saw many of the Phar isees and
you are the Son of God, tell these stones to be
Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, come bread.
4 Jesus an swered, It is writ ten: Man shall
he said to them: You brood of vipers! h Who
warned you to flee from the com ing wrath? i not live on bread alone, but on every word that
8 Pro duce fruit in keeping with re pentance. j
comes from the mouth of God. d s
9 And do not think you can say to yourselves,
5 Then the dev il took him to the holy city t and
We have Abra ham as our father. I tell you that had him stand on the highest point of the tem
out of these stones God can raise up children for ple. 6 If you are the Son of God, he said, throw
Abra ham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the yourself down. For it is written:
trees, and every tree that does not produce good
He will command his angels concerning
fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. k
you,
11 I baptize you with b water for repentance.
and they will lift you up in their hands,
But af ter me comes one who is more power ful
so that you will not strike your foot
than I, whose sandals I am not wor thy to carry.
against a stone. e u
b
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and
7 Jesus answered him, It is also writ ten: Do
fire. l 12 His winnow ing fork is in his hand, and
he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his not put the Lord your God to the test. f v
8 Again, the dev il took him to a very high
wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff
m
mountain and showed him all the kingdoms
with unquenchable fire.

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

a
f

3 Isaiah 40:3
7 Deut. 6:16

11 Or in

1 The Greek for tempted can also mean tested.

associates, (Ac 2:22; 3:6; 10:38). Jesus, in fact, applied it to

himself (Ac 22:8). On the lips of his enemies, however, it
was a title of scorn (Mt 26:71; Mk 14:67).
3:1 The wilderness of Judea was an area that stretched some
20 miles (32 km) from the Jerusalem-Bethlehem plateau
down to the Jordan River and the Dead Sea perhaps the
same region where John the Baptist lived (cf. Lk 1:80). The
community of Qumran lived in this area too.
3:4 Leather belts were used to bind up loose outer garments. Camels hair and a leather belt may also have been
worn by Elijah and other Old Testament prophets (see 2Ki
1:8; Zec 13:4). Insects such as locusts were among the ceremonially clean foods of which the Jews were free to partake
(Lev 11:21 22).

4 Deut. 8:3

6 Psalm 91:11,12

3:7 The Pharisees, the party of the synagogue, were a legalistic and separatist group who strictly kept the Law of Moses
and the unwritten tradition of the elders (see the note on
15:2). The Sadducees were a Jewish party that represented
the wealthy and sophisticated classes. Though a relatively
small group, in Jesus day they exerted powerful political
and religious influence.
4:1 The temptations took place (1) in the desert region
of the lower Jordan Valley, (2)on a high mountain (possibly one of the abrupt cliffs near Jericho that present an
unsurpassed panorama) and (3)on the highest point of the
temple, from which the priests sounded the trumpet to call
the citys attention to important events.

1141

2:23 b Mk1:24
3:1 c Lk3:219
3:2 d Da2:44; Mt4:17
3:3 e Isa40:3; Lk1:76;
Jn1:23
3:4 f 2Ki1:8 g Lev11:22
3:7 h Mt12:34; 23:33
i Ro1:18; 1Th1:10
3:8 j Ac26:20
3:10 k Mt7:19
3:11 l Isa4:4
3:12 m Mt13:30
3:16 n Isa11:2
3:17 o Ps2:7 p Mt12:18;
Lk9:35
4:2 q 1Ki19:8
4:3 r 1Th3:5
4:4 s Dt8:3
4:5 t Ne11:1; Mt27:53
4:6 u Ps91:11, 12
4:7 v Dt6:16

FIRST PROOFS
1142

FIRST PROOFS

M aT T h e w 4 : 9

4:10 w Dt6:13
4:11 x Lk22:43
4:16 y Isa9:1, 2
4:17 z Mt3:2
4:19 a Mk10:21, 28, 52
4:23 b Mk1:39; Lk4:15,
44 c Mt9:35; Mk1:21
d Mk1:14
4:24 e Lk2:2 f Mk1:32
4:25 g Mk3:7, 8
5:4 h Isa61:2, 3
5:5 i Ps37:11
5:6 j Isa55:1, 2

M aT T h e w 5 : 2 8

of the world and their splendor. 9 All this I will

give you, he said, if you will bow down and
worshipme.
10 Jesus said to him, Away from me, Satan!
For it is writ ten: Worship the Lord your God,
and serve him only. a w
11 Then the dev il left him, and angels came
and attended him. x

brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother

John. They were in a boat with their father Zeb
edee, prepar ing their nets. Jesus called them,
22 and im mediately they left the boat and their
father and followed him.

Jesus Heals the Sick

23 Jesus went throughout Gal i lee, b teaching in

their synagogues, c proclaiming the good news d

Jesus Begins to Preach
of the kingdom, and healing every disease and
12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in sick ness among the people. 24 News about him
e
prison, he withdrew to Gali lee. 13 Leav ing Naz spread all over Syr ia, and people brought to
areth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which him all who were ill with various diseases, those
f
was by the lake in the area of Zebu lun and suf fer ing severe pain, the demonpossessed,
14
those
hav
ing
sei
zures,
and
the
par
a
lyzed;
and
Naphta li to fulfill what was said through
he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Gali lee,
the prophet Isaiah:
the Decapolis, c Jerusa lem, Judea and the region
15 Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
across the Jordan followed him. g
the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles
Introduction to the Sermon onthe
16 the people living in darkness
Mount
have seen a great light;
Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up
on those living in the land of the shadow of
on a mountainside and sat down. His disci
death
ples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
a light has dawned. b y

The Beatitudes

17 From

that time on Jesus began to preach,

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven z has come He said:
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit,
near.
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus Calls His First Disciples
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
18 As Jesus was walk ing beside the Sea of Gal
for they will be comforted. h
5 Blessed are the meek,
i lee, he saw two brothers, Si mon called Peter
and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net
for they will inherit the earth. i
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 Come,
follow me, a Jesus said, and I will send you out
righteousness,
to fish for people. 20 At once they left their nets
for they will be filled. j
7 Blessed are the merciful,
and followed him.
21 Going on from there, he saw two other
for they will be shown mercy.
a

10 Deut. 6:13

16 Isaiah 9:1,2

25 That is, the Ten Cities

4:12 16 The northern part of Naphtali was inhabited by a

mixed race of Jews and pagans (Jdg 1:33). Its Israelite population had been carried away captive to Assyria and had been
replaced by a colony of pagan immigrants (2Ki 15:29; 17:24).
Hence the region was called Galilee of the Gentiles and its
people Gentiles (Isa 9:1; Mt 4:15). For this reason the Galilean accent and dialect were noticeably peculiar (26:73). This
caused the southern Jews of purer blood and orthodox tradition to despise the Galileans (see Jn 7:52).
4:13 Capernaum was evidently a sizable town in Jesus day.
Peters house there became Jesus base of operations during
his extended ministry in Galilee. A fifth-century basilica
now stands over the supposed site of Peters house, and a
fourth-century synagogue is located a short distance from it.
4:23 The synagogues provided a place for Jesus to teach on
the Sabbath. During the week he preached to larger crowds
in the open air.

4:24 Syria is the area north of Galilee and between Damascus and the Mediterranean Sea.
4:25 The Decapolis was a league of free cities characterized by Greek culture. All but one, Scythopolis (Beth-shan),
were situated east of the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River.
5:1 7:29 The site of the Sermon on the Mount (see also
Lk 6:20 49) is not identified in the Gospels. Tradition has
placed it near Capernaum. Jesus went up the mountain a
little way so that his immediate followers would be nearer
than the rest of the crowd, and then he came down with
them to a level place (Lk 6:17), still on the mountain.
Presently he sat down and began to teach, with special attention to the disciples who were nearby.
5:3 11 The word beatitude is not found in the text of the
English Bible. It means either (1)the joys of heaven or (2)a
declaration of blessedness, especially as made by Christ.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God. k

9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God. l
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted
because of righteousness, m
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

commands s and teaches others accordingly will

be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but
whoever practices and teaches these commands
will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I tell you that un less your righteousness
surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers
of the law, you will certainly not enter the king
dom of heaven.

11 Blessed are you when people insult you, n

persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil
against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be Murder
21 You have heard that it was said to the peo
glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for
in the same way they persecuted the prophets ple long ago, You shall not murder,a t and anyone
who murders will be subject to judgment. 22But I
who were before you. o
tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother
Salt and Light
or sister b , c will be subject to judgment. u Again,
13 You are the salt of the earth. But if the anyone who says to a brother or sister, Raca, d is
salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty answerable to the court. And anyone who says,
again? It is no longer good for any thing, except You fool! will be in danger of the fire of hell.
23 Therefore, if you are of fer ing your gift at
to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. p
14 You are the light of the
the altar and there remember
that your brother or sister has
world. A town built on a hill
something against you, 24 leave
cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do
Start small
your gift there in front of the al
people light a lamp and put it
tar. First go and be reconciled to
under a bowl. Instead they put
but start now.
them; then come and of fer your
it on its stand, and it gives light
gift.
to everyone in the house. q 16 In
25 Set tle mat ters quick ly
the same way, let your light
shine before others, that they may see your with your adversary who is tak ing you to court.
good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Do it while you are still together on the way, or
your adversary may hand you over to the judge,
The Fulfillment of the Law
and the judge may hand you over to the of ficer,
17 Do not think that I have come to abol
and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Tru ly I
ish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come tell you, you will not get out until you have paid
to abolish them but to ful fill them. 18 For tru the last penny.
ly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear,
not the smallest let ter, not the least stroke of a Adultery
27 You have heard that it was said, You shall
pen, will by any means disappear from the Law
until every thing is accomplished. r 19 Therefore not commit adultery. e v 28 But I tell you that any
anyone who sets aside one of the least of these one who looks at a woman lustfully has already
a 21 Exodus 20:13
b 22 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a fellow disciple, whether man or
c 22 Some manuscripts brother or sister without cause
d 22 An Aramaic term of contempt
woman; also in verse 23.
e 27 Exodus 20:14

5:8 The heart, including the mind, will and emotions, was
considered the center of ones being.
5:13 Salt was used for flavoring and for preserving (see also
the note on Lev 2:13). Most of the salt used in Israel came
from the Dead Sea and was full of impurities, causing it to
lose some of its flavor.
5:15 In Jesus day people used small clay lamps that burned
olive oil drawn up by a wick. The common New Testament
mention of lamps is in connection with their household usage (5:15; Mk 4:21; Lk 8:16; 11:33; 15:8). Because they
gave off only modest light, they were strategically positioned
for maximum benefit. Such lamps were generally placed on
a lampstand, often a niche built into the wall. The use of oilfed lamps in a marriage procession is mentioned in Matthew
25:1. Since such lamps contained only a small amount of

oil, a reserve supply would have been a necessity.

5:18 The Greek word iota (translated here smallest letter) is the nearest Greek equivalent to the Hebrew yodh,
the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The Greek word
translated here as stroke means horn and was used to
designate the slight embellishment or extension of certain
letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
5:22 The Greek word for hell is ge(h)enna, which derives
its name from a deep ravine south of Jerusalem, the Valley
of (the Sons of ) Hinnom. During the reigns of the wicked
kings Ahaz and Manasseh, human sacrifices to the Ammonite god Molek were offered there. It became a sort of perpetually burning city dump and later a figure for the place
of final punishment.
5:26 The penny was the smallest Roman copper coin.

1143

5:8 k Heb12:14
5:9 l Ro8:14
5:10 m 1Pe3:14
5:11 n 1Pe4:14
5:12 o Ac7:52
5:13 p Mk9:50;
Lk14:34, 35
5:15 q Mk4:21; Lk8:16
5:18 r Lk16:17
5:19 s Jas2:10
5:21 t Ex20:13
5:22 u 1Jn3:15
5:27 v Ex20:14; Dt5:18

FIRST PROOFS
1144

FIRST PROOFS

M aT T h e w 5 : 2 9

5:28 w Pr6:25
5:29 x Mk9:4247
5:31 y Dt24:14
5:32 z Lk16:18
5:33 a Lev19:12
b Nu30:2; Mt23:1622
5:34 c Jas5:12 d Isa66:1
5:35 e Ps48:2
5:38 f Ex21:24;
Lev24:20; Dt19:21
5:39 g Lk6:29; 1Co6:7
5:42 h Lk6:30
5:43 i Lev19:18 j Dt23:6
5:44 k Lk6:27, 28;
Ac7:60
5:48 l Lev19:2
6:5 m Mk11:25
6:6 n 2Ki4:33

M aT T h e w 7 : 6

committed adultery with her in his heart. w 29 If

your right eye causes you to stumble, x gouge it
out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose
one part of your body than for your whole body
to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand
causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it
away. It is better for you to lose one part of your
body than for your whole body to go into hell.

not turn away from the one who wants to bor

row from you. h

Love for Enemies

43 You have heard that it was said, Love

your neighbor d i and hate your enemy. j 44 But I
tell you, love your enemies and pray for those
who persecute you, k 45 that you may be children
of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to
Divorce
rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain
31 It has been said, Anyone who divorces his on the righteous and the un righteous. 46 If you
wife must give her a cer tif icate of divorce. a y love those who love you, what reward will you
32 But I tell you that anyone who divorc es his get? Are not even the tax col lec tors doing that?
47 And if you greet only your own people, what
wife, except for sex ual immorality, makes her
are
you doing more than others? Do not even
the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries
pa
gans
do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your
z
a divorced woman commits adultery.
heavenly Father is perfect. l

Oaths
33 Again,

you have heard that it was said to

the people long ago, Do not break your oath, a
but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made. b
34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: c ei
ther by heaven, for it is Gods throne; d 35 or by
the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusa lem,
for it is the city of the Great King. e 36 And do not
swear by your head, for you cannot make even
one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is
simply Yes or No; any thing beyond this comes
from the evil one. b

Eye for Eye

38 You

have heard that it was said, Eye for

eye, and tooth for tooth. c f 39 But I tell you, do
not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on
the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek
also. g 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take
your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If any
one forces you to go one mile, go with them two
miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do
a

31 Deut. 24:1

37 Or from evil

Giving to the Needy

Be careful not to practice your righteous

ness in front of others to be seen by them.
If you do, you will have no reward from your
Father in heaven.
2 So when you give to the needy, do not an
nounce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in
the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored
by others. Tru ly I tell you, they have received
their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the
needy, do not let your left hand know what your
right hand is doing, 4 so that your giv ing may
be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is
done in secret, will reward you.

Prayer
5 And when you pray, do not be like the hypo

crites, for they love to pray standing m in the syn

agogues and on the street corners to be seen by
others. Tru ly I tell you, they have received their
reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your
room, close the door and pray to your Father, n

38 Exodus 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21

5:29 These injunctions are obviously not literal and should

be used as proof texts upon which poor theology may be
based. Here Jesus speaks of self-discipline, not self-mutilation. Whatever a follower must do in order to remove themselves from temptation, they must be willing to do.
5:32 The Greek word translated here as sexual immorality
refers to illicit sexual activity in this case, adultery.
5:39 Striking someone on the cheek was considered more
an insult than an act of violence.
5:40 The shirt was an undergarment and the coat a loose
outer garment. Since the outer garment was wrapped
around the individual for sleeping, Old Testament law prohibited anyone from taking it as a pledge overnight, leaving
the owner unprotected against the cold (see Ex 22:26 27;
Dt 24:12 13).

43 Lev. 19:18

5:43 Hatred of ones enemies was an accepted part of the

Jewish ethic at that time in some circles.
5:46 Traditionally known as publicans, tax collectors were
men employed by Roman tax contractors to collect taxes.
Because they worked for Rome and often demanded excessive payments, some of which they pocketed themselves, the
tax collectors gained a bad reputation and were generally
hated.
6:1 2 In later Judaism the righteousness of almsgiving became somewhat legalistic and professional. The lame man at
the gate called Beautiful exemplified professional begging in
that he was put every day to beg from those going into the
temple courts (Ac 3:2).
6:5 Pious Jews prayed publicly at set times usually morning, afternoon and evening (cf. Ps 55:17; Da 6:10; Ac 3:1).

who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what

is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when
you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans,
for they think they will be heard because of their
many words. o 8 Do not be like them, for your Fa
ther knows what you need before you ask him.
9 This, then, is how you should pray:

24 No one can serve two masters. Either you

will hate the one and love the other, or you will
be devoted to the one and despise the other. You
cannot serve both God and money. y

Do Not Worry

hypocrites do, for they disfig ure their faces to

show others they are fast ing. Tru ly I tell you,
they have received their reward in full. 17 But
when you fast, put oil on your head and wash
your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to oth
ers that you are fasting, but only to your Father,
who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what
is done in secret, will reward you. v

25 Therefore I tell you, do not wor ry z about

your life, what you will eat or drink; or about
your body, what you will wear. Is not life more
than food, and the body more than clothes?
26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow
or reap or store away in barns, and yet your
heavenly Father feeds them. a Are you not much
more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you
by worry ing add a single hour to your life e ? b
28 And why do you worry about clothes? See
how the flowers of the field grow. They do not
labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Sol
omon in all his splendor c was dressed like one
of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass
of the field, which is here today and tomorrow
is thrown into the fire, will he not much more
clothe you you of lit tle faith? d 31 So do not
wor ry, say ing, What shall we eat? or What
shall we drink? or What shall we wear? 32 For
the pagans run af ter all these things, and your
heaven ly Father knows that you need them.
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteous
ness, and all these things will be given to you
as well. e 34 Therefore do not worry about tomor
row, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each
day has enough trouble of its own.

Treasures in Heaven

Judging Others

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done, p
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread. q
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors. r
13 And lead us not into temptation, a
but deliver us from the evil one. b
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin
against you, your heavenly Father will also for
give you. s 15 But if you do not forgive others their
sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. t

Fasting
16 When you fast, do not look somber u as the

19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on

earth, w where moths and vermin destroy, and

where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store
up for yourselves treasures in heaven, x where
moths and vermin do not destroy, and where
thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where
your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 The eye is the lamp of the body. If your
eyes are healthy, c your whole body will be full
of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, d your
whole body will be full of dark ness. If then the
light within you is dark ness, how great is that
dark ness!

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. f

2 For in the same way you judge others, you
will be judged, and with the measure you use, it
will be measured to you. g
3 Why do you look at the speck of sawdust
in your brothers eye and pay no at tention to
the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to
your brother, Let me take the speck out of your
eye, when all the time there is a plank in your
own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out
of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to
remove the speck from your brothers eye.
6 Do not give dogs what is sa cred; do not

b 13 Or from evil ; some late manuscripts one, / for yours is the

13 The Greek for temptation can also mean testing.
c 22 The Greek for healthy here implies generous.
d 23 The Greek
kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
e
for unhealthy here implies stingy.
27 Or single cubit to your height

6:16 Disfigure their faces here refers to disguising ones

face to publicize physical hardships endured while fasting.

This was a pretentious way of letting others see and appreciate their extensive efforts to increase their godliness.

1145

6:7 o 1Ki18:2629
6:10 p Mt26:39
6:11 q Pr30:8
6:12 r Mt18:2135
6:14 s Mk11:25, 26;
Col3:13
6:15 t Mt18:35
6:16 u Isa58:5
6:18 v ver4, 6
6:19 w Heb13:5
6:20 x Mt19:21;
Lk12:33; 1Ti6:19
6:24 y Lk16:13
6:25 z Lk12:11, 22;
Php4:6; 1Pe5:7
6:26 a Ps147:9
6:27 b Ps39:5
6:29 c 1Ki10:47
6:30 d Mt8:26
6:33 e Mt19:29;
Mk10:2930
7:1 f 1Co4:5
7:2 g Mk4:24

FIRST PROOFS
1146

FIRST PROOFS

M aT T h e w 7 : 7

7:7 h Mk11:24; Jn15:7,

16; 16:23, 24; 1Jn3:22;
5:14, 15
7:8 i Jer29:12, 13
7:12 j Lk6:31
k Ro13:810; Gal5:14
7:13 l Lk13:24
7:15 m Mk13:22;
2Pe2:1; 1Jn4:1
n Ac20:29
7:16 o Lk6:44
7:21 p Mt25:11
q Jas1:22
7:23 r Ps6:8;
Lk13:2527
7:28 s Mt13:53
t Mk1:22; 6:2; Lk4:32
8:4 u Mk5:43
v Lev14:232

M aT T h e w 9 : 2

throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may name perform many miracles? 23 Then I will tell
trample them under their feet, and turn and them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me,
you evildoers! r
tear you to pieces.

The Wise and Foolish Builders

Ask, Seek, Knock

7 Ask

you; h

and it will be given to

seek and
you will find; knock and the door will be opened
to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one
who seeks finds; i and to the one who knocks, the
door will be opened.
9 Which of you, if your son asks for bread,
will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish,
will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though
you are evil, know how to give good gifts to
your children, how much more will your Father
in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
12 So in every thing, do to others what you would
have them do to you, j for this sums up the Law
and the Prophets. k

The Narrow and Wide Gates

13 Enter

24 There fore ev ery one who hears these

words of mine and puts them into practice is
like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and
the winds blew and beat against that house; yet
it did not fall, because it had its foundation on
the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words
of mine and does not put them into practice is
like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and
the winds blew and beat against that house, and
it fell with a great crash.
28 When

Jesus had fin ished say ing these

things, s the crowds were amazed at his teach
ing, t 29 because he taught as one who had author
ity, and not as their teachers of the law.

through the narrow gate. l For wide

is the gate and broad is the road that leads to Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy
destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But
When Jesus came down from the moun
small is the gate and narrow the road that leads
tainside, large crowds fol lowed him. 2 A
to life, and only a few findit.
man with leprosy a came and knelt before him
and said, Lord, if you are willing, you can make
True and False Prophets
me clean.
15 Watch out for false prophets. m They come
3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the
to you in sheeps cloth ing, but inward ly they man. I am willing, he said. Be clean! Imme
are ferocious wolves. n 16 By their fruit you will diately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 4 Then
recog nize them. o Do people pick grapes from Jesus said to him, See that you dont tell any
thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, one. u But go, show yourself to the priest and of
every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree fer the gift Moses commanded, v as a testimony
bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad to them.
fruit, and a bad tree can not bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut The Faith of the Centurion
5 When Jesus had entered Caper naum, a cen
down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their
fruit you will recognize them.
turion came to him, ask ing for help. 6 Lord, he
said, my ser vant lies at home para lyzed, suf
True and False Disciples
fering terribly.
21 Not every one who says to me, Lord,
7 Jesus said to him, Shall I come and heal
p
Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but him?
8 The centu rion re plied, Lord, I do not de
only the one who does the will of my Father who
is in heaven. q 22 Many will say to me on that day, serve to have you come under my roof. But just
Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name say the word, and my ser vant will be healed.
and in your name drive out demons and in your 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with

2 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.

7:13 14 The image of two paths was common in Judaism.

Sometimes the analogy was of separate roads leading in opposite directions to paradise or to hell.
8:2 Our picture of leprosy brings to mind the dreaded and

debilitating Hansens disease, but other skin conditions may

have been regarded as leprosy.
8:5 A centurion was a Roman military officer who was
placed in charge of a centuria typically comprising 80 men.

soldiers under me. I tell this one, Go, and he

goes; and that one, Come, and he comes. I say
to my ser vant, Do this, and he doesit.
10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and
said to those fol low ing him, Tru ly I tell you, I
have not found anyone in Israel with such great
faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from
the east and the west, w and will take their plac
es at the feast with Abra ham, Isaac and Jacob
in the kingdom of heaven. x 12 But the subjects
of the kingdom will be thrown out side, into
the dark ness, where there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth. y
13 Then Jesus said to the centu rion, Go! Let it
be done just as you believed it would. And his
ser vant was healed at that moment.

Jesus Heals Many

14 When Jesus came into Peters house, he saw

Peters motherinlaw ly ing in bed with a fever.

15 He touched her hand and the fe ver left her,
and she got up and began to wait on him.
16 When evening came, many who were de
monpossessed were brought to him, and he
drove out the spirits with a word and healed all
the sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken
through the prophet Isaiah:
He took up our infirmities
and bore our diseases. a z

The Cost of Following Jesus

18 When

Jesus Calms the Storm

23 Then

he got into the boat and his disciples

followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came
up on the lake, so that the waves swept over
the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disci
ples went and woke him, say ing, Lord, save us!
Were going to drown!
26 He replied, You of lit tle faith, why are you
so afraid? Then he got up and rebuked the
winds and the waves, and it was completely
calm. b
27 The men were amazed and asked, What
kind of man is this? Even the winds and the
waves obey him!

Jesus Restores Two DemonPossessed Men

28 When he ar rived at the other side in the re
gion of the Gada renes, b two demonpossessed
men com ing from the tombs met him. They
were so violent that no one could pass that way.
29 What do you want with us, c Son of God?
they shouted. Have you come here to tor ture us
before the appointed time?
30 Some distance from them a large herd of
pigs was feed ing. 31 The demons begged Jesus,
If you drive us out, send us into the herd of
pigs.
32 He said to them, Go! So they came out
and went into the pigs, and the whole herd
rushed down the steep bank into the lake and
died in the water. 33 Those tending the pigs ran
off, went into the town and reported all this, in
cluding what had happened to the demonpos
sessed men. 34 Then the whole town went out to
meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they plead
ed with him to leave their region. d

Jesus saw the crowd around him,

he gave orders to cross to the other side of the
lake. a 19 Then a teacher of the law came to him
and said, Teacher, I will fol low you wherever
yougo.
20 Jesus replied, Foxes have dens and birds
have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to
Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed
lay his head.
21 Another disciple said to him, Lord, first let Man
Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and
me go and bury my father.
22 But Jesus told him, Fol low me, and let the
came to his own town. e 2 Some men brought
to him a para lyzed man, ly ing on a mat. When
dead bury their own dead.

17 Isaiah 53:4 (see Septuagint)

28 Some manuscripts Gergesenes; other manuscripts Gerasenes

8:12 For the meaning of gnashing ones teeth, see the note
on Ps 35:16.
8:24 Crossing the Sea of Galilee after dark was common for
fishermen, who used trammel nets through the night. The
lakes setting results in sudden violent storms that produce
waves 7 feet (2m) or higher (see the note on Mk 4:37).
This must have been a powerful storm for these seasoned
fishermen to be so afraid.
8:28 The region of the Gadarenes was most likely the
area around the city of Gadara, 6 miles (9.7 km) southeast

of the Sea of Galilee. Mark and Luke identified the region

by the capital city Gerasa, located about 35 miles (56 km)
southeast of the Sea.
8:30 Large numbers of Gentiles lived in Galilee. Jews did
not raise pigs since they were considered the most ceremonially unclean of all animals.
8:31 The demons plea to move into the swine would have
been welcome to Jews, who considered unclean pigs on a
par with demons. But this incident took place in Gentile territory; the pigs were most likely being raised commercially.

1147

8:11 w Isa49:12; 59:19;

Mal1:11 x Lk13:29
8:12 y Mt13:42, 50;
22:13; 24:51; 25:30;
Lk13:28
8:17 z Isa53:4
8:18 a Mk4:35
8:26 b Ps65:7; 89:9;
107:29
8:29 c Jdg11:12;
2Sa16:10; Mk1:24;
Jn2:4
8:34 d Lk5:8; Ac16:39
9:1 e Mt4:13

FIRST PROOFS
1148

FIRST PROOFS

M aT T h e w 9 : 3

9:4 f Mt12:25; Lk6:8;

9:47; 11:17
9:8 g Mt5:16; Ac4:21
9:11 h Mt11:19
9:13 i Hos6:6; Mt12:7
j 1Ti1:15
9:14 k Lk18:12
9:15 l Jn3:29
m Ac13:2, 3
9:20 n Mt14:36
o
9:22 Lk7:50; 17:19;
18:42 p Mt15:28
9:23 q 2Ch35:25
9:24 r Ac20:10
s Jn11:1114
9:27 t Mt15:22;
Mk10:47

Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, Take

heart, son; your sins are forgiven.
3 At this, some of the teachers of the law said
to themselves, This fellow is blaspheming!
4 Know ing their thoughts, f Jesus said, Why
do you enter tain evil thoughts in your hearts?
5 Which is easier: to say, Your sins are forgiv
en, or to say, Get up and walk? 6 But I want
you to know that the Son of Man has author
ity on earth to forgive sins. So he said to the
para lyzed man, Get up, take your mat and go
home. 7 Then the man got up and went home.
8 When the crowd saw this, they were filled with
awe; and they praised God, g who had given such
authority to man.

The Calling of Matthew

M aT T h e w 1 0 : 7

on an old garment, for the patch will pull away

from the garment, mak ing the tear worse. 17 Nei
ther do people pour new wine into old wine
skins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine
will run out and the wineskins will be ruined.
No, they pour new wine into new wineskins,
and both are preserved.

Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals

aSick Woman
18 While

he was say ing this, a syna gogue

leader came and knelt before him and said, My
daughter has just died. But come and put your
hand on her, and she will live. 19 Jesus got up
and went with him, and so did his disciples.
20 Just then a woman who had been subject to
bleeding for twelve years came up behind him
and touched the edge of his cloak. n 21 She said
to herself, If I only touch his cloak, I will be
healed.
22 Jesus turned and saw her. Take heart,
daughter, he said, your faith has healed you. o
And the woman was healed at that moment. p
23 When Jesus entered the syna gogue lead
ers house and saw the noisy crowd and people
play ing pipes, q 24 he said, Go away. The girl is
not dead r but asleep. s But they laughed at him.
25 Af ter the crowd had been put outside, he went
in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.
26 News of this spread through all that region.

9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man

named Mat thew sit ting at the tax col lec tors
booth. Fol low me, he told him, and Mat thew
got up and followed him.
10 While Jesus was hav ing din ner at Mat
thews house, many tax col lec tors and sin
ners came and ate with him and his disciples.
11 When the Phar isees saw this, they asked his
disciples, Why does your teacher eat with tax
collectors and sinners? h
12 On hear ing this, Jesus said, It is not the
healthy who need a doc tor, but the sick. 13 But
go and learn what this means: I desire mercy,
not sacrifice. a i For I have not come to call the
Jesus Heals the Blind and the Mute
righteous, but sinners. j
27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men
Jesus Questioned About Fasting
fol lowed him, calling out, Have mercy on us,
14 Then Johns disciples came and asked him, Son of David! t
28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men
How is it that we and the Pharisees fast of ten, k
came to him, and he asked them, Do you be
but your disciples do not fast?
15 Jesus answered, How can the guests of the lieve that I am able to do this?
bridegroom mourn while he is with them? l The
Yes, Lord, they replied.
29 Then he touched their eyes and said, Ac
time will come when the bridegroom will be
m
cording to your faith let it be done to you; 30 and
taken from them; then they will fast.
16 No one sews a patch of un shrunk cloth their sight was re stored. Jesus warned them
a

13 Hosea 6:6

9:9 Matthew, the son of Alphaeus (Mk 2:14) and a tax

collector, was also called Levi (Mk 2:14; Lk 5:27). Since
double names were common among the Jews, there can be
little doubt that Levi and Matthew were one and the same
person. Levi probably changed his name to Matthew (gift
of Yahweh) when he became a disciple of Jesus.
As a tax collector Matthew was skilled at writing and
keeping records. Apart from the mention of Matthew in
the lists of the apostles (10:3; Mk 3:18; Ac 1:13), no further
notices of him are found in the New Testament.
9:11 For information on the Pharisees, see the note on 3:7.
9:17 In ancient times goatskins were used to hold wine. As

the fresh grape juice fermented, the wine would expand, and
the new wineskin would stretch. But a used skin, already
stretched, would break.
9:20 The hemorrhaging woman was considered ritually
unclean and was excluded from social and religious relations. Jesus healing of her removed the public stigma of her
condition and smoothed the way for her reentry into social
and religious life.
9:23 Musicians were hired to play in mourning ceremonies.
9:25 Touching a corpse rendered a person unclean (see
Nu 19:14 16), but Jesus restored the girl to life, transforming uncleanness to purity.

stern ly, See that no one knows about this. u

they went out and spread the news about
him all over that region. v
32 While they were going out, a man who
was demonpossessed and could not talk w was
brought to Jesus. 33 And when the demon was
driven out, the man who had been mute spoke.
The crowd was amazed and said, Nothing like
this has ever been seen in Israel.
34 But the Pharisees said, It is by the prince of
demons that he drives out demons. x
31 But

ciples, The har vest is plentiful but the workers

are few. y 38 Ask the Lord of the har vest, there
fore, to send out workers into his har vest field.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

10

went through all the towns and vil

lages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaim
ing the good news of the kingdom and healing
every disease and sick ness. 36 When he saw the
crowds, he had compassion on them, because
they were ha rassed and helpless, like sheep
without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his dis

Jesus called his twelve disciples to him

and gave them author ity to drive out
impure spirits z and to heal every disease and
sick ness.
2 These are the names of the twelve apostles:
first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother
Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother
John; 3 Phil ip and Bar tholomew; Thomas and
Matthew the tax col lector; James son of Alphae
us, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas
Iscariot, who betrayed him. a
5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the fol low
ing instruc tions: Do not go among the Gen
tiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. b 6 Go
rather to the lost sheep of Israel. c 7 As you go,

10:4 The label the Zealot either describes Simons religious zeal or is a reference to his membership in the party
of the Zealots, a Jewish revolutionary group violently opposed to Roman rule over the Holy Land. The Zealots
were members of a Jewish patriotic party started during the
time of Quirinius to resist Roman aggression. The Zealots
resorted to violence and assassination in their hatred of the

Romans, their fanatical violence eventually provoking the

Roman war.
10:5 Samaritans were a mixed-blood race resulting from the
intermarriage of Israelites left behind when the people of the
northern kingdom were exiled and Gentiles brought into the
land by the Assyrians (see the note on 2Ki 17:24 41). Bitter
hostility existed between Jews and Samaritans in Jesus day.

The Workers Are Few

35 Jesus

L I Fe C ONNeCT MaTThew 9:20 22

Faith Takes Initiative

hat is faith? Is it some divine source of healing or some magical potion

that brings the miraculous? Jesus told a woman who had been suffering for many years that her faith had healed her (see Mt 9:22).
We know that Jesus is the Source of our faith. We cannot have faith in
faith itself; it must be placed in something. There needs to be a source of
our faith.
So what is faith?
Faith is trust, the conviction of things not seen. Faith is living what youre
going through and experiencing or understanding it in reverse. In each case
here in Matthew chapters 8 10, we find that faith is the impetus to move us
to action, the initiative to get us to the Source of healing. It is the incentive to
get us out of a dark place and gets us to the light. It is the basis for action; it
is exerting a greater energy toward whats best enough to overcome lethargy, doubt, discouragement or any other force that keeps us in the spiritual
doldrums. This is the definition of faith.
Go to page XXXX for the next LifeConnect article.

1149

9:30 u Mt8:4
9:31 v Mk7:36
9:32 w Mt12:2224
9:34 x Mt12:24;
Lk11:15
9:37 y Lk10:2
10:1 z Mk3:1315
10:4 a Jn13:2, 26, 27
10:5 b Lk9:52
10:6 c Mt15:24

FIRST PROOFS
1150

FIRST PROOFS

M aT T h e w 1 0 : 8

10:7 d Mt3:2
10:10 e 1Ti5:18
10:14 f Ac13:51
10:15 g Mt11:22, 24
10:16 h Lk10:3
i Ro16:19
10:17 j Mk13:9
10:21 k Mic7:6
10:24 l Lk6:40;
Jn13:16; 15:20
10:25 m Mk3:22
10:26 n Mk4:22; Lk8:17
10:28 o Heb10:31
10:30 p Lk21:18;
Ac27:34
10:32 q Ro10:9
10:36 r Mic7:6
10:37 s Lk14:26
10:39 t Jn12:25
10:40 u Gal4:14
v Lk9:48; Jn12:44
10:42 w Mt25:40;
Heb6:10

proclaim this message: The kingdom of heav

en d has come near. 8 Heal the sick, raise the
dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, a drive out
demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
9 Do not get any gold or silver or copper to
take with you in your belts 10 no bag for the
journey or ex tra shirt or sandals or a staff, for
the worker is worth his keep. e 11 Whatever town
or village you enter, search there for some wor
thy person and stay at their house until you
leave. 12 As you enter the home, give it your
greet ing. 13 If the home is deserv ing, let your
peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return
to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or lis
ten to your words, leave that home or town and
shake the dust off your feet. f 15 Tru ly I tell you,
it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomor
rah on the day of judgment than for that town. g
16 I am send ing you out like sheep among
wolves. h Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and
as innocent as doves. i 17 Be on your guard; you
will be handed over to the local councils and
be flogged in the synagogues.j 18On my account
you will be brought before governors and kings
as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But
when they arrest you, do not worry about what to
say or how to say it. At that time you will be given
what to say, 20for it will not be you speaking, but
the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a
father his child; children will rebel against their
parents k and have them put to death. 22 You will
be hated by everyone because of me, but the
one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
23 When you are persecuted in one place, flee to
another. Tru ly I tell you, you will not finish go
ing through the towns of Israel before the Son
of Man comes.
24 The student is not above the teacher, nor a
ser vant above his master. l 25 It is enough for stu
dents to be like their teachers, and ser vants like
their masters. If the head of the house has been
called Beel zebul, m how much more the mem
bers of his household!
a

M aT T h e w 1 1 : 2 9
26 So do not be afraid of them, for there is
nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or
hidden that will not be made known. n 27 What I
tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is
whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.
28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the
Oneo who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not
one of them will fall to the ground outside your
Fathers care. b 30 And even the very hairs of your
head are all numbered. p 31 So dont be afraid; you
are worth more than many sparrows.
32 Whoever acknowledges me before others, q
I will also acknowledge before my Father in
heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before oth
ers, I will disown before my Father in heaven.
34 Do not suppose that I have come to bring
peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace,
but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn

a man against his father,

a daughter against her mother,
a daughterinlaw against her motherin
law
36
a mans enemies will be the members of
his own household. c r
37 Anyone

who loves their father or mother

more than me is not wor thy of me; anyone who
loves their son or daughter more than me is not
worthy of me. s 38 Whoever does not take up their
cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Who
ever finds their life will lose it, and whoever los
es their life for my sake will findit. t
40 Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, u
and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one
who sent me. v 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as
a prophet will receive a prophets reward, and
whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righ
teous person will receive a righteous persons
reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold
water to one of these lit tle ones who is my dis
ciple, tru ly I tell you, that person will cer tainly
not lose their reward. w

8 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
c 36 Micah 7:6
knowledge

29 Or will; or

Jesus and John the Baptist

11

10:25 Beelzebul is the Greek form of the Hebrew name

Baal-Zebub. It is widely thought to mean lord of the flies
and to be a parody on and mockery of Baal-Zebul, an ancient name of the god Baal that meant Prince Baal.
10:40 42 During times of persecution, hospitality was
especially important and could entail danger for the host(s).

and you did not dance;

we sang a dirge,
and you did not mourn.

Af ter Jesus had finished instructing his

twelve disciples, he went on from there to
teach and preach in the towns of Gali lee. a
2 When John, who was in prison, x heard about 18
For John came neither eat ing nor drink ing,
the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples and they say, He has a demon. 19 The Son of
3 to ask him, Are you the one who is to come, or
Man came eat ing and drink ing, and they say,
should we expect someone else?
Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax
4 Jesus replied, Go back and re port to John
col lectors and sinners. e But wisdom is proved
what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, right by her deeds.
the lame walk, those who have leprosy b are
cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, Woe on Unrepentant Towns
20 Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in
and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. y
6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on ac
which most of his miracles had been performed,
count ofme.
because they did not repent. 21 Woe to you,
7 As Johns z dis ciples were
Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsai
leav ing, Jesus began to speak
da! For if the miracles that were
to the crowd about John: What
performed in you had been per
Success is failure
did you go out into the wilder
formed in Tyre and Sidon, they
turned inside out.
ness to see? A reed swayed by
would have repented long ago
the wind? 8 If not, what did you
in sackcloth and ashes. f 22 But I
Dont be afraid
go out to see? A man dressed
tell you, it will be more bearable
of failure.
in fine clothes? No, those who
for Tyre and Sidon on the day of
judgment than for you. g 23 And
wear fine clothes are in kings
you, Caper naum, will you be
palaces. 9 Then what did you go
out to see? A prophet? a Yes, I tell you, and more lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to
than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom Hades. e h For if the miracles that were performed
in you had been performed in Sodom, it would
it is written:
have remained to this day. 24 But I tell you that it
I will send my messenger ahead of you,
will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of
who will prepare your way before
judgment than for you. i
c
b
you.
11 Tru ly

I tell you, among those born of women

there has not risen anyone greater than John
the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom
of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days
of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of
heaven has been subjected to violence, d and vi
olent people have been raid ing it. 13 For all the
Prophets and the Law prophesied until John.
14 And if you are will ing to accept it, he is the
Elijah who was to come. c 15 Whoever has ears,
let them hear. d
16 To what can I compare this gener ation?
They are like children sitting in the marketplac
es and calling out to others:
a

10:12 The Jewish greeting was shalom, meaning peace.

10:14 Shaking the dust off ones feet was a symbolic act
practiced by the Pharisees when they left a ceremonially
unclean Gentile area. Here it represented an act of solemn
warning to those who rejected Gods message.
10:17 Local councils refers to the lower courts, connected with local synagogues. They tried less serious cases and
flogged those found guilty.

17 We played the pipe for you,

The Father Revealed in the Son

25 At

that time Jesus said, I praise you, Fa

ther, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have
hidden these things from the wise and learned,
and revealed them to lit tle children. 26 Yes, Fa
ther, for this is what you were pleased todo.
27 All things have been com mit ted to me j by
my Father. k No one knows the Son except the
Father, and no one knows the Father except the
Son and those to whom the Son chooses to re
veal him.
28 Come to me, l all you who are wea ry and
burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my
yoke upon you and learn from me, m for I am

b 5 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
1 Greek in their towns
d 12 Or been forcefully advancing
e 23 That is, the realm of the dead
10 Mal. 3:1

11:16 17 The New Testament word for market is agora, the civic center where people gathered for recreation
(vv. 16 17), where the unemployed loafed (20:3,6) and
where the proud paraded (Mk 12:38; Lk 11:43). The agora
was both a courtroom (Ac 16:19) and a forum (Ac 17:17).

11:21 Tyre and Sidon were cities on the Phoenician coast

north of the Holy Land.
11:28 The Pharisees placed burdens on the people by insisting on a strict adherence to the law (see 23:4).
11:29 30 The chief work of a carpenter was making roofs,

1151

11:2 x Mt14:3
11:5 y Isa35:46; 61:1;
Lk4:18, 19
11:7 z Mt3:1
11:9 a Lk1:76
11:10 b Mal3:1; Mk1:2
11:14 c Mal4:5; Lk1:17
11:15 d Mt13:9, 43
11:19 e Mt9:11
11:21 f Jnh3:59
11:22 g ver24; Mt10:15
11:23 h Isa14:1315
11:24 i Mt10:15
11:27 j Mt28:18
k Jn3:35
11:28 l Jn7:37
11:29 m Jn13:15;
Php2:5; 1Pe2:21;
1Jn2:6

FIRST PROOFS
1152

FIRST PROOFS

M aT T h e w 1 1 : 3 0

11:29 n Jer6:16
12:1 o Dt23:25
12:2 p ver10; Lk13:14;
14:3; Jn5:10; 9:16
12:3 q 1Sa21:6
12:5 r Nu28:9, 10
12:7 s Hos6:6
12:10 t Lk13:14
u
12:14 Mk3:6; Jn11:53
12:18 v Mt3:17
12:22 w Mt9:3233
12:24 x Mt9:34
12:25 y Mt9:4
12:27 z Ac19:13

gentle and humble in heart, and you will find

rest for your souls. n 30 For my yoke is easy and
my burden is light.

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

12

At that time Jesus went through the

grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples
were hungry and began to pick some heads of
grain o and eat them. 2 When the Pharisees saw
this, they said to him, Look! Your disciples are
doing what is unlaw ful on the Sabbath. p
3 He answered, Havent you read what David
did when he and his companions were hungry? q
4 He entered the house of God, and he and his
companions ate the consecrated bread which
was not law ful for them to do, but only for the
priests. 5 Or havent you read in the Law that the
priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate
the Sabbath r and yet are innocent? 6 I tell you
that something greater than the temple is here.
7 If you had known what these words mean, I
desire mercy, not sacri fice, a s you would not
have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of
Man is Lord of the Sabbath.
9 Going on from that place, he went into their
synagogue, 10 and a man with a shriveled hand
was there. Look ing for a reason to bring charges
against Jesus, they asked him, Is it law ful to
heal on the Sabbath? t
11 He said to them, If any of you has a sheep
and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not
take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more
valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is
law ful to do good on the Sabbath.
13 Then he said to the man, Stretch out your
hand. So he stretched it out and it was com
pletely restored, just as sound as the other. 14 But
the Phar isees went out and plot ted how they
might kill Jesus. u

M aT T h e w 1 3 : 1 2

healed all who were ill. 16 He warned them not to

tell others about him. 17 This was to fulfill what
was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
18 Here is my servant whom I have chosen,

the one I love, in whom I delight; v

I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the
nations.
19 He will not quarrel or cry out;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff
out,
till he has brought justice through to victory.
21
In his name the nations will put their
hope. b

Jesus and Beelzebul

22 Then they brought him a demonpossessed

man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed

him, so that he could both talk and see. w 23 All
the people were astonished and said, Could this
be the Son of David?
24 But when the Phar i sees heard this, they
said, It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of de
mons, that this fellow drives out demons. x
25 Jesus knew their thoughts y and said to
them, Every kingdom divided against it self
will be ruined, and every city or household di
vided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan
drives out Satan, he is divided against him
self. How then can his kingdom stand? 27 And
if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do
your people z drive them out? So then, they will
be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God
that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of
God has come upon you.
29 Or again, how can anyone enter a strong
mans house and carry off his possessions un
Gods Chosen Servant
less he first ties up the strong man? Then he can
15 Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that
plunder his house.
30 Who ever is not with me is against me,
place. A large crowd fol lowed him, and he
a

7 Hosea 6:6

21 Isaiah 42:1-4

doors, window shutters, lattice squares and divan frames for

houses, plows and yokes. So Jesus knew about yokes as well
as about various other aspects of farm life. Master carpenters
knew how to tailor yokes in such a way that it wouldnt chafe
but rather support the ox.
12:1 Grainfields included those for wheat and barley, the
latter eaten by poorer people.
12:2 To a Pharisee, what is unlawful could have referred
either to a Scriptural command or to a rabbis interpretation
of that command (see the note on 3:7). The disciples could
have been cited for any of several rabbinic taboos.

12:4 Each Sabbath, 12 fresh loaves of bread were to be set

out on a table in the Holy Place (Ex 25:30; Lev 24:5 9).
The old loaves were to be eaten by the priests.
12:22 24 Ancient exorcists used a variety of incantations
and spells, potions and herbs, and material articles, like
rings, to try to manipulate the spirit world. Jesus commanded demons from his own authority, and they immediately
submitted. The Pharisees attributed Jesus power to Satan.
This charge of practicing magic under the influence of Satan
was punishable by stoning.

and whoever does not gather with me scat ters.

31 And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander
can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spir
it will not be forgiven. a 32 Anyone who speaks a
word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,
but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit
will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the
age to come.
33 Make a tree good and its fruit will be good,
or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for
a tree is recognized by its fruit. b 34 You brood of
vipers, c how can you who are evil say any thing
good? For the mouth speaks d what the heart is
full of. 35 A good man brings good things out
of the good stored up in him, and an evil man
brings evil things out of the evil stored up in
him. 36 But I tell you that everyone will have to
give account on the day of judgment for every
empty word they have spoken. 37 For by your
words you will be acquitted, and by your words
you will be condemned.

The Sign of Jonah

38 Then some of the Phar isees and teachers of
the law said to him, Teacher, we want to see a
sign from you. e
39 He an swered, A wicked and adulterous
generation asks for a sign! But none will be giv
en it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. f 40 For
as Jonah was three days and three nights in the
bel ly of a huge fish, g so the Son of Man will be
three days and three nights in the heart of the
earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the
judgment with this generation and condemn it;
for they repented at the preach ing of Jonah, h
and now something greater than Jonah is here.
42 The Queen of the South will rise at the judg
ment with this generation and condemn it; for
she came i from the ends of the earth to listen to
Solomons wisdom, and now something greater
than Solomon is here.
43 When an impure spir it comes out of a per
son, it goes through arid places seek ing rest and
does not find it. 44 Then it says, I will return to
the house I left. When it ar rives, it finds the

12:31 Blasphemy against the Spirit has been a controversial topic in many theological circles. In the context of
verses 22 32, however, blasphemy would describe the act
of constantly attributing the works of God to Satan. In this
scenario, God would cease his works, and if he did, there
would be no forgiveness for that person.
12:40 To count a part of a day as a whole day was a common Jewish reckoning of time.
The Greek word translated here huge fish does not nec-

house unoccupied, swept clean and put in or

der. 45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other
spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in
and live there. And the fi nal condition of that
person is worse than the first. j That is how it will
be with this wicked generation.

Jesus Mother and Brothers

46 While

Jesus was still talk ing to the crowd,

his mother and brothers k stood outside, want
ing to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, Your
mother and brothers are stand ing out side,
wanting to speak to you.
48 He replied to him, Who is my mother, and
who are my brothers? 49 Point ing to his dis
ciples, he said, Here are my mother and my
brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my
Father in heaven is my brother and sister and
mother.

The Parable of the Sower

13

That same day Jesus went out of the

house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large
crowds gathered around him that he got into
a boat l and sat in it, while all the people stood
on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things
in parables, say ing: A farmer went out to sow
his seed. 4 As he was scat tering the seed, some
fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it
up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not
have much soil. It sprang up quick ly, because
the soil was shal low. 6 But when the sun came
up, the plants were scorched, and they with
ered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell
among thorns, which grew up and choked the
plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where
it produced a crop a hundred, m sixty or thir
ty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let
them hear. n
10 The disciples came to him and asked, Why
do you speak to the people in parables?
11 He replied, Because the knowledge of the
secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given
to you, o but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be
given more, and they will have an abundance.
essarily mean whale but rather denotes a large sea creature.
12:42 In 1Kings 10:1 the Queen of the South is called
the queen of Sheba, a country in southwestern Arabia (modern Yemen).
13:2 Rabbis usually taught from a sitting position.
13:5 Rocky places refers not to ground covered with
small stones but to shallow soil on top of solid rock. Any
moisture that fell there soon evaporated, and the germinating seed withered and died.

1153

12:31 a Lk12:10
12:33 b Mt7:16, 17
12:34 c Mt3:7; 23:33
d Lk6:45
12:38 e Mt16:1;
Mk8:11, 12; Jn2:18;
1Co1:22
12:39 f Mt16:4
12:40 g Jnh1:17
12:41 h Jnh3:5
12:42 i 1Ki10:1; 2Ch9:1
12:45 j 2Pe2:20
12:46 k Mt13:55;
Jn2:12; 7:3, 5; Ac1:14;
1Co9:5; Gal1:19
13:2 l Lk5:3
13:8 m Ge26:12
13:9 n Mt11:15
13:11 o 1Co2:10, 14;
1Jn2:20, 27

FIRST PROOFS
1154

S
O
A
P
STUDY

FIRST PROOFS

M aT T h e w

M aT T h e w |
DATE

Soil, Seed and Sower

TITLE

Scripture
A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some
fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places
. . . Other seed fell among thorns . . . Still other seed fell on good soil (Matthew
13:3 8).

Observation
Although this is often known as the parable of the sower and the seed, it
can also be said this is a parable about the soil. All four types of soil are essentially the same dirt but are in different conditions and respond in different ways
to cultivation.
What made one soil more responsive and the other less?
When the New Testament was written, communities were agriculturally based.
A family would be appointed a section of land to farm. Every farmers plot was
adjacent to their neighbors. In order to get to the fields, the farmers would walk
along the boundaries bordering each field to avoid stepping on the growing
plants. The path was held in common by all the farmers. Over time, the soil on
the path would compact. It was never plowed and never fertilized. In the parable,
the seed that is sown on the path is not able to penetrate the ground because of
the constant use. The condition of the first soil is hard and impermeable.
The second type of soil mentioned in the parable is the rocky places or the
shallow soil where the plow didnt cut deeply enough to break up the shale or
hard ground just below the surface. This soil produced only plants with weak,
shallow roots.
The third type of soil mentioned is the thorny soil, most likely found in the
corners of the field where the plow couldnt reach; here, weeds overtook what
was planted.
All the types of soils mentioned here are actually in the same plot of ground
with one major difference: Only one area was fully yielded to cultivation, to being
changed and prepared for planting. That area was called the good soil.
The greatest amount of fruit produced was not determined by how rich the soil
was, but how yielded to the plow it was. The soil in each condition received seed,
but not all produced quality fruit.
Everyone receives seed, the Word of God. Everyone has potential for the harvest, living a fruitful life, but the ones who will produce the most fruit will be the
ones most yielded to cultivation.

Application
How I apply this passage is by asking questions: Can I be cultivated in
my life? How correctable am I? How quickly do I repent? Can I self-correct? The
greater my yielding to Gods cultivation will define the capacity of my fruitfulness
in life.

Prayer
Father, create in me a soft heart, an open heart that is readily yielded to
your Word and your commands. Make me fruitful, I pray. Amen.

Go to page XXXX for the next SOAP study.

HOW WILL I BE DIFFERENT TODAY BECAUSE OF WHAT I HAVE JUST READ?

1155
PAGE

FIRST PROOFS
1156

FIRST PROOFS

M aT T h e w 1 3 : 1 3

13:12 p Mt25:29;
Lk19:26
13:15 q Isa6:9, 10;
Jn12:40; Ac28:26, 27
13:16 r Mt16:17
13:17 s Heb11:13;
1Pe1:1012
13:19 t Mt4:23
13:21 u Mt11:6
13:22 v Mt19:23;
1Ti6:9, 10, 17
13:30 w Mt3:12
13:32 x Ps104:12;
Eze17:23; Da4:12
13:33 y Ge18:6
13:34 z Mk4:33
a
13:35 Ps78:2; 1Co2:7

M aT T h e w 1 4 : 9

Whoever does not have, even what they have ing a hundred, six ty or thir ty times what was
will be taken from them. p 13 This is why I speak sown.
to them in parables:
Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or
understand.

The Parable of the Weeds

24 Jesus told them another parable: The king

dom of heaven is like a man who sowed good
seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleep
14 In them is ful filled the prophecy of Isa iah:
ing, his enemy came and sowed weeds among
the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat
You will be ever hearing but never
sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also
understanding;
appeared.
you will be ever seeing but never
27 The owners ser vants came to him and
perceiving.
said, Sir, didnt you sow good seed in your field?
15 For this peoples heart has become
Where then did the weeds come from?
28 An enemy did this, he replied.
calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
The ser vants asked him, Do you want us to
and they have closed their eyes.
go and pull themup?
29 No, he answered, because while you are
Otherwise they might see with their
eyes,
pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat
with them. 30 Let both grow together until the
hear with their ears,
har vest. At that time I will tell the har vesters:
understand with their hearts
First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles
and turn, and I would heal them. a q
to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it
16 But blessed are your eyes be cause they see,
into my barn. w
and your ears because they hear. r 17 For tru ly I
tell you, many prophets and righteous people The Parables of the Mustard Seed
longed to see what you see s but did not see it, andtheYeast
31 He told them another parable: The king
and to hear what you hear but did not hearit.
18 Listen then to what the parable of the sow
dom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a
er means: 19 When anyone hears the message man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it
about the kingdom t and does not understand it, is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows,
the evil one comes and snatches away what was it is the largest of garden plants and becomes
sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its
the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground re branches. x
33 He told them still another par able: The
fers to someone who hears the word and at once
receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman
root, they last only a short time. When trouble took and mixed into about six ty pounds b of
y
or persecution comes because of the word, they flour until it worked all through the dough.
34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in
u
22
quick ly fall away. The seed falling among the
thorns refers to someone who hears the word, parables; he did not say any thing to them with
z 35
but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness out using a parable. So was fulfilled what was
of wealth v choke the word, mak ing it unfruit spoken through the prophet:

ful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to

someone who hears the word and understands
it. This is the one who produces a crop, yield
a

15 Isaiah 6:9,10 (see Septuagint)

I will open my mouth in parables,

I will utter things hidden since the
creation of the world. c a

33 Or about 27 kilograms

13:26 Zizanion, a kind of weed, has poisonous seeds but

looks like wheat in the early stages of growth. Yet they are
easily distinguishable at harvest.
13:31 32 The mustard seed is not the smallest seed known
today, but it was the smallest used by farmers and gardeners
in the Holy Land at that time. Under favorable conditions,
the mature plant could reach about 10 feet (3 m) in height.

35 Psalm 78:2

Using the mustard seed as a metaphor for the kingdom no

doubt shocked Jesus audience, who expected Gods kingdom to be great and expansive.
13:33 Scripture almost always uses yeast as a negative image
(see also the note on Mk 8:15). But Jesus cited it to symbolize the positive, hidden permeation and growth of the
kingdom of heaven within an unsuspecting world.

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

36 Then

he left the crowd and went into the

house. His disciples came to him and said, Ex
plain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.
37 He answered, The one who sowed the good
seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world,
and the good seed stands for the people of the
kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil
one, b 39 and the enemy who sows them is the
dev il. The har vest is the end of the age, c and the
har vesters are angels.
40 As the weeds are pulled up and burned in
the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41The
Son of Man will send out his angels, and they
will weed out of his kingdom every thing that
causes sin and all who do evil. 42They will throw
them into the blazing furnace, where there will
be weeping and gnashing of teeth. d 43 Then the
righteous will shine like the sune in the kingdom
of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure

andthePearl
44 The

kingdom of heaven is like trea sure

hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid
it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he
had and bought that field. f
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a
merchant look ing for fine pearls. 46 When he
found one of great value, he went away and sold
every thing he had and boughtit.

Yes, they replied.

52 He said to them, Therefore every teach
er of the law who has become a disciple in the
kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house
who brings out of his storeroom new treasures
as well as old.

A Prophet Without Honor

53 When Jesus had finished these parables, i he

moved on from there. 54 Coming to his home

town, he began teaching the people in their syn
agogue, j and they were amazed. k Where did
this man get this wisdom and these miracu lous
powers? they asked. 55 Isnt this the carpenters
son? l Isnt his mothers m name Mary, and arent
his brothers James, Joseph, Si mon and Judas?
56 Arent all his sisters with us? Where then did
this man get all these things? 57 And they took
of fense at him.
But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not with
out honor except in his own town and in his own
home. n
58 And he did not do many miracles there be
cause of their lack of faith.

John the Baptist Beheaded

14

47 Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like

a net that was let down into the lake and caught
all kinds g of fish. 48 When it was full, the fish
ermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat
down and collected the good fish in baskets, but
threw the bad away. 49 This is how it will be at
the end of the age. The angels will come and
separate the wicked from the righteous h 50 and
throw them into the blazing fur nace, where
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 Have you under stood all these things?
Jesus asked.

At that time Herod o the tetrarch heard

the reports about Jesus, p 2 and he said to
his attendants, This is John the Baptist; he has
risen from the dead! That is why mi racu lous
powers are at work in him.
3 Now Herod had ar rested John and bound
him and put him in prison because of Herodi
as, his brother Philips wife, q 4 for John had been
say ing to him: It is not law ful for you to have
her. r 5 Herod wanted to kill John, but he was
afraid of the people, because they considered
John a prophet.
6 On Herods birthday the daughter of Hero
dias danced for the guests and pleased Herod
so much 7 that he promised with an oath to give
her whatever she asked. 8Prompted by her moth
er, she said, Give me here on a platter the head
of John the Baptist. 9 The king was distressed,
but because of his oaths and his dinner guests,

13:44 People in ancient times commonly hid valuables

in fields (e.g., when a marauding army approached), since
there were no banks. These treasures might go hidden and
unclaimed for generations.
13:55 For carpenters son, see the note on Mk 6:3. Apparently Joseph was not living at the time of this incident.
14:1 A tetrarch was the ruler of a fourth part of a region.
Herod the tetrarch (Herod Antipas) was one of several
sons of Herod the Great. When Herod the Great died, his

kingdom was divided among three of his sons. Herod Antipas ruled over Galilee and Perea (4 BC AD 39).
14:3 Herodias was a granddaughter of Herod the Great.
Herod Antipas persuaded Herodias to leave her husband
(his half brother, Phillip I) for him. When Herod Antipas
married Herodias, John the Baptist publicly condemned
him for marrying his half brothers wife. Such a marriage
would have been considered an incestuous affront to Gods
law (Lev 18:16; 20:21).

The Parable of the Net

1157

13:38 b Jn8:44, 45
13:39 c Mt24:3
13:42 d ver50; Mt8:12
13:43 e Da12:3
13:44 f Isa55:1;
Php3:7, 8
13:47 g Mt22:10
13:49 h Mt25:32
13:53 i Mt7:28
13:54 j Mt4:23 k Mt7:28
13:55 l Jn6:42
m Mt12:46
13:57 n Jn4:44
14:1 o Mk8:15; Ac4:27
p Lk9:79
14:3 q Lk3:19, 20
14:4 r Lev18:16; 20:21

FIRST PROOFS
1158

FIRST PROOFS

M aT T h e w 1 4 : 1 0

14:14 s Mt9:36
14:17 t Mt16:9
14:19 u 1Sa9:13;
Lk24:30

M aT T h e w 1 5 : 2 2

16 Jesus replied, They do not need to go away.

he ordered that her request be granted 10 and
had John beheaded in the prison. 11His head was You give them something to eat.
17 We have here only five loaves t of bread and
brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who
carried it to her mother. 12 Johns disciples came two fish, they answered.
18 Bring them here to me, he said. 19 And
and took his body and buried it. Then they went
and told Jesus.
he directed the people to sit down on the grass.
Tak ing the five loaves and the two fish and look
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
ing up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the
13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he
loaves. u Then he gave them to the disciples, and
withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all
Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked
from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were
large crowd, he had compassion on them s and left over. 21 The number of those who ate was
healed their sick.
about five thousand men, besides women and
15 As evening approached, the disciples came
children.
to him and said, This is a remote place, and its
already get ting late. Send the crowds away, so Jesus Walks on the Water
22 Im mediately Jesus made the disciples get
they can go to the vil lages and buy themselves
some food.
into the boat and go on ahead of him to the oth

14:21 All four Gospels record this miracle, but only Matthew noted that the number 5,000 resulted from a tally of
men only. Jews did not permit women and children to eat
with men in public, so they were no doubt fed in a sepa-

rate area. The total number of people may have stretched to

10,000 or more. The remote region offered no food for the
people, but neither would such abundant staples likely have
been on hand in the nearby villages.

L IF e C ON N eCT MaTThew 13:53 58

Miracles Become Scarce

he people from Jesus hometown thought they knew him. He was a

carpenter. He was Marys son. What they thought they knew blinded
them to who he really was. They were offended by his claims. So he moved
on and went to those who would receive him.
Gods truth offends a lot of people. Take the case of the Pharisees of Matthew 15. Jesus was teaching from Isaiah about how some would honor him
with their lips, but that their hearts were far from him They worship me in
vain; their teachings are merely human rules (Mt 15:9). The Pharisees were
offended by Jesus harsh words.
When Jesus was in Nazareth, he could do no miracles among the people
because they did not believe he was who he was. When we are offended
by who Jesus is or what Jesus requires of us, he cannot work with us. Our
unbelief puts distance between him and us. We disqualify ourselves from the
miracles he wants to work every day in us and for us.
Jesus was amazed at the unbelief of his former neighbors (see Mk 6:6).
I never want God to wonder at my unbelief. Instead, I want him to wonder
at my faith! And I certainly dont want Gods miracles to become scarce in
my life.
Go to page XXXX for the next LifeConnect article.

er side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 Af ter

he had dismissed them, he went up on a moun
tainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he
was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a
considerable distance from land, buf feted by the
waves because the wind was againstit.
25 Short ly before dawn Jesus went out to them,
walk ing on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw
him walk ing on the lake, they were ter rified.
Its a ghost, v they said, and cried out in fear.
27 But Jesus im mediately said to them: Take
courage! w It is I. Dont be afraid. x
28 Lord, if its you, Peter replied, tell me to
come to you on the water.
29 Come, he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked
on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when
he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning
to sink, cried out, Lord, saveme!
31 Im me di ately Jesus reached out his hand
and caught him. You of lit tle faith, y he said,
why did you doubt?
32 And when they climbed into the boat, the
wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the
boat worshiped him, say ing, Tru ly you are the
Son of God. z
34 When they had crossed over, they land
ed at Gennesa ret. 35 And when the men of that
place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the
surround ing country. People brought all their
sick to him 36 and begged him to let the sick
just touch the edge of his cloak, a and all who
touched it were healed.

4 For God said, Honor your father and mother a c

and Anyone who curses their father or mother

is to be put to death. b d 5 But you say that if any
one declares that what might have been used to
help their father or mother is devoted to God,
6 they are not to honor their father or mother
with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the
sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites! Isa iah
was right when he prophesied about you:
8 These people honor me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me.

9 They worship me in vain;

their teachings are merely human

rules. e c f

10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said,

Listen and understand. 11 What goes into some
ones mouth does not defile them, g but what
comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles
them.
12 Then the disciples came to him and asked,
Do you know that the Pharisees were of fended
when they heard this?
13 He replied, Every plant that my heaven ly
Father has not planted h will be pulled up by the
roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides. d i If
the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit. j
15 Peter said, Ex plain the parable tous. k
16 Are you still so dull? l Jesus asked them.
17 Dont you see that whatever enters the mouth
goes into the stomach and then out of the
body? 18 But the things that come out of a per
sons mouth come from the heart, m and these
defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil
That Which Defiles
thoughts murder, adultery, sexual immoral
Then some Pharisees and teachers of the ity, theft, false testimony, slander. n 20 These are
law came to Jesus from Jerusa lem and what defile a person; but eating with unwashed
asked, 2 Why do your disciples break the tradi hands does not defile them.
tion of the elders? They dont wash their hands
The Faith of a Canaanite Woman
before they eat! b
3 Jesus re plied, And why do you break the
21 Leav ing that place, Jesus withdrew to the
command of God for the sake of your tradition? region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman

15

a 4 Exodus 20:12; Deut. 5:16

the blind

4 Exodus 21:17; Lev. 20:9

14:25 The phrase shortly before dawn indicates a time

roughly 3:00 6:00 a.m. According to Roman reckoning,
the night was divided into four watches: (1) 6:00 9:00
p.m., (2) 9:00 p.m. midnight, (3) midnight 3:00 a.m.
and (4)3:00 6:00 a.m. The Jews had only three watches during the night: (1) sunset 10:00 p.m., (2) 10:00
p.m. 2:00 a.m. and (3)2:00 a.m. sunrise.
15:2 After the Babylonian exile, the Jewish rabbis began to
make meticulous rules and regulations governing the daily
life of the people. These were interpretations and applica-

9 Isaiah 29:13

14 Some manuscripts blind guides of

tions of the Law of Moses, handed down from generation

to generation. In Jesus day this tradition of the elders was
in oral form. It was not until about AD 200 that it was put
into writing in the Mishnah.
15:21 Tyre was a Gentile city located in Phoenicia (modern
Lebanon), which bordered Galilee to the northwest. Sidon
was about 25 miles (40 km) north of Tyre.
15:22 In New Testament times there was no country
known as Canaan. Some think that this was the Semitic
manner of referring to the people of Phoenicia at this time.

1159

14:26 v Lk24:37
14:27 w Mt9:2 x Mt17:7;
28:10; Rev1:17
14:31 y Mt6:30
14:33 z Ps2:7
14:36 a Mt9:20
15:2 b Lk11:38
15:4 c Ex20:12; Dt5:16
d Lev20:9
15:9 e Col2:2022
f Isa29:13
15:11 g Ac10:14, 15
15:13 h Isa60:21
15:14 i Mt23:16, 24
j Lk6:39
15:15 k Mt13:36
15:16 l Mt16:9
15:18 m Mt12:34;
Jas3:6
15:19 n Gal5:1921

FIRST PROOFS
1160

FIRST PROOFS

M aT T h e w 1 5 : 2 3

15:22 o Mt9:27 p Mt4:24

15:24 q Mt10:6, 23
15:25 r Mt8:2
15:28 s Mt9:22
15:30 t Mt4:23
15:31 u Mt9:8
15:32 v Mt9:36
15:36 w Mt14:19
15:37 x Mt16:10
16:1 y Mt12:38
16:3 z Lk12:5456
16:4 a Mt12:39
16:6 b Lk12:1
16:8 c Mt6:30
16:9 d Mt14:1721
16:10 e Mt15:3438

from that vicin ity came to him, cry ing out,

Lord, Son of David, o have mercy on me! My
daughter is demonpossessed and suf fering ter
ribly. p
23 Jesus did not an swer a word. So his dis
ciples came to him and urged him, Send her
away, for she keeps cry ing out af terus.
24 He answered, I was sent only to the lost
sheep of Israel. q
25 The woman came and knelt before him. r
Lord, help me! she said.
26 He replied, It is not right to take the chil
drens bread and toss it to the dogs.
27 Yes it is, Lord, she said. Even the dogs eat
the crumbs that fall from their masters table.
28 Then Jesus said to her, Woman, you have
great faith! s Your request is granted. And her
daughter was healed at that moment.

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

29 Jesus

left there and went along the Sea of

Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and
sat down. 30 Great crowds came to him, bringing
the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and
many others, and laid them at his feet; and he
healed them. t 31 The people were amazed when
they saw the mute speak ing, the crippled made
well, the lame walk ing and the blind seeing.
And they praised the God of Israel. u
32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, I
have compassion for these people; v they have al
ready been with me three days and have nothing
to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry,
or they may collapse on the way.
33 His disciples answered, Where could we
get enough bread in this remote place to feed
such a crowd?
34 How many loaves do you have? Jesus
asked.
Seven, they replied, and a few small fish.
35 He told the crowd to sit down on the
ground. 36 Then he took the seven loaves and the
fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke
them w and gave them to the disciples, and they
in turn to the people. 37 They all ate and were sat
isfied. Af ter ward the disciples picked up seven
basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. x
a

M aT T h e w 1 7 : 1 7
38 The

number of those who ate was four thou

sand men, besides women and children. 39 Af ter
Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the
boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.

The Demand for a Sign

16

The Phar isees and Sadducees came to

Jesus and tested him by ask ing him to
show them a sign from heaven. y
2 He replied, When evening comes, you say,
It will be fair weather, for the sky is red, 3 and
in the morning, Today it will be stormy, for the
sky is red and overcast. You know how to inter
pret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot
interpret the signs of the times. a z 4 A wicked and
adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none
will be given it except the sign of Jonah. a Jesus
then left them and went away.

The Yeast of the Pharisees and

Sadducees
5 When

they went across the lake, the disci

ples forgot to take bread. 6 Be careful, Jesus
said to them. Be on your guard against the
yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. b
7 They discussed this among themselves and
said, It is because we didnt bring any bread.
8 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, You
of little faith, c why are you talk ing among your
selves about hav ing no bread? 9 Do you still not
understand? Dont you remember the five loaves
for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls
you gathered? d 10 Or the seven loaves for the four
thousand, and how many basketfuls you gath
ered? e 11 How is it you dont understand that I
was not talk ing to you about bread? But be on
your guard against the yeast of the Phar isees
and Sadducees. 12 Then they understood that he
was not telling them to guard against the yeast
used in bread, but against the teaching of the
Pharisees and Sadducees.

Peter Declares That Jesus Is the

Messiah
13 When

Jesus came to the region of Caesarea

Philippi, he asked his disciples, Who do people
say the Son of Manis?

2,3 Some early manuscripts do not have When evening comes . . . of the times.

14 They replied, Some say John the Baptist; f

others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or
one of the prophets. g
15 But what about you? he asked. Who do
you say Iam?
16 Si mon Peter answered, You are the Messi
ah, the Son of the liv ing God. h
17 Jesus re plied, Blessed are you, Si mon
son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you
by flesh and blood, i but by my Father in heav
en. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, a j and on
this rock I will build my church, and the gates
of Hades b will not overcome it. 19 I will give you
the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever
you bind on earth will be c bound in heaven, and
whatever you loose on earth will be c loosed in
heaven. k 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to
tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Jesus Predicts His Death

21 From that time on Jesus began to ex plain to

his disciples that he must go to Jerusa lem and

suf fer many things l at the hands of the elders,
the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and
that he must be killed and on the third day be
raised to life. m
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke
him. Never, Lord! he said. This shall never
happen to you!
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, Get behind
me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you
do not have in mind the concerns of God, but
merely human concerns.
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, Whoever
wants to be my disciple must deny themselves
and take up their cross and fol low me. n 25 For
whoever wants to save their life d will lose it,
but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
26 What good will it be for someone to gain the
whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can
anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the
Son of Man is going to come in his Fathers glory
with his angels, and then he will reward each
person according to what they have done. o
28 Tru ly I tell you, some who are stand ing
here will not taste death before they see the Son
of Man coming in his kingdom.
a
d

15:39 Magadan was also called Magdala, the home of Mary

Magdalene. Mark 8:10 renders this Dalmanutha.
16:1 Normally these two groups were opponents, but they
had a common enemy in Jesus.

16:6 For yeast, see the note on 13:33.

16:13 Caesarea Philippi is to be distinguished from the
magnificent city of Caesarea Maritima, which Herod the
Great had built on the Mediterranean coast.

The Transfiguration

17

Af ter six days Jesus took with him Pe

ter, James and John the brother of James,
and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
2 There he was transfig ured before them. His face
shone like the sun, and his clothes became as
white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared be
fore them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
4 Peter said to Jesus, Lord, it is good for us
to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shel
ters one for you, one for Moses and one for
Elijah.
5 While he was still speak ing, a bright cloud
covered them, and a voice from the cloud said,
This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am
well pleased. p Listen to him! q
6 When the disciples heard this, they fell face
down to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came
and touched them. Get up, he said. Dont be
afraid. r 8 When they looked up, they saw no one
except Jesus.
9 As they were com ing down the mountain,
Jesus instructed them, Dont tell anyone what
you have seen, until the Son of Man has been
raised from the dead. s
10 The disciples asked him, Why then do the
teachers of the law say that Elijah must come
first?
11 Jesus replied, To be sure, Elijah comes and
will restore all things. t 12 But I tell you, Elijah has
already come, u and they did not recognize him,
but have done to him every thing they wished. v
In the same way the Son of Man is going to suf
fer w at their hands. 13 Then the disciples under
stood that he was talk ing to them about John
the Baptist.

Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy

14 When

they came to the crowd, a man ap

proached Jesus and knelt before him. 15 Lord,
have mercy on my son, he said. He has sei
zures and is suf fer ing great ly. He of ten falls
into the fire or into the water. 16 I brought him
to your disciples, but they could not heal him.
17 You unbeliev ing and per verse generation,
Jesus replied, how long shall I stay with you?
How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy

b 18 That is, the realm of the dead

18 The Greek word for Peter means rock.
25 The Greek word means either life or soul ; also in verse 26.

17:5 For Gods sheknh glory (his visible presence), see the
note on Ex14:19.

19 Or will have been

17:10 Traditional Jewish eschatology held that Elijah had

to appear before the coming of the Messiah.

1161

16:14 f Mt14:2
g Mk6:15; Jn1:21
16:16 h Jn11:27
16:17 i 1Co15:50;
Gal1:16
16:18 j Jn1:42
16:19 k Mt18:18;
Jn20:23
16:21 l Lk17:25
m Mk9:31
16:24 n Mt10:38;
Lk14:27
16:27 o Ro2:6; 2Co5:10;
Rev22:12
17:5 p Mt3:17; 2Pe1:17
q Ac3:22, 23
17:7 r Mt14:27
17:9 s Mt16:21
17:11 t Mal4:6;
Lk1:16, 17
17:12 u Mt11:14
v Mt14:3, 10 w Mt16:21

FIRST PROOFS
1162

M aT T h e w 1 7 : 1 8

17:20 x Mt21:21
Lk17:6
z 1Co13:2
17:24 a Ex30:13
17:25 b Mt22:1721;
Ro13:7
17:27 c Jn6:61
18:3 d Mt19:14; 1Pe2:2
18:6 e Lk17:2
18:7 f Lk17:1
18:8 g Mt5:29;
Mk9:43, 45
18:9 h Mt5:29
18:10 i Ps34:7
18:15 j Lev19:17;
Lk17:3; Jas5:19, 20
y Mk11:23;

FIRST PROOFS

here to me. 18 Jesus rebuked the demon, and it

came out of the boy, and he was healed at that
moment.
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private
and asked, Why couldnt we drive it out?
20 He replied, Because you have so lit tle faith.
Tru ly I tell you, if you have faith x as small as a
mustard seed, y you can say to this mountain,
Move from here to there, and it will move. z
Nothing will be impossible for you. [21] a

Jesus Predicts His Death a Second

Time
22 When

they came together in Gal i lee, he

said to them, The Son of Man is going to be
delivered into the hands of men. 23 They will kill
him, and on the third day he will be raised to
life. And the disciples were filled with grief.

The Temple Tax

24 Af ter

Jesus and his disciples arrived in Ca

per naum, the col lec tors of the twodrach ma
temple tax a came to Peter and asked, Doesnt
your teacher pay the temple tax?
25 Yes, he does, he replied.
When Peter came into the house, Jesus was
the first to speak. What do you think, Simon?
he asked. From whom do the kings of the earth
col lect duty and taxes b from their own chil
dren or from others?
26 From others, Peter answered.
Then the children are exempt, Jesus said to
him. 27 But so that we may not cause of fense, c
go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the
first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will
find a fourdrachma coin. Take it and give it to
them for my tax and yours.

The Greatest in the Kingdom

ofHeaven

18

At that time the disciples came to Jesus

and asked, Who, then, is the greatest in
the kingdom of heaven?

M aT T h e w 1 9 : 1 0
2 He called a lit tle child to him, and placed the
child among them. 3 And he said: Tru ly I tell
you, un less you change and become like lit tle
children, d you will never enter the kingdom of
heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly po
sition of this child is the greatest in the kingdom
of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such
child in my name welcomes me.

Causing to Stumble
6 If

anyone causes one of these little ones

those who believe in me to stumble, it would
be bet ter for them to have a large millstone
hung around their neck and to be drowned in
the depths of the sea. e 7 Woe to the world be
cause of the things that cause people to stum
ble! Such things must come, but woe to the per
son through whom they come! f 8 If your hand or
your foot causes you to stumble, g cut it off and
throw it away. It is bet ter for you to enter life
maimed or crippled than to have two hands or
two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And
if your eye causes you to stumble, h gouge it out
and throw it away. It is bet ter for you to enter
life with one eye than to have two eyes and be
thrown into the fire of hell.

The Parable of the Wandering Sheep

10 See that you do not despise one of these lit
tle ones. For I tell you that their angelsi in heaven
always see the face of my Father in heaven. [11] b
12 What do you think? If a man owns a hun
dred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will
he not leave the ninetynine on the hills and go
to look for the one that wandered off ? 13 And if
he finds it, tru ly I tell you, he is happier about
that one sheep than about the ninetynine that
did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Fa
ther in heaven is not willing that any of these
little ones should perish.

Dealing With Sin in the Church

15 If

your brother or sister c sins, d go and

point out their fault, j just between the two of

b 11 Some manuscripts include here the words of

21 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Mark 9:29.
c 15 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a fellow disciple, whether man or woman;
Luke 19:10.
d 15 Some manuscripts sins against you
also in verses 21 and 35.

17:20 For mustard seed, see the note on 13:31 32.

17:24 Unlike Matthew, who had collected taxes for the occupying Roman forces (9:9), these tax collectors represented
the Jewish religious establishment in Jerusalem, overseeing
the temple and its tax. The two-drachma tax was the annual temple tax required of every male 20 years of age and
older (Ex 30:13; 2Ch 24:9; Ne 10:32). It was worth half a

shekel (approximately two days wages) and was used for the
upkeep of the temple.
18:6 The large millstone (or, millstone of a donkey) was
a millstone (either of two circular stones used for grinding
grain) turned by a donkey. As such, it was far larger and
heavier than the small millstones used by women for grinding grain each morning.

you. If they listen to you, you have won them

over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or
two others along, so that every mat ter may be
established by the testimony of two or three wit
nesses. a k 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to
the church; and if they refuse to listen even to
the church, treat them as you would a pagan or
a tax collector.
18 Tru ly I tell you, whatever you bind on
earth will be b bound in heaven, and whatever
you loose on earth will be b loosed in heaven. l
19 Again, tru ly I tell you that if two of you on
earth agree about any thing they ask for, it will
be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For
where two or three gather in my name, there am
I with them.

The Parable of the Unmerciful

Servant
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, Lord,

how many times shall I forgive my brother or

sister who sins against me? Up to seven times? m
22 Jesus answered, I tell you, not seven times,
but seventyseven times. c n
23 Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like
a king who wanted to settle accounts o with his
ser vants. 24 As he began the set tlement, a man
who owed him ten thousand bags of gold d was
brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, p
the master ordered that he and his wife and his
children and all that he had be sold q to repay
the debt.
26 At this the ser vant fell on his knees before
him. r Be patient with me, he begged, and I
will pay back every thing. 27 The ser vants mas
ter took pity on him, canceled the debt and let
himgo.
28 But when that ser vant went out, he found
one of his fellow ser vants who owed him a hun
dred silver coins. e He grabbed him and began
to choke him. Pay back what you owe me! he
demanded.
29 His fel low ser vant fell to his knees and
begged him, Be patient with me, and I will pay
it back.

30 But he refused. Instead, he went off and had

the man thrown into prison until he could pay
the debt. 31When the other servants saw what had
happened, they were outraged and went and told
their master every thing that had happened.
32 Then the master called the ser vant in. You
wicked ser vant, he said, I canceled all that debt
of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldnt
you have had mercy on your fellow ser vant just
as I had on you? 34 In anger his master handed
him over to the jailers to be tor tured, until he
should pay back all he owed.
35 This is how my heaven ly Father will treat
each of you un less you forgive your brother or
sister from your heart. s

Divorce

19

When Jesus had fin ished say ing these

things, he left Gali lee and went into the
region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan.
2 Large crowds fol lowed him, and he healed
them t there.
3 Some Phar i sees came to him to test him.
They asked, Is it law ful for a man to divorce
his wife u for any and every reason?
4 Havent you read, he replied, that at the
beginning the Creator made them male and fe
male, f v 5 and said, For this reason a man will
leave his father and mother and be united to his
wife, and the two will become one flesh g ? w 6 So
they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore
what God has joined together, let no one sep
arate.
7 Why then, they asked, did Moses com
mand that a man give his wife a cer tif icate of
divorce and send her away? x
8 Jesus replied, Moses per mit ted you to di
vorce your wives because your hearts were hard.
But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I
tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, ex
cept for sexual immorality, and marries another
woman commits adultery. y
10 The disciples said to him, If this is the sit
uation between a husband and wife, it is better
not to marry.

a 16 Deut. 19:15
b 18 Or will have been
c 22 Or seventy times seven
d 24 Greek ten thousand talents; a talent was
e 28 Greek a hundred denarii; a denarius was the usual daily wage of a day
worth about 20 years of a day laborers wages.
f 4 Gen. 1:27
g 5 Gen. 2:24
laborer (see 20:2).

18:21 The standard teaching within Judaism (based on Job

33:29 30; Am 1:3; 2:6) was that three instances of forgiveness reflected a forgiving spirit. Peters offer to more than
double that number was generous, probably reflecting his
desire for the completeness the number seven usually repre-

sented. Jesus response in essence that Peter was to forgive

countless times was astonishing.
19:1 For Judea, see the note on Mk 10:1. Other side of
the Jordan refers to the eastern side, known later as Transjordan or Perea and today simply as Jordan.

1163

18:16 k Dt19:15;
Jn8:17; 2Co13:1;
Heb10:28
18:18 l Mt16:19;
Jn20:23
18:21 m Lk17:4
18:22 n Ge4:24
18:23 o Mt25:19
18:25 p Lk7:42 q 2Ki4:1;
Ne5:5, 8
18:26 r Mt8:2
18:35 s Mt6:14
19:2 t Mt4:23
19:3 u Mt5:31
19:4 v Ge1:27; 5:2
19:5 w Ge2:24;
1Co6:16; Eph5:31
19:7 x Dt24:14
19:9 y Mt5:32; Lk16:18

FIRST PROOFS
1164

FIRST PROOFS

M aT T h e w 1 9 : 1 1

19:11 z Mt13:11;
1Co7:79, 17
19:14 a Mt18:3; 1Pe2:2
19:16 b Mt25:46
c Lk10:25
19:18 d Jas2:11
e
19:19 Lev19:18
19:21 f Lk12:33;
Ac2:45; 4:3435
g Mt6:20
19:23 h Mt13:22
19:26 i Ge18:14;
Job42:2; Jer32:17;
Zec8:6
19:28 j Lk22:2830;
Rev3:21
19:30 k Mt20:16;
Lk13:30
20:1 l Mt13:24
20:8 m Lev19:13

M aT T h e w 2 0 : 1 7

11 Jesus re plied, Not everyone can ac cept

this word, but only those to whom it has been
given. z 12 For there are eunuchs who were born
that way, and there are eunuchs who have been
made eunuchs by others and there are those
who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of
the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept
this should acceptit.

The Little Children and Jesus

13 Then people brought lit tle children to Jesus
for him to place his hands on them and pray for
them. But the disciples rebuked them.
14 Jesus said, Let the lit tle children come to
me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of
heaven belongs to such as these.a 15When he had
placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

The Rich and the Kingdom of God

16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked,

Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eter

nal life b? c
17 Why do you ask me about what is good?
Jesus replied. There is only One who is good. If
you want to enter life, keep the commandments.
18 Which ones? he inquired.
Jesus replied, You shall not murder, you shall
not commit adultery,d you shall not steal, you shall
not give false testimony, 19honor your father and
mother,a and love your neighbor as yourself.be
20 All these I have kept, the young man said.
What do I still lack?
21 Jesus answered, If you want to be per fect,
go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, f
and you will have trea sure in heaven. g Then
come, followme.
22 When the young man heard this, he went
away sad, because he had great wealth.
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, Tru ly I tell
you, it is hard for someone who is rich h to enter
the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is
easier for a camel to go through the eye of a nee
dle than for someone who is rich to enter the
kingdom of God.
25 When the disciples heard this, they were
great ly astonished and asked, Who then can
be saved?
26 Jesus looked at them and said, With man
a 19 Exodus 20:12-16; Deut. 5:16-20
b 19 Lev. 19:18
was the usual daily wage of a day laborer.

20:2 The denarius was the usual daily wage. A Roman soldier also received one denarius a day.

this is impossible, but with God all things are

possible. i
27 Peter answered him, We have left every
thing to fol low you! What then will there be
forus?
28 Jesus said to them, Tru ly I tell you, at the
renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits
on his glorious throne, you who have fol lowed
me will also sit on twelve thrones, judg ing the
twelve tribes of Israel. j 29 And everyone who
has left houses or brothers or sisters or father
or mother or wife c or children or fields for my
sake will receive a hundred times as much and
will in her it eter nal life. 30 But many who are
first will be last, and many who are last will be
first. k

The Parable of the Workers

intheVineyard

20

For the kingdom of heaven is like l a

landowner who went out early in the
morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He
agreed to pay them a denarius d for the day and
sent them into his vineyard.
3 About nine in the morning he went out and
saw others stand ing in the market place doing
nothing. 4 He told them, You also go and work
in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is
right. 5 So they went.
He went out again about noon and about
three in the af ternoon and did the same thing.
6 About five in the af ter noon he went out and
found still others stand ing around. He asked
them, Why have you been standing here all day
long doing nothing?
7 Be cause no one has hired us, they an
swered.
He said to them, You also go and work in
my vineyard.
8 When evening came, m the owner of the
vineyard said to his foreman, Call the workers
and pay them their wages, beginning with the
last ones hired and going on to the first.
9 The workers who were hired about five in
the af ternoon came and each received a denari
us. 10 So when those came who were hired first,
they expected to receive more. But each one of
them also received a denar ius. 11 When they
received it, they began to grumble against the

29 Some manuscripts do not have or wife.

2 A denarius

20:8 Because farm workers were poor, the Law of Moses

required that they be paid at the end of each day.

landowner. 12 These who were hired last worked

only one hour, they said, and you have made
them equal to us who have borne the burden of
the work and the heat n of the day.
13 But he an swered one of them, I am not
being unfair to you, friend. Didnt you agree to
work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I
want to give the one who was hired last the same
as I gave you. 15 Dont I have the right to do what

I want with my own money? Or are you envious

because I am generous? o
16 So the last will be first, and the first will
be last. p

1165

20:12 n Jnh4:8; Jas1:11

20:15 o Dt15:9; Mk7:22
20:16 p Mt19:30

Jesus Predicts His Death a Third

Time
17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusa lem. On the
way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them,

20:15 Are you envious? can also be translated, Is your

eye evil? The evil eye in the ancient world indicated a
person coveted what belonged to another.

What a Deal
Scripture
Jesus said to them, Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the
Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit
on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left
houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for
my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But
many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first (Matthew
19:28 30).

Observation
What a deal! Jesus is asking us to give up everything to follow him, but
what we give up is not lost. It is not squandered. It is not discarded. Instead, it is
repatriated. It goes back to the country to which it belongs to heaven. These
things we place in Gods hands. And if we must physically leave them, God still
owns them.
Often our problem is that we do not want to give everything to God. We want
to keep things and gather more. We call this prosperity. But is it selfishness
under the guise of Biblical prosperity?
Gods definition of prosperity is different from ours. He encourages us to give
him ownership while we assume stewardship. He teaches us to keep a loose
hold on things, positions, roles and ministries. And at times, just to remind us of
who owns what, God periodically asks us to lay things down.
When we are willing to do what the Lord has asked of us, he tells us that he
holds all these things in trust. The interest grows so that there are a hundred
times more waiting for us in the life to come. What a deal!

Application
We are to submit everything we have to God. We must choose to do that
again and again. We are able to give him our hurts, our fears, our concerns, our
possessions, and anything else we are hanging on to.

Prayer
Today, Lord, teach me to honor you in all my ways and submit everything
Iam and everything I have to your ownership. Amen.

Go to page XXXX for the next SOAP study.

S
O
A
P
STUDY

FIRST PROOFS
1166
DATE

FIRST PROOFS

M aT T h e w

M aT T h e w 2 0 : 2 7
TITLE

PAGE

18 We

22 You dont know what you are ask ing,

Jesus said to them. Can you drink the cup v I
am going to drink?
We can, they answered.
23 Jesus said to them, You will indeed drink
from my cup, w but to sit at my right or left is not
for me to grant. These places belong to those for
whom they have been prepared by my Father.
A Mothers Request
24 When the ten heard about this, they were
20 Then the mother of Zebedees sons t came to
indignant with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called
Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked
them together and said, You know that the rul
a favor of him.
ers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their
21 What is it you want? he asked.
high of ficials exercise author ity over them.
She said, Grant that one of these two sons of 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to be
mine may sit at your right and the other at your come great among you must be your ser vant, x
27 and whoever wants to be first must be your
left in your kingdom. u

are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of

Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and
the teachers of the law.q They will condemn him
to death 19and will hand him over to the Gentiles
to be mocked and floggedr and crucified.s On the
third day he will be raised to life!

20:22 To drink the cup was a figure of speech meaning to

undergo or to experience.

20:26 27 A servant (diakonos, v.26) was a person who

worked in anothers service; he or she could either be free or

L I Fe C ONNeCT MaTThew 20:20 28

Qualification for Serving

n the restaurant business, a busser is at the bottom of the food chain. This
is an entry-level position of a food service establishment and is often considered expendable and easily replaceable. From the worlds point of view,
this person is a servant, but most bussers want to move up the food chain.
Not so with you (Mt 20:26).
In the kingdom of God, being a servant is something we are to work toward. It is not an entry-level position. We need to aspire to have a servants
heart. In the kingdom of God, only the greatest can qualify to be servants.
Thats right. Without these characteristics of greatness, well never make it.
We have to be great in:
Patience
Endurance
Mercy
Character
Understanding of others
Humility

And how do we know how were doing?

The true test of being a servant is how we respond when we are treated
like one.
Well want to react unfavorably, quit, bail out, complain and grumble. But
only the greatest will qualify in Gods kingdom as servants those great in
heart, and most of all, great in self-control.
Go to page XXXX for the next LifeConnect article.
HOW WILL I BE DIFFERENT TODAY BECAUSE OF WHAT I HAVE JUST READ?

1167

20:18 q Mt16:21
20:19 r Mt16:21
s Ac2:23
20:20 t Mt4:21
20:21 u Mt19:28
20:22 v Mt26:39, 42;
Lk22:42; Jn18:11
20:23 w Ac12:2; Rev1:9
20:26 x Mt23:11;
Mk9:35

FIRST PROOFS
1168

FIRST PROOFS

M aT T h e w 2 0 : 2 8

20:28 y Jn13:1316;
Php2:7 z Mt26:28;
1Ti2:6; Titus2:14;
Heb9:28
20:30 a Mt9:27
21:5 b Isa62:11; Zec9:9
21:9 c Ps118:26
21:11 d Jn6:14; 7:40
21:13 e Isa56:7
f Jer7:11
21:16 g Ps8:2

M aT T h e w 2 1 : 4 4

slave 28 just as the Son of Man did not come Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their
to be served, but to serve, y and to give his life as cloaks on the road, while others cut branches
a ransom z for many.
from the trees and spread them on the road.
9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those
Two Blind Men Receive Sight
that followed shouted,
29 As Jesus and his disciples were leav ing Jer
Hosanna b to the Son of David!
icho, a large crowd fol lowed him. 30 Two blind
men were sitting by the roadside, and when they
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted,
Lord! c c
Lord, Son of David, a have mercy onus!
Hosanna b in the highest heaven!
31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to

10 When Jesus entered Jeru sa lem, the whole

be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, Lord,
Son of David, have mercy onus!
city was stirred and asked, Who is this?
32 Jesus stopped and called them. What do
11 The crowds answered, This is Jesus, the
you want me to do for you? he asked.
prophet d from Nazareth in Gali lee.
33 Lord, they answered, we want our sight.
34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched
Jesus at the Temple
12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove
their eyes. Immediately they received their sight
and followed him.
out all who were buy ing and selling there. He
over turned the tables of the money changers
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
and the benches of those selling doves. 13 It is
As they approached Jerusa lem and came writ ten, he said to them, My house will be
to Bethphage on the Mount of Ol ives,
called a house of prayer, d e but you are mak ing
Jesus sent two disciples, 2 say ing to them, Go
it a den of robbers. e f
to the village ahead of you, and at once you will
14 The blind and the lame came to him at the
find a don key tied there, with her colt by her.
tem
ple, and he healed them. 15 But when the
Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone
chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the
says any thing to you, say that the Lord needs
wonderful things he did and the children shout
them, and he will send them right away.
4 This took place to ful fill what was spoken ing in the temple courts, Hosan na to the Son of
David, they were indignant.
through the prophet:
16 Do you hear what these children are say
5 Say to Daughter Zion,
ing? they asked him.
See, your king comes to you,
Yes, replied Jesus, have you never read,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
a
b
From the lips of children and infants
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
you, Lord, have called forth your praisef?g
6 The dis ciples went and did as Jesus had
17 And he left them and went out of the city to
instructed them. 7 They brought the don key
and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Bethany, where he spent the night.

21

a
c

b 9 A Hebrew expression meaning Save! which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15
5 Zech. 9:9
d 13 Isaiah 56:7
e 13 Jer. 7:11
f 16 Psalm 8:2 (see Septuagint)
9 Psalm 118:25,26

a slave. A slave (doulos, v.27) was the property of another.

Paul used both titles to describe himself and others who gave
their lives for the welfare of humanity and the church. John
later called himself a doulos of Jesus (Rev 1:1), as did Peter
(2Pe 1:1) and Jesus own brothers (Jas 1:1; Jude 1).
21:1 11 Through what we call the Triumphal Entry,
Jesus intentionally declared his Messianic identity to Israel. His descent from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem
evoked images of Zechariahs prophecy of God fighting on
Israels behalf with his feet on the Mount of Olives (Zec
14:3 21). Further excitement would have been stirred by
Jesus riding on a colt, fulfilling Zechariahs prophecy of the
Messianic King coming to liberate his people (see Zec 9:9).
21:8 Spreading their cloaks on the roads was an act of royal
homage. The word branches means leaves or leafy
branches, which were readily available in nearby fields.
Only John mentioned palm branches (see Jn 12:13), which

may have come from Jericho, since they are not native to
Jerusalem.
21:9 Hosanna (Hebrew hs-h-na; Greek hsanna, save
now) originated as a prayer (Save now, pray; Ps 118:25)
but by New Testament times had lost its primary meaning and had become an exclamation of praise (see also Mk
11:9 10; Jn 12:13).
21:12 The buying and selling of animals (at exorbitant
prices) took place in the large outer court of the Gentiles,
which covered several acres (see the note on Mk 11:15).
21:14 The Jewish authorities typically restricted the lame,
blind, deaf or mute from full temple access to symbolize the
purity expected in those approaching God.
21:17 Bethany was a village on the eastern slope of the
Mount of Olives, about 2 miles (3.2 km) from Jerusalem. It
was the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus.

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree

18 Early

in the morning, as Jesus was on his

way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a
fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found
nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it,
May you never bear fruit again! Immediately
the tree withered.
20 When the dis ciples saw this, they were
amazed. How did the fig tree wither so quick
ly? they asked.
21 Jesus replied, Tru ly I tell you, if you have
faith and do not doubt, h not only can you do
what was done to the fig tree, but also you can
say to this mountain, Go, throw yourself into
the sea, and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you
will receive whatever you ask for i in prayer.

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while
he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders
of the people came to him. By what authority j
are you doing these things? they asked. And
who gave you this authority?
24 Jesus replied, I will also ask you one ques
tion. If you answer me, I will tell you by what
authority I am doing these things. 25 Johns bap
tism where did it come from? Was it from
heaven, or of human origin?
They discussed it among themselves and
said, If we say, From heaven, he will ask, Then
why didnt you believe him? 26 But if we say, Of
human origin we are afraid of the people, for
they all hold that John was a prophet. k
27 So they answered Jesus, We dont know.
Then he said, Neither will I tell you by what
authority I am doing these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons

28 What do you think? There was a man who

31 Which of the two did what his father want

ed?
The first, they answered.
Jesus said to them, Tru ly I tell you, the tax
collectors m and the prostitutes n are entering the
kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came
to you to show you the way of righteousness, o
and you did not believe him, but the tax collec
tors p and the prostitutes did. And even af ter you
saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

The Parable of the Tenants

33 Listen

to another parable: There was a

landowner who planted q a vineyard. He put a
wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built
a watchtower. r Then he rented the vineyard to
some farmers and moved to another place. s
34 When the har vest time approached, he sent
his ser vants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
35 The tenants seized his ser vants; they beat
one, killed another, and stoned a third. t 36 Then
he sent other ser vants to them, more than the
first time, and the tenants treated them the
same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them.
They will respect my son, he said.
38 But when the tenants saw the son, they
said to each other, This is the heir. u Come, lets
kill him and take his in her itance. v 39 So they
took him and threw him out of the vineyard
and killed him.
40 Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard
comes, what will he do to those tenants?
41 He will bring those wretches to a wretched
end, they replied, and he will rent the vine
yard to other tenants, w who will give him his
share of the crop at har vest time.
42 Jesus said to them, Have you never read in
the Scriptures:
The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyesa ? x

had two sons. He went to the first and said, Son,

go and work today in the vineyard. l
29 I will not, he an swered, but lat er he
43 Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of
changed his mind and went.
God will be taken away from you y and given to
30 Then the father went to the other son and
a people who will produce its fruit. 44 Anyone
said the same thing. He answered, I will, sir, who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces;
but he did notgo.
anyone on whom it falls will be crushed. b
a

42 Psalm 118:22,23

44 Some manuscripts do not have verse 44.

21:23 Several courts surrounded the main temple buildings, including the court of the women, the court of the
men (Israelite), and the court of the Gentiles.
For chief priests, see the note on 2:4. The elders were
the lay members of the Sanhedrin, the high court of the Jews.

21:33 A watchtower was for guarding the vineyard, especially when the grapes ripened; it was also used for shelter.
21:41 Other tenants is a reference to Gentiles. By the
second century AD the church was composed almost entirely of Gentiles.

1169

21:21 h Mt17:20;
Lk17:6; Jas1:6
21:22 i Mt7:7
21:23 j Ac4:7
21:26 k Mk6:20
21:28 l ver33
21:31 m Lk7:29 n Lk7:50
21:32 o Mt3:112
p Lk3:12, 13
21:33 q Ps80:8
r Isa5:17 s Mt25:14, 15
21:35 t 2Ch24:21;
Mt23:34, 37;
Heb11:36, 37
21:38 u Heb1:2 v Ps2:8
21:41 w Ac13:46; 18:6;
28:28
21:42 x Ps118:22, 23;
Ac4:11
21:43 y Mt8:12

FIRST PROOFS
1170

FIRST PROOFS

M aT T h e w 2 1 : 4 5

21:46 z ver11, 26
22:2 a Mt13:24
22:3 b Mt21:34
22:4 c Mt21:36
22:7 d Lk19:27
22:12 e Mt20:13; 26:50
22:13 f Mt8:12
22:16 g Mk3:6
22:17 h Mt17:25
22:21 i Ro13:7
22:23 j Ac23:8

45 When the chief priests and the Phar i sees

heard Jesus parables, they knew he was talk ing
about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest
him, but they were afraid of the crowd because
the people held that he was a prophet. z

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

22

Jesus spoke to them again in parables,

say ing: 2 The kingdom of heaven is
a
like a king who prepared a wedding banquet
for his son. 3 He sent his ser vants b to those who
had been invited to the banquet to tell them to
come, but they refused to come.
4 Then he sent some more ser vants c and
said, Tell those who have been invited that I
have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened
cat tle have been butchered, and every thing is
ready. Come to the wedding banquet.
5 But they paid no at tention and went off
one to his field, another to his busi ness. 6 The
rest seized his ser vants, mistreated them and
killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent
his army and destroyed those murderers d and
burned their city.
8 Then he said to his ser vants, The wedding
banquet is ready, but those I invited did not de
serve to come. 9 So go to the street corners and
invite to the banquet anyone you find. 10 So the
servants went out into the streets and gathered all
the people they could find, the bad as well as the
good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11 But when the king came in to see the
guests, he noticed a man there who was not
wear ing wedding clothes. 12 He asked, How
a

M aT T h e w 2 3 : 1 5

did you get in here without wedding clothes,

friend e? The man was speechless.
13 Then the king told the at tendants, Tie
him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into
the dark ness, where there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth. f
14 For many are invited, but few are chosen.

Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar

15 Then

the Pharisees went out and laid plans

to trap him in his words. 16 They sent their disci
ples to him along with the Herodians. g Teach
er, they said, we know that you are a man of
integrity and that you teach the way of God in
accordance with the truth. You arent swayed
by others, because you pay no attention to who
they are. 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion?
Is it right to pay the imperial tax a h to Caesar or
not?
18 But Jesus, know ing their evil intent, said,
You hypocrites, why are you try ing to trap me?
19 Show me the coin used for pay ing the tax.
They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked
them, Whose image is this? And whose in
scription?
21 Caesars, they replied.
Then he said to them, So give back to Cae
sar what is Caesars, i and to God what is Gods.
22 When they heard this, they were amazed.
So they left him and went away.

Marriage at the Resurrection

23 That

same day the Sadducees, who say

there is no resurrec tion, j came to him with a

17 A special tax levied on subject peoples, not on Roman citizens

22:2 14 The Hebrews, like other peoples of the Ancient

Near East, were enormously fond of social feasting. At the
three great religious feasts, which all males were expected
to attend, each family held its own feast. A banquet always
included wine drinking. Guests were welcomed by the host
with a kiss (Lk 7:45), and their feet were washed because
the roads were dusty (Ge 18:4; Jdg 19:21; Lk 7:44). The
guests head was anointed (Ps 23:5; Lk 7:46), and sometimes
his beard, his feet and his clothing. The guests were seated
according to their respective rank (1Sa 9:22; Lk 14:8). The
banquet was put under the superintendence of a master of
the banquet, usually one of the guests, whose task it was
to taste the food and drinks and to supervise the toasts and
amusements. A great banquet sometimes lasted seven days,
but excess in eating and drinking was condemned by the
sacred writers (Ecc 10:16 17; Isa 5:11 12).
22:7 Burning a city was a common military practice. Here
the reference may be an allusion to the coming destruction
of Jerusalem in AD 70.
22:11 It appears to have been the custom for a host at a
wedding banquet to provide the guests with wedding garments. This would have been necessary for the guests at
this banquet in particular, for they were brought in directly

from the streets. The failure of the man in question to avail

himself of the wedding garment was therefore a direct insult
to the host.
22:15 17 The Pharisees were ardent nationalists, opposed
to Roman rule, while the hated Herodians, as their name
indicates, supported the rule of the Herods. The Herodians
are mentioned in the New Testament only three times (see
also Mk 3:6; 12:13), in the context in each case of joining
with the Pharisees to oppose Jesus. It appears that they were
neither a religious sect nor a political party, but simply Jews
who supported the dynasty of Herod and therefore the rule
of Rome.
22:19 The denarius was the common Roman coin of that
day. On one side of this coin was the portrait of the Roman
emperor Tiberius with the inscription in Latin: Tiberius
Caesar Augustus, son of the divine Augustus. The coin was
issued by Tiberius and was used for paying taxes to him.
22:23 The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection
of the dead because they accepted only the books of Moses
(the first five Old Testament books). Jesus reference to angels had a double edge since the Sadducees also denied their
existence (cf. Ac 23:8).

question. 24 Teacher, they said, Moses told us

that if a man dies without hav ing children, his
brother must marry the widow and raise up off
spring for him. k 25 Now there were seven broth
ers among us. The first one married and died,
and since he had no children, he left his wife to
his brother. 26 The same thing happened to the
second and third brother, right on down to the
seventh. 27 Finally, the woman died. 28 Now then,
at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the
seven, since all of them were married to her?
29 Jesus replied, You are in er ror because you
do not know the Scriptures l or the power of God.
30 At the resur rec tion people will neither mar ry
nor be given in marriage; they will be like the
angels in heaven. 31 But about the resurrection
of the dead have you not read what God said
to you, 32 I am the God of Abra ham, the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob a ? m He is not the
God of the dead but of the liv ing.
33 When the crowds heard this, they were as
tonished at his teaching. n

The Greatest Commandment

34 Hear ing

that Jesus had si lenced the Saddu

cees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them,
an expert in the law, o tested him with this ques
tion: 36 Teacher, which is the greatest com
mandment in the Law?
37 Jesus re plied: Love the Lord your God
with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your mind. b p 38 This is the first and
greatest com mand ment. 39 And the second is
like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. c q 40 All
the Law and the Prophets hang on these two
commandments. r

44 The Lord said to my Lord:

Sit at my right hand

until I put your enemies
under your feet. d s

45 If

then David calls him Lord, how can he be

his son? 46 No one could say a word in reply, and
from that day on no one dared to ask him any
more questions. t

A Warning Against Hypocrisy

23

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his

disciples: 2 The teachers of the law and
the Pharisees sit in Moses seat. 3 So you must be
careful to do every thing they tell you. But do not
do what they do, for they do not prac tice what
they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome
loads and put them on other peoples shoulders,
but they themselves are not willing to lift a fin
ger to move them. u
5 Every thing they do is done for people to
see: v They make their phylacteries e w wide and
the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the
place of honor at banquets and the most impor
tant seats in the synagogues; x 7 they love to be
greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to
be called Rabbi by others.
8 But you are not to be called Rabbi, for you
have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And
do not call anyone on earth father, for you have
one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to
be called instructors, for you have one Instruc
tor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will
be your ser vant. y 12 For those who exalt them
selves will be humbled, and those who humble
themselves will be exalted. z

Whose Son Is the Messiah?

Seven Woes on the Teachers of the

Law andthePharisees

41 While the Phar isees were gathered togeth

er, Jesus asked them, 42 What do you think
about the Messiah? Whose son ishe?
The son of David, they replied.
43 He said to them, How is it then that David,
speak ing by the Spirit, calls him Lord? For he
says,

13 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Phar

isees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the
kingdom of heaven in peoples faces. You your
selves do not enter, nor will you let those enter
who are try ing to. a [14] f
15 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Phar
isees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and

b 37 Deut. 6:5
c 39 Lev. 19:18
d 44 Psalm 110:1
e 5 That is, boxes containing Scripture verses,
32 Exodus 3:6
f 14 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47.
worn on forehead and arm

22:41 42 The Jews did not teach that the Messiah would
be God incarnate. Jesus demanded that they reevaluate their
ideas about Messiah in light of the Scriptures.
23:2 For teachers of the law and the Pharisees, see the
note on 2:4. The Moses seat was a position of authority.
The Pharisees considered themselves to be the authorized
successors of Moses as teachers of the law.

23:4 Heavy, cumbersome loads refer to the oral tradition

(see the note on 15:2), a distinctive feature of the Pharisees
brand of Judaism. It was intended to make the Old Testament relevant to life situations, but its massive obligations
were far more burdensome than Scripture itself.
23:5 For phylacteries, see the note on Ex 13:9.

1171

22:24 k Dt25:5, 6
22:29 l Jn20:9
22:32 m Ex3:6; Ac7:32
22:33 n Mt7:28
22:35 o Lk7:30; 10:25;
11:45
22:37 p Dt6:5
22:39 q Lev19:18;
Mt19:19
22:40 r Mt7:12
22:44 s Ps110:1;
Ac2:34, 35; Heb1:13;
10:13
22:46 t Mk12:34
23:4 u Lk11:46
23:5 v Mt6:1, 2, 5, 16
w Dt6:8
23:6 x Lk11:43
23:11 y Mt20:26
23:12 z Lk14:11
23:13 a Lk11:52

FIRST PROOFS
1172

FIRST PROOFS

M aT T h e w 2 3 : 1 6

23:16 b ver24
c Mt5:3335
23:17 d Ex30:29
23:19 e Ex29:37
23:22 f Mt5:34
23:23 g Lk11:42
h
23:25 Mk7:4 i Lk11:39
23:27 j Lk11:44
23:29 k Lk11:47, 48
23:31 l Ac7:5152
23:33 m Mt3:7
23:34 n Lk11:49
o Mt10:17
23:35 p Ge4:8
q 2Ch24:21
23:37 r 2Ch24:21
23:39 s Ps118:26;
Mt21:9
24:2 t Lk19:44

sea to win a single convert, and when you have

succeeded, you make them twice as much a
child of hell as you are.
16 Woe to you, blind guides! b You say, If any
one swears by the temple, it means nothing; but
anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is
bound by that oath. c 17 You blind fools! Which
is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the
gold sacred? d 18 You also say, If anyone swears
by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who
swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that
oath. 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the
gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? e
20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar
swears by it and by every thing on it. 21 And any
one who swears by the temple swears by it and
by the one who dwells in it. 22 And anyone who
swears by heaven swears by Gods throne and by
the one who sits onit. f
23 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Phar
isees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your
spices mint, dill and cum in. But you have
neglected the more impor tant mat ters of the
law justice, mercy and faith ful ness. g You
should have prac ticed the lat ter, without ne
glect ing the for mer. 24 You blind guides! You
strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
25 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Phar
isees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of
the cup and dish, h but inside they are full of
greed and selfindulgence. i 26 Blind Phar isee!
First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and
then the outside also will be clean.
27 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Phar
isees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed
tombs,j which look beautiful on the outside but on
the inside are full of the bones of the dead and ev
ery thing unclean. 28In the same way, on the out
side you appear to people as righteous but on the
inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
29 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Phar
isees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the
a

M aT T h e w 2 4 : 3 5

prophets k and decorate the graves of the righ

teous. 30 And you say, If we had lived in the days
of our ancestors, we would not have taken part
with them in shedding the blood of the proph
ets. 31 So you testify against yourselves that you
are the descendants of those who murdered the
prophets. l 32 Go ahead, then, and complete what
your ancestors started!
33 You snakes! You brood of vipers! m How
will you es cape be ing condemned to hell?
34 There fore I am send ing you prophets and
sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill
and crucify; n others you will flog in your syna
gogues o and pursue from town to town. 35 And
so upon you will come all the righteous blood
that has been shed on earth, from the blood of
righteous Abel p to the blood of Zecha riah son
of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the
temple and the altar. q 36 Tru ly I tell you, all this
will come on this generation.
37 Jeru sa lem, Jeru sa lem, you who kill the
prophets and stone those sent to you, r how of ten
I have longed to gather your children together,
as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and
you were not willing. 38 Look, your house is left
to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see
me again until you say, Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord. a s

The Destruction of the Temple and

Signs of the End Times

24

Jesus left the temple and was walk ing

away when his disciples came up to him
to call his at tention to its build ings. 2 Do you
see all these things? he asked. Tru ly I tell you,
not one stone here will be left on another; t every
one will be thrown down.
3 As Jesus was sit ting on the Mount of Ol
ives, the disciples came to him privately. Tell
us, they said, when will this happen, and what
will be the sign of your coming and of the end
of the age?

a
e

39 Psalm 118:26

23:16 22 When the scribes (see the note on 2:4) and the
Pharisees (see the note on 3:7) took oaths, they differentiated between which were binding and which were not. This
allowed for evasive oath taking. Jesus rejected all such subtleties and insisted that people simply tell the truth.
23:23 Cumin is a spice indigenous to western Asia and resembling caraway in taste and appearance.
23:24 The strict Pharisee would carefully strain his drinking water through a cloth to make certain he did not swallow a gnat, the smallest of ceremonially unclean animals.
But, figuratively, he was willing to swallow a camel one
of the largest.

4 Jesus answered: Watch out that no one de those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if
ceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, anyone says to you, Look, here is the Messiah!
claiming, I am the Messiah, and will deceive or, There he is! do not believe it. d 24 For false
many. u 6 You will hear of wars and ru mors of messiahs and false prophets will appear and
wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such perform great signs and wonders e to deceive, if
things must happen, but the end is still to come. possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you
7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom ahead of time.
26 So if any one tells you,
against kingdom. v There will
be famines and earthquakes in
There he is, out in the wilder
var ious places. 8 All these are
ness, do not go out; or, Here he
The Churchs
the beginning of birth pains.
is, in the inner rooms, do not
9 Then you will be handed
believe it. 27 For as light ning f
problem for the
over to be persecuted w and put
that
comes from the east is vis
future is an
to death, x and you will be hat
ible even in the west, so will be
overabundance
ed by all nations because of me.
the coming of the Son of Man.
10 At that time many will turn
28 Wherever there is a carcass,
of immature
leaders.
away from the faith and will be
there the vultures will gather. g
29 Im mediately af ter the dis
tray and hate each other, 11 and
many false prophets will appear
tress of those days
and deceive many people. 12 Be
cause of the increase of wickedness, the love of
the sun will be darkened,
most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands
and the moon will not give its light;
firm to the end will be saved. y 14 And this gospel
the stars will fall from the sky,
of the kingdom will be preached in the whole
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. b h
z
world as a testi mony to all nations, and then
30 Then will appear the sign of the Son of
the end will come.
15 So when you see stand ing in the holy place
Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the
the abomination that causes desolation, a a spo earth c will mourn when they see the Son of Man
ken of through the prophet Dan iel let the com ing on the clouds of heaven, i with power
reader understand 16 then let those who are and great glory. d 31 And he will send his angels
in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on with a loud trumpet call, j and they will gather
the housetop go down to take any thing out of his elect from the four winds, from one end of
the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get the heavens to the other.
32 Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As
their cloak. 19 How dread ful it will be in those
days for preg nant women and nursing moth soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come
ers! b 20 Pray that your flight will not take place out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so,
in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there when you see all these things, you know that it e
will be great distress, unequaled from the be is near, right at the door. k 34 Tru ly I tell you, this
ginning of the world until now and never to generation will cer tain ly not pass away until
be equaled again. c
all these things have happened. l 35 Heaven and
22 If those days had not been cut short, no
earth will pass away, but my words will never
one would sur vive, but for the sake of the elect pass away.

23:27 A person who stepped on a grave became thereby

ceremonially unclean (see Nu 19:16), so graves were whitewashed to make them easily visible, especially at night. They
appeared clean and beautiful on the outside but were dirty
and rotten on the inside.
24:2 This prophecy was fulfilled literally in AD 70, when
the Romans under Titus completely destroyed Jerusalem
and the temple buildings. Stones were even pried apart to
collect the gold leaf that melted from the roof when the
temple was set on fire (see the note on Mk 13:1). Excavations in 1968 uncovered large numbers of these stones,
toppled from the walls by the invaders.

15 Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11

33 Or he

29 Isaiah 13:10; 34:4

24:15 The abomination that causes desolation is the

detestable thing causing the desolation of the holy place.
The primary reference in Daniel (Da 9:27; 11:31; 12:11)
was to 168 BC, when Antiochus Epiphanes erected a pagan
altar to Zeus on the sacred altar in the temple of Jerusalem. According to some, there were still two more stages in
the progressive fulfillment of the predictions in Daniel and
Matthew: (1)the Roman destruction of the temple in AD
70 and (2)the setting up of an image of the antichrist in
Jerusalem (see 2Th 2:4; Rev 13:14 15).
Although the book of Daniel stands as the last of the Major Prophets in the English Bible, it appears in the Hebrew

30 Or the tribes of the land

30 See Daniel 7:13-14.

Old Testament (which consists of the Law, the Prophets

and the Writings) as one of the Writings. For although
Jesus Christ spoke of Daniels function as prophetic, his position was that of a governmental official and inspired writer
rather than of a ministering prophet (see Ac 2:29 30).
24:16 Mountains refers to the Transjordan mountains,
where Pella was located. Christians in Jerusalem fled there
during the Roman siege shortly before AD 70.
24:20 Matthew alone included the phrase on the Sabbath
because he was writing to Jews, who were forbidden to travel
more than about .75 miles (.81 km) on the Sabbath.

1173

24:5 u ver11, 23, 24

24:7 v Isa19:2
24:9 w Mt10:17 x Jn16:2
24:13 y Mt10:22
24:14 z Ro10:18;
Col1:6, 23; Rev3:10;
16:14
24:15 a Da9:27; 12:11
24:19 b Lk23:29
24:21 c Joel2:2
24:23 d Lk17:23; 21:8
24:24 e 2Th2:911
24:27 f Lk17:24
24:28 g Lk17:37
24:29 h Eze32:7;
Joel2:10, 31
24:30 i Da7:13; Rev1:7
24:31 j Isa27:13;
1Co15:52
24:33 k Jas5:9
24:34 l Mt16:28

FIRST PROOFS
1174

FIRST PROOFS

M aT T h e w 2 4 : 3 6

24:36 m Ac1:7
24:37 n Ge6:5
24:40 o Lk17:34
24:42 p Mt25:13
24:43 q Lk12:39
24:45 r Mt25:21, 23
24:46 s Rev16:15
24:47 t Mt25:21, 23
24:51 u Mt8:12
25:1 v Mt13:24
w Rev19:7
25:5 x 1Th5:6
y
25:13 Mt24:42, 44
25:14 z Mt21:33;
Lk19:12
25:15 a Mt18:24, 25
25:19 b Mt18:23

The Day and Hour Unknown

36 But

about that day or hour no one knows,

not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, a
but only the Father. m 37 As it was in the days of
Noah, n so it will be at the coming of the Son of
Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people
were eat ing and drink ing, mar ry ing and giv
ing in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the
ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would
happen until the flood came and took them all
away. That is how it will be at the coming of the
Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one
will be taken and the other left. o 41 Two women
will be grind ing with a hand mill; one will be
taken and the other left.
42 Therefore keep watch, because you do not
know on what day your Lord will come. p 43 But
understand this: If the owner of the house had
known at what time of night the thief was com
ing, q he would have kept watch and would not
have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also
must be ready, because the Son of Man will
come at an hour when you do not expect him.
45 Who then is the faithful and wise ser vant, r
whom the master has put in charge of the ser
vants in his household to give them their food
at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that ser
vant whose master finds him doing so when he
returns. s 47 Tru ly I tell you, he will put him in
charge of all his possessions. t 48 But suppose that
ser vant is wicked and says to himself, My mas
ter is stay ing away a long time, 49 and he then
begins to beat his fel low ser vants and to eat and
drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that ser
vant will come on a day when he does not expect
him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will
cut him to pieces and assign him a place with
the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth. u

M aT T h e w 2 6 : 5

and went out to meet the bridegroom. w 2 Five of

them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The fool
ish ones took their lamps but did not take any
oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil
in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom
was a long time in coming, and they all became
drowsy and fell asleep. x
6 At mid night the cry rang out: Heres the
bridegroom! Come out to meet him!
7 Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed
their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise,
Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going
out.
9 No, they replied, there may not be enough
for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell
oil and buy some for yourselves.
10 But while they were on their way to buy
the oil, the bridegroom ar rived. The virgins
who were ready went in with him to the wed
ding banquet. And the door was shut.
11 Later the others also came. Lord, Lord,
they said, open the door forus!
12 But he re plied, Tru ly I tell you, I dont
know you.
13 Therefore keep watch, because you do not
know the day or the hour. y

The Parable of the BagsofGold

14 Again,

it will be like a man going on a

journey, z who called his ser vants and entrusted
his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags
of gold, to another two bags, and to another
one bag, b each accord ing to his abil ity. a Then
he went on his journey. 16 The man who had re
ceived five bags of gold went at once and put his
money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So
also, the one with two bags of gold gained two
more. 18 But the man who had received one bag
went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his
masters money.
19 Af ter a long time the master of those ser
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
vants returned and settled accounts with them. b
At that time the kingdom of heaven will 20 The man who had received five bags of gold
be like v ten virgins who took their lamps brought the other five. Master, he said, you

25
a

36 Some manuscripts do not have nor the Son. b 15 Greek five talents . . . two talents . . . one talent; also throughout this
parable; a talent was worth about 20 years of a day laborers wage.

24:41 The grinding of grain into flour between two heavy

stones was a domestic art usually performed by women;
hence the import of Jesus parable (see also Lk 17:35).
25:1 Virgins may be a reference to the bridesmaids, who
were responsible for preparing the bride to meet the bridegroom.
25:7 The charred ends of the rags were cut off and olive
oil was added.

25:9 Lamps required large amounts of oil to keep burning,

and the oil had to be replenished almost every 15 minutes.
25:15 Bags of gold can also be translated as talent,
which was first used as a unit of weight (about 75 pounds
[34 kg]), then later for a unit of coinage. The present-day
use of talent to indicate an ability or gift is derived from
this parable.

entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have

gained five more.
21 His master replied, Well done, good and
faith ful ser vant! You have been faith ful with
a few things; I will put you in charge of many
things. c Come and share your masters happi
ness!
22 The man with two bags of gold also came.
Master, he said, you entrusted me with two
bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.
23 His master replied, Well done, good and
faith ful ser vant! You have been faith ful with
a few things; I will put you in charge of many
things. d Come and share your masters happi
ness!
24 Then the man who had received one bag
of gold came. Master, he said, I knew that you
are a hard man, har vesting where you have not
sown and gathering where you have not scat
tered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and
hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what
belongs to you.
26 His master replied, You wicked, lazy ser
vant! So you knew that I har vest where I have
not sown and gather where I have not scattered
seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my mon
ey on deposit with the bankers, so that when I
returned I would have received it back with in
terest.
28 So take the bag of gold from him and give
it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has
will be given more, and they will have an abun
dance. Whoever does not have, even what they
have will be taken from them. e 30 And throw
that worth less ser vant outside, into the dark
ness, where there will be weeping and gnashing
of teeth. f

take your in heritance, the kingdom j prepared

for you since the creation of the world. k 35 For
I was hungry and you gave me something to
eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to
drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, l
36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, m I was
sick and you looked af ter me, I was in prison
and you came to visitme. n
37 Then the righteous will answer him, Lord,
when did we see you hungry and feed you, or
thirsty and give you some thing to drink?
38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you
in, or need ing clothes and clothe you? 39 When
did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit
you?
40 The King will reply, Tru ly I tell you, what
ever you did for one of the least of these brothers
and sisters of mine, you did forme. o
41 Then he will say to those on his left, De
part from me, p you who are cursed, into the
eternal fire q prepared for the dev il and his an
gels. r 42 For I was hungry and you gave me noth
ing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me noth
ing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not
invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not
clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did
not look af terme.
44 They also will answer, Lord, when did we
see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or need
ing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help
you?
45 He will re ply, Tru ly I tell you, whatever
you did not do for one of the least of these, you
did not do forme. s
46 Then they will go away to eter nal punish
ment, but the righteous to eternal life. t

The Sheep and the Goats

26

31 When the Son of Man comes g in his glory,

and all the angels with him, he will sit on his

glorious throne. h 32 All the nations will be gath
ered before him, and he will separate the people
one from another as a shepherd sepa rates the
sheep from the goats. i 33 He will put the sheep
on his right and the goats on his left.
34 Then the King will say to those on his
right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father;
26:3 For chief priests, see the note on 2:4 and for elders
the note on 21:23.
Caiaphas was the high priest from AD 18 36. He was
the son-in-law of Annas, a former high priest, who served

The Plot Against Jesus

When Jesus had finished saying all these

things, u he said to his disciples, 2 As you
know, the Passover v is two days away and the
Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.
3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the
people assembled w in the palace of the high
priest, whose name was Ca iaphas, x 4 and they
schemed to arrest Jesus secret ly and kill him.
5 But not dur ing the festival, they said, or
there may be a riot among the people.
from AD 6 15 and still wielded much influence following
his tenure in office. Caiaphas knew well how to maneuver
in the political scene.

1175

25:21 c Mt24:45, 47
25:23 d ver21
25:29 e Mt13:12
25:30 f Mt8:12
25:31 g Mt16:27
h Mt19:28
25:32 i Eze34:17, 20
25:34 j 1Co15:50
k Rev13:8
25:35 l Isa58:7;
Eze18:7; Heb13:2
25:36 m Jas2:15, 16
n 2Ti1:16
25:40 o Pr19:17;
Mt10:40, 42
25:41 p Mt7:23
q Mk9:43, 48; Jude7
r 2Pe2:4
25:45 s Pr14:31
25:46 t Da12:2; Jn5:29
26:1 u Mt7:28
26:2 v Jn13:1
26:3 w Ps2:2
x Jn11:4753

FIRST PROOFS
1176

FIRST PROOFS

M aT T h e w 2 6 : 6

26:6 y Mt21:17
26:11 z Dt15:11
26:15 a Zec11:12
26:17 b Ex12:1820
26:23 c Jn13:18
26:24 d Isa53; Mk9:12;
Lk24:2527, 46;
Ac17:2, 3
26:26 e 1Co10:16
26:28 f Heb9:20
g Mt20:28
26:30 h Mk14:26
26:31 i Zec13:7;
Jn16:32
26:32 j Mt28:7, 10, 16

M aT T h e w 2 6 : 6 1

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

6 While

Bethany y

Jesus was in
in the home of
Simon the Leper, 7 a woman came to him with
an alabaster jar of very ex pensive per fume,
which she poured on his head as he was reclin
ing at the table.
8 When the disciples saw this, they were in
dignant. Why this waste? they asked. 9 This
per fume could have been sold at a high price
and the money given to the poor.
10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, Why
are you bothering this woman? She has done a
beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will al
ways have with you, a z but you will not always
have me. 12 When she poured this per fume
on my body, she did it to prepare me for buri
al. 13 Tru ly I tell you, wherever this gospel is
preached throughout the world, what she has
done will also be told, in memory of her.

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

14 Then one of the Twelve the one called
Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests 15 and
asked, What are you willing to give me if I de
liver him over to you? So they counted out for
him thirty pieces of silver.a 16From then on Judas
watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

The Last Supper

17 On

the first day of the Festival of Un leav

ened Bread, b the disciples came to Jesus and
asked, Where do you want us to make prepa
rations for you to eat the Passover?
18 He re plied, Go into the city to a cer tain
man and tell him, The Teacher says: My ap
pointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the
Passover with my disciples at your house. 19 So
the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and
prepared the Passover.
20 When evening came, Jesus was reclining at
the table with the Twelve. 21 And while they were
a

11 See Deut. 15:11.

28 Some manuscripts the new

26:7 Most alabaster of ancient times was actually marble.

26:12 Jesus commented on the use of spices for burial
(see also Mk 14:8; Jn 12:7), and his body was buried with
about seventy-five pounds of myrrh and spices, wrapped
in a linen cloth (Jn 19:39 40). Evidently the women who
watched the burial considered this inadequate, for they prepared and brought more spices to the sepulcher (Mk 16:1;
Lk 23:35 36; 24:1).
26:15 Thirty silver coins is equivalent to 120 denarii. Laborers customarily received one denarius for a days work.
26:17 The Festival of Unleavened Bread was the 14th of
Nisan (March April). It was also called the preparation of
the Passover. The Passover meal was eaten on the evening of

eating, he said, Tru ly I tell you, one of you will

betrayme.
22 They were very sad and began to say to him
one af ter the other, Surely you dont mean me,
Lord?
23 Jesus replied, The one who has dipped his
hand into the bowl with me will betray me. c
24 The Son of Man will go just as it is writ ten
about him. d But woe to that man who betrays
the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he
had not been born.
25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him,
said, Surely you dont mean me, Rabbi?
Jesus answered, You have said so.
26 While they were eat ing, Jesus took bread,
and when he had given thanks, he broke it e and
gave it to his disciples, say ing, Take and eat;
this is my body.
27 Then he took a cup, and when he had giv
en thanks, he gave it to them, say ing, Drink
from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the b
covenant, f which is poured out for many for the
forgiveness of sins. g 29 I tell you, I will not drink
from this fruit of the vine from now on until
that day when I drink it new with you in my Fa
thers kingdom.
30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out
to the Mount of Olives. h

34 Tru ly I tell you, Jesus answered, this very

night, before the rooster crows, you will disown
me three times. k
35 But Peter de clared, Even if I have to die
with you, l I will never disown you. And all the
other disciples said the same.

Jesus Predicts Peters Denial

57 Those who had ar rested Jesus took him to

Caiaphas the high priest, where the teachers of
the law and the elders had assembled. 58 But Pe
ter fol lowed him at a distance, right up to the
court yard of the high priest. x He entered and sat
down with the guards to see the outcome.
59 The chief priests and the whole San hedrin
were look ing for false ev idence against Jesus
so that they could put him to death. 60 But they
did not find any, though many false witnesses y
came for ward.
Jesus Arrested
Fi nal ly two z came for ward 61 and declared,
47 While he was still speak ing, Judas, one of This fel low said, I am able to destroy the tem
the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd ple of God and rebuild it in three days.

31 Then

Jesus told them, This very night you

will all fall away on account of me, for it is writ
ten:
I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be
scattered. c i
32 But

af ter I have risen, I will go ahead of you

into Galilee. j
33 Peter replied, Even if all fall away on ac
count of you, I never will.

31 Zech. 13:7

the 14th after sunset and therefore technically on the 15th,

since the Jewish day ended at sunset. The Festival of Unleavened Bread lasted for seven days, from the 15th to the
21st of Nisan. Jesus reconstituted the feast, inaugurating the
new covenant.
26:23 It was the custom still practiced by some in the
Middle East to take a piece of bread, or a piece of meat
wrapped in bread, and dip it into a bowl of sauce (made of
stewed fruit) on the table. A special courtesy consisted in
picking out a choice piece of meat from the central dish and
handing it to a guest. In that culture, as among Arabs today,
to eat with a person was tantamount to saying, I am your
friend and will not hurt you.

Gethsemane
36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place

called Gethsema ne, and he said to them, Sit

here while I go over there and pray. 37 He took
Peter and the two sons of Zebedee m along with
him, and he began to be sor row ful and trou
bled. 38 Then he said to them, My soul is over
whelmed with sor row n to the point of death.
Stay here and keep watch withme.
39 Going a lit tle far ther, he fell with his face to
the ground and prayed, My Father, if it is pos
sible, may this cup o be taken from me. Yet not
as I will, but as you will. p
40 Then he re turned to his dis ciples and
found them sleeping. Couldnt you men keep
watch with me q for one hour? he asked Peter.
41 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into
temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh
is weak.
42 He went away a second time and prayed,
My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to
be taken away un less I drink it, may your will
be done.
43 When he came back, he again found them
sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he
left them and went away once more and prayed
the third time, say ing the same thing.
45 Then he returned to the disciples and said
to them, Are you still sleeping and rest ing?
Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is
delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let
us go! Here comes my betrayer!

armed with swords and clubs, sent from the

chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now
the betrayer had arranged a sig nal with them:
The one I kiss is the man; arrest him. 49 Going
at once to Jesus, Judas said, Greetings, Rabbi! r
and kissed him.
50 Jesus re plied, Do what you came for,
friend. a s
Then the men stepped for ward, seized Jesus
and ar rested him. 51 With that, one of Jesus
companions reached for his sword, drew it out
and struck the ser vant of the high priest, cutting
off his ear. t
52 Put your sword back in its place, Jesus
said to him, for all who draw the sword will die
by the sword. u 53 Do you think I cannot call on
my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal
more than twelve legions of angels? v 54 But how
then would the Scriptures be fulfilled w that say
it must happen in this way?
55 In that hour Jesus said to the crowd, AmI
leading a rebellion, that you have come out with
swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I
sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did
not arrest me. 56 But this has all taken place that
the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.
Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.

Jesus Before theSanhedrin

50 Or Why have you come, friend?

26:34 Before the rooster crows may have been a reference

to the third of the Roman watches (see the note on 14:25).
26:36 56 Gethsemane (olive press) was the place
of Jesus agony and arrest (see also Mk 14:32 52; Lk
22:39 54; Jn 18:1 12). Luke indicated that this place was
one to which Jesus customarily went and that it was located
on the Mount of Olives.
26:53 A Roman legion at full strength included 6,000
soldiers.
26:59 The whole Sanhedrin (the ecclesiastical court)

70 members plus the high priest was convened. When a

capital case was considered, the sages required that 23 members be present for a quorum. Scholars have long noted the
irregularities of the Jewish legal proceedings against Jesus,
among them: (1)a trial held at night; (2)at the high priests
home; (3)on the eve of a festival day; (4)beginning with
reasons for conviction instead of acquittal; (5)based on false
and contradictory witnesses; and (6)the verdict rendered on
the day of trial.

1177

26:34 k Jn13:38
26:35 l Jn13:37
26:37 m Mt4:21
26:38 n Jn12:27
26:39 o Mt20:22
p Jn6:38
26:40 q ver38
26:49 r ver25
26:50 s Mt20:13; 22:12
26:51 t Jn18:10
26:52 u Ge9:6;
Rev13:10
26:53 v 2Ki6:17; Da7:10
26:54 w ver24
26:58 x Jn18:15
26:60 y Ps27:12; 35:11;
Ac6:13 z Dt19:15

FIRST PROOFS
1178

FIRST PROOFS

M aT T h e w 2 6 : 6 2

26:63 a Mt27:12, 14
b Lev5:1
26:64 c Ps110:1
d Da7:13
26:66 e Lev24:16;
Jn19:7
26:67 f Mt27:30
26:68 g Lk22:6365
26:75 h ver34; Jn13:38
27:1 i Mk15:1; Lk22:66
27:2 j Mt20:19 k Ac3:13
27:3 l Mt26:14, 15
27:4 m ver24
27:5 n Ac1:18
27:8 o Ac1:19
27:12 p Mt26:63;
Jn19:9
27:13 q Mt26:62
27:15 r Jn18:39

M aT T h e w 2 7 : 4 6

62 Then the high priest stood up and said

to Jesus, Are you not going to answer? What
is this testi mony that these men are bring ing
against you? 63 But Jesus remained silent. a
The high priest said to him, I charge you un
der oath b by the liv ing God: Tell us if you are the
Messiah, the Son of God.
64 You have said so, Jesus replied. But I say
to all of you: From now on you will see the Son
of Man sit ting at the right hand of the Mighty
One c and coming on the clouds of heaven. a d
65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and
said, He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we
need any more wit nesses? Look, now you have
heard the blasphemy. 66 What do you think?
He is wor thy of death, e they answered.
67 Then they spit in his face and struck him
with their fists. f Others slapped him 68 and said,
Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you? g

Judas Hangs Himself

27

whose name was Jesus a Barabbas. 17 So when the

crowd had gathered, Pi late asked them, Which
one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Bar
abbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah? 18 For
he knew it was out of selfinterest that they had
handed Jesus over to him.
19 While Pi late was sit ting on the judges seat,
his wife sent him this message: Dont have any
thing to do with that innocent s man, for I have
suf fered a great deal today in a dream because
of him.
20 But the chief priests and the elders persuad
ed the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have
Jesus executed. t
21 Which of the two do you want me to re
lease to you? asked the governor.
Barabbas, they answered.
22 What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is
called the Messiah? Pilate asked.
They all answered, Crucify him!
23 Why? What crime has he com mit ted?
asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, Cruci fy
him!
24 When Pi late saw that he was get ting no
where, but that instead an uproar u was starting,
he took water and washed his hands in front of
the crowd. I am innocent of this mans blood, v
he said. It is your responsibility!
25 All the people answered, His blood is on us
and on our children! w
26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But he
had Jesus flogged, x and handed him over to be
crucified.

Early in the morn ing, all the chief

priests and the elders of the people made
their plans how to have Jesus executed. i 2 So they
bound him, led him away and handed him over j
to Pi late the governor. k
3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that
Jesus was condemned, he was seized with re
morse and returned the thirty pieces of silverl to
the chief priests and the elders. 4I have sinned,
he said, for I have betrayed innocent blood.
What is that to us? they replied. Thats
your responsibility. m
5So Judas threw the money into the temple and
left. Then he went away and hanged himself.n
6 The chief priests picked up the coins and
said, It is against the law to put this into the
treasury, since it is blood money. 7 So they de
cided to use the money to buy the potters field
as a burial place for foreigners. 8 That is why it
Peter Disowns Jesus
has been called the Field of Blood o to this day.
69 Now Peter was sit ting out in the court yard, 9
Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet
and a ser vant girl came to him. You also were was fulfilled: They took the thirty pieces of sil
with Jesus of Gali lee, she said.
ver, the price set on him by the people of Israel,
70 But he denied it before them all. I dont 10
and they used them to buy the potters field, as
know what youre talk ing about, he said.
the Lord commanded me. b
71 Then he went out to the gateway, where an
other ser vant girl saw him and said to the people Jesus Before Pilate
11 Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor,
there, This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.
72 He denied it again, with an oath: I dont
and the governor asked him, Are you the king
know the man!
of the Jews?
73 Af ter a lit tle while, those stand ing there
You have said so, Jesus replied.
12 When he was accused by the chief priests
went up to Peter and said, Surely you are one of
them; your accent gives you away.
and the elders, he gave no answer. p 13 Then Pilate
74 Then he began to call down curses, and he
asked him, Dont you hear the testimony they
swore to them, I dont know the man!
are bringing against you? q 14 But Jesus made no
Im mediately a rooster crowed. 75 Then Pe reply, not even to a single charge to the great
ter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: amazement of the governor.
15 Now it was the governors custom at the fes
Before the rooster crows, you will disown me
h
three times. And he went outside and wept tival to release a prisoner r chosen by the crowd.
16 At that time they had a wellknown prisoner
bit terly.

the Praetorium and gathered the whole compa

ny of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him
and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twist
ed together a crown of thorns and set it on his
head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then

64 See Psalm 110:1; Daniel 7:13.

10 See Zech. 11:12,13; Jer. 19:1-13; 32:6-9.

26:63 Jesus was legally obliged to reply after having been

charged under oath.
26:65 The high priest was forbidden by law to tear his
clothing (Lev 10:6; 21:10), but this was considered a highly
unusual circumstance. The high priest interpreted Jesus answer (Mt 26:64) as blasphemy (see the note on Mk 14:64).
26:73 Peter had a Galilean accent that was conspicuous in
Jerusalem. See the note on 4:12 16.
27:1 The Sanhedrin could not have convened a legal session at night, so at daybreak they held a special meeting to
make the death sentence official.
27:2 The Sanhedrin had been deprived by the Roman gov-

ernment of the right to carry out capital punishment, so

Jesus had to be handed over to Pilate for execution.
27:3 The word remorse (metamelomai) is different from
the normal word for repentance (metanoeo). Repentance
is a change of heart. Remorse, a weaker emotion, means
feeling regret. Judas was remorseful but stopped short of
repentance.
27:11 The governor was Pontius Pilate.
27:16 Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion, presumably
against the Romans, so he may have been a folk hero among
some of the Jews.

they knelt in front of him and mocked him.

Hail, king of the Jews! they said. y 30 They spit
on him, and took the staff and struck him on
the head again and again. z 31 Af ter they had
mocked him, they took off the robe and put his
own clothes on him. Then they led him away to
crucify him. a

The Crucifixion of Jesus

32 As they were going out, b they met a man
from Cy rene, named Si mon, and they forced
him to carry the cross. c 33 They came to a place
called Golgotha (which means the place of
the skull). d 34 There they of fered Jesus wine to
drink, mixed with gall; e but af ter tasting it, he
refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified
him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. f
36 And sit ting down, they kept watch g over him
there. 37 Above his head they placed the written
charge against him: this is jesus, the king of
the jews.
38 Two rebels were cruci fied with him, one on
his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed
by hurled insults at him, shak ing their heads h
40 and say ing, You who are going to destroy the
temple and build it in three days, i save yourself !
Come down from the cross, if you are the Son
of God! 41 In the same way the chief priests, the
teachers of the law and the elders mocked him.
42 He saved others, they said, but he cant save
himself ! Hes the king of Israel! j Let him come
down now from the cross, and we will believe
in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him k
now if he wants him, for he said, I am the Son
of God. 44 In the same way the rebels who were
crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

The Death of Jesus

27 Then the gover nors soldiers took Jesus into

16 Many manuscripts do not have Jesus; also in verse 17.

27:26 The Romans used a whip made of several strips of

leather into which were embedded (near the ends) pieces of
bone and lead. The Jews limited the number of stripes to a
maximum of 39 (see Dt 25:3), but no such limitation was
recognized by the Romans. Roman floggings were so brutal
that sometimes the victim died before crucifixion.
27:27 The Praetorium was the governors official residence
in Jerusalem.
27:28 31 Roman soldiers in Jerusalem at the time were
known to play a cruel game with condemned prisoners,
especially revolutionary brigands. The prisoner was dressed
up like a burlesque king and used as a game pawn. With

45 From

noon until three in the af ter noon

dark ness came over all the land. 46 About three
in the af ternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
Eli, Eli, b lema sabachthani? (which means My
God, my God, why have you forsaken me?). c l
b

46 Some manuscripts Eloi, Eloi

46 Psalm 22:1

each roll of the dice, the prisoner king moved around

a game board etched in the floor. For the entertainment
of the troops, they hurled verbal and physical abuse at the
mock king.
27:34 Tradition says that the women of Jerusalem customarily furnished this pain-killing narcotic to prisoners who
were to be crucified.
27:38 These rebels were probably insurrectionists.
27:41 For chief priests and teachers of the law, see the
note on 2:4. For elders, see the note on 21:23.
27:46 There are several Aramaic words and phrases in the
New Testament, among them Talitha koum (Mk 5:41), Eph-

1179

27:19 s ver24
27:20 t Ac3:14
27:24 u Mt26:5
v Dt21:68
27:25 w Jos2:19;
Ac5:28
27:26 x Isa53:5
27:29 y Isa53:3
27:30 z Mt26:67
27:31 a Isa53:7
27:32 b Heb13:12
c Mk15:21
27:33 d Jn19:17
27:34 e Ps69:21
27:35 f Ps22:18
27:36 g ver54
27:39 h Ps22:7; 109:25
27:40 i Mt26:61; Jn2:19
27:42 j Jn1:49
27:43 k Ps22:8
27:46 l Ps22:1

FIRST PROOFS
1180

FIRST PROOFS

M aT T h e w 2 7 : 4 7

27:48 m Ps69:21
27:51 n Ex26:3133
27:54 o ver36
27:55 p Lk8:2, 3
27:60 q Mk16:4
27:63 r Mt16:21
27:66 s Da6:17
28:1 t Mt27:56
28:3 u Da10:6
28:6 v Mt16:21
28:7 w Mt26:32
28:10 x Ro8:29;
Heb2:1113, 17

M aT T h e w 2 8 : 2 0

47 When some of those stand ing there heard

this, they said, Hes calling Elijah.
48 Im me di ate ly one of them ran and got a
sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, m put it
on a staff, and of fered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The
rest said, Now leave him alone. Lets see if Eli
jah comes to save him.
50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a
loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
51 At that moment the cur tain of the temple n
was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth
shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke
open. The bodies of many holy people who had
died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the
tombs af ter Jesus resurrection and a went into
the holy city and appeared to many people.
54 When the centu rion and those with him
who were guard ing o Jesus saw the earthquake
and all that had happened, they were terrified,
and exclaimed, Surely he was the Son of God!
55 Many women were there, watch ing from a
distance. They had followed Jesus from Gali lee
to care for his needs. p 56 Among them were Mary
Magda lene, Mary the mother of James and Jo
seph, b and the mother of Zebedees sons.

The Burial of Jesus

57 As

evening approached, there came a rich

man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had
himself become a disciple of Jesus. 58 Going to
Pi late, he asked for Jesus body, and Pi late or
dered that it be given to him. 59 Joseph took the
body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and
placed it in his own new tomb q that he had cut
out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of
the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary
Magda lene and the other Mary were sit ting
there opposite the tomb.

The Guard at the Tomb

late. 63 Sir, they said, we remember that while

he was still alive that deceiver said, Af ter three
days I will rise again. r 64 So give the order for
the tomb to be made secure until the third day.
Other wise, his disciples may come and steal the
body and tell the people that he has been raised
from the dead. This last deception will be worse
than the first.
65 Take a guard, Pi late answered. Go, make
the tomb as secure as you know how. 66 So they
went and made the tomb secure by put ting a
seal s on the stone and posting the guard.

Jesus Has Risen

28

Af ter the Sabbath, at dawn on the first

day of the week, Mary Magda lene and
the other Mary t went to look at the tomb.
2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel
of the Lord came down from heaven and, go
ing to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on
it. 3 His appearance was like light ning, and his
clothes were white as snow. u 4 The guards were
so afraid of him that they shook and became
like dead men.
5 The angel said to the women, Do not be
afraid, for I know that you are look ing for Jesus,
who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen,
just as he said. v Come and see the place where he
lay. 7 Then go quick ly and tell his disciples: He
has risen from the dead and is going ahead of
you into Galilee. w There you will see him. Now
I have told you.
8 So the women hur ried away from the tomb,
afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his dis
ciples. 9 Sudden ly Jesus met them. Greet ings,
he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and
worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, Do
not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers x to go to
Galilee; there they will seeme.

of the guards went into the city and reported to

the chief priests every thing that had happened.
12 When the chief priests had met with the elders
and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large
sum of money, 13 telling them, You are to say,
His disciples came during the night and stole
him away while we were asleep. 14 If this report
gets to the gover nor, we will sat isfy him and
keep you out of trouble. 15 So the soldiers took
the money and did as they were instructed. And
this story has been widely circu lated among the
Jews to this very day.
28:19 20 The Great Commission compels us toward
evangelism (Go), discipleship (make disciples of all nations), commitment (baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit), obedience
over knowledge (teaching them to obey everything I have

DATE

The Great Commission

16 Then

the eleven disciples went to Gali lee,

to the mountain where Jesus had told them to
go. y 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him;
but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them
and said, All authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to me. z 19 Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations, a baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spir it, 20 and teaching b them to obey ev
ery thing I have commanded you. And surely I
am with you always, to the very end of the age.

53 Or tombs, and after Jesus resurrection they

TITLE

56 Greek Joses, a variant of Joseph

phatha (Mk 7:34), Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani (Mt 27:46;

Mk 15:34), Maranatha (1Co 16:22 footnote) and Abba (Mk
14:36; Ro 8:15; Gal 4:6). It has been generally assumed that
Aramaic was the colloquial language of the Holy Land from
the time of the return of the exiles from Babylon, but some
scholars believe that Hebrew was spoken in Galilee during
New Testament times. It is probably safe to assume that our
Lord habitually spoke Aramaic and occasionally Greek and
that he could both read and speak Hebrew.
27:57 Arimathea was a village in the hill country of
Ephraim, about 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Jerusalem. It
may perhaps be identified with Ramathaim, the birthplace

of the prophet Samuel (see 1Sa 1:1).

27:62 The next day was Saturday, the Sabbath. Friday
was the preparation day for the Sabbath (sunset Friday to
sunset Saturday).
27:65 A guard refers either to a guard of Roman soldiers
or to one of the Jews own temple police.
27:66 The seal was a security device, likely a cord attached
both to the stone (cf. v. 60) and to the tomb, with wax
imprinted with the Roman seal anchoring both ends so that
tampering could be detected (cf. Da 6:17). The soldiers
standing guard added additional security.

1181

28:16 y ver7, 10;

Mt26:32
28:18 z Da7:13, 14;
Php2:9, 10
28:19 a Mk16:15, 16
28:20 b Ac2:42

commanded you), and to remember that the source of all

our authority and credibility as believers will be found in our
right relationship with Christ (I am with you always, to the
very end of the age).

62 The next day, the one af ter Prepa ration Day, The Guards Report
11 While the women were on their way, some
the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pi

HOW WILL I BE DIFFERENT TODAY BECAUSE OF WHAT I HAVE JUST READ?

PAGE

FIRST PROOFS
1182
DATE

M aT T h e w
TITLE

HOW WILL I BE DIFFERENT TODAY BECAUSE OF WHAT I HAVE JUST READ?

PAGE