1544 | m a TThew 7:16
fe ro cious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will rec ognize them. Do peo ple pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from this tles? 17 Like wise, ev ery good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree can not bear bad fruit, and a bad tree can not bear good fruit. 19 Ev ery tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recog nize them.
True and False Disciples
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“ Not ev ery one who says to me,‘ Lord, Lord,’ will en ter the king dom of heav en, but only the one who does the will of my Fa ther who is in heav en.
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Many will say to me on that day,‘ Lord, Lord, did we not proph e sy in your name and in your name drive out de mons and in your name per form many mir a cles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plain ly,‘ I nev er knew you. Away from me, you evil do ers!’
The Wise and Foolish Builders
7:24-27pp— Lk 6:47-49 24
“ There fore ev ery one who hears these words of mine and puts them into prac tice 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, be cause it had its foun da tion on the rock. 26 But ev ery one who hears these words of mine and does not put them into prac tice is like a fool ish 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.”
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When Jesus had fin ished say ing these things, the crowds were amazed at his teach ing, 29 be cause he taught as one who had au thor i ty, and not as their teach ers of the law.
Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy
8:2-4pp— Mk 1:40-44; Lk 5:12-14
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When Jesus came down from the moun tainside, large crowds fol lowed him. 2 A man with lep ro sy a came and knelt be fore him and said,“ Lord, if you are will ing, you can make me clean.”
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Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.“ I am will ing,” he said.“ Be clean!” Im me di
a 2 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
contradict his instruction as false prophets— people who falsely claim to speak on God’ s behalf( compare 2Pe 2:1 and note). sheep’ s clothing Refers to disguises that portray innocence. ferocious wolves Describes those seeking to undermine Jesus’ teaching for personal gain. 7:16 their fruit Refers to people’ s deeds— the natural outcomes of their choices and inclinations. grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles Images drawn from horticulture would have resonated with Jesus’ audience,
Verse-by-verse as first-century Palestine study was primarily an agrarian society. 7:19 thrown into the fire See Mt 3:10 and note.
notes with the unique focus of revealing
7:21 – 23 Jesus continues the theme of false prophets, emphasizing the need for obedience to his teaching.
nuances from the original Biblical 7:21 Not everyone languages who says for to me,‘ Lord, Lord’ Those who say this acknowledge Jesus as master. The affirmation that Jesus readers is Lord is meaningless if it is not backed
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by obedience to God’ s will. my Father See note on 5:16. 7:22 on that day Refers to the day of judgment( compare Isa 2:11,17; Zec 14:4 – 21; Rev 20:11 – 15). did we not prophesy in your name The three activities mentioned in this verse are associated with the prophetic office. 7:23 I never knew you Communicates disassociation or estrangement. Away from me, you evildoers A citation of Ps 6:8.
7:24 – 27 The Sermon on the Mount ends with this parable, which attests to the reliability of Jesus’ teaching. Wise people hear his words and respond in obedience; foolish people disregard his words, fail to act according to his teachings and suffer destructive consequences.
7:24 these words of mine Refers to the entire Sermon on the Mount( Mt 5 – 7). puts them into practice Hearing and understanding Jesus’ teaching is not sufficient; being his disciple requires action( compare Jas 1:22 – 25). on the rock The builder of this house used bedrock— as opposed to soil or sand— as the foundation.
7:25 streams rose Refers to flash floods. In dry climates like that of Palestine, the ground often could not absorb large amounts of rainwater, resulting in rapid flooding that could produce violent rivers. 7:27 it fell with a great crash Indicates complete destruction— the fate of those who do not heed Jesus’ teaching. He may be referring to the day of judgment, since this seems to be the focus of Mt 7:21 – 23.
7:28 – 29 The crowds immediately recognize Jesus’ authority. He does not interpret or teach based on the interpretation of earlier rabbis, as was the custom; rather, he speaks prophetically on behalf of God.
7:29 one who had authority See note on Lk 4:32. teachers of the law See note on Mt 2:4.
8:1 – 17 In the Sermon on the Mount( Mt 5 – 7), Jesus teaches about the kingdom of heaven; now he begins to demonstrate it through powerful deeds.
8:2 leprosy This refers to a variety of skin problems that rendered a person ritually unclean( Lev 13 – 14). People with this ailment lived apart from society and often banded together to form semi-quarantined colonies. When they encountered people, lepers were required to shout a warning so that others would not become contaminated. People suffering from leprosy rarely recovered. Lord Many of those who come to Jesus for healing call him“ Lord”( kyrios in Greek). In Greco-Roman society, kyrios was an appropriate title for any superior( like“ sir”), but it also could be used to address the emperor, who was considered divine. In the Septuagint( the Greek translation of the OT), kyrios occurs about 6,000 times to render the Hebrew text’ s yhwh( Yahweh), the divine name of God. Matthew frequently uses kyrios in reference to Jesus; the context determines whether the speaker is recognizing Jesus’ divinity or simply showing respect. 8:3 touched the man Normally, touching a leper would
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