7
1 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.
2 For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive.
3 Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to see the beam of wood in your own?
4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ while there is a beam in your own?
5 You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
6 Do not give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs; otherwise they will trample them under their feet and turn around and tear you to pieces.
Ask, Seek, Knock
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you.
8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 Is there anyone among you who, if his 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, although 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 In everything, treat others as you would want them to treat you, for this fulfills the law and the prophets.
The Narrow Gate
13 “Enter through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the way is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
14 But the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
A Tree and Its Fruit
15 “Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves.
16 You will recognize them by their fruit. Grapes are not gathered from thorns or figs from thistles, are they?
17 In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 So then, you will recognize them by their fruit.
Judgment of Pretenders
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven – only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
22 On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and do many powerful deeds?’
23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!’
Hearing and Doing
24 “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on rock.
25 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because it had been founded on rock.
26 Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
27 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed; it was utterly destroyed!”
28 When Jesus finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed by his teaching,
29 because he taught them like one who had authority, not like their experts in the law.