Matthew 4–12

4TH CHAPTER

The Temptation of Jesus—Mark 1:12–13; Luke 4:1–13

¹Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the devil. ²Jesus did not eat anything for 40 days and 40 nights. At the end of that time, he was hungry. 

³The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” 

⁴Jesus answered, “Scripture says, ‘A person cannot live on bread alone but on every word that God speaks.’ ” 

⁵Then the devil took him into the holy city and had him stand on the highest part of the temple. ⁶He said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, jump! Scripture says, ‘He will put his angels in charge of you. They will carry you in their hands so that you never hit your foot against a rock.’ ” 

⁷Jesus said to him, “Again, Scripture says, ‘Never tempt the Lord your God.’ ”^a

⁸Once more the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms in the world and their glory. ⁹The devil said to him, “I will give you all this if you will bow down and worship me.” 

¹⁰Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! Scripture says, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ ” 

¹¹Then the devil left him, and angels came to take care of him. 

A Light Has Risen

¹²When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he went back to Galilee. ¹³He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. This was in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. ¹⁴So what the prophet Isaiah had said came true: 

¹⁵“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, 

on the way to the sea, 

across the Jordan River, 

Galilee, where foreigners live! 

¹⁶The people who lived in darkness 

have seen a bright light. 

A light has risen 

for those who live in a land overshadowed by death.” 

¹⁷From then on, Jesus began to tell people, “Turn to God and change the way you think and act, because the kingdom of heaven is near!” 

Calling of the First Disciples—Mark 1:16–20; Luke 5:1–11

¹⁸As he was walking along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Andrew. They were throwing a net into the sea because they were fishermen. ¹⁹Jesus said to them, “Come, follow me! I will teach you how to catch people instead of fish.” ²⁰They immediately left their nets and followed him. 

²¹As Jesus went on, he saw two other brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee preparing their nets to go fishing. He called them, ²²and they immediately left the boat and their father and followed Jesus. 

Spreading the Good News in Galilee—Mark 1:35–39; Luke 4:42–44

²³Jesus went all over Galilee. He taught in the synagogues and spread the Good News of the kingdom. He also cured every disease and sickness among the people. 

²⁴The news about Jesus spread throughout Syria. People brought him everyone who was sick, those who suffered from any kind of disease or pain. They also brought epileptics, those who were paralyzed, and people possessed by demons, and he cured them all. ²⁵Large crowds followed him. They came from Galilee, the Ten Cities,^bJerusalem, Judea, and from across the Jordan River. 

5TH CHAPTER

The Sermon on a Mountain:

the Beatitudes

¹When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up a mountain and sat down. His disciples came to him, ²and he began to teach them: 

³“Blessed are those who recognize they are spiritually helpless. 

The kingdom of heaven belongs to them. 

⁴Blessed are those who mourn. 

They will be comforted. 

⁵Blessed are those who are gentle. 

They will inherit the earth. 

⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for God’s approval. 

They will be satisfied. 

⁷Blessed are those who show mercy. 

They will be treated mercifully. 

⁸Blessed are those whose thoughts are pure. 

They will see God. 

⁹Blessed are those who make peace. 

They will be called God’s children. 

¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted for doing what God approves of. 

The kingdom of heaven belongs to them. 

¹¹“Blessed are you when people insult you, 

persecute you, 

lie, and say all kinds of evil things about you because of me. 

¹²Rejoice and be glad because you have a great reward in heaven! 

The prophets who lived before you were persecuted in these ways. 

God’s People Make a Difference in the World—Mark 4:21–23; Luke 11:33

¹³“You are salt for the earth. But if salt loses its taste, how will it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled on by people. 

¹⁴“You are light for the world. A city cannot be hidden when it is located on a hill. ¹⁵No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket. Instead, everyone who lights a lamp puts it on a lamp stand. Then its light shines on everyone in the house. ¹⁶In the same way let your light shine in front of people. Then they will see the good that you do and praise your Father in heaven. 

Jesus Fulfills the Old Testament Scriptures

¹⁷“Don’t ever think that I came to set aside Moses’ Teachings or the Prophets. I didn’t come to set them aside but to make them come true. ¹⁸I can guarantee this truth: Until the earth and the heavens disappear, neither a period nor a comma will disappear from the Scriptures before everything has come true. ¹⁹So whoever sets aside any command that seems unimportant and teaches others to do the same will be unimportant in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches what the commands say will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰I can guarantee that unless you live a life that has God’s approval and do it more faithfully than the experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 

Jesus Talks about Anger

²¹“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘Never murder. Whoever murders will answer for it in court.’ ²²But I can guarantee that whoever is angry with another believer^awill answer for it in court. Whoever calls another believer an insulting name will answer for it in the highest court. Whoever calls another believer a fool will answer for it in hellfire. 

²³“So if you are offering your gift at the altar and remember there that another believer has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift at the altar. First go away and make peace with that person. Then come back and offer your gift. 

²⁵“Make peace quickly with your opponent while you are on the way to court with him. Otherwise, he will hand you over to the judge. Then the judge will hand you over to an officer, who will throw you into prison. ²⁶I can guarantee this truth: You will never get out until you pay every penny of your fine. 

About Sexual Sin

²⁷“You have heard that it was said, ‘Never commit adultery.’ ²⁸But I can guarantee that whoever looks with lust at a woman has already committed adultery in his heart. 

²⁹“So if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose a part of your body than to have all of it thrown into hell. ³⁰And if your right hand leads you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose a part of your body than to have all of it go into hell. 

³¹“It has also been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a written notice.’ ³²But I can guarantee that any man who divorces his wife for any reason other than unfaithfulness makes her look as though she has committed adultery. Whoever marries a woman divorced in this way makes himself look as though he has committed adultery. 

About Oaths

³³“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘Never break your oath, but give to the Lord what you swore in an oath to give him.’ ³⁴But I tell you don’t swear an oath at all. Don’t swear an oath by heaven, which is God’s throne, ³⁵or by the earth, which is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, which is the city of the great King. ³⁶And don’t swear an oath by your head. After all, you cannot make one hair black or white. ³⁷Simply say yes or no. Anything more than that comes from the evil one. 

Love Your Enemies—Luke 6:27–36

³⁸“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹But I tell you not to oppose an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn your other cheek to him as well. ⁴⁰If someone wants to sue you in order to take your shirt, let him have your coat too. ⁴¹If someone forces you to go one mile, go two miles with him. ⁴²Give to everyone who asks you for something. Don’t turn anyone away who wants to borrow something from you. 

⁴³“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴But I tell you this: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. ⁴⁵In this way you show that you are children of your Father in heaven. He makes his sun rise on people whether they are good or evil. He lets rain fall on them whether they are just or unjust. ⁴⁶If you love those who love you, do you deserve a reward? Even the tax collectors do that! ⁴⁷Are you doing anything remarkable if you welcome only your friends? Everyone does that! ⁴⁸That is why you must be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. 

6TH CHAPTER

The Sermon on a Mountain Continues:

Don’t Do Good Works to Be Praised by People

¹“Be careful not to do your good works in public in order to attract attention. If you do, your Father in heaven will not reward you. ²So when you give to the poor, don’t announce it with trumpet fanfare. This is what hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets in order to be praised by people. I can guarantee this truth: That will be their only reward. ³When you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. ⁴Give your contributions privately. Your Father sees what you do in private. He will reward you. 

The Lord’s Prayer—Luke 11:1–4

⁵“When you pray, don’t be like hypocrites. They like to stand in synagogues and on street corners to pray so that everyone can see them. I can guarantee this truth: That will be their only reward. ⁶When you pray, go to your room and close the door. Pray privately to your Father who is with you. Your Father sees what you do in private. He…