Matthew 7–9

7TH CHAPTER

The Sermon on a Mountain Continues:

Stop Judging—Luke 6:37–42

¹“Stop judging so that you will not be judged. ²Otherwise, you will be judged by the same standard you use to judge others. The standards you use for others will be applied to you. ³So why do you see the piece of sawdust in another believer’s eye and not notice the wooden beam in your own eye? ⁴How can you say to another believer, ‘Let me take the piece of sawdust out of your eye,’ when you have a beam in your own eye? ⁵You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye. Then you will see clearly to remove the piece of sawdust from another believer’s eye. 

Don’t Throw Pearls to Pigs

⁶“Don’t give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls to pigs. Otherwise, they will trample them and then tear you to pieces. 

The Power of Prayer—Luke 11:5–13

⁷“Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. ⁸Everyone who asks will receive. The one who searches will find, and for the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 

⁹“If your child asks you for bread, would any of you give him a stone? ¹⁰Or if your child asks for a fish, would you give him a snake? ¹¹Even though you’re evil, you know how to give good gifts to your children. So how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him? 

The Golden Rule—Luke 6:31

¹²“Always do for other people everything you want them to do for you. That is ⸤the meaning of⸥ Moses’ Teachings and the Prophets. 

The Narrow Gate

¹³“Enter through the narrow gate because the gate and road that lead to destruction are wide. Many enter through the wide gate. ¹⁴But the narrow gate and the road that lead to life are full of trouble. Only a few people find the narrow gate. 

False Prophets—Luke 6:43–45

¹⁵“Beware of false prophets. They come to you disguised as sheep, but in their hearts they are vicious wolves. ¹⁶You will know them by what they produce. 

“People don’t pick grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles, do they? ¹⁷In the same way every good tree produces good fruit, but a rotten tree produces bad fruit. ¹⁸A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a rotten tree cannot produce good fruit. ¹⁹Any tree that fails to produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into a fire. ²⁰So you will know them by what they produce. 

²¹“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the person who does what my Father in heaven wants. ²²Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name? Didn’t we force out demons and do many miracles by the power and authority of your name?’ ²³Then I will tell them publicly, ‘I’ve never known you. Get away from me, you evil people.’ 

Build on the Rock—Luke 6:47–49

²⁴“Therefore, everyone who hears what I say and obeys it will be like a wise person who built a house on rock. ²⁵Rain poured, and floods came. Winds blew and beat against that house. But it did not collapse, because its foundation was on rock. 

²⁶“Everyone who hears what I say but doesn’t obey it will be like a foolish person who built a house on sand. ²⁷Rain poured, and floods came. Winds blew and struck that house. It collapsed, and the result was a total disaster.” 

²⁸When Jesus finished this speech, the crowds were amazed at his teachings. ²⁹Unlike their experts in Moses’ Teachings, he taught them with authority. 

8TH CHAPTER

Jesus Cures a Man with a Skin Disease—Mark 1:40–45; Luke 5:12–16

¹When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed him. 

²A man with a serious skin disease came and bowed down in front of him. The man said to Jesus, “Sir, if you’re willing, you can make me clean.”^a

³Jesus reached out, touched him, and said, “I’m willing. So be clean!” Immediately, his skin disease went away, and he was clean. 

⁴Jesus said to him, “Don’t tell anyone about this! Instead, show yourself to the priest. Then offer the sacrifice Moses commanded as proof to people that you are clean.” 

A Believing Army Officer—Luke 7:1–10

⁵When Jesus went to Capernaum, a Roman army officer came to beg him for help. ⁶The officer said, “Sir, my servant is lying at home paralyzed and in terrible pain.” 

⁷Jesus said to him, “I’ll come to heal him.” 

⁸The officer responded, “Sir, I don’t deserve to have you come into my house. But just give a command, and my servant will be healed. ⁹As you know, I’m in a chain of command and have soldiers at my command. I tell one of them, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and another, ‘Come!’ and he comes. I tell my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” 

¹⁰Jesus was amazed when he heard this. He said to those who were following him, “I can guarantee this truth: I haven’t found faith as great as this in anyone in Israel. ¹¹I can guarantee that many will come from all over the world. They will eat with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. ¹²The citizens of that kingdom will be thrown outside into the darkness. People will cry and be in extreme pain there. 

¹³Jesus told the officer, “Go! What you believed will be done for you.” And at that moment the servant was healed. 

Jesus Cures Peter’s Mother-in-Law and Many Others—Mark 1:29–34; Luke 4:38–41

¹⁴When Jesus went to Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law in bed with a fever. ¹⁵Jesus touched her hand, and the fever went away. So she got up and prepared a meal for him. 

¹⁶In the evening the people brought him many who were possessed by demons. He forced the ⸤evil⸥ spirits out of people with a command and cured everyone who was sick. ¹⁷So what the prophet Isaiah had said came true: “He took away our weaknesses and removed our diseases.” 

¹⁸Now, when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he ordered ⸤his disciples⸥ to cross to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. 

What It Takes to Be a Disciple—Luke 9:57–62

¹⁹An expert in Moses’ Teachings came to him and said, “Teacher, I’ll follow you wherever you go.” 

²⁰Jesus told him, “Foxes have holes, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to sleep.” 

²¹Another disciple said to him, “Sir, first let me go to bury my father.” 

²²But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” 

Jesus Calms the Sea—Mark 4:35–41; Luke 8:22–25

²³Jesus’ disciples went with him as he left in a boat. ²⁴Suddenly, a severe storm came across the sea. The waves were covering the boat. Yet, Jesus was sleeping. 

²⁵So they woke him up, saying, “Lord! Save us! We’re going to die!” 

²⁶Jesus said to them, “Why do you cowards have so little faith?” Then he got up, gave an order to the wind and the sea, and the sea became very calm. 

²⁷The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!” 

Jesus Cures Two Demon-Possessed Men—Mark 5:1–20; Luke 8:26–39

²⁸When he arrived in the territory of the Gadarenes on the other side ⸤of the Sea of Galilee⸥, two men met him. They were possessed by demons and had come out of the tombs. No one could travel along that road because the men were so dangerous. 

²⁹They shouted, “Why are you bothering us now, Son of God? Did you come here to torture us before it is time?” 

³⁰A large herd of pigs was feeding in the distance. ³¹The demons begged Jesus, “If you’re going to force us out, send us into that herd of pigs.” 

³²Jesus said to them, “Go!” The demons came out and went into the pigs. Suddenly, the whole herd rushed down the cliff into the sea and died in the water. ³³Those who took care of the pigs ran into the city. There they reported everything, especially about the men possessed by demons. 

³⁴Everyone from the city went to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their territory. 

9TH CHAPTER

Jesus Forgives Sins—Mark 2:1–12; Luke 5:17–26

¹Jesus got into a boat, crossed the sea, and came to his own city. ²Some people brought him a paralyzed man on a stretcher. 

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Cheer up, friend! Your sins are forgiven.” 

³Then some of the experts in Moses’ Teachings thought, “He’s dishonoring God.” 

⁴Jesus knew what they were thinking. He asked them, “Why are you thinking evil things? ⁵Is it easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ⁶I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, pick up your stretcher, and go home.” 

⁷So the man got up and went home. ⁸When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe and praised God for giving such authority to humans. 

Jesus Chooses Matthew to Be a Disciple—Mark 2:13–17; Luke 5:27–32

⁹When Jesus was leaving that place, he saw a man sitting in a tax office. The man’s name was Matthew. Jesus said to him, “Follow me!” So Matthew got up and followed him. 

¹⁰Later Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house. Many tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Jesus and his disciples. ¹¹The Pharisees saw this and asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 

¹²When Jesus heard that, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor; those who are sick do. ¹³Learn what this means: ‘I want mercy, not sacrifices.’ I’ve come to call sinners, not people who think they have God’s approval.” 

Jesus Is Questioned about Fasting—Mark 2:18–22; Luke 5:33–39

¹⁴Then John’s disciples came to Jesus. They said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often but your disciples never do?” 

¹⁵Jesus replied, “Can wedding guests be sad while the groom is still with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast. 

¹⁶“No one patches an old coat with a new piece of cloth that will shrink. When the patch shrinks, it will rip away from the coat, and the tear will become worse. ¹⁷Nor do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins burst, the wine runs out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, people pour new wine into fresh skins, and both are saved.” 

A Synagogue Leader’s Daughter and the Woman with Chronic Bleeding—Mark 5:21–43; Luke 8:40–56

¹⁸A ⸤synagogue⸥ leader came to Jesus…