CHAPTER 7

Jesus left Capernaum and walked up a hill west of Lake Galilee to pray. He spent the whole night praying to God.

In the morning Jesus called his disciples and gathered around him those he wanted. He selected and appointed 12 of these disciples to be with him, and to be his apostles. The term ‘apostle’ means “one who is sent.” He chose his apostles so that he could send them out to preach and have God’s authority to cast out demons from people. These are the names of the Twelve Apostles that Jesus selected: the brothers Peter and Andrew; the brothers James and John; Philip; Bartholomew (Nathanael); Mat- thew; Thomas; James son of Alphaeus; Simon called the Zealot; Jude (Thaddaeus); and Judas Iscariot, who would betray Jesus.

Jesus walked down the hill with his apostles and stood on a plateau area of land. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people who had come from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and the Mediterranean coastal region of non-Jewish Tyre and Sidon. The crowd came to hear Jesus teach and to be healed of their diseases. Those who were tormented by demons were set free, and the people tried to touch Jesus, for God’s power was coming from his body and healing everybody.

When Jesus saw the large crowds following him, he went back up on the hill, sat down, and taught his disciples the blessings of the kingdom of God that are known as the “Beatitudes.”

He taught, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God. Blessed are those who weep now, for they will laugh. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be given comfort. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for the right ways of God, for they will be filled. Blessed are the humble, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for obeying the right ways of God, for theirs is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and say false words about you because of me. Rejoice and be happy, for your reward in heaven will be great, for in the same way they persecuted the Old Testament prophets who came before you. Blessed are you when people hate you, exclude you, and insult you, and call you evil, for you are a follower of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and jump for joy, for great is your reward in heaven, for that is how their ancestors treated the Old Testament prophets.”

Then Jesus continued to teach them what is today called the Sermon on the Mount.

“How terrible for you who are rich now, for you have already received your comfort. How terrible for you who are well fed now, for you will be hungry. How terrible for you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. How terrible for those who say good things about you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

“You are the salt of the earth! But if salt loses its taste, it cannot be made to taste like salt again. It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown on the ground and walked on. You are the light of the world! A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. People do not light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put a lamp on a stand, so that it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they will see your good works and praise your Father in heaven.

“Do not think that I came to eliminate the law of Moses or the prophets. I did not come to destroy them, but to fulfill them! For I tell you the truth: Until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest mark of a letter from the law of Moses will be taken away until everything in it is fulfilled. Therefore, whoever eliminates one of the least of God’s commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called the least in the kingdom of God. But whoever obeys and teaches God’s commandments will be called the greatest in the kingdom of God. For I tell you the truth: Unless your righteousness is greater than that of the religious leaders, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of God.

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago in Exodus 20:13, ‘Do not murder.’ But I say to you that anyone who is angry with another believer will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who in- sults another believer will be brought before the Jewish governing council. And anyone who says, ‘You are a fool,’ to another believer will be in danger of the fire of hell.

“If you are offering your gift at God’s altar and there remember that your fellow believer has something against you, leave your gift at the altar. First go and heal the relationship with your fellow believer; then go back and offer your gift to God. Immediately settle matters with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are walking together to the courthouse, or he will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to a guard, and you will be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth: You will not get out of prison until you have paid the very last penny you owe that person.

“You have heard that it is written in Exodus 20:14, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that anyone who looks at a woman with sex- ual lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

“If your right eye causes you to sin, pull it out and throw it away. For it is far better for you to lose one eye than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is far better for you to lose one hand than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

“It has been written in Deuteronomy 24:1, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago in Leviticus 19:12, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord any vows you have made.’ But I say to you: Do not make any oaths—either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for the earth is God’s footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not make an oath by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. I tell you to say either ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’ To say anything more than this comes from Satan, the evil one.

“You have heard that it was said in Exodus 21:24, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you: Do not use violence to resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you with a backhand on your right cheek in an attempt to humiliate you, turn your left cheek to them. And if any- one sues you in court and takes your inner shirt, give them your outer coat also. If anyone forces you to go one mile, insist on going with them for two miles. If anyone asks you to give them something, give it to them; do not turn away a person who wants to borrow from you.

“You have heard that it was written in Leviticus 19:18, ‘Love your neighbor,’ and others have said, ’hate your enemy.’ But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. If you do this, you will be children of your Father in heaven. For God causes his sun to rise on the good and the evil, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love only those who love you, why should you get a reward for that? For even tax collectors love those who love them. And if you greet only your friends, you are no better than any- one else. For even unbelievers greet their friends. Therefore, you must be holy like your heavenly Father is holy.

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of other people, with the desire to be seen by them. If you do, you will not receive a reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you give to people in need, do not draw attention to yourselves by blowing trumpets like the religious hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets. They simply want to be praised by people who see them. I tell you the truth: They have received their full reward. But when you give to people in need, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving to others will be done in private. Then your Father—who sees everything that is done in private—will reward you.

“This is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, holy is your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from Satan, the evil one.’

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your Father in heaven will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive the sins of others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

“When you fast, do not fast like the religious hypocrites, who put on a sad face to show other people that they are fasting. I tell you the truth: They have received their full reward. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face, so other people will not know that you are fasting, but only your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees everything that is done in private, will reward you.

“Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. Instead, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. Sell what you own and give to the poor. Pursue money bags for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“Your eyes are the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good and sincere, then your whole body will be full of shining light. If your whole body is full of shining light—having no darkness—then it will be just as when a lamp shines its light on you. But when your eyes are evil, your body will radiate darkness. Therefore, watch carefully that the light within you does not become darkness, for your darkness will be great!

“You cannot serve two masters: You will either love one and hate the other, or you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

“I tell you the truth: Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about the clothes you will wear. For life is much more than food, and your body is much more important than what clothes you will wear. Watch the birds flying in the sky. Watch how the birds live. They do not work. They do not plant or harvest. They have no storerooms or barns for their food, but God, your Father in heaven, feeds them! And you are much more valuable than birds! You cannot add a single hour to your life by worrying. Since you can’t do this, why do you worry about everything else? Why do you worry about what clothes you will wear? Watch the wild flowers grow in the field. Look, they do not labor or work. I tell you the truth: Not even Solomon in all his kingly splendor was dressed like the beauty of the flowers. So if that is how God clothes the grass of the field—which is here today and to- morrow is thrown into the fire—how much more will God clothe you, you of little faith! Do not worry about your life. Do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink. Stop saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ Do not worry about all these things of life! For the people of this world live for all these things, and your Father in heaven knows what you need in life. Instead, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things you need in life will be given to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father in heaven is pleased to give you the kingdom of God. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have its own worries. Today has enough trouble of its own.

“Do not judge others, so that you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, and you will not be condemned. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged. The measure you use to judge others will be the same measure used against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Give to others, and it will be given to you. You will receive much. It will be poured over into your lap, for the amount you give is the amount that you will receive. Can the blind lead the blind? Won’t they both fall into a hole? The student is not above his teacher. But everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher. Why do you notice the small piece of sawdust in a fellow believer’s eye, but ignore the large piece of wood in your own eye? How can you say to a fellow believer, ‘Let me take the small piece of sawdust out of your eye,’ when you have a large piece of wood in your own eye? You religious hypocrites! First remove the large piece of wood out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the small piece of sawdust from the eye of your fellow believer.

“A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. Each tree is recognized by the kind of fruit it produces. We do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from thistles. A good man brings good treasure out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For a man speaks out of the abundance that has been stored up in his heart.

“Do not give dogs what is holy, or throw pearls before pigs. If you do, they will trample them, and then attack you and tear you to pieces.

“Suppose you go to your friend at midnight and tell him, ‘My dear friend, please lend me three loaves of bread, for another friend on a long journey has come to visit my home, and I have no food to give him.’ But suppose the friend you asked for bread tells you, ‘Don’t bother me! My door is already locked, and my family is all sleeping. I can’t get up out of bed and give you any bread.’ I tell you the truth: Even though your friend will not at first get out of bed to give you bread, yet if you are persistent and keep asking, he will finally get up and give you as much as you need. Keep asking and it will be given to you; keep seeking and you will find; keep knocking and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; everyone who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened to you. Tell me, which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish or bread, will give him a stone or a snake? Or if he asks you for an egg, will give him a scorpion? Not one of you! Therefore, if you earthly fathers give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts and the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!

“So in all things, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this way of living fulfills the teaching of the entire Old Testament.

“Enter through the narrow gate! For the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and many people choose to go this way. The gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to eternal life, and only a few people choose to go this way. Make every effort to enter through the narrow gate, for I tell you the truth, many people will try to enter and will not be able to.

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you wearing sheep’s clothing, but on the inside they are ferocious wolves. You can recognize false prophets by their fruits—how they live their lives. People do not pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles. Good trees produce good fruit, but bad trees produce bad fruit. Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. For not everyone who says to me on the final day, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of God, but only those who do the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on the final day, ‘Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name, drove out demons in your name, and per- formed many miracles in your name.’ Then I will tell them directly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me! You have lived evil lives!’

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I teach? Therefore, whoever comes to me, hears my teaching, and puts it into practice is like a wise man building a house. He dug down deep and built the house on a rock foundation. And when the rains came, the rivers rose, the winds blew, and the rushing waters hit against that house, the house did not shake and fall, for its foundation was built on the solid rock and was built well. But whoever hears my teaching and does not put it into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand without a rock foundation. And when the rains came, the riv- ers rose, the winds blew, and the rushing water hit that house, it fell with a great crash and it was completely destroyed.”

After Jesus had finished his teaching, the crowds of people were amazed at what he said, for he taught as one who had God’s authority, and not like their religious teachers.

When Jesus came down from the hillside, large crowds of people followed him.