Bible Verse Lookup
Mt 3,7-10
Chapter 3
John the Baptist
In those days, John the Baptist appeared in the desert of Judea, proclaiming:
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
It was about him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said:
A voice is shouting in the desert,
‘Prepare a way for the Lord;
make his paths straight!’
John wore a leather belt around his waist and a cloak made of camel’s hair; his food was locusts and wild honey.
The people of Jerusalem, all Judea, and the entire Jordan Valley were going out to him,
and they were baptized by him in the Jordan as they confessed their sins.
When he saw several Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them:
“Brood of vipers! Who told you that you could escape the punishment that is to come?
Make it clear that you are serious about your conversion;
and do not think: ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that God can raise children for Abraham from these stones!
The ax is already at the roots of the trees; any tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
I baptize you with water for a change of heart, but the one coming after me is more powerful than I am; in fact, I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
He has the winnowing fork in his hand, and he will clear out his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with inextinguishable fire.”
Baptism of Jesus
At that time, Jesus arrived from Galilee and came to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.
But John tried to prevent him and said:
“How is it you come to me? I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?”
But Jesus answered him:
“Let it be like that for now; so that we may fulfill all righteousness.”
Then John agreed.
As soon as he was baptized, Jesus came up out of the water. All at once, the heavens opened, and he saw the Spirit of God come down like a dove and rest upon him.
At the same time, a voice from heaven was heard:
“This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
Chapter 7
Judging Others
Do not judge, and you will not be judged.
In the same way, you judge others, you will be judged; and the measure you use for others will be used for you.
Why do you notice the speck in your brother’s eye but ignore the plank in your own?
How can you tell your brother, ‘Come, let me take the speck from your eye,’ when you have a plank in your own?
Hypocrite, first remove the plank from your own eye, then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Holy Things
Do not give what is sacred to dogs, or toss your pearls before pigs. They might trample them and then attack you, tearing you apart.
Perseverance in Prayer
Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; whoever seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
Would any of you give a stone to your son when he asks for bread?
Or give him a snake when he asks for a fish?
No matter how flawed you are, you know how to give good things to your children. So, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
The Golden Rule
So, do to others whatever you would want them to do to you: there you have the law and the prophets.
The Narrow Gate
Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many go that way.
How narrow is the gate that leads to life, and how rough the road; few there are who find it.
The Tree Is Known By Its Fruit
Beware of false prophets: they appear as harmless sheep, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
You will recognize them by their fruits. Do you ever pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?
A healthy tree always bears good fruit, while a rotten tree yields bad fruit.
A healthy tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a rotten tree cannot bear good fruit.
Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
So then, you will recognize them by their fruit.
It Is Not Enough to Say: “Lord, Lord!”
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not speak in your name? Did we not cast out devils and perform many miracles in your name?’
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I have never known you; away from me, you evil people!’
Rock and Sand
Therefore, anyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain poured down, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house. But it did not collapse, because it was built on rock.
But anyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them is like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain poured, rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house; it collapsed, and what a terrible collapse that was!”
When Jesus finished this teaching, the crowds were amazed
because he taught with authority, unlike their teachers of the law.
Chapter 8
Heals a Leper
When Jesus descended from the mountain, a large crowd followed him.
Then a leper stepped forward. He knelt before him and said:
“Sir, if you want to, you can make me clean.”
Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said:
“I will do it. Be made clean.”
At that very moment, the man was healed of his leprosy.
Then Jesus said to him:
“See that you do not tell anyone, but go to the priest, have yourself declared clean, and offer the gift that Moses commanded as evidence for them.”
Heals a Centurion’s Servant
When Jesus arrived in Capernaum, an army captain came to him seeking his help:
Sir, my servant is sick at home. He is paralyzed and suffering terribly.
Jesus told him: “I will come and heal him.”
The captain answered:
“I am not worthy to have you under my roof. Just give an order, and my boy will be healed.
For I, a junior officer, give orders to my soldiers. And if I say to one, ‘Go!’ he goes; and if I say to another, ‘Come!’ he comes; and if I say to my servant, ‘Do this!’ he does it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him:
“I tell you; I have not found such faith in Israel.
I tell you; many will come from the east and the west and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven;
but the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown out into utter darkness, where they will wail and grind their teeth.”
Then Jesus said to the captain:
“Go home now. As you believed, so let it be.”
And at that moment, his servant was healed.
Heals and Exorcises Around the House
Jesus went to Peter’s house and found his mother-in-law in bed with a fever.
He touched her hand, and the fever left her; she got up and waited on him.
Later in the evening, they brought many people possessed by evil spirits to Jesus, and with a word, he cast out the spirits. He also healed all who were sick.
In this way, what the prophet Isaiah said was fulfilled:
He bore our infirmities
and took on himself our diseases.
Requirements of Discipleship
When Jesus saw the crowd gathering around him, he instructed his disciples to cross to the other side of the lake.
A teacher of the law came up to him and said:
“Master, I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus said to him:
“Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
Another disciple said to him:
“LORD, let me go and bury my father first.”
But Jesus said to him:
“Follow me and let the dead bury their dead.
Calming a Storm
Jesus stepped into the boat, and his disciples followed him.
Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, causing waves to crash over the boat. But Jesus was asleep.
The disciples woke him up and cried:
“LORD save us! We are lost!”
But Jesus answered:
“Why are you so afraid, you of little faith?”
Then he stood up, rebuked the wind and sea, and it became completely calm.
The disciples were amazed. They asked:
“What kind of man is he? Even the winds and the sea obey him.”
Exorcism in Gadara
When Jesus arrived at Gadara on the other side, he was met by two men possessed by demons, who came out of the tombs. They were so aggressive that no one dared to pass that way.
They shouted:
“Son of God, leave us alone! Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
Nearby, a large herd of pigs was feeding.
So the demons begged him:
“If you drive us out, send us into that herd of pigs.”
Jesus commanded them:
“Go then!”
The demons left the men and entered the pigs. The entire herd then rushed off the cliff into the lake and drowned.
The men responsible for the pigs ran to town, where they told the whole story and also what had happened to the men possessed by the demons.
The entire town came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their area.
Chapter 9
He Heals a Paralytic
Jesus got back into the boat, crossed the lake again, and arrived in his hometown.
Here, they brought a paralyzed man lying on a bed to him. Jesus saw their faith and said to the paralytic:
“Courage, my son! Your sins are forgiven.”
Some teachers of the law thought to themselves:
“This man insults God.”
Jesus was aware of what they were thinking and said:
“Why do you have such evil thoughts?
Which is easier to say: ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or ‘Stand up and walk’?
But that you may know that the Son of Man has the power on earth to forgive sins,” he said to the paralyzed man:
“Stand up! Take your stretcher and go home!”
The man got up and went home.
When the crowds saw this, they were filled with awe and praised God for granting humans such power.
He Calls Matthew and Shares the Table With Sinners
As Jesus continued on his way, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his booth in the customs house, and he said to him:
“Follow me!”
And Matthew got up and followed him.
Now, it happened while Jesus was at the table at Matthew’s house that many tax collectors and sinners joined Jesus and his disciples.
When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples:
“Why is it, that your master eats with sinners and tax collectors?”
When Jesus heard this, he said:
“Healthy people do not need a doctor, but sick people do.
Go and find out what this means: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
On Fasting
Then John’s disciples approached him with the question:
“How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but not your disciples?”
Jesus answered them:
“How can you expect wedding guests to mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
No one patches an old coat with a piece of unshrunk cloth because the patch will shrink and create an even bigger hole in the coat.
Similarly, you don’t put new wine into old wineskins. If you do, the wineskins will burst and the wine will be spilled. Instead, you put new wine into fresh skins; then both are preserved.”
A Woman Healed and a Child Raised to Life
While Jesus was speaking to them, a synagogue official approached him, bowed before him, and said:
“My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hands on her, and she will live.”
Jesus stood up and followed him with his disciples.
Then a woman who had been suffering from severe bleeding for twelve years came up from behind and touched the edge of his cloak;
for she thought:
“If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”
Jesus turned, saw her, and said:
“Courage, my daughter, your faith has saved you.”
From that moment, the woman was healed.
When Jesus arrived at the official’s house and saw the flute players and the excited crowd, he said:
“Go away! The girl is not dead. She is only sleeping!”
And they laughed at him.
But once the crowd had been gone out, Jesus went in, took the girl by the hand, and she stood up.
The news of this spread across the entire area.
He Heals Two Blind Men and Exorcises a Mute
As Jesus continued on his way, two blind men followed him, shouting:
“Son of David, help us!”
When he was about to enter the house, the blind men caught up with him, and Jesus said to them:
“Do you believe that I am able to do what you want?”
They answered:
“Yes, sir!”
Then Jesus touched their eyes and said:
“As you have believed, so let it be.”
And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus gave them a stern warning:
“Be careful that no one knows about this.”
But as soon as they left, they spread the news about him throughout the entire area.
As they were leaving, some people brought to Jesus a man who was mute because he was possessed by a demon.
When the demon was cast out, the mute man started to speak. The crowd was amazed and said:
“Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”
But the Pharisees said:
“He drives away demons with the help of the prince of demons.”
Narrative Summary of Jesus’ Activity
Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues and announcing the good news of the kingdom; he also healed every sickness and disease.
Jesus’ Compassion
When he saw the crowds, he was filled with compassion, for they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples:
“The harvest is abundant, but the workers are only a few.
Ask the master of the harvest to send workers to gather his harvest.”
Chapter 10
The Twelve
Jesus called his Twelve disciples to him and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out and to heal every disease and sickness.
These are the names of the Twelve apostles: first, Simon, called Peter, and his brother Andrew;
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
Simon, the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, the man who would betray him.
Mission of the Twelve
Jesus sent these Twelve on a mission with the instructions: “Do not visit pagan territory and do not enter a Samaritan town.
Go, instead, to the lost sheep of the people of Israel.
Go and proclaim this message: The kingdom of heaven is near.
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
Do not carry any gold, silver, or money in your purses.
Do not bring a travel bag, an extra shirt, sandals, or a walking stick: workers deserve compensation.
When you arrive in a town or village, seek out a worthy person, and remain there until you leave.
When you enter the house, wish it peace.
If the people are worthy, your peace will rest on them; if they are not, your blessing will come back to you.
And if you are not welcomed, and your words are not listened to, leave that house or that town, and shake the dust off your feet.
I assure you, the people of Sodom and Gomorrah will have an easier time on the day of judgment than the people of that town.
Warning of Persecution
See, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. You must be as clever as snakes and as innocent as doves.
Be cautious around people, for they will turn you over to their courts and flog you in their synagogues.
You will be brought before governors and kings for my sake as a witness to them and to the pagans.
But when you are arrested, don’t worry about what to say or how to say it; when the time comes, you will be given what to say.
For it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Brother will give his brother over to death, and a father to his child; children will turn against their parents and have them put to death.
Everyone will hate you because of me, but anyone who stays firm until the end will be saved.
When they persecute you in one town, escape to the next. I assure you, you won’t have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
A student is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.
A student should be content to become like his teacher and the slave like his master. If the head of the household has been called Beelzebul, how much more those of his household!
Exhortation to Courage
So, do not be afraid of them. Nothing hidden will remain secret. Everything concealed will eventually be revealed.
What I tell you in secret, you must speak openly; what you hear in private, proclaim from the rooftops.
Do not fear those who can only kill the body, but cannot harm the soul. Instead, fear the one who can destroy both body and soul in Gehenna.
For just a few cents, you can buy two sparrows. Yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father knowing.
As for you, every hair on your head has been counted.
Don’t be afraid: you are worth more than many sparrows!
Choice for Jesus
Whoever acknowledges me in front of others, I will acknowledge them before my Father in heaven.
Whoever rejects me in front of others, I will reject them before my Father in heaven.
Radical Discipleship
Don’t think I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
Each one will have enemies from their own family.
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Rewards
Whoever welcomes you, welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me, welcomes him who sent me.
Whoever welcomes a prophet will receive the reward of a prophet; the one who welcomes a just man, because he is a just man, will receive the reward of a just man.
And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, because he is my disciple, I assure you, he will not lose his reward.
Commentaries
John the Baptist.
After several decades of Jesus’ life spent in hiddenness and anonymity, which the evangelists do not specify, Matthew resumes his account with a broad temporal phrase, introducing John as “the Baptist.”
The portrait he paints of himself is striking, both for his wild attire, ascetic diet, and the desert setting of his preaching, and for the powerful nature of his message: repentance as a fundamental life change and the necessity to face God’s judgment—the avenger of injustices. His primary focus is on the leaders of the people, who are directly responsible for corruption and decadence: the Pharisees and Sadducees, “brood of vipers” (7). In this indirect way, Matthew also mentions Jesus’ fiercest enemies.
Baptism of Jesus.
The account of the baptism details a historical event: Jesus was baptized by John. With the Baptists recognizing Jesus’ superiority, Matthew clarifies the relationship between Jesus and John, addressing both John’s followers who still cherished his memory and early Christians who might have been scandalized by this act. After Jesus is baptized, the heavens open, and the Father declares him his “beloved” son, making his mission clear.
Judging Others – Holy Things.
The Sermon on the Mount gradually dismantles the internal barriers and conditioning that imprison and enslave people from a new perspective that transforms ethics and all traditional human behavior: the presence of the kingdom of God. It does so by addressing the law of retaliation, the desire to possess, and anxiety about tomorrow; now it also challenges judgment against one’s brother.
Perseverance in Prayer – The Golden Rule.
At this point in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ disciple-listener might feel overwhelmed by the radical challenges posed by the kingdom of God, challenges that seem utopian, bordering on the absurd, and beyond our human ability to understand and accomplish.
The “golden rule” (12) is not a new concept; it appears in the ethical codes of all religions and cultures in some form. What is new is the radically different perspective from which it is now presented: the presence of the kingdom of God among us, which changes our behavior toward each other and unleashes a love that knows no limits.
The Narrow Gate.
Matthew concludes the Sermon on the Mount with an epilogue that highlights the difficult situation faced by Christians of his time, who were not protected from hostility and persecution. While the evangelist is thinking of the communities he is writing to, Jesus’ words are meant for followers of all eras, for whom living by the Gospel’s values often runs counter to the norm—socially, politically, and sometimes religiously.
The Tree Is Known By Its Fruit – It Is Not Enough to Say: “Lord, Lord!” – Rock and Sand.
In the Old Testament, false prophets were the nightmare of true prophets (cf. Jr 23 and Ezk 13), just as false teachers were the nightmare of early Christian communities. The criterion for discernment is clear: By their fruits you will recognize them. It is not a question of correct doctrine, but of doing the will of the Father and living as Jesus lived (25:31-46).
Heals a Leper – Heals a Centurion’s Servant – Heals and Casts Out Demons Around the House.
When Jesus heals and casts out demons, he brings the kingdom of God into the present, showing the Father’s will that his children find fulfillment through freedom. However, the presence of the kingdom demands a response, and faith is a vital step in that process.
The saving power of the kingdom of God has no boundaries; that is why Jesus first reaches out to three marginalized groups: the contagious sick because of their illness; women because of the oppression of a patriarchal culture; and pagans because of their exclusion from God’s people.
Regarding Peter’s mother-in-law, there’s an interesting detail: “she got up and began to serve him” (15). Healing enables women to serve. Is the evangelist symbolically suggesting the restored dignity of Jesus’ followers and their prominent role in the life of Christian communities?
Requirements of Discipleship.
The excitement caused by Jesus’ teachings and miracles should not mislead those who want to follow him. Following Jesus involves certain unavoidable conditions: 1. A life free of attachments or securities, impoverished and itinerant. 2. Full readiness for the mission. 3. Following Jesus must be immediate: once the call is received, the path and demands of the kingdom of God cannot be delayed.
Calming a Storm.
The evangelist states that when Jesus got into the boat, “the disciples followed him” (23), meaning they began to share his fate. But without faith and trust, following him weakens in extreme situations where loyalty to the kingdom of God might even require risking one’s life. Jesus criticizes his disciples’ lack of faith at the very moment of trial, when “the waves were covering the boat” (24), and not after calm has been restored. The one who was sleeping during the storm rises and reveals himself as Lord of the sea.
Exorcism in Gadara.
With His presence and action, Jesus drives out demonic forces from the human environment, pushing them into the realm of the impure symbolized by pigs (cf. Is 66:3.17), into the abyss of perdition (the lake or the sea). The power of God is shown by freeing humanity from all kinds of demonic possession, even beyond the limits of the chosen people. The neighbors do not appreciate this liberation, and their attitude contrasts with others’ admiration for Jesus’ power.
He Heals a Paralytic.
The Jewish mindset linked illness with sin; the disciples themselves believed that sickness or misfortune were caused by some fault, either their own or someone else’s (cf. Jn 9:1f). Jesus shows that he has received the power to heal, but more importantly, the power to forgive—a divine attribute—covering his entire mission of liberation and addressing the core of the human condition in need of salvation. The healing of the paralytic publicly affirms his authority, much to the scandal of the scribes.
He Calls Matthew and Shares the Table With Sinners.
Matthew’s calling is very important: Jesus chooses a tax collector, a publican working for Rome, the occupying power. Like all tax collectors, he has a very bad reputation among the people. Jesus shows him trust without asking for public confessions of conversion. Jesus’s sovereign call frees him from the slavery of money and leads him to discipleship.
On the other hand, Jesus, a regular guest at the tables of the poor and sinners, made sharing food with everyone, regardless of who they were, one of the most powerful symbols of the newness of the kingdom of God that he proclaimed. This is why his practice of inviting or allowing himself to be invited by tax collectors and sinners caused such scandal. Before God, we are all equal: sinners in need of his mercy and his bread of life.
On Fasting.
Through this specific question about fasting, we see the symbolism of the Messiah as the bridegroom (cf. Mt 22:1-14; 25:1-13). The newness brought by the bridegroom is explained in verses 16 and beyond. The images of new wine and new clothes make it clear that the Gospel cannot be contained in old structures and mentalities. We must be open to the newness that the Gospel introduces into our lives.
A Woman Healed and a Child Raised to Life.
Both miracles are connected and appear in the three synoptic Gospels. In both stories, faith and contact with Jesus are essential, linking the need of those who come to Jesus to be restored to full life. Matthew, as usual, stylizes, summarizes, and emphasizes the main message: on one hand, the faith of the official and the woman; on the other, Jesus’ power over sickness and death. For Luke and Mark, the official’s daughter was very ill; for Matthew, she was already dead, considered an impure corpse, just as the woman’s illness was seen as unclean. The pain of this father and the shame of this woman can symbolize all our personal and collective struggles.
He Heals Two Blind Men and Exorcises a Mute.
Every healing carries a deeper meaning, and perhaps the healing of the blind man and the mute are the most symbolic within the biblical tradition. Through these miracles, Matthew sets the stage for the significant declaration Jesus will make to John’s disciples in 11:5. The evangelist emphasizes the importance of faith as a necessary condition for the signs that reveal the fulfillment of God’s kingdom. Faith is precisely the focus of Jesus’ dialogue with the blind men (28ff), the setting for the personal encounter that heals and restores the individual.
Narrative Summary of Jesus’ Activity – Jesus’ Compassion.
These four verses serve as an interlude, closing one section and opening another. Jesus, the Messiah, has announced the beginning of God’s reign with words and actions. His first sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, has been validated through signs and miracles. The success of his power to heal people from all kinds of diseases and ailments has drawn a large crowd of the poor and needy. This sets the stage for the next section: the missionary sending of the Twelve, close followers who will learn from Jesus the scope of the mission, how to carry it out, and God’s initiative, signaled by his call.
The Twelve.
Twelve are chosen, like the tribes of Israel (19:28), and now symbolize the universality of the new people of God. The title of apostles, meaning ‘sent ones,’ is hinted at. They are led by Simon, who has a new name in ministry: Peter. They come from diverse backgrounds and mindsets… But amid them is Jesus, the unifying center. To this first missionary team, the Master will deliver his second discourse, focusing on their mission.
Mission of the Twelve.
The message the envoys must share is that of Jesus—the nearness of the kingdom of God (7), which enters history and frees people from all bonds. Like Jesus, his envoys (the apostles) must live a similar itinerant and humble lifestyle. The peace that Matthew describes as part of the kingdom of God involves the need for reconciliation between God and humanity and among men and women; this cannot happen without justice and the removal of all barriers that discriminate, exploit, or oppress.
Warning of Persecution – Exhortation to Courage – Choice for Jesus.
Appearances before courts, floggings, family rifts after the expulsion of the Christian community from Jewish society in the year 70… all this was common during those early days of the Church (cf. the Acts of the Apostles), and it will continue to happen wherever the Good News of Jesus is shared boldly. Although this warns of suffering and opposition, it also offers encouragement and hope. Three times it is repeated that they should not be afraid (26, 28, 31). The Lord is with his people.
Radical Discipleship.
All the powerful groups in Jesus’ time aimed, in one way or another, to dominate. Jesus’ approach is the opposite: to serve, which means to take up the cross and follow him. Jesus defines himself through his complete self-giving. Faithfulness to Jesus must surpass all other loyalties, even family ties, because instead of dividing, it will give true meaning to all other commitments.
Rewards.
The words that close the mission sermon speak of the reward that will be given to all those who welcome Jesus’ messengers. The mission is the task of the entire Christian community, with different charisms but a single mission.