“If Anyone Would Come after Me, He Must…” Practice What He Hears

Jesus Pronounces Woes

²⁴k“But woe to you who are rich, lfor you mhave received your consolation.

²⁵“Woe to you who are full now, for nyou shall be hungry.

“Woe to oyou who laugh now, ofor you shall mourn and weep.

²⁶“Woe to you, pwhen all people speak well of you, for qso their fathers did to rthe false prophets.

Love Your Enemies

²⁷“But I say to you who hear, sLove your enemies, tdo good to those who hate you, ²⁸ubless those who curse you, spray for those who abuse you. ²⁹vTo one who wstrikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic2 either. ³⁰xGive to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. ³¹And yas you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

³²z“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ³⁴And aif you blend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. ³⁵But clove your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and dyou will be sons of ethe Most High, for fhe is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. ³⁶gBe merciful, even as hyour Father is merciful.

Judging Others

³⁷ij“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; jforgive, and you will be forgiven; ³⁸kgive, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put linto your lap. For mwith the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

³⁹He also told them a parable: n“Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? ⁴⁰oA disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is pfully trained will be like his teacher. ⁴¹iWhy do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but qdo not notice the log that is in your own eye? ⁴²How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.

A Tree and Its Fruit

⁴³“For rno good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, ⁴⁴for seach tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. ⁴⁵tThe good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces uevil, vfor out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Build Your House on the Rock

⁴⁶w“Why xdo you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? ⁴⁷yEveryone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: ⁴⁸he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.3 ⁴⁹zBut the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and athe ruin of that house was great.”