Teaching in the Villages

²² And He was passing through one city and village after another, teaching, and ^(A)proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. ²³ And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them, ²⁴ “^(B)Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. ²⁵ Once the head of the house gets up and ^(C)shuts the door, and you begin standing outside and knocking on the door, saying, ‘^(D)Lord, open up to us!’ and He then will answer and say to you, ‘^(E)I do not know where you are from.’ ²⁶ Then you will ^(F)begin saying, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets!’ ²⁷ And yet He will ^[a]say, ‘^(G)I do not know where you are from; ^(H)leave Me, all you ^[b]evildoers.’ ^28 (I)In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. ²⁹ And they ^(J)will come from east and west, and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. ³⁰ And behold, ^(K)some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

³¹ At that very time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, “Go away and leave this place, because ^(L)Herod wants to kill You.” ³² And He said to them, “Go and tell that ^[c]fox, ‘Behold, I am casting out demons and performing healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I ^[d](M)reach My goal.’ ³³ Nevertheless ^(N)I must go on My journey today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a ^(O)prophet would perish outside Jerusalem. ^34 (P)Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, ^(Q)just as a hen gathers her ^[e]young under her wings, and you were unwilling! ³⁵ Behold, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, you will not see Me until you say, ‘^(R)Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

The Narrow and Wide Gates

¹³ “^(A)Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. ¹⁴ For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

A Tree and Its Fruit

¹⁵ “Beware of the ^(B)false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ^(C)ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will ^[a](D)know them by their fruits. ^[b]Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? ¹⁷ So ^(E)every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ^19 (F)Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ So then, you will ^[c]know them ^(G)by their fruits.

²¹ “^(H)Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. ^22 (I)Many will say to Me on ^(J)that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many ^[d]miracles?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; ^(K)leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

The Two Foundations

²⁴ “Therefore, ^(L)everyone who hears these words of Mine, and ^[e]acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell and the ^[f]floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not ^[g]act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ And the rain fell and the ^[h]floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and its collapse was great.”

^28 [i](M)When Jesus had finished these words, ^(N)the crowds were amazed at His teaching; ²⁹ for He was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.