The Temptation of Jesus

4 Then Jesus was led by the [Holy] Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.^{(A) 2} After He had gone without food for forty days and forty nights, He became hungry.^{(B) 3} And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” ⁴ But Jesus replied, “It is written and forever remains written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’”^(C)

⁵ Then the devil took Him into the holy city [Jerusalem] and placed Him on the pinnacle (highest point) of the temple.^{(D) 6} And he said [mockingly] to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written,

and

⁷ Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written and forever remains written, ‘You shall not test the Lord your God.’”^(F)

⁸ Again, the devil took Him up on a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory [splendor, magnificence, and excellence] of them; ⁹ and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written and forever remains written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”^{(G) 11} Then the devil left Him; and angels came and ministered to Him [bringing Him food and serving Him].

Jesus Begins His Ministry

¹² Now when Jesus heard that John [the Baptist] had been arrested and put in prison, He left for Galilee. ¹³ And leaving Nazareth, He went and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the country of Zebulun and Naphtali.^{(H) 14} This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

¹⁷ From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “^[a]Repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life], for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

The First Disciples

¹⁸ As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He noticed two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ And He said to them, “^[b]Follow Me [as My disciples, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher and walking the same path of life that I walk], and I will make you fishers of men.” ²⁰ Immediately they left their nets and followed Him [becoming His disciples, believing and trusting in Him and following His example]. ²¹ And going on [further] from there He noticed two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John, in the boat with their father ^[c]Zebedee, mending their nets; and He called them [to follow Him as His disciples]. ²² Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him [becoming His disciples, believing and trusting in Him and following His example].

Ministry in Galilee

²³ And He went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news (gospel) of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people [demonstrating and revealing that He was indeed the promised Messiah].

²⁴ So the news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were sick, those suffering with various diseases and pains, those under the power of demons, and epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. ²⁵ Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the ^[d]Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and the other side of the Jordan.

The Sermon on the Mount; The Beatitudes

5 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and when He was seated, His ^[a]disciples came to Him. ² Then He began to teach them, saying,

³ “Blessed [spiritually prosperous, happy, to be admired] are the poor in spirit [those devoid of spiritual arrogance, those who regard themselves as insignificant], for theirs is the kingdom of heaven [both now and forever].^(A)

⁴ “Blessed [forgiven, refreshed by God’s grace] are those who mourn [over their sins and repent], for they will be comforted [when the burden of sin is lifted].^(B)

⁵ “Blessed [inwardly peaceful, spiritually secure, worthy of respect] are the ^[b]gentle [the kind-hearted, the sweet-spirited, the self-controlled], for they will inherit the earth.^(C)

⁶ “Blessed [joyful, nourished by God’s goodness] are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness [those who actively seek right standing with God], for they will be [completely] satisfied.^(D)

⁷ “Blessed [content, sheltered by God’s promises] are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

⁸ “Blessed [anticipating God’s presence, spiritually mature] are the pure in heart [those with integrity, moral courage, and godly character], for they will see God.^(E)

⁹ “Blessed [spiritually calm with life-joy in God’s favor] are the makers and maintainers of peace, for they will [express His character and] be called the sons of God.^(F)

¹⁰ “Blessed [comforted by inner peace and God’s love] are those who are persecuted for ^[c]doing that which is morally right, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven [both now and forever].

¹¹ “Blessed [morally courageous and spiritually alive with life-joy in God’s goodness] are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil things against you because of [your association with] Me. ¹² Be glad and exceedingly joyful, for your reward in heaven is great [absolutely inexhaustible]; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.^(G)

Disciples and the World

¹³ “You are the ^[d]salt of the earth; but if the salt has ^[e]lost its taste (purpose), how can it be made salty? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and walked on by people [when the walkways are wet and slippery].

¹⁴ “You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; ¹⁵ nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.^{(H) 16} Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.

¹⁷ “Do not think that I came to do away with or undo the ^[f]Law [of Moses] or the [writings of the] Prophets; I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. ¹⁸ For I assure you and most solemnly say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke [of the pen] will pass from the Law until all things [which it foreshadows] are accomplished. ¹⁹ So whoever breaks one of the least [important] of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least [important] in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them, he will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

²⁰ “For I say to you that unless your righteousness (uprightness, moral essence) is more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Personal Relationships

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not murder,’ and ‘Whoever murders shall be ^[g]guilty before the court.’^{(I) 22} But I say to you that everyone who continues to be angry with his brother or harbors malice against him shall be guilty before the court; and whoever speaks [contemptuously and insultingly] to his brother, ^[h]‘Raca (You empty-headed idiot)!’ shall be guilty before the supreme court (Sanhedrin); and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of the ^[i]fiery hell. ²³ So if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and while there you remember that your brother has something [such as a grievance or legitimate complaint] against you, ²⁴ leave your offering there at the altar and go. First make peace with your brother, and then come and present your offering. ²⁵ Come to terms quickly [at the earliest opportunity] with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way [to court], so that your opponent does not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you are thrown into prison.^{(J) 26} I assure you and most solemnly say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid the last ^[j]cent.

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’;^{(K) 28} but I say to you that everyone who [so much as] looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ If your right eye makes you stumble and leads you to sin, tear it out and throw it away [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰ If your right hand makes you stumble and leads you to sin, cut it off and throw it away [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

³¹ “It has also been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife is to give her a certificate of divorce’; ³² but I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except on grounds of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who has been divorced commits adultery.^(L)

³³ “Again, you have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not make false vows, but you shall fulfill your vows to the Lord [as a religious duty].’ ³⁴ But I say to you, do not make an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God; ³⁵ or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.^{(M) 36} Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you are not able to make a single hair white or black. ³⁷ But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’ [a firm yes or no]; anything more than that comes from the evil one.^(N)

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth [punishment that fits the offense].’^{(O) 39} But I say to you, do not resist an evil person [who insults you or violates your rights]; but whoever ^[k]slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other toward him also [simply ignore insignificant insults or trivial losses and do not bother to retaliate—maintain your dignity, your self-respect, your poise].^{(P) 40} If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, ^[l]let him have your coat also [for the Lord repays the offender]. ⁴¹ And whoever ^[m]forces you to go one mile, go with him two. ⁴² Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.^(Q)

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor (fellow man) and hate your enemy.’^{(R) 44} But I say to you, ^[n]love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,^{(S) 45} so that you may [show yourselves to] be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on those who are evil and on those who are good, and makes the rain fall on the righteous [those who are morally upright] and the unrighteous [the unrepentant, those who oppose Him]. ⁴⁶ For if you love [only] those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers [wishing them God’s blessing and peace], what more [than others] are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles [who do not know the Lord] do that? ⁴⁸ You, therefore, will be perfect [growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life], as your heavenly Father is perfect.^(T)