Ask, Search, Knock

⁷ “Ask,^(A) and it will be given to you.^(B) Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door^[a] will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds,^(C) and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. ⁹ Who among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ If you then, who are evil,^(D) know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him. ¹² Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.^(E)

Entering the Kingdom

¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate.^(F) For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction,^(G) and there are many who go through it. ¹⁴ How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.

¹⁵ “Be on your guard against false prophets^(H) who come to you in sheep’s^(I) clothing^(J) but inwardly are ravaging wolves.^{(K) 16} You’ll recognize them by their fruit.^(L) Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles?^{(M) 17} In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.^{(N) 20} So you’ll recognize them by their fruit.^(O)

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,^(P) but only the one who does the will^(Q) of my Father in heaven.^{(R) 22} On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons^(S) in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’^{(T) 23} Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’^[b][c](U)

The Two Foundations

²⁴ “Therefore,^(V) everyone who hears these words^(W) of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. It collapsed with a great crash.”

²⁸ When Jesus had finished saying these things,^(X) the crowds were astonished at his teaching,^{(Y) 29} because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.

The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds

²⁴ He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.^{(A) 25} But while people were sleeping, his enemy came, sowed weeds among the wheat, and left. ²⁶ When the plants sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also appeared. ²⁷ The landowner’s servants^(B) came to him and said, ‘Master, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’

²⁸ “‘An enemy did this,’ he told them.

“‘So, do you want us to go and pull them up?’ the servants asked him.

²⁹ “‘No,’ he said. ‘When you pull up the weeds, you might also uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I’ll tell the reapers: Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to burn them, but collect the wheat in my barn.’”

Jesus Interprets the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds

³⁶ Then he left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”^(A)

³⁷ He replied, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; ³⁸ the field is the world; and the good seed—these are the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one,^{(B) 39} and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.^{(C) 40} Therefore, just as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.^{(D) 41} The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom all who cause sin^[a] and those guilty of lawlessness.^{[b](E) 42} They will throw them into the blazing furnace^(F) where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.^{(G) 43} Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Let anyone who has ears^[c] listen.^(H)

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

22 Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables: ² “The kingdom of heaven^(A) is like a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.^{(B) 3} He sent his servants to summon those invited to the banquet,^(C) but they didn’t want to come. ⁴ Again, he sent out other servants and said, ‘Tell those who are invited: See, I’ve prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’^(D)

⁵ “But they paid no attention and went away, one to his own farm, another to his business, ⁶ while the rest seized his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. ⁷ The king^[a] was enraged, and he sent out his troops, killed those murderers, and burned down their city.

⁸ “Then he told his servants, ‘The banquet is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.^{(E) 9} Go then to where the roads exit the city and invite everyone you find to the banquet.’^{(F) 10} So those servants went out on the roads and gathered everyone they found, both evil and good. The wedding banquet was filled with guests.^{[b] 11} When the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed for a wedding.^{(G) 12} So he said to him, ‘Friend,^(H) how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.

¹³ “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot,^[c] and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

¹⁴ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”^(I)