The Strand Study Bible

MATTHEW 6:23

MATTHEW 7:19

1498

23 But if thine eye be 1 evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the 2 light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 No man can serve 3 two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 25 Therefore I say unto you, 4 Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 5 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his 6 stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even 7 Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of 8 little faith? 31 9 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gen- tiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 10 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his 11 righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. 12 Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matthew 7 1 13 Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 14 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3 15 Andwhy beholdest thou themote that is in thy brother’s eye, 16 but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let

me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye. Be careful what you do with God’s Word 6 17 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. CHRIST’S blueprint for prayer 7 18 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9 Or whatman is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give 19 GOOD THINGS to them that ask him? 12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. 13 Enter ye in at the 20 STRAIT GATE : for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, 21 and few there be that find it. By their teachings (fruits) ye shall know them 15 22 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in 23 sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are 24 ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their 25 fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

1. or, “covetous; deceptive” 2. or, “spiritual insight” 3. I Ki 18:21 4. Lk 12:22-24 & Phil 4:6-7 & I Pet 5:7 5. Job 38:41 & Psa 147:9 & Mt 10:29- 31 6. or, “height” 7. I Ki 3-11 8. Mt 8:26 & 14:31 9. Prov 23:4 10. I Ki 3:5-13 11. or, “godliness, i.e., the characteristics of God” - I Tim 6:5-11 12. that is, “Don’t borrow tomorrow’s sorrows” 13. Rom 2:1-3 & 14:1-4,10,13 & I Cor 4:1-5 & Gal 6:1 & Jms 4:11-12 14. Prov 21:13 & Mk 4:24 & Lk 6:37-38 & Jms 2:13 15. Lk 6:40-42 16. II Sam 12:1-7 & Jn 8:1-9 17. Prov 9:7-8 & 15:12 & 23:9 18. Lk 11:9-13 & 18:1-8 19. or, “the Holy Spirit” - Lk 11:13 & Acts 8:18-20 20. or, “Christ” - Lk 13:24 & Jn 10:9 & 14:6 21. I Pet 3:20 & Mt 19:16-26 22. Deut 13:1-5 & Ezk 13:1-23 & I Tim 4:1-3 & II Pet 2:1-3 & I Jn 4:1 & Jude 3-4 23. Rev 13:11 24. Mic 3:5 25. or, “doctrine” - Mt 3:8-9 & 12:31-37 & Lk 6:43-45

6:23 If the spiritual insight of a believer grows dim due to a preoccupation with the temporal, then according to Jesus his insight will be as dark, if not darker ( how great is that darkness - Deut 28:15,28-34,45, II Chro 33:9 and Heb 6:4a ), than that of an unsaved person. Remember: To whom much is given much is required (Lk 12:42-48).