Dual PanelBe Careful About Criticizing Others
1“Don’t judge others, and God will not judge you.
2If you judge others, you will be judged the same way you judge them. God will treat you the same way you treat others.
3“Why do you see the small piece of dust that is in your friend’s eye, but you don’t notice the big piece of wood that is in your own?
4Why do you say to your friend, ‘Let me get that piece of dust out of your eye’? Look at yourself first! You still have that big piece of wood in your own eye.
5You are a hypocrite! First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to get the dust out of your friend’s eye.
6“Don’t give something that is holy to dogs. They will only turn and hurt you. And don’t throw your pearls to pigs. They will only step on them.
Ask God for What You Need
7“Continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you.
8Yes, whoever continues to ask will receive. Whoever continues to look will find. And whoever continues to knock will have the door opened for them.
9“Do any of you have a son? If he asked for bread, would you give him a rock?
10Or if he asked for a fish, would you give him a snake? Of course not!
11You people are so bad, but you still know how to give good things to your children. So surely your heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask him.
A Very Important Rule
12“Do for others what you would want them to do for you. This is the meaning of the Law of Moses and the teaching of the prophets.
Only a Few Find the Way to Life
13“You can enter true life only through the narrow gate. The gate to ruin is very wide, and there is plenty of room on the road that leads there. Many people go that way.
14But the gate that opens the way to true life is narrow. And the road that leads there is hard to follow. Only a few people find it.
What People Do Shows What They Are
15“Be careful of false prophets. They come to you looking gentle like sheep. But they are really dangerous like wolves.
16You will know these people because of what they do. Good things don’t come from people who are bad, just as grapes don’t come from thornbushes, and figs don’t come from thorny weeds.
17In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, and bad trees produce bad fruit.
18A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit.
19Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20You will know these false people by what they do.
21“Not everyone who calls me Lord will enter God’s kingdom. The only people who will enter are those who do what my Father in heaven wants.
22On that last Day many will call me Lord. They will say, ‘Lord, by the power of your name we spoke for God. And by your name we forced out demons and did many miracles.’
23Then I will tell those people clearly, ‘Get away from me, you people who do wrong. I never knew you.’
Two Kinds of People
24“Whoever hears these teachings of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock.
25It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house. But it did not fall because it was built on rock.
26“Whoever hears these teachings of mine and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
27It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house. And it fell with a loud crash.”
28When Jesus finished speaking, the people were amazed at his teaching.
29He did not teach like their teachers of the law. He taught like someone who has authority.