(Tap footnote to read it. Old Testament quotations are underlined. "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.1"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love". However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings – agapé centers on choice and behavior. It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings. (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".) Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé". Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing. It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. )
Fear and worry
- Meanwhile, an innumerable multitude of the crowd were gathered together so as to trample on one another, and He began first to speak to His disciples: “Guard yourselves from the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
- “And nothing is *covered up which won’t be uncovered, and nothing secret which won’t become known.
- “For this reason, as much as you said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you said into the ear in secret rooms will be proclaimed on the rooftops.
- “And I tell you that My friends shouldn’t be frightened by the men killing the body, and after this1“this” is literally “these” or “these things“ not having anything further to do.
- “But I will warn you of whom you should be frightened of: Fear the One having authority to cast someone into the Valley of Hinnom2“Valley of Hinnom” is literal; see note on Matthew 5:22. after the killing. Yes I tell you, be frightened of Him.
- “Aren’t five sparrows sold for only two brass coins?3“brass coins” refers to an “assarion”. It was worth one tenth of a drachma. Not even one of them is *forgotten in God’s sight.
- “Moreover, even the hairs on your head are all *numbered. Don’t be frightened; you surpass the value of many sparrows.
- “And I tell you that every man who confessed Me in the sight of men, the Son of Man will also confess him in the sight of the angels of God.
- “But the man denying Me in the sight of men, he will be denied in the sight of the angels of God.
- “And every man who will speak a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. But the man who blasphemed against the Holy Spirit won’t be forgiven.
- “And when they bring you before the synagogues, and the rulers, and the authorities, you shouldn’t be anxious about how or what your verbal defense should be, or what you should say,
- “for the Holy Spirit will instruct you what is necessary to say in that same hour.
Warning against covetousness
- “And one man from the crowd said to Him: “Teacher, tell my brother to divide his inheritance with me.”
- And He told him: “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?
- And He said to them: “Watch out and keep yourselves from all covetousness, because for anyone, his life isn’t in the overflow of his possessions.
- And He told a parable to them, saying: “A rich man had a bountiful harvest from the ground.
- And he was reasoning inside himself, saying: “What should I do? Because I don’t have a place where I will store my crops.”4“crops” is literally “fruits”
- And he said: “I’ll do this: I’ll demolish my storehouses and will construct greater ones, and will gather all my goods and grain there.
- “And I will say to my soul: soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; refresh yourself, eat, drink, and be merry.”5“be merry” could also be translated “celebrate”, or “rejoice”
- But God said to him: “You fool! Your life is demanded of you this night. And what you prepared, to whom will it be given?”
- “The man treasuring up things for himself and not being rich toward God is like this.”
Don’t worry
- And He said to His disciples: “Because of this, I tell you: don’t worry about your life, what you might eat; nor about your body, what you might wear.
- “For the life is more than food and the body more than clothing.
- “Consider the ravens, that they don’t sow or reap, and for whom there isn’t a storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them. How much more do you surpass the birds in value?
- “And which of you is able to add an hour onto his lifespan by being anxious?
- “Therefore, if you’re not even able to affect the smallest thing, why are you worrying about the rest?
- “Consider the lilies and how they grow; they don’t exhaust themselves with work nor do they spin,6 Spinning is an ancient process of turning animal fibers (hair) into thread, which was then woven into fabric, which was made into clothes. Spinning was a very labor intensive process before modern machinery. but I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
- “And, if God clothes the grass in the field like this — despite it being here today and tomorrow being thrown into a furnace — how much more will God clothe you, O you of little faith.
- “And you, don’t seek what you might eat and what you might drink, and don’t worry yourselves.
- “For the nations of the world eagerly seek all these things, but your Father *knows that you need these things.
- “Moreover, seek His kingdom and these things will be added to you.
- “Don’t be frightened little flock, because your Father was delighted to give you the kingdom.
- “Sell your possessions and give to charity; make money-purses for yourselves, ones not becoming obsolete, an unfailing treasury in the heavens where a thief doesn’t approach nor a moth destroy.
- “For where your treasure is, your heart will also be there.
Keep watch
- “Let your loins be *girded7“loins be *girded”. This is a cultural reference, referring to the process of tying a belt or rope around the waist to gather the long robes and prevent them from getting in the way of work. It figuratively came to mean getting ready for action or work. and your lamps be lit.
- “And you, be like men awaiting their own lord when he returns from the wedding feast so that when he comes and knocks, they can open for him immediately.
- “Blessed are those slaves whom the lord will find watching when he comes. Amen I tell you that he will gird himself and will have them recline. And having arrived, he will serve them.
- “And if he comes in the second watch, and if he comes in the third watch and finds them watching this way, blessed are those men.
- “But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief comes, [he would’ve watched and] he wouldn’t have allowed his house to be broken into.
- “And you, become ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you aren’t supposing.”
- And Peter said: “Lord, are you telling this parable to us only, or also to all men?”
- And the Lord said: “Who then is the faithful and prudent steward whom the lord will appoint over his household, to give their ration of food at the appropriate time.
- “Blessed is that slave whom his lord will find acting in this manner when he comes.
- “Truly I tell you that he will appoint him over all his possessions.
- “But if that slave says in his heart: “My lord is delaying to come” and begins to beat the male servants and female servants, and both to eat and to drink, and to get drunk,
- “the lord of that slave will arrive on a day which he doesn’t anticipate, and at an hour which he doesn’t know, and he will cut him in two and will appoint his portion with the unbelievers.
- “And that slave — the man who knew the will of his lord and didn’t prepare or do according to his will — he will be flogged many times.
- But the man who didn’t know and did things deserving of floggings, he will be flogged only a few times. And every man to whom much was given, much will be sought from him. And someone to whom they entrusted much, they will demand abundantly more of him.
- “I came to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish it was already kindled.
- “But I have a baptism to be baptized in, and how I’m constrained8“constrained’ could also be translated “afflicted” as the word can mean either. until it’s accomplished.
- “Do you suppose that I came to give peace in the land? I tell you: certainly not, but rather division.
- “For from now on, there will be five *divided in one house, three against two and two against three.
- “They will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
- And He was also telling the crowds: “When you see a cloud springing up in the west, you immediately say that a rain shower is coming, and it happens this way.
- “And when a south wind is blowing, you say that there will be heat, and it happens.
- “Hypocrites! You *know to examine the appearance of the earth and sky, but how don’t you *know to examine this season?
- “And why don’t you also judge for yourselves what’s right?
- “For as you’re departing with your legal opponent to go before a ruler, while on the way, give an earnest effort to be *delivered from him, lest at some time he drags you to the judge, and the judge will hand you to the bailiff, and the bailiff will throw you into prison.
- “I tell you, you definitely won’t come out from that place until you repay even the last cent.9“cent” is literally “leptos”, which means “little” or “small”, and refers to a coin that was worth 1/128th of a denarius, which was the going rate for a day of unskilled labor.
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