Go to Related Reading
About this book

Matthew

About this book
Chapter 7

1 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.⁠ 2 For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive.⁠ 3 Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to see the beam of wood in your own?⁠ 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ while there is a beam in your own? 5 You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.⁠ 6 Do not give what is holy to dogs⁠ or throw your pearls before pigs;⁠ otherwise they will trample them under their feet and turn around and tear you to pieces.⁠ 7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;⁠ knock and the door will be opened for you.⁠ 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.⁠ 9 Is there anyone among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!⁠ 12 In everything, treat others as you would want them to treat you,⁠ for this fulfills the law and the prophets.⁠ 13 “Enter through the narrow gate because the gate is wide and the way is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.⁠ 14 How narrow is the gate and difficult the way that leads to life, and there are few who find it! 15 “Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves.⁠ 16 You will recognize them by their fruit. Grapes are not gathered from thorns or figs from thistles, are they?⁠ 17 In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit.⁠ 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.⁠ 20 So then, you will recognize them by their fruit. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’⁠ will enter into the kingdom of heaven—only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.⁠ 22 On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many powerful deeds in your name?’ 23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!’⁠ 24 “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on rock.⁠ 25 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because its foundation had been laid on rock. 26 Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed—it was utterly destroyed!” 28 When Jesus finished saying these things,⁠ the crowds were amazed by his teaching,⁠ 29 because he taught them like one who had authority, not like their experts in the law.

Texts in conversation

Compare Matthew 7:13 and 2 Baruch 85:13

New Testament · Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

Share:

Summary

In Matthew, Jesus contrasts a narrow gate that leads to life with a wide road that ends in destruction, language that 2 Baruch echoes in its contrast of the few who attain life with the many who fall, both based on the “two ways” from Deuteronomy 30.

Passages

Matthew 7:13

New Testament
11 If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 In everything, treat others as you would want them to treat you, for this fulfills the law and the prophets. 13 “Enter through the narrow gate because the gate is wide and the way is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 How narrow is the gate and difficult the way that leads to life, and there are few who find it! 15 “Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves.
70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

2 Baruch 85:13

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch
11 And again prepare your souls, so that when you sail and leave the ship you may have rest and not be condemned when you depart. 12 For look, when the Most High will bring to pass all these things, There shall not then be again a place of repentance, nor a limit to the times, Nor a duration for the hours, Nor a change of ways, Nor place for prayer, Nor sending of petitions, Nor receiving of knowledge, Nor giving of love, Nor place of repentance for the soul, Nor supplication for offenses, Nor intercession of the fathers, Nor prayer of the prophets, Nor help of the righteous. 13 There there is the sentence of corruption, The way of fire, And the path which brings to Gehenna. 14 On this account there is one law by one, One age and an end for all who are in it. 15 Then He will preserve those whom He can forgive, And at the same time destroy those who are polluted with sins.
70–135 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 2 Baruch

References

"... The expression 'fire of hell' (literally, 'Gehenna of fire') comes from the Hebrew ge-hinnom ('Valley of Hinnom,' a ravine south of Jerusalem once associated with the pagan god Moloch and his disgusting rites [2 Kings 23:10; 2 Chronicles 28:3; 33:6; Jeremiah 7:31; Ezekiel 16:20; 23:37], prohibited by God [Leviticus 18:21; 20:2-5]). When Josiah abolished the practices, he defiled the valley by making it a dumping ground for filth and the corpses of criminals (2 Kings 23:10) ... The valley came to symbolize the place of eschatological punishment (compare with 1 Enoch 54:12; 2 Baruch 85:13; compare with Matt 10:28; 23:15, 33; and 18:9 for the longer expression 'Gehenna of fire'). Gehenna and Hades (11:23; 16:18) are often thought to refer, respectively, to eternal hell and the abode of the dead in the intermediate state. But the distinction can be maintained in few passages. More commonly, the two terms are synonymous and mean 'hell' ..."
Frank Ely Gaebelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Pickering & Inglis, 1984), 149.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

Your feedback

Matthew 7:13 and 2 Baruch 85:13

Leave a comment

Your questions and comments are welcome!

Comments

Glossary

Search the Library