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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.

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Compare Matthew 7:24 and Avot de Rabbi Natan 24

New Testament · Rabbinic

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Summary

In Matthew 7, Jesus compares acting on his teaching to building a house on rock. Rabbinic tradition in Avot de Rabbi Natan uses a similar building image, making good deeds the support that gives learning stability.

Passages

Matthew 7:24

New Testament
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.
70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

Avot de Rabbi Natan 24

Rabbinic · Minor Tractate
Elisha ben Abuyah would say: A person who has done good deeds and has learned a lot of Torah, what is he like? Like a person who builds by placing stones down first and then setting bricks on top. Even if a flood comes, the building will stand firm and not be washed away from its place. And a person who has not done good deeds but has learned Torah, what is he like? Like a person who builds by placing the bricks down first, and then placing stones on top. Even if a little water comes, it will topple the building right away. He would also say: A person who has done good deeds and learned a lot of Torah, what is he like? Like bricks coated with plaster. Even if heavy rains fall on them, they will not move from their place. A person who has not done good deeds but has learned a lot of Torah is like bricks coated with plaster. Even if light rains fall on them, they crumble right away.
700–900 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Avot de Rabbi Natan

References

"... Rabbinic parallels enhance our understanding of the sayings of Jesus, and vice versa. Jesus' parable below is more understandable when compared with its rabbinic parallels, and the rabbinic sayings are illuminated by Jesus' parable. Jesus was not the only ancient sage to teach with parables. Nor was he the only sage to speak of 'two kinds of foundations,' the theme that good deeds are necessary along with knowledge. Many sages expressed this theme straightforwardly. Hanini ben Dosa, who taught around the middle of the first century A.D. said: 'He who has more deeds than knowledge, his knowledge endures; but he who has more knowledge than deeds, his knowledge does not endure' (Mishnah, Avot 3:10). The same idea is presented more elaborately in the following parable attributed to Elisha ben Avuyah (circa 120 A.D.): 'A person in whom there are good deeds and who has studied Torah extensively, what is he like? A man who builds first [of] stones and then afterwards [of] mud bricks. Even if a large quantity of water were to collect beside the stones, it would not destroy them. But a person in whom there are not good deeds, though he has studied Torah, what is he like? A man who builds first [of] mud bricks and then afterwards [of] stones. Even if only a little water collects, it immediately undermines them' (Avot de-Rabbi Nat.an 24, Version A) ..."
David Biven, “Rabbinic Parallels,” Jerusalem Perspective 3.5 (1990): 14.

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

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Matthew 7:24 and Avot de Rabbi Natan 24

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