17: Of course, trees in general are neither good nor bad morally speaking. However, Jesus is now directly applying the illustration. He is likening the moral and spiritual goodness or badness of men to the quality of a tree’s fruit. A ‘good’ tree may be an apple, pear, cherry, etc. It will produce good, healthy apples,…

16: Wolves in sheep’s clothing cannot hide themselves perfectly. Sooner or later, their deeds will find them out. And their fruit is the best way to find out. They cannot bear any fruit but what is consistent with their character. Daily Bible Reading: Isaiah 37:1-40:31 Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:14 “And Enoch also, the seventh…

15: Obviously, Jesus is using an illustration again. This vivid picture of wolves dressed in the skin and wool of a sheep, so as to deceive the sheep, is one that makes easy sense to anyone reading it. Indeed, if wolves had such a trick, the poor sheep would be helpless against it.   The illustration…

13: The word ‘strait’ in this verse means narrow. Jesus here establishes a principle that is sometimes forgotten. Most people will not enter into eternal life. The narrow gate itself is Christ, though, in a very real sense, this verse refers back to the proceeding one. Treating others as you yourself would be treated is…

12: This verse serves to summarize much of what Christ had said up to that point. To treat others as we would honestly want to be treated is the heart of his message, and, as he says, of the message of God’s Word. Though many claim to follow this rule, and do not follow him,…

9: There is a slight resemblance between a stone and a loaf of bread. The loaf here described would be a round, flat loaf, that would be broken rather than cut. A small stone, unlike an uncut rock, could be round and smooth like the bread. Thus, Jesus is not only saying that a father…

8: The idea here is that we are to keep on asking, seeking, and knocking. Those who are characterized by a willingness and habit for these things will be the recipients of the blessings of Almighty God. Jesus is here painting a picture of dependence. We are to depend upon the Lord for everything. Daily Bible Reading:…

7: The context of this verse tells us that Jesus is talking about asking Almighty God for things. He is not just commenting on asking for stuff from others in general, but asking our heavenly Father for things. The attitude of the request is revealed. To ask is to request, even, in some cases, to…

6: This is a very misunderstood verse. There are several things to keep in mind while interpreting it. First, the verse belongs with the subject of judging. It is a part of that discourse, and is the conclusion of it. This helps tremendously in that it gives us the subject matter for understanding the illustration…

5: Hypocrisy is the key here. Good judgement is never wrong, but hypocritical judgement is never right. What is often missed here is that Jesus shows by his illustration that sin can be dealt with. The beam and mote can be cast out. Many act as if those who have had beams in their eyes…