Daily Writing

Monday, 21 July 2025

But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: Matthew 12:3

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And He said to them, ‘Not you read what he did, David, when he hungered, he and those with him?’” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus’ disciples, and thus implicitly He also, were accused of doing what was not lawful on the Sabbath. In response, Matthew records, “And He said to them, ‘Not you read what he did, David, when he hungered, he and those with him?’”

The Pharisees’ accusation was of doing something in violation of the law that is not even recorded in the law. Only by a huge stretch of the imagination could what His disciples did even be inferred as wrongdoing. Rather than address the nonsensical legalism of the accusation, Jesus turned to Scripture, citing an account from the life of David.

The account is recorded in 1 Samuel –

Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was afraid when he met David, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one is with you?”
² So David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has ordered me on some business, and said to me, ‘Do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I send you, or what I have commanded you.’ And I have directed my young men to such and such a place. ³ Now therefore, what have you on hand? Give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever can be found.”
⁴ And the priest answered David and said, “There is no common bread on hand; but there is holy bread, if the young men have at least kept themselves from women.”
⁵ Then David answered the priest, and said to him, “Truly, women have been kept from us about three days since I came out. And the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in effect common, even though it was consecrated in the vessel this day.”
⁶ So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread which had been taken from before the Lord, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day when it was taken away. 1 Samuel 21:1-6

Jesus has given an example from the historical writings of Israel about a matter that arose. This matter could also be inferred as a violation of the law. This will be further explained in His continued words.

Life application: In a society, there has to be a basis for legal matters. In the US, for example, there is the prime basis for the workings of the government, the Constitution. This sets the basis for what is legal and what is not.

From there, the Constitution authorizes certain bodies to run the government, make laws, regulations, etc. There is a judicial system set forth to interpret the constitutionality of new laws, determine if violations of the law have been made, etc.

Lower governments likewise have the authority to make and enforce laws. The Bible is the governing authority for spiritual matters in the Christian faith. At times, from that springboard, many denominations and churches add books of rules for the governance of the body that they oversee.

These usually start out closely aligned with the Bible, at least someone’s interpretation of it. However, such books of common order, discipline, and governance can be amended. As amendments take place, there is often a deviation from Scripture.

As an example, a church that once would not allow homosexuality in the congregation because it is contrary to the Bible may eventually change its written guidance to allow homosexuals to be members of the congregation. Later, the book is amended again to allow them to be deacons. From there, amendments are made to allow them to be ordained.

When a book of governance deviates from the Bible, the Bible is relegated more and more to a showpiece without any true authority. The best policy is to keep away from such books that can be amended and keep to Scripture alone as the basis for the faith.

Scripture cannot be amended by man. It is also not an organic document where its meaning changes over time. Rather, it is the fixed and unchangeable word of God. Within the Bible, there are dispensations which reflect the way in which God is working with man at various times in human history, but this is not something that changes set doctrine for a given dispensation.

Rather, it is what reveals doctrine for each outcropping of dispensations as God’s word has unfolded in the course of redemptive history. Understanding this, keeping the interpretation of God’s word in the proper context is the appropriate way of interpreting the Bible. Let us be sure to do this.

The word is precious, and it must be treated as such. Hold fast to it and let it be your guide for daily living and a right walk before the Lord at all times.

Glorious God, may our time in Your word be guided by You as You reveal to us what You intend for our lives. Help us to properly consider what it says and how it applies as we progress through it. May You help us to keep from faulty logic and faulty interpretation concerning it. Be with us as we engage with You through this precious word. Amen.

Sunday, 20 July 2025

And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!” Matthew 12:2

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And the Pharisees, having seen, they said to Him, ‘You behold! Your disciples, they do what it permits not to do in Sabbath’” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus went through the grainfields with His disciples on a Sabbath day. While doing so, the disciples began to pluck heads of grain and eat. Having done this, Matthew next notes, “And the Pharisees.”

These folks show up constantly in the narrative, looking to find fault in Jesus and His ministry. It isn’t known if they were walking with Him also, or if they were spying on Him stealthily, but this is a recurrent theme in the gospels. To be spied on by legalists is something that would plague even the church later –

“And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), ⁵ to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.” Galatians 2:4, 5

In whatever way the Pharisees happened to be present with Jesus and the disciples, they were certainly there to spy on them and find fault. As such, the narrative continues with, “having seen, they said to Him, ‘You behold! Your disciples, they do what it permits not to do in Sabbath.’”

A new word, exesti, impersonally or it is right, is introduced. It is derived from ek, out of, and eimi, to exist. It is generally translated as lawful, permitted, or may (as in “May I say a word…”). The Topical Lexicon notes that this word “exposes human motives, clarifies God’s purposes, and delineates the boundary between true righteousness and mere legality.”

The Pharisees are making a claim that what Jesus’ disciples were doing, and thus implying He bore guilt because of them, was outside of the boundaries of what God had allowed for Sabbath day observances. The law, as noted in the previous commentary, said –

“When you come into your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes at your pleasure, but you shall not put any in your container. ²⁵ When you come into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not use a sickle on your neighbor’s standing grain.” Deuteronomy 23:24, 25

The Pharisees are either claiming that what is lawful on other days, which is to pluck and eat, is not allowed on the Sabbath, or that plucking and eating equate to work. The plucking is equated to harvesting while rubbing off the husks is equal to threshing grain. Alfred Edersheim in Life and Times of Jesus quotes the Talmud, saying –

“In case a woman rolls wheat to remove the husks, it is considered as sifting; if she rubs the heads of wheat, it is regarded as threshing; if she cleans off the side-adherencies, it is sifting out fruit; if she bruises the ears, it is grinding; if she throws them up in her hand, it is winnowing.”

This sort of niggling over minutiae is common with the rabbis of the Jews where, as Jesus elsewhere says, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. ²⁴ Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!” Matthew 23:23, 24

They became so myopic in their pursuit of law observance that they were unable to discern between what is morally right and wrong. They had turned the Sabbath, which was to be a blessing for the people, into a day of misery where one could be stoned for doing something interpreted by others to be a violation of a law that may not have even addressed such a matter.

Life application: Think of the things you have encountered in churches that are contrary to, not in line with, or out of the bounds of biblical precepts. Taking a single example to understand, that of KJV Onlyism. It is claimed that no other Bible should be read than the King James Version.

This is contrary to Scripture because the KJV is a translation from other sources.
This is not in line with Scripture because we are told to read and teach the word from the writings of Paul (e.g., 2 Timothy 2:15 & 2 Timothy 4:2), which predate the KJV by about 1600 years.
This is out of the bounds of biblical precepts because there is nothing in Scripture that says this or even hints at it.

One can use this logic with any precept that is incorrectly taught. All three of these points may not apply to every situation, but if any of the three do not, it is to be understood that what is taught is incorrect.

Further, one must evaluate the precept based on proper context. Using a precept from the Law of Moses to make a claim about appropriateness is inappropriate. Jesus fulfilled and brought the Law of Moses to an end.

Some things merely describe a situation but do not prescribe anything. In such cases, they are not to be used for doctrine unless they form a normative precept. But even then, what is normative (such as baptism) must be understood from a thorough study and right application of what the Bible reveals.

The only way to do these things is to READ AND KNOW THE BIBLE. Please be sure to spend time, lots and lots of time, in this wonderful and precious word.

Glorious God, help our minds to logically process Your word, making right conclusions about what You are saying to us based on a contextually proper evaluation of it. May we carefully and rightly consider Your word at all times. Amen.

Saturday, 19 July 2025

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. Matthew 12:1

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“In that time, Jesus, He went – the Sabbaths – through the grainfields, and His disciples, they hungered, and they began to pluck kernels and eat” (CG).

In the previous verse, Chapter 11 finished with Jesus’ words concerning His yoke being handy and His burden being light. Chapter 12 now begins with, “In that time.”

It is a particular time, noted by the word kairos (a particular time or season) rather than chronos (time as it marches on). In other words, Matthew is highlighting the season in which they are walking. Of this phrase, Barnes notes –

“Luke 6:1 fixes the time more particularly. He says that it was ‘the second Sabbath after the first.’ To understand this, it is proper to remark that the ‘Passover’ was observed during the month ‘Abib,’ or Nisan, answering to the latter part of March and the first of April. The feast was held seven days, commencing on the fourteenth day of the month Exodus 12:1-28; Exodus 23:15, on the “second” day of the paschal week. The law required that a sheaf of ‘barley’ should be offered up as the first-fruits of the harvest, Leviticus 23:10-11. From this day was reckoned seven weeks to the feast of ‘Pentecost’ Leviticus 23:15-16, called also the feast of weeks Deuteronomy 16:10, and the feast of the harvest, Exodus 23:16. This second day in the feast of the Passover, or of unleavened bread, was the beginning, therefore, from which they reckoned toward the Pentecost. The Sabbath in the week following would be the ‘second Sabbath’ after this first one in the reckoning, and this was doubtless the time mentioned when Christ went through the fields.”

Understanding the time of year, Matthew next records, “Jesus, He went – the Sabbaths – through the grainfields.”

There are two new words. The first is sabbaton, the Sabbath. It is the seventh day of the week corresponding to the day of rest from the labors of creation noted in Genesis 2. It became a mandatory requirement for the Hebrew people, being first introduced as such in Exodus 16. It was to be a day of rest, including no secular work of any type.

The word is often in the plural, indicating the weekly nature of the appointment. This is like someone in English saying, “My Sundays are always set for church time.”

The second new word is sporimos, a word coming from sporos, scattering (and thus, sown). As such, it refers to a planted field. While on a Sabbath, Jesus is walking through the fields, which would have included both barley and wheat at this time of year. It was also ready for harvesting. However, He is not alone, as indicated by the words, “and His disciples.”

It is a group of Jesus and His disciples walking through the grainfields. As they did, it says that “they hungered.” This helps to explain the use of the word kairos rather than chronos. One can walk through the grainfields in September, and there won’t be anything to harvest. However, at this time of year, there would be stalks all around coming to full maturity. As such, Matthew notes, “and they began to pluck kernels and eat.”

There is another new word here, tilló, to pluck or pick in order to pull off. The word will only be seen here, in Mark 2:23, and Luke 6:1. All three uses refer to the same incident. As for the words, they seem innocuous enough. Here is a group of people walking through the grainfield. As they walk, they are hungry. Because they are hungry, they take the time to pick some grains and eat them.

From our modern thinking, one might think, “What are they doing, they have no right to eat someone else’s grain.” That would be incorrect. In the law, it says –

“When you come into your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes at your pleasure, but you shall not put any in your container. ²⁵ When you come into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not use a sickle on your neighbor’s standing grain.” Deuteronomy 23:24, 25

Thus, they are doing nothing wrong in eating in this regard as they go through the fields. Their actions are in accordance with the law concerning that particular aspect of the matter.

Life application: Jesus came to fulfill the law. The gospels are a record of His life and actions in relation to the law. This is one of the main purposes for which they are recorded, and it is the reason why there are three separate but similar gospels known as the synoptics.

They provide a witness and testimony to the conduct of the Messiah as He lived under the law. In Leviticus 18:5, it says –

“You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.”

From the time of the giving of the law until the time of Jesus, the record of Israel, including every person of Israel, was a record of failure. The law promised life to the one who would do the things of the law. And yet, they all died, generation after generation. Elijah was taken directly to heaven for a particular purpose. If he had remained, he would have died too.

Jesus came. He was born under the law. The gospels record His life under the law, demonstrating that He was without sin. It is the reason why Jesus is alive to this day. He prevailed over the law, even in His death, because His death was in fulfillment of the law. Because of this, He rose again. It is the sure proof that He was without sin and that He is God because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Only God incarnate was born and lived without sin. Therefore, when we see an account about Jesus’ life, even if we think there is wrongdoing, such as His disciples picking and eating someone else’s grain, we can be certain that what occurs is acceptable according to Scripture. Be sure to think about why the law records things as it does. In it, we will find Jesus’ perfection highlighted for us.

Lord God, it is marvelous to think about what You have done, coming under the law that You gave to Israel, living it out perfectly in the Person of Jesus, and then granting us the life that You possess while redeeming us from sin and death. Thank You, O God, for Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Friday, 18 July 2025

For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:30

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“For My yoke – handy, and My burden – it is light” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus told His hearers to take His yoke upon themselves and learn from Him because He is benignant and lowly of heart. In doing this, He promised rest for their souls. He now continues with the closing words of the chapter, “For My yoke – easy, and My burden – it is light.”

He introduces two new words. The first is chréstos, easy. It is derived from chraomai, to treat or use. As such, it signifies employed, but by implication, it would mean useful while being kind or good. There is no direct English word that blends kind and good, but the word was a common slave name in the Greco-Roman world. A slave who was both kind and good may have been called Handy.

The second new word is phortion, signifying a burden. It is the diminutive of phortos, an invoice. As such, the word figuratively refers to a task or service as a burden.

Jesus explains here why they should take His yoke upon them. His yoke is one that is handy to have, being useful and good, while at the same time it is essentially burden-free. The fulfillment of the law by Him is something that is beneficial to all because it removes that burden from us. It is always available and good (handy) because it is offered to all people. When it is accepted, the results are eternal in nature.

Life application: Why anyone would want to put themselves back under the yoke of the law is hard to figure out. The easy example of tithing is a perfect illustration. Those who are having financial troubles cannot give cheerfully if they cannot afford dinner. And yet preachers will beat a precept from the Law of Moses over the people’s heads as if it still applies.

No matter what law it is, if Jesus has fulfilled it, we are free from it. We are no longer being imputed sin (2 Corinthians 5:19). By law is the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20). This doesn’t mean we should go out and do wrong things. It means we are to rest in the grace of Christ and not try to take up the burden that He has already carried for us. In doing so, we will only offend God who sent Jesus to do what we could never do.

Lord God, thank You for the infinite grace of our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen.

Matthew 11

11 And it was, when Jesus, He finished through-arranging His twelve disciples, He departed thence to teach and proclaim in their cities. ² And John, having heard in the prison the works of the Christ, having sent two of his disciples, ³ they said to Him, “You, You are ‘the Coming,’ or do another we anticipate?” ⁴ And Jesus, answering, said to them, “Having gone, you report to John what you hear and you see.” ⁵ Blind – they up-look, and lame – they walk, lepers – they are cleansed, and deaf – they hear, dead – they are roused, and poor – they are evangelized. ⁶ And blessed, he is, who if not he should stumble in Me. ⁷ And these going, Jesus, He began to speak to the crowds about John: “What you went out into the wilderness to view? A reed wavering by wind? ⁸ But what you went out to see? A man having been enrobed in fine cloaks? You behold! Those wearing the fines, they are in the kings’ houses. ⁹ But what you went out to see? A prophet? Yes! I say to you and beyond a prophet. ¹⁰ For this, he is about whom it has been written, ‘Behold, I, I send My messenger before Your face, who, he will prepare Your way before you.

¹¹ Amen! I say to you, not he has risen in ‘born of women’ greater than John the Baptist, but the least in the kingdom of the heavens, he is greater than he. ¹² And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of the heavens, it is forced, and forcers, they seize it. ¹³ For all the prophets and the law, until John, they prophesied. ¹⁴ And if you incline to receive, he, he is Elijah, the ‘being about to come.’ ¹⁵ The ‘having ears to hear,’ let him hear. ¹⁶ And to what I will liken this generation? It is like children in markets, sitting and addressing their companions, ¹⁷ and they say, ‘We piped to you and not you danced. We bewailed to you and not you breast-beat.’ ¹⁸ For, he came, John, neither eating, neither drinking, and they say he has a demon! ¹⁹ He came, the Son of Man, eating and drinking, and they say, ‘You behold! A man, a glutton, and a winebibber! A friend of taxmen and sinners!’ And it is justified, the wisdom, from her children.”

²⁰ Then He began to defame the cities in which they occurred – the most of His miracles – because they reconsidered not. ^{21 “}Woe, you, Chorazin! Woe, you, Bethsaida! For if in Tyre and Sidon, they occurred – the miracles, those done in you– if in sackcloth and ashes formerly they reconsidered. ²² Moreover, I say to you, it will be sufferable – Tyre and Sidon – in Judgment Day than you. ²³ And you, Capernaum, the ‘until heaven, you having been elevated,’ until Hades you will be descended. For if in Sodom they occurred – the miracles, the ‘having occurred in you’ – it remained, if until the day. ²⁴ Moreover, I say to you that it will be sufferable – land Sodom – in Judgment Day than you.”

²⁵ In that time, Jesus answering, He said, “I acknowledge You, Father, Lord ‘the heaven and the earth’ that You hid these from wise and sagacious, and You revealed them to infants. ²⁶ Yes, Father, for thus it was satisfaction before You. ²⁷ All, it was delivered to Me by My Father. And none, he knows the Son if not the Father, nor any he knows the Father if not the Son, and whom if the Son He should will to reveal. ²⁸ You come to Me, all those laboring and having been encumbered, and I, I will give rest to you. ²⁹ Lift My yoke upon you, and you learn from Me, for benignant I am, and lowly of heart, and you will find rest – your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke – handy, and My burden – it is light.”

Thursday, 17 July 2025

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Lift My yoke upon you, and you learn from Me, for benignant I am, and lowly of heart, and you will find rest – your souls” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus said to those around Him, “You come to Me, all those laboring and having been encumbered, and I, I will give rest to you.” He now continues His words, beautifully calling His people to Himself, beginning with, “Lift My yoke upon you.”

The word zugos, a yoke or a pair of scales, is introduced. The word is derived from the root of zeugnumi, to join. This joining is usually by a yoke. Thus, it speaks of a coupling. Figuratively, it is applied to servitude, such as by law. This is just how both Peter and Paul will later use it –

Peter: “Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? ¹¹ But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.” Acts 15:10, 11

Paul: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. ² Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.” Galatians 5:1, 2

Jesus is using the same figurative language. He is telling those who will hear that what He offers is available. By saying this, He is conveying the thought, “All people are slaves to something. I offer you my yoke, which is far preferable to the one you now bear.” In coming under Jesus’ yoke, He next says, “and you learn from Me, for benignant I am.”

It is the same word used in Matthew 5:5 where Jesus said –

“Blessed – the benignant,
For they – they will inherit the land.”

The word gives the sense of being mild or humble. Added to that, He continues with, “and lowly of heart.”

Here, the word tapeinos, lowly, is introduced. It signifies depressed, as in (figuratively) humiliated. This could be in circumstances or in disposition. Jesus is indicating that because of His gentle and lowly disposition, the yoke that He offers will be similar in its effect upon those who accept it. Because of this, He provides a sure promise to those who accept it, saying, “and you will find rest – your souls.”

Another new word, anapausis, is provided. It is a noun signifying intermission. By implication, it gives a sense of recreation or rest. It is the noun form of the verb just introduced in the previous verse. Jesus is saying that in taking on His yoke, something normally associated with work, toil, and physical effort, a person will instead receive rest for their souls.

The thoughts, seemingly contradictory, are expressed based on His position as the Messiah. He indicated in the previous verses that in knowing Him, one would then know the Father. Jesus was sent on a mission, specifically to fulfill the law that stood opposed to the people. This law, as indicated above by both Peter and Paul, is a yoke of bondage.

One must work in order to be pleasing to God under the law. But because of sin, the works remain unacceptable. However, Jesus had no sin. He lived life under the law perfectly. He is indicating, even before His completion of the law, that He would accomplish all that is necessary for the law to be fulfilled. In doing this, what He will offer is not a yoke of bondage, but one of humility.

His subjugation under the law will lead to His exaltation. His labors will be complete, and He offers the fruit of His labors to all who will believe.

Life application: Applying these words of Jesus to those in the church does not violate the dispensational model. He is referring to an action which is future to the point in time at which He states it. As such, it is an action that is open to all when that point is met.

Jesus was in the process of fulfilling the law. If He had failed to do so, the words of this verse would be nullified. Of course, He would not fail, and He did not fail. It was a given that He would prevail. As such, He could rightly proclaim these words, offering Himself as the provider of rest even before He had finished His labors.

In the completion of His efforts, what He accomplished is now available to any and all who will accept the premise. Though spoken to Israel while under the law, they are words anticipating the ending of the law and the granting of rest. Therefore, they reflect an ongoing offer to any and all who will accept His yoke.

This is the point of the words of Peter and Paul. They are telling the people of the world that law observance is not the way to please God, except as it was observed by Jesus. In coming to Christ, our yoke is that of “law fulfilled” not “law to be fulfilled.” Thank God for His tender mercies in sending Jesus to make this our happy state of servitude.

Lord God, thank You that the yoke we take upon ourselves through Christ Jesus is one of being Your bondservant under His fulfillment of the law and the paying of humanity’s sin-debt. We no longer have to bear the burden of sin. Instead, we can be free in the Lord to serve You in a state of rest, refreshment, and eternal joy. Hooray for Jesus! Amen.

For a direct link to The Superior Word Translation by Pastor Charlie Garrett of The Gospel According to Matthew Chapter 11, click on this link for (YouTube) or this link for (Rumble).

Matthew 11

11 And it was, when Jesus, He finished through-arranging His twelve disciples, He departed thence to teach and proclaim in their cities. ² And John, having heard in the prison the works of the Christ, having sent two of his disciples, ³ they said to Him, “You, You are ‘the Coming,’ or do another we anticipate?” ⁴ And Jesus, answering, said to them, “Having gone, you report to John what you hear and you see.” ⁵ Blind – they up-look, and lame – they walk, lepers – they are cleansed, and deaf – they hear, dead – they are roused, and poor – they are evangelized. ⁶ And blessed, he is, who if not he should stumble in Me. ⁷ And these going, Jesus, He began to speak to the crowds about John: “What you went out into the wilderness to view? A reed wavering by wind? ⁸ But what you went out to see? A man having been enrobed in fine cloaks? You behold! Those wearing the fines, they are in the kings’ houses. ⁹ But what you went out to see? A prophet? Yes! I say to you and beyond a prophet. ¹⁰ For this, he is about whom it has been written, ‘Behold, I, I send My messenger before Your face, who, he will prepare Your way before you.

¹¹ Amen! I say to you, not he has risen in ‘born of women’ greater than John the Baptist, but the least in the kingdom of the heavens, he is greater than he. ¹² And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of the heavens, it is forced, and forcers, they seize it. ¹³ For all the prophets and the law, until John, they prophesied. ¹⁴ And if you incline to receive, he, he is Elijah, the ‘being about to come.’ ¹⁵ The ‘having ears to hear,’ let him hear. ¹⁶ And to what I will liken this generation? It is like children in markets, sitting and addressing their companions, ¹⁷ and they say, ‘We piped to you and not you danced. We bewailed to you and not you breast-beat.’ ¹⁸ For, he came, John, neither eating, neither drinking, and they say he has a demon! ¹⁹ He came, the Son of Man, eating and drinking, and they say, ‘You behold! A man, a glutton, and a winebibber! A friend of taxmen and sinners!’ And it is justified, the wisdom, from her children.”

²⁰ Then He began to defame the cities in which they occurred – the most of His miracles – because they reconsidered not. ^{21 “}Woe, you, Chorazin! Woe, you, Bethsaida! For if in Tyre and Sidon, they occurred – the miracles, those done in you– if in sackcloth and ashes formerly they reconsidered. ²² Moreover, I say to you, it will be sufferable – Tyre and Sidon – in Judgment Day than you. ²³ And you, Capernaum, the ‘until heaven, you having been elevated,’ until Hades you will be descended. For if in Sodom they occurred – the miracles, the ‘having occurred in you’ – it remained, if until the day. ²⁴ Moreover, I say to you that it will be sufferable – land Sodom – in Judgment Day than you.”

²⁵ In that time, Jesus answering, He said, “I acknowledge You, Father, Lord ‘the heaven and the earth’ that You hid these from wise and sagacious, and You revealed them to infants. ²⁶ Yes, Father, for thus it was satisfaction before You. ²⁷ All, it was delivered to Me by My Father. And none, he knows the Son if not the Father, nor any he knows the Father if not the Son, and whom if the Son He should will to reveal. ²⁸ You come to Me, all those laboring and having been encumbered, and I, I will give rest to you. ²⁹ Lift My yoke upon you, and you learn from Me, for benignant I am, and lowly of heart, and you will find rest – your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke – handy, and My burden – it is light.”