Matius 5:16

5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven.

Matius 6:1

Pure-hearted Giving

6:1 “Be ¹  careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. ²  Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven.

Matius 7:11

7:11 If you then, although you are evil, ³  know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts ⁴  to those who ask him!

Matius 7:21

Judgment of Pretenders

7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ ⁵  will enter into the kingdom of heaven – only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

Matius 16:17

16:17 And Jesus answered him, ⁶  “You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood ⁷  did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven!

Matius 18:19

18:19 Again, I tell you the truth, ⁸  if two of you on earth agree about whatever you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. ⁹ 

Matius 19:21

19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money ¹⁰  to the poor, and you will have treasure ¹¹  in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

[6:1]  ¹ tc ‡ Several mss (א L Z Θ Ë¹ 33 892 1241 1424 al) have δέ (de, “but, now”) at the beginning of this verse; the reading without δέ is supported by B D W 0250 ˹³ Ï lat. A decision is difficult, but apparently the conjunction was added by later scribes to indicate a transition in the thought-flow of the Sermon on the Mount. NA²⁷ has δέ in brackets, indicating reservations about its authenticity.

[6:1]  ² tn Grk “before people in order to be seen by them.”

[7:11]  ³ tn The participle ὄντες (ontes) has been translated concessively.

[7:11]  ⁴ sn The provision of the good gifts is probably a reference to the wisdom and guidance supplied in response to repeated requests. The teaching as a whole stresses not that we get everything we want, but that God gives the good that we need.

[7:21]  ⁵ sn The double use of the vocative is normally used in situations of high emotion or emphasis. Even an emphatic confession without action means little.

[16:17]  ⁶ tn Grk “answering, Jesus said to him.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant, but the syntax of this phrase has been modified for clarity.

[16:17]  ⁷ tn The expression “flesh and blood” could refer to “any human being” (so TEV, NLT; cf. NIV “man”), but it could also refer to Peter himself (i.e., his own intuition; cf. CEV “You didn’t discover this on your own”). Because of the ambiguity of the referent, the phrase “flesh and blood” has been retained in the translation.

[18:19]  ⁸ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[18:19]  ⁹ tn Grk “if two of you…agree about whatever they ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven.” The passive construction has been translated as an active one in keeping with contemporary English style, and the pronouns, which change from second person plural to third person plural in the Greek text, have been consistently translated as second person plural.

[19:21]  ¹⁰ tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[19:21]  ¹¹ sn The call for sacrifice comes with a promise of eternal reward: You will have treasure in heaven. Jesus’ call is a test to see how responsive the man is to God’s direction through him. Will he walk the path God’s agent calls him to walk? For a rich person who got it right, see Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10.