Matthew 3:10

3:10 Even now the ax is laid at 1  the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Matthew 12:25

12:25 Now when Jesus 2  realized what they were thinking, he said to them, 3  “Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, 4  and no town or house divided against itself will stand.

Matthew 13:52

13:52 Then he said to them, “Therefore every expert in the law 5  who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his treasure what is new and old.”

1 sn Laid at the root. That is, placed and aimed, ready to begin cutting.

2 tc The majority of mss read ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς (Jo Ihsous, “Jesus”), which clarifies who is the subject of the sentence. Although the shorter text is attested in far fewer witnesses (Ì21 א B D 892* sys,c sa bo), both the pedigree of the mss and the strong internal evidence (viz., scribes were not prone to intentionally delete the name of Jesus) argue for the omission of Jesus’ name. The name has been included in the translation, however, for clarity.

3 sn Jesus here demonstrated the absurdity of the thinking of the religious leaders who maintained that he was in league with Satan and that he actually derived his power from the devil. He first teaches (vv. 25-28) that if he casts out demons by the ruler of the demons, then in reality Satan is fighting against himself, with the result that his kingdom has come to an end. He then teaches (v. 29) about tying up the strong man to prove that he does not need to align himself with the devil because he is more powerful. Jesus defeated Satan at his temptation (4:1-11) and by his exorcisms he clearly demonstrated himself to be stronger than the devil. The passage reveals the desperate condition of the religious leaders, who in their hatred for Jesus end up attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan (a position for which they will be held accountable, 12:31-32).

4 tn Or “is left in ruins.”

5 tn Or “every scribe.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4. It is possible that the term translated “expert in the law” (traditionally, “scribe”) here is a self-description used by the author, Matthew, to represent his role in conveying the traditions about Jesus to his intended audience. See David E. Orton, The Understanding Scribe [JSNTSup].