Matthew 4:3

4:3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.” ¹ 

Matthew 6:29

6:29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these!

Matthew 6:33

6:33 But above all pursue his kingdom ²  and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 13:34

The Purpose of Parables

13:34 Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the crowds; he did not speak to them without a parable.

Matthew 15:18

15:18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a person.

Matthew 15:20

15:20 These are the things that defile a person; it is not eating with unwashed hands that defiles a person.” ³ 

Matthew 18:14

18:14 In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that one of these little ones be lost.

Matthew 19:1

Questions About Divorce

19:1 Now when ⁴  Jesus finished these sayings, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan River. ⁵ 

Matthew 19:20

19:20 The young man said to him, “I have wholeheartedly obeyed ⁶  all these laws. ⁷  What do I still lack?”

Matthew 24:33-34

24:33 So also you, when you see all these things, know ⁸  that he is near, right at the door. 24:34 I tell you the truth, ⁹  this generation ¹⁰  will not pass away until all these things take place.

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¹ tn Grk “say that these stones should become bread.”

² tc ‡ Most mss (L W Θ 0233 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat sy mae) read τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ (thn basileian tou qeou kai thn dikaiosunhn aujtou, “the kingdom of God and his righteousness”) here, but the words “of God” are lacking in א B pc sa bo Eus. On the one hand, there is the possibility of accidental omission on the part of these Alexandrian witnesses, but it seems unlikely that the scribe’s eye would skip over both words (especially since τοῦ θεοῦ is bracketed by first declension nouns). Intrinsically, the author generally has a genitive modifier with βασιλεία – especially θεοῦ or οὐρανῶν (ouranwn) – but this argument cuts both ways: Although he might be expected to use such an adjunct here, scribes might also be familiar with his practice and would thus naturally insert it if it were missing in their copy of Matthew. Although a decision is difficult, the omission of τοῦ θεοῦ is considered most likely to be original. NA²⁷ includes the words in brackets, indicating doubt as to their authenticity.

sn God’s kingdom is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong.

³ tn Grk “but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a person.”

⁴ tn Grk “it happened when.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

⁵ tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity. The region referred to here is sometimes known as Transjordan (i.e., “across the Jordan”).

⁶ tn Grk “kept.” The implication of this verb is that the man has obeyed the commandments without fail, so the adverb “wholeheartedly” has been added to the translation to bring out this nuance.

⁷ tn Grk “these things.” The referent of the pronoun (the laws mentioned by Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

sn While the rich man was probably being sincere when he insisted I have wholeheartedly obeyed all these laws, he had confined his righteousness to external obedience. The rich man’s response to Jesus’ command – to give away all he had – revealed that internally he loved money more than God.

⁸ tn The verb γινώσκετε (ginwskete, “know”) can be parsed as either present indicative or present imperative. In this context the imperative fits better, since the movement is from analogy (trees and seasons) to the future (the signs of the coming of the kingdom) and since the emphasis is on preparation for this event.

⁹ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

¹⁰ sn This is one of the hardest verses in the gospels to interpret. Various views exist for what generation means. (1) Some take it as meaning “race” and thus as an assurance that the Jewish race (nation) will not pass away. But it is very questionable that the Greek term γενεά (genea) can have this meaning. Two other options are possible. (2) Generation might mean “this type of generation” and refer to the generation of wicked humanity. Then the point is that humanity will not perish, because God will redeem it. Or (3) generation may refer to “the generation that sees the signs of the end” (v. 30), who will also see the end itself. In other words, once the movement to the return of Christ starts, all the events connected with it happen very quickly, in rapid succession.