Matthew 7:21

Judgment of Pretenders

7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ ¹  will enter into the kingdom of heaven – only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

Matthew 12:44

12:44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the home I left.’ ²  When it returns, ³  it finds the house ⁴  empty, swept clean, and put in order. ⁵ 

Matthew 13:14

13:14 And concerning them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

‘You will listen carefully ⁶  yet will never understand,

you will look closely ⁷  yet will never comprehend.

Matthew 21:3

21:3 If anyone says anything to you, you are to say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ ⁸  and he will send them at once.”

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¹ 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.

² tn Grk “I will return to my house from which I came.”

³ tn Grk “comes.”

⁴ tn The words “the house” are not in Greek but are implied.

⁵ sn The image of the house empty, swept clean, and put in order refers to the life of the person from whom the demon departed. The key to the example appears to be that no one else has been invited in to dwell. If an exorcism occurs and there is no response to God, then the way is free for the demon to return. Some see the reference to exorcism as more symbolic; thus the story’s only point is about responding to Jesus. This is possible and certainly is an application of the passage.

⁶ tn Grk “with hearing,” a cognate dative that intensifies the action of the main verb “you will listen” (ExSyn 168-69).

⁷ tn Grk “look by looking.” The participle is redundant, functioning to intensify the force of the main verb.

⁸ sn The custom called angaria allowed the impressment of animals for service to a significant figure.