Matius 5:19

5:19 So anyone who breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others ¹  to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever obeys them and teaches others to do so will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Matius 4:8

4:8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their grandeur. ² 

Matius 4:23

Jesus’ Healing Ministry

4:23 Jesus ³  went throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, ⁴  preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of disease and sickness among the people.

Matius 5:20

5:20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness goes beyond that of the experts in the law ⁵  and the Pharisees, ⁶  you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matius 8:11-12

8:11 I tell you, many will come from the east and west to share the banquet ⁷  with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ⁸  in the kingdom of heaven, 8:12 but the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” ⁹ 

Matius 13:24

The Parable of the Weeds

13:24 He presented them with another parable: ¹⁰  “The kingdom of heaven is like a person who sowed good seed in his field.

Matius 13:31

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

13:31 He gave ¹¹  them another parable: ¹²  “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed ¹³  that a man took and sowed in his field.

Matius 13:43

13:43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. ¹⁴  The one who has ears had better listen! ¹⁵ 

Matius 18:3

18:3 and said, “I tell you the truth, ¹⁶  unless you turn around and become like little children, ¹⁷  you will never ¹⁸  enter the kingdom of heaven!

Matius 19:14

19:14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” ¹⁹ 

Matius 20:1

Workers in the Vineyard

20:1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner ²⁰  who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

[5:19]  ¹ tn Grk “teaches men” ( in a generic sense, people).

[4:8]  ² tn Grk “glory.”

[4:23]  ³ tn Grk “And he.”

[4:23]  ⁴ sn Synagogues were places for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (cf. Luke 8:41). Though the origin of the synagogue is not entirely clear, it seems to have arisen in the postexilic community during the intertestamental period. A town could establish a synagogue if there were at least ten men. In normative Judaism of the NT period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present (see the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2).

[5:20]  ⁵ tn Or “that of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[5:20]  ⁶ sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[8:11]  ⁷ tn Grk “and recline at table,” as 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away. The word “banquet” has been supplied to clarify for the modern reader the festive nature of the imagery. The banquet imagery is a way to describe the fellowship and celebration of being among the people of God at the end.

[8:11]  sn 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.

[8:11]  ⁸ tn Grk “and Isaac and Jacob,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[8:12]  ⁹ sn Weeping and gnashing of teeth is a figure for remorse and trauma, which occurs here because of exclusion from God’s promise.

[13:24]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “He set before them another parable, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.

[13:31]  ¹¹ tn Grk “put before.”

[13:31]  ¹² tn Grk “He set before them another parable, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.

[13:31]  ¹³ sn The mustard seed was noted for its tiny size.

[13:43]  ¹⁴ sn An allusion to Dan 12:3.

[13:43]  ¹⁵ tn The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let him hear,” which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus’ common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 11:15, 13:9; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 8:8, 14:35).

[18:3]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[18:3]  ¹⁷ sn The point of the comparison become like little children has more to do with a child’s trusting spirit, as well as willingness to be dependent and receive from others, than any inherent humility the child might possess.

[18:3]  ¹⁸ tn The negation in Greek (οὐ μή, ou mh) is very strong here.

[19:14]  ¹⁹ sn The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. Children are a picture of those whose simple trust illustrates what faith is all about. The remark illustrates how everyone is important to God, even those whom others regard as insignificant.

[20:1]  ²⁰ sn The term landowner here refers to the owner and manager of a household.