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MATTHEW 
The Narrow Gate. 13* “Enter through the narrow gate;* for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many.j 14How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.
False Prophets.* 15“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves.k 16l By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 20So by their fruits you will know them.m
The True Disciple. 21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,* but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.n 22Many will say to me on that day,o ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’p 23Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you.* Depart from me, you evildoers.’q
The Two Foundations. 24* “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.r 25The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house.s But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. 26And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. 27The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”
28* When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29* t for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
7:13
The Christian life is not easy: it is countercultural. While the majority take the broad and easy path, we must seek and nd the narrow way that leads to life. “To go against the current; this is good
for the heart, but we need courage to swim against the tide” (Pope Francis).2
7:15
So many claim to possess the truth; so many promise happiness and ful llment,
if we will simply do as they teach. How can we tell what is true? Jesus gives us a sure way: “by their fruits.”
Of course, this method requires patience. We have to wait for the tree to grow, bloom, and bear fruit before we can know whether the fruit is good or bad.
7:24
Words are not enough: we must have deeds as well. Only if we act on what we hear from Jesus will our faith have a solid foundation, one that will stand rm amid the storms that life brings. A faith that is not lived is a weak faith, a house built on sand.
2 Francis, Homily, 28 April 2013.
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later than the gospel. This is the law and the prophets is an addition probably due to the
evangelist.
* [7:13–28] The nal section of the discourse is composed of a series of antitheses, contrasting
two kinds of life within the Christian community, that of those who obey the words of Jesus
and that of those who do not. Most of the sayings are from Q and are found also in Luke.
* [7:13–14] The metaphor of the “two ways” was common in pagan philosophy and in the Old Testament. In Christian literature it is found also in the Didache (1–6) and the Epistle of
Barnabas (18–20).
* [7:15–20] Christian disciples who claimed to speak in the name of God are called prophets
(Mt 7:15) in Mt 10:41; Mt 23:34. They were presumably an important group within the church of Matthew. As in the case of the Old Testament prophets, there were both true and false ones, and for Matthew the di erence could be recognized by the quality of their deeds, the fruits (Mt 7:16). The mention of fruits leads to the comparison with trees, some producing good fruit, others bad.
* [7:21–23] The attack on the false prophets is continued, but is broadened to include those disciples who perform works of healing and exorcism in the name of Jesus (Lord) but live evil lives. Entrance into the kingdom is only for those who do the will of the Father. On the day of judgment (on that day) the morally corrupt prophets and miracle workers will be rejected by Jesus.
* [7:23] I never knew you: cf. Mt 10:33. Depart from me, you evildoers: cf. Ps 6:9.
* [7:24–27] The conclusion of the discourse (cf. Lk 6:47–49). Here the relation is not between saying and doing as in Mt 7:15–23 but between hearing and doing, and the words of Jesus
are applied to every Christian (everyone who listens).
* [7:28–29] When Jesus nished these words: this or a similar formula is used by Matthew to
conclude each of the ve great discourses of Jesus (cf. Mt 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1).
* [7:29] Not as their scribes: scribal instruction was a faithful handing down of the traditions of earlier teachers; Jesus’ teaching is based on his own authority. Their scribes: for the
implications of their, see note on Mt 4:23.
j. [7:13] Lk 13:24.
k. [7:15] 2 Pt 2:1.
l. [7:16–17] 12:33; Lk 6:43–44.
m. [7:20] 3:10.
n. [7:21] Is 29:13; Lk 6:46. o. [7:22–23] Lk 13:26–27. p. [7:22] 25:11–12.
q. [7:23] Ps 5:5; 6:9.
r. [7:24–27] Lk 6:47–49. s. [7:25–26] Prv 10:25.
t. [7:29] Mk 1:22; Lk 4:32.