| Matthew 3:8 | |
|---|---|
← 3:7 3:9 → | |
 Jacopo del Conte's depiction of the sermon of John the Baptist, 1538 | |
| Book | Gospel of Matthew |
| Christian Bible part | New Testament |
Matthew 3:8 is the eighth verse of the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The verse occurs in where John the Baptist is berating the Pharisees and Sadducees. He has previously called them a brood of vipers and warned them of the wrath to come. In this verse he urges them to repent.
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
The World English Bible translates the passage as:
The 1881 Westcott-Hort Greek text is:
For a collection of other versions see BibleHub Matthew 3:8.
Like the rest of this section this verse is mirrored in the Gospel of Luke, with this passage appearing in Luke 3:8. The lone difference from Luke is that the word fruit is pluralized in Matthew. [1]
This is the first appearance of a fruit metaphor that will recur in Matthew 7:16 and appears in other parts of the New Testament. As the growing of fruit is the clear and outward manifestation of a healthy tree the term is seen as a metaphor for the good works of a true Christian. The call for repentance echoes Matthew 3:2 and links into the eschatological tone of this chapter.
How these good works link to repentance is a source of much dispute. There are two different interpretations of this passage. The phrase could be read as saying that the Pharisees and Sadducees should do good works in order to be repentant. The other view is that good works are only an outgrowth of internal repentance as a fruit is the product of a healthy tree. The first interpretation is that held by Catholics and the second by Protestants. According to Clarke the modern scholarly consensus is that the wording of this verse is ambiguous and both interpretations are plausible.
This verse thus became a part of the larger debate over the Protestant doctrine of the justification of faith. Protestants adopted the fruit metaphor in a number of important works. The Augsburg Confession, for instance, states that "it is taught among us that such faith should produce good fruits and good works and that we must do all such good works as God has commanded, but we should do them for God’s sake and not place our trust in them as if thereby to merit favor before God."
Glossa Ordinaria: If then ye would escape this wrath, Bring forth fruits meet for repentance. [2]
Gregory the Great: Observe, he says not merely fruits of repentance, but fruits meet for repentance. For he who has never fallen into things unlawful, is of right allowed the use of all things lawful; but if any hath fallen into sin, he ought so far to put away from him even things lawful, as far as he is conscious of having used unlawful things. It is left then to such man's conscience to seek so much the greater gains of good works by repentance, the greater loss he has brought on himself by sin. The Jews who gloried in their race, would not own themselves sinners because they were Abraham's seed. Say not among yourselves we are Abraham's seed. [2]
Mark 12 is the twelfth chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It continues Jesus' teaching in the Temple in Jerusalem, and contains the parable of the Wicked Husbandmen, Jesus' argument with the Pharisees and Herodians over paying taxes to Caesar, and the debate with the Sadducees about the nature of people who will be resurrected at the end of time. It also contains Jesus' greatest commandment, his discussion of the messiah's relationship to King David, condemnation of the teachers of the law, and his praise of a poor widow's offering.
Matthew 3:2 is the second verse of the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. John the Baptist has been introduced in the first verse and this verse describes the message that he is preaching. Through John's message, Matthew introduces the "Kingdom of Heaven".
Matthew 3 is the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. It is the first chapter dealing with the ministry of Jesus, with events taking place some three decades after the close of the infancy narrative related in the previous two chapters. The focus of this chapter is on the preaching of John the Baptist and the Baptism of Jesus.
Matthew 3:7 is the seventh verse of the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The verse occurs in the section introducing John the Baptist. In this verse John attacks the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Matthew 3:9 is the ninth verse of the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The verse describes an incident where John the Baptist berates the Pharisees and Sadducees. He has previously called them a brood of vipers and warned them of the wrath to come and has urged them to repent. In this verse he warns that their links to Abraham will not save them.
Matthew 3:10 is the tenth verse of the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The verse occurs in where John the Baptist is berating the Pharisees and Sadducees. He has previously called them a brood of vipers and warned them of the wrath to come and has urged them to repent. This verse returns to the fruit metaphor of Matthew 3:8 adding a promise of eventual punishment.
Matthew 3:11 is the eleventh verse of the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The verse occurs in the section relating the preachings of John the Baptist. In this verse he predicts that he will be followed by someone much greater than himself. The main theme of this verse is that John will soon be supplanted by a much greater figure and that John's water baptism is just a preparation for the much greater baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire that will occur under the second coming of the Christian messiah Jesus, an original Christian concept that, according to Jewish scholars, lacks any fundament in the Hebrew scripture.
Matthew 4:3 is the third verse of the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse opens the section in Matthew dealing with the temptation of Christ by Satan. Jesus has been fasting for forty days and forty nights, and in this verse the devil gives Christ his first temptation by encouraging him to use his powers to get food.
John 3 is the third chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It deals with Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus, one of the Jewish pharisees, and John the Baptist's continued testimony regarding Jesus. Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon said of this chapter that it is the chapter he would choose "to read to a dying man who did not know the gospel, [as] the most suitable one for such an occasion".
Matthew 7:16 is the sixteenth verse of the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and is part of the Sermon on the Mount. This verse continues the section warning against false prophets.
Matthew 23 is the twenty-third chapter in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament section of the Christian Bible, and consists almost entirely of the accusations of Jesus against the Pharisees. The chapter is also known as the Woes of the Pharisees or the "Seven Woes". In this chapter, Jesus accuses the Pharisees of hypocrisy. Some writers treat it as part of the final discourse of Matthew's gospel.
Matthew 9 is the ninth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and continues the narrative about Jesus' ministry in Galilee as he ministers to the public, working miracles, and going through all the cities and towns of the area, preaching the gospel, and healing every disease. This chapter opens with Jesus back in "his own town", i.e. Capernaum.
Matthew 16 is the sixteenth chapter in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament section of the Christian Bible. Jesus begins a journey to Jerusalem from the vicinity of Caesarea Philippi, near the southwestern base of Mount Hermon. Verse 24 speaks of his disciples "following him".
Matthew 22 is the twenty-second chapter in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament section of the Christian Bible. Jesus continues his final ministry in Jerusalem before his Passion. Teaching in the Temple, Jesus enters into debate successively with the Pharisees, allied with the Herodians, the Sadducees, and a lawyer, ultimately silencing them all.
Luke 20 is the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records the teaching of Jesus Christ in the temple in Jerusalem, especially his responses to questions raised by the Pharisees and Sadducees. The book containing this chapter is anonymous, but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke the Evangelist composed this Gospel as well as the Acts of the Apostles.
The parable of the barren fig tree is a parable of Jesus which appears in Luke 13:6–9. It is about a fig tree which does not produce fruit.
Matthew 7:19 and Matthew 7:20 are the nineteenth and twentieth verses of the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and are part of the Sermon on the Mount. The verses continue the section warning against false prophets.
Matthew 7:23 is the twenty-third verse of the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and is part of the Sermon on the Mount. This verse continues Jesus' warning against false prophets.
Matthew 11:12 is the twelfth verse in the eleventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament.
Matthew 12:33 is the 33rd verse in the twelfth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .| Preceded by Matthew 3:7 | Gospel of Matthew Chapter 3 | Succeeded by Matthew 3:9 |
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