Big Idea: Jesus’ final words in the Sermon on the Mount warn against those who claim to belong to God but are disobeying God’s will. Those who are wise will put Jesus’ authoritative words into practice.

Understanding the Text

The final section of the Sermon on the Mount focuses on putting into practice Jesus’ teachings and provides warnings about those who do not obey God’s will. Jesus speaks of bearing fruit being the mark of a disciple (7:15–20; see also 12:33–37; 13:18–23; 21:18–22, 43). Bearing fruit means doing the will of God (7:21) rather than doing evil, a topic to which Jesus will return (12:46–50). The sermon concludes with a parable about the wisdom of putting Jesus’ words into practice (7:24–27). The narrative conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount (7:28–29) includes the first…