Famous Words and Phrases

136. "Seek and ye shall find." These oft-quoted words of Jesus come from his Sermon on the Mount in Mathew 7:7. It is still generally used as advice or encouragement to those who need to be seeking.
137. "A wolf in sheep's clothing." Jesus created this phrase in Mathew 7:15 to describe religious leaders who appear righteous on the outside but are actually evil on the inside. We still use it to describe hypocrites or those who portray goodness while intending evil.
138. "The faith to move mountains." Although not currently used quite as often as it was in the Twentieth century, the phrase refers to the power of belief. The words were first said by the Lord Jesus in Mathew 17:20 when He was talking to his disciples about healing the sick and the demon possessed.
139. "The blind leading the blind." Jesus coined this phrase in Mathew 15:14 when describing false teachers who insist they know the truth but do not, therefore leading innocent people astray. In our culture we generally use it as a negative descriptor for the self-important and self-deluded.
140. "Do not throw pearls before swine." Jesus' words in Mathew 7:6 urge believers to take care with their message: it is not necessary to teach to those who are openly hostile to the Gospel. A person wouldn't throw precious pearls to pigs, and Christians shouldn't throw the gift of salvation to those who will only turn around and attack them.
141. "Eat, drink, and be merry." was a phrase created by Jesus in Luke 12 while telling a cautionary tale about a rich fool who thought the rest of his life was set. The fool died that very night. The words are still generally used in the sarcastic or perjorative sense.
142. "The straight and narrow." Following the small, less traveled path leads to the narrow gate of life. In Mathew 7:14, Jesus cautioned his followers against following the more glamorous, broad, and well-traveled path that led to a wide gate full of destruction.
143. "A good Samaritan." Someone who goes out of the way to help another can be likened to the famed character of Jesus' parable in Luke 10:30-37. The hero acts for the good of another with no thought to his own situation.
144. "Sweating blood" is a phrase used to describe someone going through a very difficult time. The etymology of the word relates back to Luke 22:44, Christ's anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane caused Him to sweat blood-something physicians say is, in fact, possible for those enduring great duress.
145: "The forbidden fruit" is one of many Old Testament phrases still used regularly in the English language. The original "forbidden fruit" was the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve were instructed to stay away from it in