Matthew 7:13-23

Aoccdnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Things are not always as they appear, are they? At first glance, that paragraph looks like a jumble of messed-up letters. But when you look closer, you realize that it’s not quite as bad as it appears. It turns out that you can actually read it.

However, the reverse can also be true. You can have something that looks almost perfect at first glance, only to discover that it’s not when you look closer. Appearances, and especially first impressions, can be deceiving.

As Jesus begins to wrap up his sermon on the mountain, he wants to warn us about three things that are not always as they appear.