Matthew

Matthew 21 – The Challenge of Jesus

Matthew 21 might seem like a string of unrelated stories, but under a closer look, we are able to detect a powerful message. This chapter contains six stories. They are: Jesus’ humble and triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Jesus’ cleaning of the temple, Jesus’ cursing of the fig tree, the questioning of Jesus’ authority by the [...]


Gospel of Matthew – Introduction – Background

1. Authorship When it comes to the authorship of the Gospel of Matthew, there is no certainty. The early church believed that Matthew, the tax collector, from Matthew 9:9 was the author. For example, Eusebius quotes Papias, the bishop of Hierapolis: “Matthew complied the oracles in the Hebrew dialect, and everyone translated them as best as [...]


Matthew 11:1-19 “Blessed are those who are not offended”

In polite society it is easy to be offended. Anything politically or socially incorrect can be offensive. A wrong word, a breech of social etiquette, eating too quickly, and many more faux pas can be offensive. It is safe to say that we live in a world where we try to be inoffensive to the [...]


Matthew 19:13-30 – Children and the Rich Young Man

In this stretch of scripture, Matthew places two stories side by side. The first story is about little children. In short, Jesus shows his love for children. He allows them to come to him and he puts his hands on them, presumably to pray for them. This act was unusual, because children were not valued [...]


Matthew 6:25-34 – Goals and Byproducts

The older I become, the more the words of Matthew 6:25-34 ring true. The message in this text can be summarized in three points. First, people are prone to worry about the necessities and desires of life. Within in this context, Jesus mentions eating, drinking, and clothing, but we can broaden each of these. His [...]


Matthew 7:6 – Pearls to Swine?

Jean Leon Gerome 1824-1904 “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw away your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” These are admittedly very difficult words to understand. What makes them even more difficult is that the direct context [...]


Matthew 25 – Parables of Wise Living

The three parables in this chapter all deal with the future. Immediately the theme of wisdom and foolishness is introduced (25:3, 4). The point is that there is a wise and foolish way to live in view of the future. If we use this theme as a lens to examine these three parables, then three [...]


Matthew 19:12-15 – What children teach us

What is it about children that Jesus would say that the kingdom of God belongs to them? The context may provide some clues, as Jesus’ action of laying hands on children and his statement that the kingdom of God belongs to them is sandwiched between his teaching on divorce and the story of the rich [...]


Joshua 2:15-21 Rahab – Example of Faith

The fear of God among the nations is strong. When God is with his people, not only do his people know, but also other nations (Joshua  2:11). What a change from Numbers 13 when the  Israelites were completely petrified by the  inhabitants of the land of Canaan (with the  exception of Joshua and Caleb). As [...]


Matthew 6:1-4

Matthew 6:1-4 Fort the most part, people love to promote themselves, especially when they have done something that they consider noble, or better yet when they believe society will consider them noble for doing it. This is such a fact of life that we have created forums to acknowledge people for everything.


Matthew 6:1-4

The point of Jesus’ teaching is clear. Do acts of righteousness, but do them in secret. So, if you give to the needy, then give in secret. On the surface, this might sound like an odd exhortation. Some may even find fault with Jesus (at least some good is being done, a person may say), [...]


Matthew 1

Matthew 1 The first words of the gospel of Matthew could be translated as “the book of genesis” (biblos geneseos). This might actually be a better translation, because one of the aims of the first chapter of Matthew is to show that there is a new beginning in Christ. The opening genealogy makes this point [...]


Matthew 25:14-30 – Bible Study – Parable of Talents

A. Introduction There are a few twists in this parable that make it difficult to understand. First, most people in the ancient world would have been utterly surprised to find out that the master judges the servant who has put the one talent in the ground. According to mind of an ancient person, this was [...]


Matthew 13:24-43 – Bible Study – Parable of Wheat and Weeds

A. Introduction Like the parable of the sower in Mark 4, Jesus offers an explanation of the parable of the wheat and weeds. Reflection on this parable will give important insights into the beginning of the kingdom of God, the growth of the kingdom, and the future consummation of the kingdom. Even if the dominant [...]