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1. What are the opening verses (1:1-17) of Matthew about? The "book of the
generation" of Jesus Christ. It gives the genealogy of Joseph, the
husband of Mary (v.16), Jesus' stepfather. It should be noted that Joseph
was Jesus' father of record, and that record was found in the temple. The
genealogy of Joseph shows Jesus' legal right to the throne.
2. In what sense is Matthew a link in the Bible? It connects the Old and New
Testaments.
3. What title did the early church assign to this account? The Gospel
According to Matthew.
4. Who were the original readers of Matthew? Jews.
5. When and where might it have been written? It could have been written in
either Jerusalem or Antioch of Syria around A.D. 58.
6. What is the theme of Matthew? Jesus, the King of the Promised Kingdom.
7. Did Matthew report much of the first year of Jesus' public ministry? No.
8. What are the three main divisions of the account? Identify the chapter
and verse locations.
1. Preparation, chapters 1-3.
2. Public Ministry, chapters 4-20.
3. Sacrifice, chapters 21-28.
9. How many major discourse sections are there in Matthew? How does each
conclude in Bible text? There are 5 major discourse sections in Matthew,
and each concludes with the Lord Jesus healing people.
10. Identify by subject: chapters 5-7; chapter 13; chapters 24-25.
Chapters 5-7: The Sermon on the Mount
Chapter 13: The Discourse on Parables
Chapters 24-25: The Discourse on the Second Coming
11. List various items and characteristics of Matthew's account that were of
special interest to Jews.
Was Jesus truly descended from David?
What was Jesus' attitude toward Old Testament law?
Did He come to establish the Kingdom promised in the Old Testament?
12. Name five key words of Matthew and quote a key verse. Son of David,
righteous, fulfilled, kingdom, worship.
Matthew 2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we
have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
13. How does this gospel conclude? It concludes with the Great Commission.
Section Two: "The Gospel According to Matthew"
1. Why is it important that the genealogy of Christ be included in this book?
Matthew presents the Lord Jesus Christ as "The King," and a king must have
a genealogy.
Genealogies were important to the nation Israel, for individuals had to
establish their blood relation to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to be counted a
part of the nation. These genealogies were kept by the priesthood, and it
could be established if a person had a legitimate claim to a particular line
(cf. Ezra 2:62).
Christ's stepfather's, Joseph's, genealogy, given in Matthew 1:1-17,
proved that he was descended from King David (Luke 2:4), through Solomon; and
this gave Jesus the legal claim to the title of the throne of David. It also
proved that Joseph was not Jesus' natural father because of the curse on
Jechonias (v.16) in Jeremiah 22:24-30.
2. Give a summary account of the conception and birth of Jesus, the visit of
the wise men, the flight into Egypt, the slaying of innocent children, and the
return from Egypt to Nazareth.
1. During the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, the angel Gabriel
appeared to a young virgin of Nazareth named Mary (Luke 1:26-38). He announced
that God had chosen her to bear His Son into the world (Gal 4:4). The angel
announced that this Babe would be called Jesus, the Son of the Highest, and the
Son of God, and He was to inherit the throne of David.
Mary was perplexed because she had never had sex with a man, but the angel
was reassuring, telling her that the Holy Ghost would overshadow her. Mary
sweetly and simply submitted to God's will.
2. Joseph learned of Mary's pregnancy and decided to privately call off
their betrothal, not wanting to make a public example of her. That night, the
Angel of the Lord (the preincarnate Christ) assured him in a dream that the
birth of Mary's son would be a virgin birth, fulfilling Isaiah 7:14, and "they"
would call the child Emmanuel, meaning "God With Us." Joseph believed the
Angel of the Lord, and went through with the marriage.
3. During the latter part of Mary's pregnancy, Joseph and Mary had to go
to their ancestral home, Bethlehem, to have their names placed on a tax roll.
It was there that Mary gave birth to the Saviour, wrapped Him in swaddling
clothes, and laid Him in a manger because there was no room at the inn for
them.
The Angel of the Lord announced all this to a group of nearby shepherds,
and was then joined by a multitude of heavenly hosts singing praises to God.
The shepherds went to see Jesus, and returned praising God.
4. The Babe was circumcised on the eighth day.
5. When He was at least 40 days old, He was brought to the temple in
Jerusalem to be dedicated to the Lord. It was there that Simeon and Anna
praised God and thanked Him for His gift to the world.
6. From Jerusalem, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus went to Nazareth (Luke 2:39).
7. From Nazareth, the family returned to Bethlehem (implied in the text,
Matt 2:1-12).
8. After an unspecified amount of time, an unspecified number of "wise
men" came to Jerusalem from the East to inquire about the recent birth of the
King of the Jews.
Herod, troubled and agitated, asked the chief priests and scribes about
the Magi's request, and was told by them that Bethlehem was to be the
birthplace of the Messiah. Herod directed the wise men there, and asked them
to report back to him on the pretext of wanting to worship the Messiah.
Upon being led by the star to His home, the wise men fell at His feet and
offered Him their gifts.
God warned the wise men of Herod's treachery, so they returned home by
another route.
9. Joseph was instructed by the Angel of the Lord, in a dream, to flee
with the Babe to Egypt.
10. Herod, discovering he had been tricked, ordered the death of all
babies two years old and under in the Bethlehem area.
11. After Herod's death, Joseph was instructed by an angel of the Lord to
return to Israel. Joseph obeyed but, because of Archelaus, Herod's son and
Judea's new ruler, was afraid to move to Bethlehem. So he settled his family
at Nazareth in Galilee.
3. An angel of the Lord states, "thou shalt call his name Jesus" (1:21), and
in 1:23 the prophet states, "they shall call his name Immanuel." This is not
in error. Explain why.
"Thou [Joseph] shalt call his name Jesus" (1:21).
"They [the people of the nation of Israel] shall call his name Emmanuel"
(1:23). (This will not be fulfilled until the Millennium. Compare
Emmanuel, "God With Us," with Jehovah Shamma, "The Lord Is There" in Eze
48:35.)
4. Describe John the Baptist and his ministry.
1. John was the Lord Jesus' cousin, born six months before Him.
2. John's purpose was to go forth at the proper time as the King's
herald, His forerunner (Isa 40:3-5; Mal 3:1), to witness for Christ
who, alone, was the "Light" of men.
3. John's camel hair clothing and diet of locusts and wild honey
reflected his singleness of mind and devotion to his holy calling.
4. John's message:
A. To the crowds in general:
1. Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand (Matt 2:3).
2. Make ready the way of the Lord (Luke 3:4-6).
3. Submit to baptism in the Jordan River as proof of your
repentance.
B. To the Pharisees and Jewish rulers: O generation of vipers, who
hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth
therefore fruits meet for repentance (Matt 3:7-10).
C. To the publicans: Exact no more than that which is appointed you
(Luke 3:13).
D. To the soldiers: Do violence to no man, neither accuse any
falsely; and be content with your wages (Luke 3:14).
E. To new converts: He that hath two coats, let him impart to him
that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise (Luke
3:11).
5. John's testimony to all:
A. That he was not the Christ (John 1:20).
B. That he was neither Elijah nor the Prophet spoken of by Moses
(John 1:21).
C. That he was simply a voice crying out in the wilderness (John
1:23).
D. That he was unworthy to be Messiah's foot-servant (John 1:27).
E. That he was the friend of the Bridegroom (John 3:29).
F. That all flesh would soon see God's Salvation (Luke 3:6).
G. That this Incarnate Salvation would reveal the Father (John 1:18).
H. That this Saviour would enjoy the ministry of the Spirit and the
love of the Father in an unprecedented manner (John 3:34-35).
I. That He would baptize men with the Holy Spirit in grace at His
first coming, but with fire and judgment at His second coming
(Luke 3:16; Acts 2; Rev 6).
J. That Christ must increase, but John must decrease (John 3:20).
5. Write your own translation of the baptism of Jesus.
In the days when Jesus was about thirty years old, a rough and tough
prophet who ate bugs dipped in honey and wore animal skins, came out of nowhere
preaching in the area where Joshua crossed the Jordan back in the Days of
Conquest.
He claimed to be the prophet spoken of by Isaiah, a man crying out in the
wild country, saying, "Clear a straight path for the Lord." and "Change your
mind about yourself and God, for the kingdom of heaven is here."
All the people in the surrounding area came out to see this unusual
preacher, and when they heard his message, they were convicted of their
sinfulness and confessed their sins. They allowed John to immerse them in the
Jordan as an outward sign that they had been cleansed inwardly.
When the Pharisees (Roman Catholic Clergy) and Sadducees (Mainline
Protestant Clergy) heard about what was going on, they went to see for
themselves. John took one look at them and knew that they were not sincere.
He sarcastically called them poisonous snakes and asked them who had warned
them to run away from the fiery judgment of God's vengeful anger on people like
them. Then, he said that if they were really serious about getting right with
God, they would start doing the right things to outwardly show that their
hearts were right with God.
It would be necessary for them to produce good works because all who did
not were to die and go to hell in order to purge the earth.
Then John told them not to take pride or comfort in the fact that they
were descended from Abraham, because God didn't need them; if necessary God
could make children of Abraham out of stones.
Then Jesus came from His home in Nazareth of Galilee down to Bethabara, on
the Jordan River, in order to get John to baptize Him; but, John told Him,
"No," because John needed Jesus to baptize him (with the Holy Ghost). Jesus
told John that it was necessary that John baptize Him in the Jordan because it
was the right thing to do, and John said, "O.K."
So John baptized Jesus, who was praying, and when He came up out of the
water (having been immersed), the heavens opened and the Spirit of God, in the
form of a dove, descended and lit on Him, and the Father spoke from heaven,
calling Jesus His beloved Son, in whom He was well pleased, thus manifesting
the Trinity.
John said later that the One who had sent him to baptize with water had
told him that when he baptized a certain person, he would see the Spirit
descending and remaining on Him and, this Person would be the One who would
baptize with the Holy Ghost. John testified that Jesus was the Son of God.
6. Write your own commentary of the temptation of Jesus (4:1-11). In your
commentary, show how Jesus was able to defeat Satan in His temptations and how
we can apply that today in our lives.
Matthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to
be tempted of the devil.
Since the Jews were taught to pray, "Lead us not into temptation," an
inquiring mind would have the right to ask why Jesus was led into it. The
answer is two-fold: (1) He had to be tempted to fulfill the requirements of a
Saviour (Heb 2:16-17) and (2) the "tempting" was not the tempting forbidden in
James 1:12-14, but a "testing." Adam I had been similarly tested and had
failed. Adam II (Jesus Christ) would have to pass the test, resisting
temptation and remaining sinless by choice, if the world of men was to have any
hope.
Tradition fixes the sight of the Temptation at Quarantaria, in Judea; but
this is probably in error. The close association of Jesus with Elijah and
Moses in a number of respects pretty well identifies the mountain as Sinai.
Elijah, Moses, and Jesus appeared there together (Matt 17), all of them fasted
40 days and 40 nights, all of them are mentioned in connection with the Second
Advent (Mal 4), all faced a type of Antichrist (Pharaoh, Ahab, Herod), all had
a succeeding minister (Joshua, Elisha, Paul). Where Elijah crossed, Moses
looked at the Promised Land, and Joshua crossed where Jesus was baptized. The
Mount of Temptation is too hard to overlook; it is Mount Sinai, where Christ
will come again before He journeys up the "King's Highway" to land on the Mount
of Olives (Deut 33:2; Jud 5:4; Hab 3:3; Num 21:22).
Matthew 4:2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was
afterward an hungered.
Forty is the biblical number of probation. This is the time of the
wilderness wandering, in years; it is the time Goliath tested Israel in the
Valley of Elah; and strangely enough the period from Eli to the division of the
kingdom (240 years) came in exact quantities of "forties." Eli was priest for
40 years, Samuel was judge for 40 years, Saul reigned 40 years, David reigned
40 years, and Solomon reigned 40 years. "Forty" stands in Scripture for
"testing" and the expression "life begins at forty" is connected with the
Scriptural truth. Elijah and Moses both spent 40 days and nights without food
when they appeared before the Lord on the Mount.
Although Matthew reads "And when he had fasted forty days and forty
nights," giving the impression that the first temptation occurred at the end of
this period, Luke supplied an additional thought in 4:2 by saying: "Being forty
days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing." The three
major temptations came after a period of tempting that had already continued 40
days during the fasting.
Matthew 4:3-4 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the
Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and
said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
These verses are filled with doctrinal and spiritual meaning. "If thou
be..." Satan, in keeping with his "scholarly" character, was a natural
skeptic. Everytime he spoke in Scripture, he asked a question (Gen 3:1; Job 1-
2). An "if" is found in all three speeches of Matthew 4:3, 6, and 9. The
Pharisees also represented this attitude of Satan toward the Lord Jesus: "If
thou be the Son of God..." (Matt 27:40). An inquisitive and inquiring mind can
be used of God if it is consecrated in full faith and belief, but left alone to
the machinations of "higher criticism" and "enlightenment," it does nothing but
mimic Satan: "Yea, hath God said?" (Gen 3:1).
"Command that these stones be made bread." To underestimate the devil's
ability and accuse him of merely trying to take advantage of Christ's natural
hunger is a slander on Satan. Moses got through this period three times
without asking God for food (Deut 9:9,17-18,25), and one can hardly suppose
that the devil figured he was dealing with a man weaker than Moses. In
Revelation 12:1-12, we find Israel being fed in the wilderness by supernatural
means (cf. Micah 7:14-15; Jer 50:19-21; Eze 20:35; 1 Sam 25:2). The first
temptation of Satan was not to get Christ to do something He could have done,
but something the Scriptures commanded to do, but at the wrong time. A close
study of all three temptations reveals that all of them bear this stamp. They
are all Second Advent phenomena which the Scripture commands Christ to perform.
Satan's temptation was so well aimed and so in line with Scripture that he
reveals himself, here, as an adversary who can tempt you to do the right thing
at the wrong time. This is a real revelation when applied to contemporary
Christianity, for we find that 90% of the denominations have bitten the devil's
hook and are busy spreading a "Kingdom," pretending that the reign of Christ is
present when it is yet future. This theology, patterned after satanic fashion,
manifests itself immediately in the actual lives of its adherents, for they are
found reigning with crowns instead of traveling up mountains with crosses on
their backs (Rom 8:17; 2 Tim 2:12). Jesus does not speak in the New Testament
until Matthew 4:4, and when He does, He refuses the Second Advent privileges
which accompany a crown; He takes the wilderness road with a cross.
"Man shall not live by bread alone." Everytime Christ answers the devil,
He quotes the Old Testament without amending the text. On all three
temptations, Jesus answers, "It is written." Since the written Word of God is
a fire, hammer, and sword (Jer 23:29; Heb 4:12), one does not have to defend
it, but use it to fight (Eph 6:10-18). Jesus uses it. "But by every word..."
is a corollary to Job's lament that he had esteemed God's word more than his
necessary food (Job 23:12).
Matthew 4:5-6 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and
setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the
Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels
charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any
time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Again, the temptation concerns the Second Advent. Notice the reference to
Christ coming down from the skies (Acts 1:11; Matt 24:30) and the place of the
temple in this prophecy (Mal 3:1).
Every heresy, false doctrine, perverted truth, Roman superstition, and
modernistic fable comes from one of three ways of mishandling Scripture. The
first way is by taking words out of a verse that belong there. The second way
is by adding to the verse words that are not there. The third way is by taking
a verse out of the immediate context in which it appears. In 4:6, Satan shows
his hand by quoting Psalms 91:11, but is careful to leave out "in all thy
ways." This subtracting from the Word was the first sin ever
committed on this earth, for Eve misquoted God's commandment before she ate the
fruit by subtracting "freely" (cf. Gen 2:16; 3:2). This is the sin of the
"salvation-by-works" people, for it denies the free grace of God (Rom 5:18).
Satan quotes, but he misquotes. Adding, subtracting, and removing
passages from their context are the three standard, universal, means of man's
self-damnation (2 Pet 3:16).
Matthew 4:7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not
tempt the Lord thy God.
What a rebuke in view of verse 1! God is not to be tempted, yet here is
God in the flesh (1 Tim 3:16) being tempted. Jesus answers from Deuteronomy
6:16 (He also answers the third temptation from Deuteronomy 6, verse 13). The
first temptation was answered from Deuteronomy 8:3, so we see that the Lord
answers all of Satan's temptations from the Mosaic Law. "Thou shalt not tempt
the Lord" is illustrated well by the disobedience of Israel in Exodus 17:1-7.
Matthew 4:8-9 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high
mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down
and worship me.
The high mountain is not named, but it does not have to be high enough to
view all of the continents, for Luke 4:5 adds that He saw them in a "moment of
time." The vision then was supernatural, although television could produce the
same effect in a few hours.
There is a mountain in Scripture from which the entire physical globe
could be seen (Heb 12:22), but the "glory of the kingdoms" implies a sort of
"passing in review" before the eyes of the sum total of worldly honor.
Satan's offer to give the kingdoms to Christ was a bonafide offer, but
again it was the wrong time. In Revelation 11:15 the correct time transpires,
but at the time of the temptation, Jesus was looking for a cross, not a crown.
That Satan is the temporary despot of the world is certainly true, for in
Jeremiah 27:5-10 and Luke 4:6 the Holy Spirit records that God has given it to
him and, also, with it the power of death (Heb 2:14). So much for Humanism.
As a "god" (2 Cor 4:4), Satan wants worship. Failure to recognize and believe
this fact handicaps the "religious leaders" of the world from the start of the
race to the impossible finish. It is no great thing that Satan here demands
worship from "God in the flesh," for before the incarnation it took one member
of the Trinity (the Father) to rebuke the devil, whereas one member (the Son)
could not undertake it, until the incarnation (study Zechariah 3:1-2).
Satan's sphere is primarily religious. He is called an "angel" in 2 Cor
11, a "prince" in Eph 2, a "christ" in Eze 28, a "god" in 2 Cor 4, and a "king"
in Job 41. He desires worship, and will get it before it's over (2 Thess 2:1-
10). You will not find the devil in the liquor stores or selling crack - that
is "the flesh." You will find Satan primarily interested in church councils,
business meetings, conclaves, conferences, ecumenical efforts, and ex-cathedra
pronouncements.
To sum up the temptations practically, it is obvious that the three
temptations represent the three of John's first epistle (2:16), and the three
confronting Eve in the garden (Gen 3:6).
1. The lust of the flesh; the tree was good for food; bread from stones.
2. The lust of the eye; the fruit was pleasant to the eye; rule the
kingdoms.
3. The pride of life; the fruit was desired to make one wise; jump off
the temple roof.
In the first temptation, Satan is asking you to distrust God and do it for
yourself. In the second temptation, he is tempting you to presume on God and
make God do something for you. In the third temptation, he is asking you to
abandon God and let the devil do something for you.
Matthew 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is
written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Here, in His fleshly state, as a man, the Lord Jesus proves His Deity and
also proves His sinless humanity, for He rebukes the devil directly without
referring him to the Father as He did in Zechariah 3:1-2. In a sense, until
Christ had proved Himself in the flesh, as a man, the devil "had a point" in
his contention with God about the creation. This contention ends in Colossians
2:14-15, with a complete victory on Jesus Christ's behalf.
Matthew 4:11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and
ministered unto him.
Mark 1:13 notes the ministry of angels also, and adds that during the time
Jesus was in the wilderness that "wild beasts" were with Him. The "wild
beasts" can be literal or they can represent the demons of Isaiah 34. The
angels are specifically said to be "ministering spirits" sent forth to minister
(Heb 1:13-14). We find specific instances in Acts 5:19 and Psalms 34:7, and
the classic example is the ministry in Gethsemane (Luke 22:43).
7. In your opinion, what is unique about the manner in which the Lord called
His first disciples to service?
He simply told them to leave what they were doing and "follow Him" without
giving any reasons why they should do so or even telling them what they would
be up against.
8. Describe the Lord's early ministry in Galilee (4:23-25).
Matthew did not give us a chronological record of the life of Christ. In
his gospel, he presented Jesus as King, and he followed a pattern, a movement,
in bringing the King and His claims to the nation of Israel.
In order to describe the Lord's ministry outlined in Matthew 4:23-25, it
must be followed all the way through the story of the Gadarene demoniacs, for
after that is when His fame spread in Decapolis, through His third tour of
Galilee, all the way to the account of John the Baptist's death. Matthew 4:23-
25 covers a whole lot of territory! I will stop at the Sermon on the Mount
because that is where the next question begins.
1. After calling His first disciples, He went from Bethsaida to Cana
(John 2:1-11), where He performed His first miracle of turning water into wine
at a wedding (John 2:7-9).
2. From Cana, He went to Capernium (John 2:12), which would later become
His home city and center of His activities.
3. From Capernium to Jerusalem to attend the Feast of Passover (John
2:13-3:21), the first of four during His ministry. Jerusalem is not in
Galilee, but that city is included in His Galilean ministry (Matt 4:25) because
of the fickle Galilean crowd following Him (John 2:24-25; cf. Matt 9:4; Mark
2:8; John 6:64).
A. He performed the first "temple cleansing."
B. When the Jews demanded a sign from Him, He said that His temple
(body) would be destroyed, but He would raise it up again after three
days. The Jews thought He spoke of Herod's Temple, and twisted His
statement completely out of context at His trial, and while He was on
the cross (Matt 26:61; 27:40; Mark 15:29).
C. Nicodemus came to Jesus by night (John 2:23-3:21).
4. From Jerusalem to the Jordan River (John 3:22-36).
A. Jesus' disciples baptize in the Jordan.
B. John the Baptist gave a faithful witness about Jesus to his own
disciples.
5. From the Jordan River to Sychar in Samaria (Matt 4:12; Mark 1:14; Luke
3:19-20; John 4:1-42).
A. Jesus realized the Pharisees were putting Him in a baptismal
contest with John the Baptist, who had been imprisoned (Matt 4:12), so
He departed Judaea for Galilee, but went by way of Samaria (John 4:1-
3).
B. Jesus witnesses to and wins over an immoral woman en route (John
4:4-42).
6. From Sychar to Cana (John 4:43-54).
Jesus performs His second miracle; the healing of the son of a
nobleman from Capernium by long distance (John 4:46-54).
7. From Cana to Nazareth: His first rejection (Luke 4:16-31).
Teaching in their [the Jew's] synagogues (Matt 4:23).
A. Jesus reads the Scripture, taking His text from Isaiah 61:1-2,
where the prophet predicted the Holy Spirit would anoint the Messiah
to do wonderful things:
1. Preach the gospel (of the kingdom) to the poor.
2. Heal the brokenhearted.
3. Preach deliverance to the captives.
4. Restore sight to the blind.
5. Set the bruised at liberty.
6. Proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
Jesus stopped His reading before He got to "and the day of
vengeance of our God" because "the acceptable year of the Lord"
pertained to His first coming, and the "day of vengeance" pertains to
His second coming.
B. Jesus then identified Himself as the Messiah promised in Isaiah
61.
C. He referred to the Sidonian woman and Namaan, who were Gentiles,
in an attempt to convict His hometown people of their unbelief.
"Gentile" was the magic word to set off the Jews (see Acts 22:21-22),
and they tried to kill Him, the first of numerous attempts to do so
(John 5:16; 7:30; 8:40,59; Luke 11:53-54), but "He passed through the
midst of them."
8. From Nazareth to His new home in Capernium (Matt 4:13-16; Luke 4:31-
32).
A. Jesus makes Capernium His preaching headquarters (Matt 4:13).
B. Jesus now begins to emphasize the Kingdom of Heaven and the
doctrine of repentance in His ministry.
C. Jesus calls four fishermen into full-time service, to fish for men
(Matt 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11).
D. Healing all manner of sickness and disease, including palsy and
insanity, and healing demon possessed people (Matt 4:23-24).
1. A man in the synagogue with an unclean spirit is healed (Mark
1:21-28; Luke 4:31-37).
2. Peter's mother-in-law and others are healed (Mark 1:29-31;
Matt 8:14-22; Luke 4:38-41).
9. From Capernium to His first preaching and healing tour of Galilee with
His disciples (Matt 4:23-25; Mark 1:35-39; Luke 4:42-44).
A. He begins this tour by speaking to a crowd from Peter's boat (Luke
5:1-3).
B. The leper healed (Matt 8:2-4; Mark 1:40-45; Luke 5:12-16).
10. From the first Galilean preaching and healing tour to Capernaum (Matt
9:29; Mark 2:1-14; Luke 5:17-28).
A. A man sick with palsy is let down through a roof and healed at
Capernium (Matt 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26).
D. The call of Matthew at Capernaum (Matt 9:9-13; Mark 2:13-17; Luke
5:27-32).
End of First Year.
11. Fasting and the parable of the old and new garment, and the wine and
bottles (Matt 9:14-17; Mark 2:18-22; Luke 5:33-39).
12. The second Passover, healing at the pool of Bethesda, discourse on
divinity (John 5:1-47).
13. To a Galilean grain field Sabbath controversy with the Pharisees (Matt
12:1-8; Mark 2:23-28; Luke 6:1-5).
14. Controversy over the Sabbath when a man with a withered hand is healed
(Matt 12:9-14; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11).
15. Jesus teaches and heals many by the Sea of Galilee (Matt 12:15-21;
Mark 3:7-12).
16. After a night of prayer, Jesus selects 12 apostles ((Matt 10:1-4; Mark
3:13-19; Luke 6:12-16).
9. The Sermon on the Mount (Chapters 5,6,7) presents the principles of the
Kingdom. Select at least five of these principles and write a brief
commentary on each.
Principle #1: God's Children Are Light in the World, 5:14
Christians are called "children of light" (1 Thess 5:5) which is also
applied to Jews before the crucifixion (Luke 16:8). Thus we learn an excellent
principle in studying the Bible: there can be a spiritual application in the
Gospels to the Christian, if the exact similitude occurs again in Paul's
writings (see Rom 15:8,15-16).
As the "light" of the world we reflect Christ's light, for He is the
"Light of the World" (John 9:5). This leads our thoughts to consider the
tremendous similitude God has given us to learn about "the Light." Christ is
the Light, yet this Light is not literal sunlight, for when God made the lights
of heaven, He already had a light superior to them (Gen 1:3-17). That this
light is much greater than solar light, and of a different origin, is evident
from Psalms 74:16, even though the sun is a type of Christ (see Psalms 84:11;
19:2-5; Mal 4:2). As a type of the sun, the Lord Jesus Christ is the
source of all spiritual life, all spiritual warmth, all spiritual growth, and
all spiritual sight in this world.
The Trinity is portrayed in sunlight, also. The sunlight has alpha rays,
which are seen but not felt, the Son; beta rays, which are felt but not seen,
the Holy Spirit; and gamma rays, which can neither be seen nor felt, the
Father. One Sun with three rays, separate or unseparate according to
operation; One God in Three Persons, separate (Matt 3:16) or unseparate (Isa
9:6), according to operation.
The Christian, then, would have to have a corollary to match the
similitude. In song of Solomon 6:10 we find the mate. The Body of Christ is
there spoken of: "fair as the moon." As the "light of the world," the moon
reflects only the light of the sun, and so should a Christian. As the light is
a lesser light for the night, so this age is called "night" wherever you find
it (Mark 13:35; Matt 24:43; John 11:9-10). The believer's physical body and
its actions is dead in Christ, since the moon is a dead planet. It sometimes
shines brightly, and at other times does not. The moon has no light of its
own, but reflects Christ's (a fact known to Job thousand of years ago; see Job
25:5). The believer still bears the marks of sin (craters and spots) and
occasionally suffers a total eclipse when the world (1 John 2:15) comes between
him and his Sun. "Ye are the light of the world."
Principle #2: Turn the Other Cheek, 5:38-39
The quotation is from Deuteronomy 19:21, and the ruling is limited to a
magistrate's court, which is clear from verse 18.
In the context, the audience is Jewish, the scene is contemporary, and the
issues are issues that pertain to the Kingdom of Heaven at the Second Advent.
That the discourse cannot be applied doctrinally, to this age, is obvious from
Christ's statement in Luke 22:36, and the clear-cut statement to "resist evil"
and "resist the devil" in James 4:7 and Hebrews 12:4. Kings, governors,
jailers, and executioners are still in power in the Church Age (Rom 13:1-6;
Acts 25:11), and they are there to punish wrong-doers, not turn the other
cheek. "Passive resistance" and opposition to the death penalty are two of the
fruits of this misinterpretation of Scripture. It seems that "someone" wants
Christians to be meek so that they will be easier to step on.
Principle #3: The Relationship of the Child of God to Riches, 6:24
The verse is an excellent statement on the age-old problem of getting on
or off of the fence. Elijah asked the question of Israel in 1 Kings 18:21 and
got the standard answer - silence. It lies deep within human nature to be so
broad-minded on a moral decision that a man won't commit himself where it will
cost him prestige or income. Men stick fast to an open-mindedness which keeps
God from getting to them about their sins.
Despite the fact that millions of people spend a lifetime trying to prove
they can serve both God and mammon (Syriac for riches), our Lord tells us
plainly here that it cannot be done. Those who try it are spiritual
fornicators. They live two lives caught between two fears and two loves, and
they succeed at neither. They wind up holding to one and despising the other,
and if it is mammon they are after, they end up despising the Word of God, even
when they don't profess to do so. We, as Christians, are entitled to
everything God gives us along the line of His purpose for our lives, but we
are entitled to nothing we get when we step out of God's purpose for our lives
in order to get it. If we should get mammon while serving God, that is one
thing; but if we try to serve God and get mammon at the same time, that is
something else.
Principle #4: Judgment of Others Forbidden, 7:1-2
This passage has probably suffered more abuse in the hands of Liberals
than any other in the Bible. By constant repetition of the passage, the
unregenerate church leaders of America have cowed Protestants into shutting
their mouths against anything and everybody, and these same rascals have even
used the verse theologically to prove that you cannot tell if anyone is saved;
therefore you have no business dealing with them about their soul's salvation.
Matthew 7:1-2 is one of Satan's favorite verses along with Acts 2:38, Matthew
7:12, and Hebrews 10:26-30.
Doctrinally speaking, the text is a general rule covering rules of conduct
between Jewish saints, with a direct reference to the Kingdom Age and the
judgment mentioned in 5:22.
"Judge not." The command is immediately confronted with "He that is
spiritual judgeth all things" (1 Cor 2:15), and "Why even of yourselves judge
ye not what is right?" (Luke 12:57), and "We shall judge angels" (1 Cor 6:3).
"That ye be not judged." Notice there is no mention of hell, and if the
issue is judging a man to be lost, no one has to judge that, for the man is
already judged and condemned (1 Cor 5:13; John 3:18).
To amalgamate the Bible information on the subject, we learn that the
statement, far from teaching the simple idea of the modernist that you are not
to preach against anyone or anything, teaches a very complex system of
Christian judgment and discernment.
1. The Christian is to judge things in his own life and the lives of
others (1 Cor 11:13,31; 5:3; 6:24).
2. He is not to judge a brother as unsaved if that brother disagrees with
him on MINOR doctrinal points of practice (Rom 14:1-10,13).
3. He is not to judge anything hastily, when not required, unmercifully,
or from an unscriptural standpoint.
However, he is to clearly mark out and avoid preachers and teachers who do
not believe the Word of God, or who profess to believe it but practically deny
it by their preaching and teaching (Rom 16:17-18; Phil 3:18-19; Matt 7:15). He
had better judge the fruit quickly and accurately by the standard of absolute
truth (John 17:17; 1 Thess 5:21). The teaching that we are not to judge
whether or not a doctrine is true, according to Divine revelation, is only a
Satanic snare for those too lazy to "search the scriptures."
Principle #5: The Golden Rule, 7:12
This is probably where Emmanuel Kant got the idea for his "Categorical
Imperative." Despite what some so-called Christians think, this is not a "plan
of salvation," nor is it solely a Jewish or Christian precept. The
misconception can be traced to ignorance of the Scripture (Matt 22:2), for the
same Lord who quoted the "Golden Rule" defined it as ending with John the
Baptist as a plan of salvation (Matt 11:13; Luke 16:16). The law and the
prophets are UNTIL John. The "Golden Rule" is then a statement of Old
Testament righteousness, as it should practically affect the believer of the
law and the prophets. That is what the rule is according to the author of the
rule. Of course, all Christians should make PRACTICAL application of the rule
whenever possible and practical to do so, keeping in mind that it is not always
possible nor practical.
10. We have provided titles for each group of Scripture; if it is an event, in
your own words describe what happened and the spiritual truth contained in
those verses. If it is a teaching, share how they can be spiritually applied
in our lives today.
The Leper is Cleansed (8:1-4)
The parallel account is in Mark 1, and in both cases Jesus cautioned the
man not to spread the news abroad. The reason for this is that in Matthew
16:20 the Lord is still cautioning the disciples not to mention that He is the
Christ. Since the resurrection, people are to go and tell what Christ has done
for them.
The leper called Jesus "Lord" in verse 2, which is the first time in the
New Testament we find Him addressed as such. This is suggestive, for the last
man to talk to Him before He died was a criminal, who said: "Lord, remember
me..." Lepers and criminals! No wonder it was written that He was "numbered
among the transgressors." Numbers 12:12 indicates that leprosy is a type of
sin, and as such, the leper and his contact with Jesus makes an excellent
sermon. Leprosy could only be healed by God; it could spread if not checked;
it could pollute houses and clothes as well as bodies, and a blood sacrifice
was required for the cleansing (Lev 13-15).
"And touched him saying..." The words are fraught with drama, for no one
could touch a leper in the Old Testament, not even the priest, who could only
"look" on the diseased man. When Christ, the Sinless One, touched the leper,
He was in a sense violating the law of Moses (Lev 13:46); yet the Mosaic priest
is allowed to touch the leper by means of the shed blood (Lev 14:14). The
lesson is obvious. Christ bore our infirmities as well as our sins (Matt
8:17), and as our Great High Priest (Heb 3:1), He can apply the remedy for the
leprosy of sin.
"The gift that Moses commanded" is linked with the requirements for
cleansing in Leviticus 14:19-24, and the testimony "to them" must have been a
shocker; for consider, what a priest would think who was commanded to cleanse
lepers, when a cleansed leper walked in who had been cleansed by someone else,
and that someone was only a carpenter's son.
Whether healing is for today, was covered fully in the module on 1 Cor.
The Centurian's Servant is Healed (8:5-13
There are several centurions mentioned in the Bible, and all seem to have
the Divine stamp of approval on their characters. It was a centurion who bore
witness to the fact of Christ's righteousness and Deity at the crucifixion
(Matt 27:54), and it was a centurion who had the privilege of hearing Simon
Peter's Gentile gospel message preached for the first time. It was also a
centurion who was responsible for Paul's release at the time of "examination by
scourging" (Acts 22:26).
The centurion's profession regarding his authority in military service got
to the Saviour's heart. With a simplicity found only among the lower class and
uneducated, he says in effect, "If I have to obey my superiors and the men
under me have to obey me, then You ought to be able to control anything under
You because You are the Lord. Jesus called this reasoning "faith," and
contrasted it with the unbelief of the Jews in the synagogue who tried to
murder Him just a few weeks before (Luke 4).
The "many" from the East and West is a clear reference to the part which
the Gentiles will have in the Millennial blessings to come, which were promised
primarily to Israel. Matthew shields the hidden mystery revealed by Paul, but
the past references to Gentile women in Christ's genealogy (Matt 1) and the
kings from the East (Matt 2), and this incident all betoken something to come
which will include more than the physical seed of Abraham. The "Kingdom of
Heaven" looms up again, reminding the careful reader that Jesus is still
heralding an earthly, visible, literal, Davidic kingdom, prophesied by Old
Testament prophets. There is no mention of Jew and Gentile being "one in the
body of Christ," the Church, and here is where many of the theologians deceive
themselves. The subject here is not the Church, but the Kingdom of Heaven.
"The children of the kingdom" in verse 12 should straighten out all
difficulties for the gullible who have mistakenly identified the "kingdom" with
the "church." For if the two are the same, there is a plain statement that
children of God in the Body of Christ will go to hell. There can be no doubt
about the interpretation: the subject refers to the future, visible, return of
Christ to an earthly kingdom (Rev 20:1-6; 5:10). Any spiritualizing of the
passage only wreaks havoc with the other 30,000 plus verses dealing with the
subject of the Second Advent.
"The children of the kingdom" cast into outer darkness must have been
quite a blow for Christ's audience. The statement fits in with another in
Matthew 13:11 that the Kingdom of Heaven has some "mysteries" connected with it
that the post-millennial and a-millennial scholars are not going to be able to
solve.
"As thou hast believed." In this statement the Lord is honoring genuine
faith, which must not be confused with presumption. The 20th Century has seen
a revival of "presumption" in the name of faith; that if you only believe,
something will happen. This is a tragic error, leading eventually to a loss of
God-given faith. Real faith is believing what God revealed, the way He
revealed it, under His conditions of revelation. The centurion of the passage
showed this kind of faith.
Peter's Mother-in-Law Healed (8:14-17)
Without going into detail, no Pope ever followed Peter's example.
The healing of the fever brings us through three demonstrations of
Christ's power to heal, all immediately following the Sermon on the Mount.
They were effected on leprosy, palsy, and fever. One more major healing occurs
in this chapter; that of the demoniac of Gadara. Occurring where they do, the
healings are significant, for they fulfil, in type, the coming Millennium and
answer to the prophesies of the "Day of the Lord" in the O.T. (see Eze 34:16;
Isa 33:24; 35:6, etc.).
Demands of Discipleship (8:18-22)
The Lord Jesus, during His earthly ministry, seemed to have a peculiar
aversion to large crowds. Time after time He is found fleeing from them,
either for prayer, rest, or purposes known only to Him (Matt 14:13; Mark 1:45;
3:9; Luke 6:12). Though He had compassion for them and healed them, He seemed
to have felt the need for being away from them at certain times (John 6:15).
The scribe who came to Jesus was undoubtedly sincere, but like many a
scribe since his time, he had not "counted the cost." "Master, I will follow
thee" is one thing to say and another to put into action (Luke 22:46). To
"follow Christ," in this text, the disciple must be able to sleep out of doors,
on the ground. That this is the intended instruction is evident by the passage
in John 7:53 and 8:1, where it is discovered that on occasion Jesus had no
house in which to sleep.
"The foxes...and the birds" are peculiar illustrations, as they stand in
Scripture for demons (see Song 2:15; Luke 13:32; Rev 18:2; Matt 13:4).
Therefore, there is a biting irony in the Lord's rebuke of the scribe which is
not apparent to the present-day, sugar-fed, positive-thinking Christian. The
gist of the statement is: "The devil and his boys are better taken care of in
the earth than God's Son and His crowd, as far as the physical comforts go"
(see 2 Cor 6:3-10).
"Suffer me first to go and bury my father" is certainly a sincere and
innocent request, but the brutality with which the Lord answers the "seeker"
would empty a 20th Century church in just a few moments. Telling a man that
his relatives are just as dead as the corpse of their recently deceased loved
one, and not to even bother going to the funeral is not perceived as the
"Christian" thing to do, nor is it in line with the "Golden Rule." If a
modern-day disciple were to "imitate" His Lord and Saviour's example, and
rebuke someone in this fashion, he would immediately be branded as intolerant,
dogmatic, schismatic, a separatist, a trouble-maker, or some other epithet
coined by the National Counsel of Churches. As in Luke 9:60, the teachings of
Jesus are clear on this point: the call to preach or witness or minister in
whatever way called is more important than burying a dead relative. The fact
that He refers to live people as "dead" gives some cause for alarm, today, for
this is the doctrinal teaching of Paul (Eph 2:1-3; 1 Tim 5:6), and it concerns
the necessity of a new birth (Eph 5:14). Dr. Lake, if you haven't read "The
Myth Maker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity" by Hyam Maccoby, you should
do so. It is evidence of the resurgence of so-called Christian Gnosticism
brought about by the publicity given the Nag-Hammadi manuscripts.
The Sea is Stilled (8:23-27)
Skeptics have gone to great lengths to explain this miracle, and their
irreverent foolishness is perhaps best summed up by Harry Emerson Fosdick, who
said in effect, that if they had known anything about inductive science, the
Christians would not have spoken of miracles. A true believer can rest assured
that the Saviour who saved him and granted him unmerited justification and
righteousness is well able to put the lid on a little storm.
"What manner of man is this?" is a very appropriate question. What manner
of man is it who curses a fig tree, and it dies within 24 hours; who rides an
untamed ass; who tells a rooster when to crow; and who tells a storm to quit?
What manner of man is this whom nature obeys? He must be the God of all nature
(Psalms 104).
Inspirationally, the Christian learns that though the "billows roll,"
Jesus is the God of the billows, and when He arises and works, the "peace of
God that passeth all understanding" is sure to follow.
Demons Are Cast into Swine (8:28-34)
"Gergesenes" identifies the locality as the same with Mark 5:1, and here
the scholars have some difficulty. In Mark 5:1, we read "Gadarenes." In
keeping with this, the scholars have changed Matthew 8:28 to read "Gadarenes"
(New American Standard Bible, recommended by E.T.S.) in order to reinforce the
liberal theory that Matthew copied from Mark. The results are amusing.
Nestle's critical text changes "Gadarenes" in Mark 5:1 to "Gerasenon," and then
changes "Gergasenes" in Matthew 8:28 to "Gadarenon," maintaining the apparent
contradiction. "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools." The
change in names should not be the least confusing to anyone who has an
Authorized Bible with maps in the back, and has read the Bible more than the
commentators; for the Sea of Galilee is called the Sea of Chinneroth, the Sea
of Gennesaret, and the Sea of Tiberius. Exactly why Nestle, Westcott and Hort,
Tischendorf, and Alford should worry so about "Gergesenes" and Gaderenes" is
rather puzzling.
The passage lists "two possessed with devils" while Mark lists only one.
When examining Mark and Matthew, it is found that it is the customary style for
Mark to go into detail on one case, while Matthew lists the number involved in
the case. For example, Mark 10:46 tells how one beggar was healed, but Matthew
20:30 gives the number of beggars involved as two. Simply because Mark has
picked out one to talk about in detail does not put him at variance with
Matthew. Unregenerate scholarship, under the guise of "Christian scholarship"
comes to the Bible with the tools of ancient Greek criticism, used by the
Greeks on secular writings, forgetting about the Bible being a God-breathed
book. The tools are too blunt to handle the material. Mark and Matthew
supplement; they do not contradict.
Mark, filing in details omitted by Matthew, gives us a splendid insight
into correct Bible demonology.
1. Demons have an affinity for wet places (Mark 5:13), and, in
particular, hot, wet places (Matt 17:15); hence the moral conditions of sea-
ports and river towns: New Orleans (my home town), San Francisco, Shanghai,
Cairo, London, Honolulu, etc.
2. Demons have an affinity for heights (Mark 5:5; Gen 11:3-4; 2 Kings
15:4; Isa 14:12-14).
3. Demon possession is marked by sado-masochism (Mark 5:5; 1 Kings 18:28;
any Roman Catholic boarding school or seminary-ask anyone who's been there).
4. Demons have an affinity for dead bodies (Mark 5:5,13).
5. Demon possession is marked by excessive crying and nakedness (Mark
5:5; Luke 8:27-28).
6. Demon possession is always religious or quasi-religious (Mark 5:7).
7. It is genuine spiritual schizophrenia (Mark 5:9).
8. It can be attended by unusual physical strength (Mark 5:4).