Matthew

Matthew, a tax collector before he became a disciple (student) of Jesus, wrote the first of the four gospels. Why are there four gospels? Why not just one comprehensive biography of Jesus? Well, imagine that you want to write a biography of Franklin Roosevelt. If you want to appeal to physicians, you might want to emphasize the President’s medical history: polio, congestive heart failure, and the care he received from his medical team, how his health impacted his performance as Commander in Chief during World War II and his death at Warm Springs, GA. If you wanted to appeal to those with an interest in the economy and business, you would emphasize his handling of the Great Depression and how World War II helps bring us out of it.

Likewise, we have four Gospels because each writer directed his gospel to a different audience and each audience had to be approached a bit differently.

Matthew wrote to a Jewish audience. He quotes the Old Testament over fifty times and makes another seventy allusions to it (which the Romans would have had little interest in) and emphasized the fact that this Jewish carpenter named Jesus was the one who fulfilled all of the Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah. 

Mark, on the other hand, is directed to the Roman audience and is more concerned with the ACTIONS of Jesus than His teachings. Romans were more impressed with his accomplishments, than with his teachings. Here we see Mark saying that Jesus went here, then He went over there, He did this then He performed this miracle to ease the suffering of this person, then he served others by feeding the hungry, etc. His gospel is set at a faster pace with more action.

Luke, written by a physician, speaks of the birth of Jesus and portrays the humanity of Jesus. He then went on to write the Book of Acts. In fact, Luke wrote more of the New Testament than anyone else. Not more books (Paul wrote more books) but Luke wrote more pages.

John, the only one of the original disciples to die of natural causes, wrote a gospel that emphasizes the deity of Jesus. His book does not record the events of the life of Jesus in chronological order, but is more contemplative and reflective in its writings.

So we have four gospels, written by four authors emphasizing Jesus as King, Messiah, the Lord’s Servant, the Son of Man, and the Son of God, respectively.

Now, let’s go back to Matthew. He opens his book (written about 50-60 A.D.) with a record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. The term “son” can also mean descendant. If you look at the genealogy lists in the Old Testament (a great cure for insomnia) you will find that someone was the son of someone, who was the son of someone, etc. Here you will find that some generations and names are missing or skipped. It would be correct for me to say that I am the “son of John” my biological father or the “son of Frank” my grandfather. Why is listing the genealogy of Jesus of interest to the Jews? Because the Jews knew that the Messiah had to come from Abraham, through David. If Jesus had been of another tribe, He couldn’t claim to be the Messiah. If someone came from China or Japan and said, “Hey, I’m the Messiah” no one would believe him. The Messiah had to come from the line of David. You will notice in chapter 1, verse 16 is says that Joseph is referred to as the “husband of Mary” rather than the father of Jesus. Jesus was the legal son of Joseph, but not his biological son. 

Not only can the term son refer to a distant relative, it can also mean “having the characteristics of.” An example of this is the name Barnabas, one who is introduced to us in Acts 4:36, “Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement).” Barnabas was an encouraging personality so they nicknamed him Barnabas (his real name was Joseph).

The name “Jesus” is an English transliteration of a Greek transliteration of His Hebrew name Yeshua. This is a short form of the common Hebrew name Yehoshua, which we pronounce in English as Joshua. Literally, it means “God saves.” Sound complicated, doesn’t it? You will hear Messianic Jews refer to Jesus as Yeshua. 

The term “Christ” means the same as the term “Messiah,” the “anointed one.” Some people might imagine that Jesus was his first name and Christ is last name. This is not the case. If Jesus had a credit card it would not read “Jesus Christ” on the front of it. It is more accurate to refer to him as Jesus the Messiah or Jesus the Christ. The terms “Messiah” and “Christ” are titles, not last names.

The idea of being “anointed” is not new to Jesus. In the Old Testament both kings and priests were anointed with oil which symbolized their authority. In Ex 30:30 we find Moses being told to mix some spices and olive oil and anoint all of the furnishings in the tabernacle and then to anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so they may serve as priests. You can read about this anointing service in Lev 8:1-14. In I Samuel 9: we see Saul anointed as the first King of Israel.

We have similar ceremonies today when we “ordain” a minister or install them into a new pastorate or when we inaugurate a civic leader such as a governor or president.

In the New Testament we find Jesus being anointed “with the Holy Spirit” (Luke 4:18 and Acts 10:38). In 1 John 2:20, 27 we read, “But you have an anointing from the Holy one, and all of you know the truth . . . As for you the anointing you received from him remains in you.” It is clear that the anointing spoken of here is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit guiding our lives, not an outward anointing of oil on our heads. So, all Christians are anointed, also. Now this anointing by the Holy Spirit, which comes when we accept the gift of eternal life by the grace of God, through faith, is symbolized in the church by water baptism. We see this in Acts 10:45-47 when the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles. Peter says, “Can anyone keep these people (the Gentiles) from being baptized with water? They HAVE received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” Water baptism does not save anyone; it is only a symbol of what has already taken place in our lives.

Matt 1:22 says, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet . . . .” You see, Matthew is always referring back to Old Testament prophecies to show that Jesus was who He claimed to be, the Messiah. In the Frequently asked Questions tab of this website I address the question, Was Jesus the Messiah? You might want to review that article.

Matt 2 describes the visit of the Magi who came from the east to pay homage to the King of the Jews. Who were these people and how did they know about this coming King of the Jews? Well, if they came from Persia, modern day Iran, they probably heard about the coming Messiah from stories passed down over the years from Daniel. Daniel, as you recall, was a Jewish lad who was taken into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. He was then educated by the government and served for decades in the governments of Babylon and then Persia.

King Herod was a paranoid, cruel and ruthless leader. He murdered his wife, three sons, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, uncle and many others. When he heard that the King of the Jews was born in Bethlehem, he had all the little children, perhaps as many as twenty, killed. In order to gain the support of the Jewish population he enlarged the temple in Jerusalem. This was the temple that the Jews rebuilt after they returned from their seventy years of captivity in Babylon. Later, in 70 A.D., this temple would be destroyed by the Romans during a Jewish revolt.

Matt 2:9 “After they heard the king they went on their way and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.” If you go to the Question and Answer tab on this website you will see an article entitled, “What was the star of Bethlehem?” which explains what the Bethlehem star may have been. Contrary to tradition, the “three wise men” did not visit the baby Jesus in the manger, but some months later, when he was described as a child, not a baby. Also, you will notice that the scripture does not say that there were three “wise men” but that there were three gifts given to Jesus. These gifts may have provided Joseph and Mary with the ability to finance their flight into Egypt to escape Herod’s murderous edict.

Matt 3 John the Baptist (immerser) came to prepare the way for Jesus. In ancient times someone would come ahead of the king to announce his coming, “to prepare the way.” When a president or prime minister travels, he also sends out an advance team to prepare for his arrival. Notice in verse 2 that the term “Kingdom of heaven” is used rather than the Kingdom of God. You won’t see the word “God” being used. The Jews were so fearful of mispronouncing the word for God that they would substitute another word, such as “creator,” or “the Eternal One,” or “the Holy One.”

Now, John the Baptist is also called “Yochanon ben Zechariah.” The word “ben” means “son of.” The George Washington of the modern state of Israel is David Ben-Gurion, which means David, son of Gurion. John was the son of Zechariah the priest. Since John was the son of a priest, he also was to serve as a priest once he turned thirty years of age. Since John was six months older than Jesus, he would normally be taking is position as a priest in the temple. So, why was he not serving in the Temple rather than preaching in the wilderness of Judea? He was among those who were so disgusted with the corrupt, Rome-loving priesthood in Jerusalem, that he wanted nothing to do with them. Imagine how Zechariah must have felt. His son, born to him late in life, did not follow in his footsteps into the “family business.” Do you think there were some heated conversations around the dinner table when John told his dad, “You know Dad, the leadership of the temple is so corrupt, I can’t be a part of it. I’m going out into the desert and live in a commune for a while.” You can imagine the rest of the conversation with Elizabeth, his mother, crying, etc.

So John is called John the Baptist (not referring to a denomination), or as some say, John the Immerser). The word baptize comes from a term meaning “to immerse” which means to dip. It carries with it the idea that the item that is immersed takes on the qualities of what it has been dipped into, such as immersing a piece of cloth into a solution of dye. When we are baptized, we should be taking on the characteristics of Jesus. The idea of baptism was not new to the New Testament; it goes back to Lev 15. Here we see immersion for purification from ritual uncleanness and the proselyte baptism.

Matt 3:7 we see two religious groups mentioned in the Gospels, the Pharisees and Sadducees. The Pharisees were the most respected and influential group in Judaism. They were very careful to obey the Law, believed in the resurrection, in angels and Satan, and were looking for the coming Messiah. But, they very legalistic, adding to the Law the commandments and traditions of men and some were criticized for being hypocrites (Matt 23:3) and blind guides (Matt 23:16). But on the other hand, they did not play a decisive role in Jesus’ arrest, interrogation and crucifixion. The Apostle Paul was a Pharisee. In fact, even after his conversion he still considered himself a Pharisee (Acts 23:6). He was what we might call today a “Messianic Jew.” He was a Jew who accepted Jesus as the Messiah. In fact, the very early church consisted primarily of Messianic Jews. They did not have to give up their Jewish way of life or traditions when they accepted Jesus as the Messiah. Nor did they impose their Jewish traditions and ceremonies onto the Gentiles (Acts 15 deals with this issue).

The Sadducees, on the other hand, rejected the oral law and traditions and only accepted the Pentateuch (first five books of the Old Testament). Nor did they believe in the resurrection, eternal life or angels. They were the ones who were instrumental in the arrest and trial of Jesus. They controlled the Temple and did not want Jesus to do anything to undermine their priestly authority or their relationship with the Roman government. Imagine reformers such as Luther and Wesley who wanted to bring change to an established religion and were rejected for their efforts.

Matt 3:4 describes John wearing clothing made out of camels’ hair, a leather belt and that he ate locusts. This was the clothing and diet of the poor. 

Matt 3:9 “And do not think you can say to yourself, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’” Many believed that they were saved because they were God’s chosen people, descendants of Abraham. This would be like someone thinking that they were saved because they were a member of a local church congregation and that they have gone through the ceremony of baptism. You might want to go to the Frequently Asked Questions tab and read the article entitled, “Was he/she saved?”

If you have ever been to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. you will notice that there are books listing the names of those who are memorialized on the wall and on which panel you can find them. Imagine when you get to heaven there is a computer terminal where you can look up someone’s name. “Let’s see if we can locate Bob.” You search the directory and you don’t see his name. But you do see the name of Fred, the non-churchgoer, loud drunk who lived down the street. What a surprise. There may be two surprises when we get to heaven: who is there and who is not. 

In verse 11 John the Baptist says that after him will come someone "whose sandals Iam not fit to carry." Now back in those days, a servant might wash the feet of a guest, but only a slave would untie or carry someone's sandals. John says that compared to Jesus, he is not even worthy to do for him what a slave would do.

Matt 4 describes the “temptation” of Jesus. Temptation might be better translated “testing.” In Heb 4:15 it says that Jesus was tempted “in all things” so he is able to empathize with us. We can’t say to Jesus, “Yeah, but you don’t know what it’s like! You never had to raise kids or teach your fifteen year old daughter how to drive a car or fix a broken toilet or play golf!”

While Jesus was being tempted, he responded by referring to the word of God. In verse 4 he says, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on EVERY word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Notice that it doesn’t say that we live by “some” of the words, but “every.” There are those today who, if you ask them, “Do you believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God?” They might reply, “Sure, but some portions of the Bible are more inspired than others. We can’t believe the history, geography or science of the Bible but we can believe the theology.” My response would be, “If I can’t trust what it says about history, geography and science, how can I trust what it says about theology?” If only 80% of it is reliable, can you believe any of it? Imagine if your doctor received a lab report on the blood work that was done and was told that there was a problem with the lab equipment and that ten percent of the report is in error. Can he trust anything on the lab report? I think not. Jesus said as much in John 3:12 “I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?” Either you have to accept the entire Bible or none of it. Now that does not mean that our understanding of scripture is always correct. There are difficult passages in the Bible that I have understood to mean one thing, and then years later I had to change my mind about it.

In a sermon I opened it by asking the group to turn to II Tim 3:16 and asked them if they believed that passage. Then I discussed how we handle "junk mail." We leave it unopened and unread. Do we treat Scripture like it was junk mail, leaving it unopened and unread? In the Frequently Asked Questions section there is one entitled, "How Did You Like My Book?" that you might find of interest. 

Jesus traveled from place to place and his disciples (students) followed him, learning from him as they went along their way. They were prohibited against charging a fee for teaching the scriptures. Almost all of men practiced a trade to support themselves. Some were scribes, others were sandal makers and Paul was a tentmaker. For years Jews have taught that if you don’t teach your son a trade, you are teaching them to steal.

As they traveled, they relied upon the hospitality of others for their lodging. The Jews taught, “Let your home be a meeting-house for the sages, and cover yourself with the dust of their feet, and drink in their words thirstily.” Mary and Martha opened their home to Jesus (Luke 10:38-42). Among his disciples was Peter, who was married (Luke 4:38). He oftentimes opened his home to Jesus and his disciples. Being married, Peter had to have the permission of his wife to leave for longer than thirty days to study with a rabbi, such as Jesus. Such was the custom in the time of Jesus.

Matt 5 records the famous Sermon on the Mount. Some of these phrases are familiar and quoted, some are painted on plaques, but what does this passage mean? Here Jesus says that those who are meek, hunger and thirst for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, and are persecuted because of righteousness are “blessed.” The term “blessed” is sometimes understood as meaning “happy.” But a more accurate term might be “better off than” in the sense that if you have these characteristics, it shows that you have recognized your sinfulness, your need for salvation, your inability to keep the 613 Laws, and have turned to Jesus as the Messiah for your salvation. On the other hand, those who are proud, self-sufficient, content with their “righteousness,” unforgiving of others, in conflict, hateful, (such as some of the religious leaders) these are those who have rejected Jesus. 

Matt 5:17 Jesus says, “I have not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.”  There are several interpretations of this passage. One scholar says that He is telling the other rabbis or teachers, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to misinterpret the law.” In chapter 5, verses 21, 27, 31, 33, 38 you will see the expression, “You have heard . . .” Here Jesus is saying, “You have heard the interpretation of the Law from other teachers of the law, but I tell you . . .” He goes on to explain the difference between obeying the letter of the law (which many of the devout Jews were doing) and the spirit of the law. Many devout Jews thought that they did not need to repent (change their mind) or be “saved” because they were descendants of Abraham, which should count for something; they were among God’s chosen people, plus, they work very hard to keep all 613 of the Old Testament laws. So, they thought of their righteousness as a “do-it yourself” project so they didn’t need any “outside help.” So Jesus challenges them though verse 30 to help them understand that they are sinners in need of a Savior. Imagine the conversation between Jesus and a self-righteous Jew:

Jesus says to a devout Jew, “So, Samuel, have you ever committed adultery?” Oh, my, Samuel was shocked at the very question. “No! Of course not!” he replies. “Well, when you were at the market on Friday, preparing for the Sabbath, you noticed the butcher’s daughter, right? Do you want to tell this group what you were fanaticizing while you were staring at the young lady’s beautiful smile and smooth, silky skin?” Samuel blushes. “And you, Aaron, have you ever murdered anyone?” “Of course not!” he sputters. “But last week, at the temple committee meeting, when you got into a heated argument with another member of the committee, didn’t you want to jump over the table and choke the life out of that stubborn, ignorant man who was arguing with you?” Aaron has to admit that he did. Jesus helped them to understand that they can keep the law outwardly, but still hate, murder, and commit adultery in their hearts. The verdict is in: GUILTY!

Jesus had to help these people understand that in spite of their efforts to live a righteous life, it was not enough. They needed outside help, a Savior. In verse 20 Jesus says, “. . . unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” In other words, unless your heart is right you are not really fulfilling the law. 

He fulfilled the law in another way, by performing the righteous requirements of the law.

Another way in which Jesus fulfilled the Law is that he fulfilled the prophecies pertaining to the Messiah. This is the major theme of the first four chapters of this book and may be the preferred interpretation of this passage.

As me move onto more teachings of Jesus, it would help us if we understood the language, culture, figures of speech of the Jews at the time of Jesus. I have on my bookcase a book entitled Jewish New Testament Commentary. Does that sound like a strange title for a book? After all, the Jews do not accept the New Testament. But wait, I can name some Jews who accepted the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament: Peter, James, John, Paul, etc. The early church was made up almost entirely of Jews, Jews who accepted Jesus as their Messiah. So if we understand the language and culture of their day, we will better understand the teaching of Jesus. Here is an example of how understanding the culture of the Jews, you can understand what Jesus meant.

Matt 5:39-41 “Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.” 

I have heard people use this passage to justify pacifism, saying that we should not defend ourselves, individually or as a nation. Well, that is not what Jesus meant. The expression, “Do not resist an evil person” is from Proverbs 37:1, 8 and Proverbs 24:19 which means that we should have “passionate anger” towards evildoers. Other translations suggest it means that we should not strive to outdo or emulate those who do wrong.

The passage dealing with being struck by someone refers to being insulted. If you wanted to insult someone you would take your open hand and place it about an inch from a person’s face, then gently touch is face. This is not a physical assault, but a means of insulting someone. In our country we would “give them the finger.” Jesus is saying, if someone insults, blow it off. Abraham Lincoln once said that the best way to destroy your enemy is to turn him into a friend. Later in this passage (verse 44) he says that we should love our enemies and pray for them. This does not mean that we are to have good feelings towards everyone’s actions towards us. But we should want what is best for them, and that would mean becoming godlier in their behavior. It is difficult for people to continue to dislike or hate you when you treat them kindly. Paul says that we should “hate what is evil,” and in James 4:7 we read that we are to “resist the devil.” Later, in Luke 22:38, Jesus tells his disciples to purchase a sword, if they do not already own one. The word used for sword is really referring to a dagger, which means a small knife, sharpened on each side. This is not an offensive weapon, but purely defensive in nature. Jesus knew that they might need a small weapon for self-defense purposes. Jesus, being a good Jew, knew the Old Testament teaching on self-defense. 

In Exodus 22:2 it reads, “If a thief is caught breaking in and is struck so that he dies, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed; but if it happens after sunrise, he is guilty of bloodshed.” Obviously, if someone is breaking into your home at night, it is not for a pleasant social visit. Killing in self-defense is acceptable. In fact, the Jews have had an expression which says, “If someone comes to murder you, anticipate him and kill him first.” Of course, we don’t always know what someone’s intentions are. If someone threatens you, and is approaching you with a weapon, screaming that he is going to kill you, you don’t have to wait until he takes the first shot. Furthermore, it another person’s life is threatened, one is obligated to prevent that murder, if necessary by killing the attacker (Lev 19:16).

It is clear that killing is not the same as murder. God himself commanded capital punishment for crimes of murder, (Exodus 21:12-15); rape (Deut 22:25-26); kidnapping (Exodus 21:16); adultery (Lev 20:10), and sorcery (Exodus 22:18), among other crimes. 

To remain passive in the presence of evil is wrong, we cannot tolerate it.

Matt 6-7 Religious actions do not sanctify evil motives. This is the theme of these two chapters. Pietistic practices should be motivated by a desire to honor God, not for getting attention from men. (6:1). Giving should be done privately, not done to be seen by others. Prayer in public is fine, but not to “show off.”

Matt 9:7-15 Here we find Jesus teaching on prayer and give us what is called “The Lord’s Prayer.” It is not really the “The Lord’s Prayer” because as you read it it says, "forgive us our sine as we forgive . . ." Jesus was sinless, so in private, he would never had asked "forgive me my sins . . . " The real Lord’s prayer (or at least one of them) is found in John 17. What we call the Lord's Prayer could be called, "The Disciple's Prayer." It was not uncommon for traveling rabbis to be asked by their disciples to give them a prayer.

Here in Matthew starts off in verse 7 by saying, “When you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” This reminds me of the pagan priests who were in conflict with Elijah on Mt. Carmel (I Kings 18:16-39). The pagan priests called upon their god from morning until noon, then they danced, then they shouted louder and slashed themselves and this continued until evening. Wow, they were having quite a time trying to get the attention of their god. When it was Elijah’s time to pray, he spoke briefly, two verses, 36-37, and God answered. You do not see many long prayers in the Bible. Sometimes legalistic preachers will declare that you should pray for thirty minutes a day or something like that. When they try to impose on me their standards and declare that they are Biblical, I simply up the ante by asking, “Why not 60 minutes, you do love God, don’t you?” The legalists always think that their standard and practice should be yours. 

Now, let’s go back to Matthew and the Lord’s Prayer. You will notice that He uses plural pronouns (our, us, we) rather than the singular. Here is what Rabbi Joseph Telushkin has to say about Jewish prayers. They tend to be communal rather than private. The rabbis felt that public prayers are more likely to be offered for that which benefits the entire community, whereas individuals often pray for that which benefits themselves, even if it be at the expense of someone else. For instance, if someone asks the leader to pray that he gets the job at the post office that he applied for, the leader might be praying against someone else who might be seeking the same job. By the way, I have six books written by Joseph Telushkin and they are excellent. Two of them deal with Jewish ethics, one with wisdom and a third deals Jewish values and a fourth gives an overview of scripture (which to them means what we call the Old Testament).

As me move onto more teachings of Jesus, it would help us if we understood the language, culture, figures of speech of the Jews at the time of Jesus. I have on my bookcase a book entitled Jewish New Testament Commentary. Does that sound like a strange title for a book? After all, the Jews do not accept the New Testament. But wait, I can name some Jews who accepted the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament: Peter, James, John, Paul, etc. The early church was made up almost entirely of Jews, Jews who accepted Jesus as their Messiah. So if we understand the language and culture of their day, we will better understand the teaching of Jesus. Here is an example of how understanding the culture of the Jews, you can understand what Jesus meant.

Matt 5:39-41 “Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.” 

I have heard people use this passage to justify pacifism, saying that we should not defend ourselves, individually or as a nation. Well, that is not what Jesus meant. The expression, “Do not resist an evil person” is from Proverbs 37:1,8 and Proverbs 24:19 which means that we should have “passionate anger” towards evildoers. Other translations suggest it means that we should not strive to outdo or emulate those who do wrong.

The passage dealing with being struck by someone refers to being insulted. If you wanted to insult someone you would take your open hand and place it about an inch from a person’s face, then gently touch is face. This is not a physical assault, but a means of insulting someone. In our country we would “give them the finger.” Jesus is saying, if someone insults, blow it off. Abraham Lincoln once said that the best way to destroy your enemy is to turn him into a friend. Later in this passage (verse 44) he says that we should love our enemies and pray for them. This does not mean that we are to have good feelings towards everyone’s actions towards us. But we should want what is best for them, and that would mean becoming godlier in their behavior. It is difficult for people to continue to dislike or hate you when you treat them kindly. Paul says that we should “hate what is evil,” and in James 4:7 we read that we are to “resist the devil.” Later, in Luke 22:38, Jesus tells his disciples to purchase a sword, if they do not already own one. The word used for sword is really referring to a dagger, which means a small knife, sharpened on each side. This is not an offensive weapon, but purely defensive in nature. Jesus knew that they might need a small weapon for self-defense purposes. Jesus, being a good Jew, knew the Old Testament teaching on self-defense. 

In Exodus 22:2 it reads, “If a thief is caught breaking in and is struck so that he dies, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed; but if it happens after sunrise, he is guilty of bloodshed.” Obviously, if someone is breaking into your home at night, it is not for a pleasant social visit. Killing in self-defense is acceptable. In fact, the Jews have had an expression which says, “If someone comes to murder you, anticipate him and kill him first.” Of course, we don’t always know what someone’s intentions are. If someone threatens you, and is approaching you with a weapon, screaming that he is going to kill you, you don’t have to wait until he takes the first shot. Furthermore, it another person’s life is threatened, one is obligated to prevent that murder, if necessary by killing the attacker (Lev 19:16).

It is clear that killing is not the same as murder. God himself commanded capital punishment for crimes of murder, (Exodus 21:12-15); rape (Deut 22:25-26); kidnapping (Exodus 21:16); adultery (Lev 20:10), and sorcery (Exodus 22:18), among other crimes. 

To remain passive in the presence of evil is wrong, we cannot tolerate it.

Matt 6-7 Religious actions do not sanctify evil motives. This is the theme of these two chapters. Pietistic practices should be motivated by a desire to honor God, not for getting attention from men. (6:1). Giving should be done privately, not done to be seen by others. Prayer in public is fine, but not to “show off.”

Matt 9:7-15 Here we find Jesus teaching on prayer and give us what is called “The Lord’s Prayer.” It is not really the “The Lord’s Prayer” because he did not have to ask for forgiveness. The real Lord’s prayer is found in John 17; and in it he prays for you and me and he also prays for unity among Christians.

Here in Matthew starts off in verse 7 by saying, “When you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” This reminds me of the pagan priests who were in conflict with Elijah on Mt. Carmel (I Kings 18:16-39). The pagan priests called upon their god from morning until noon, then they danced, then they shouted louder and slashed themselves and this continued until evening. Wow, they were having quite a time trying to get the attention of their god. When it was Elijah’s time to pray, he spoke briefly, two verses, 36-37, and God answered. You do not see many long prayers in the Bible. Sometimes legalistic preachers will declare that you should pray for thirty minutes a day or something like that. When they try to impose on me their standards and declare that they are Biblical, I simply up the ante by asking, “Why not 60 minutes, you do love God, don’t you?” The legalists always think that their standard and practice should be yours. 

Now, let’s go back to Matthew and the Lord’s Prayer. You will notice that He uses plural pronouns (our, us, we) rather than the singular. Here is what Rabbi Joseph Telushkin has to say about Jewish prayers. They tend to be communal rather than private. The rabbis felt that public prayers are more likely to be offered for that which benefits the entire community, whereas individuals often pray for that which benefits themselves, even if it be at the expense of someone else. For instance, if someone asks the leader to pray that he gets the job at the post office that he applied for, the leader might be praying against someone else who might be seeking the same job. By the way, I have six books written by Joseph Telushkin and they are excellent. Two of them deal with Jewish ethics, one with wisdom and a third deals Jewish values and a fourth gives an overview of scripture (which to them means what we call the Old Testament).

Matt 7:1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” This verse has been misused by many people who think we cannot judge the behavior or anyone. But, this is not what it is saying. If you read on, Jesus is speaking of being a hypocrite (verse 5). Jesus judged people, he called some religious leaders hypocrites, etc. We are to discern good from evil, etc. If you go to the Frequently Asked Questions tab on this website and you will find an article entitled, “Do we have the right to judge the actions of others?”

Matt 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it.” The word “enter” refers to conversion, the beginning of the disciple’s life on earth. The gate leads to the way that leads to the life. Conversion comes first, then sanctification.

Matt 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them.” And what is the fruit of the Holy Spirit? You find the list in Gal 5:19. If you go to the Frequently Asked Questions tab you will find an article entitled, “How Can We Recognize False Teachers?”

Matt. 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heave. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you, Away from me, you evildoers!’ Again, you can find an article on this subject in the Frequently asked Question tab entitled, “Was He Saved?”

Matt 8:19-22 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (As an itinerant preacher, he relied on the hospitality of others for lodging). “Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” Now at first glance this seems like a cruel thing to say, if this person just experienced the death of his father and he wanted to prepare for the funeral. But, if his father had just died, this teacher of the law would be at home sitting shiv’ah, sitting with the grieving for seven days, as is seen in John 11:19-20. What the teacher of the law really meant was, “I would like to join your group, but I would rather wait until a better time in my life, perhaps after my parents have passed away.” Jesus said that those who are spiritually dead, who have no appreciation of what he is doing in his short ministry; take care of your parents. So this disciple was not really sincere in his desire to be a part of the ministry of Jesus. Another explanation might be that this man's father had already died and was entombed. After a year of entombment they opened the tomb, gathered the dead parent's bones and placed them in a stone box, called an ossuary. The the tomb was ready for another occupant. The young man might have been asking to wait until the year us up and his father's bones buried. Jesus probably regarded his request as an unnecessary objection to the urgent call of discipleship. For many, there is always something else on our "to do list" before we are willing to answer the call of God.

Matt 8:23-27 We see Jesus calming the storm while he and his disciples are on a boat on a lake. Why did perform this miracle? Probably to demonstrated his power over nature. Later in this chapter he healed the demon-possessed, and paralytic. For more thoughts on the subject of healing, I refer you (again) to the Frequently Asked Questions tag and the article, “Does God Heal?”

Matt 9 we find Jesus being criticized for the company he keeps. In verse 10 he is seen having dinner with Matthew, a tax collector and other sinners. The reason Pharisees didn't eat with others is because meals were a place for learned discussions of the Law, which "sinners" could not participate. Besides that, the tax collectors were hated by the Jews because they worked for the Romans and most of them were dishonest. They were required to collect a certain amount of money for the government, but they supplemented their income by extorting more money out of the population. Of course Jesus was quick on his feet with a response to their criticisms. He said in verse 12, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” Then he said, “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’” You see, those who thought they were righteous, the Pharisees, did not, in their minds, need a physician, they were already on the fast track to salvation due to their lineage and law keeping. 

Matt 9:16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skin will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined.” Here Jesus is saying that he couldn’t take the trained religious leaders as disciples, because they would not accept his new teaching in place of their entrenched religious traditions. In Acts 4:13 Peter and John were described as “uneducated and untrained men.” They were untrained in the traditions of the Pharisaic schools. Being untrained, they didn’t have to “unlearn” a lot of nonsense. As you study church history, you will find reformers, such as Martin Luther and John Wesley, who have tried to reform their denominations and found that their efforts were rejected. It is oftentimes better to form a new organization or teach students with no training than try to reform an existing organization or person set in his way, clinging to traditions and policies learned elsewhere.

Matt 9:18 we find Jesus performing his first resurrection. Now, in the minds of the Jews, there were certain miracles that only the Messiah would be able to do. So, when Jesus came, he may have had a “TO DO LIST” of the miracles he wanted to perform. He performed three “resurrections.” It would be more correct to call them resuscitations, because these three people (Jairus’ daughter, the widows’ son and Lazarus) did go on to die. The first to be raised is Jairus’ daughter in verse 18. This story is presented with more details in Mark 5:22 and Luke 8:41. Now the skeptic might say, “Well, she wasn’t really dead, she was just unconscious. After all, they didn’t have the sophisticated medical tools to determine death.” The skeptics could easily discount this miracle. So, the second resurrection that he performed was of a young boy who had died and was being carried out to the cemetery (Luke 12:12-17). They still did not want to believe that Jesus was able to raise someone from the dead. So, he did it a third time. In John 11:17-44 we find Jesus waiting until four days after Lazarus’ death before he came to his sisters to comfort them and raise Lazarus. Why did he wait so long? Again, it goes back to the beliefs of the Jews. In those days it was thought that when someone died, his soul remained near the body and the person could be revived, but after that, it would be impossible. So Jesus waited several days before he approached the grave and called out, “Lazarus, come out!” Why did he call him by name? Perhaps because if he simply said “Come out!” everyone in the cemetery would come up out of the grave and Jesus would have to say, “No, not you, just Lazarus!”

Matt 9:20-21 “Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, ‘If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.’” In the time of Jesus Jews may have worn two outer garments: a tunic, which was a lightweight robe and a rectangular shawl called a mantle. In the home they could take off the mantle, but it was immodest to be in public without it. Some commentaries say that the prayer shawl that we see Jews wearing today was something that came along after the time of Jesus. Either way, the woman reached out to Jesus to touch his garment.

Now the corners of the garment were called “wings.” It may have been the edge where the tassels were attached. Regardless, this woman knew that Jesus was the Messiah because in Mal 4:2 it says that when the Messiah comes, he will have “healing in its wings.” She was saying to herself, “If I can only touch the wings or corner of his mantle, I will be healed.” Now it wasn't the garment that healed her, but she had faith, believed that Jesus was the Messiah. This story is also told in Luke 8:43.

Matt 10:1 “He called his twelve disciples to him . . . these were the names of the twelve apostles.” The students were now apostles; the students have graduated. Jesus tells them that if they are rejected, they are to “shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town” (v 14). Shaking the dust off was a custom that prevented heathen soil from being transported back to the Holy Land. By doing this, they were saying that the Jews were really pagans (unbelievers).

Matt 11:7 “What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see?” The Rabbis taught that a man should always be gentle as the reed and never unyielding as the cedar. People would think that the mighty cedar would be stronger in a storm, but no, it breaks, while the reed bends. Jesus is warning against pride and obstinacy, saying that man should sometimes bend like a reed. In the matter of the Torah, John the Baptist was no flexible reed.

Matt 11:17 “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.” Here Jesus is contrasting his style with John the Baptists saying that these people did not respond to either John or Jesus. Another thought on passage relates to a popular fable at the time of Jesus. A fisherman plays his flute, inviting the fish to dance. They did not dance. After they are caught they dance (squirm) without the music of the flute. The fisherman tells the fish, that it would have been better for you to have danced some time ago when I was supplying music for the dance. The point is it is better to repent now, than later when it may be more unpleasant for you.

Matt 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take (or “come”) my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  Jesus is offering them rest from all of the burdensome religious rulings and traditions that the Pharisees put onto the people. When he invites them to “learn from me” he might be referring to them come and study in my traveling school, join my other disciples.

Matt 12:9 “Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there.” (I suspect he was planted there by the religious establishment) “Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath.” In verse 13 Jesus healed the man and the Pharisees went out and “plotted how they might kill Jesus.” It appears that in the minds of the Pharisees it is acceptable to plot to kill on the Sabbath, but not to do an act of mercy.

Matt 12:24, 31 The Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons. . . And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will e forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” This is what some call the “unpardonable sin.” Can we commit such as sin? It is the sin of unbelief, the sin of rejecting the truth, the sin of knowingly and willingly rejecting truth. In this case they not only rejected the truth but attributed the miracles to Satan, rather than to God.

Matt 12:38 Some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law approached Jesus and said that they wanted to see a miraculous sign. Of course, the fulfillment of all so many Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah and performing so many other miracles was not enough to convince them that Jesus was the Messiah. So, Jesus thought a moment and said, “I will give you one more proof that will blow your socks off.” Well, that’s not exactly a quote, but the point was that Jesus said that he himself would be raised from the dead. It wasn’t that they could not believe, but they would not believe. There was plenty of proof that he was the Messiah. Again, I refer you to the

Frequently asked question tab and the article, “Was Jesus of Nazareth the Messiah?”

Matt 13:24 describes the parable of the weeds. Jesus speaks of the field growing two types of plants, wheat and rye. The rye is a host for a poisonous fungus. In the early stages of growth, it is difficult to distinguish between the two. Now they couldn’t pull up the rye grass because the roots of the two plants are intertwined, so they would have to wait until harvest when the rye is bundled up and burnt and the wheat is put into the barn. The point that Jesus is making is that the church consists of unbelievers as well as believers and it is difficult to distinguish between the two, but at the harvest (rapture) they will be separated.

Matt 13:55 “Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us?” Here we see that Jesus had half-brothers and half-sisters. Mary did not remain a virgin, as some churches teach. 

Matt 15:2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elder? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!” Jesus was not breaking a commandment of God, but a tradition established by men. The ceremonial washing of hands was commanded only for special situations, such as when someone touches a discharge (Lev 15:11).

Matt 15:8-9 “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.”

Matt 15:36 before feeding four thousand people with seven loafs and a few fish Jesus gave thanks. Jesus prayed with his eyes open, as do most Jews do today. Praying before a meal is not commanded in scripture, but was a Pharisaic tradition, which Jesus followed. The commandment is to pray after a meal. Deut 8:10 says, “When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.” When Jesus said a blessing, it was “Praised be you, Adonai our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.” We don’t have to ask God to “bless” our food. The food itself is the blessing. Genesis 9:3 says, Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.” We thank God for the blessing of food. Paul gives such an example in Acts 27:35 “After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. When he broke it and began to eat.” I will oftentimes pray something like this: “Thank you God for the blessing of this food, for a nice home to eat it in and someone special to share it with.” 

Matt 16:15-20 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the key of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Jesus is saying that the rock on which the church is built is not Peter, but on the fact that Jesus is the Messiah. There are two different words translated “rock.” Peter is a detached or small rock, the Jesus the Messiah is the bedrock. The church is not built on Peter, the small rock, but on Jesus the bedrock. In Eph 2:20 it says that the church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.” So Peter was not the foundation, but his confession that Jesus is the Messiah is the foundation of the church. Jesus then goes on to say that he will give him the keys of the kingdom of heaven it means that Peter will be used to open the door to heaven to the gentiles (Acts 10).  The expression of binding and loosing was not a new phrase for Peter. To bind or loose means to prohibit or permit. Jesus is giving his disciples the same authority as the scribes and Pharisees had who “bind heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders” (Matt. 23:2-3). This meant that the leaders would determine how a law was to be applied. For instance, if there is a commandment to not do any work on the Sabbath, they have to decide, “What is work.” This principle was also applied in Acts 15 when the apostles had to decide if the Gentiles could be admitted into fellowship without obeying the laws of Moses. I have heard that in Jerusalem there are hotel elevators that are programmed to stop at every floor on the way up and on the way down. Why? So the Jews don’t do any “work” by pressing the elevator floor buttons. This is the way the Jewish leaders “bind and loose” today.

Matt 16:21 “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

Imagine that you are among his disciples. You expected Jesus to usher in the Kingdom of Heaven by overthrowing the Romans. Now you are told that he has to die first. The disciples are discouraged and need some encouragement. The encouragement comes in the passage describing the transfiguration.

Matt 16:27-28 “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” Now in our Bibles, there are chapter divisions and verses. These are a more modern addition to the Bible. Unfortunately, some of the chapter divisions give us the impression that the thought or idea being expressed ends at the end of the chapter. When Jesus said that “some” would see the “Son of Man coming” he wasn’t referring to his second coming within their lifetimes. In chapter 17 we see the “transfiguration,” which gave the discouraged disciples a view of his hidden glory. This reminds me of the Revelation 1:12-18 where John is given a view of Jesus to encourage the persecuted church. Now, having said that let me suggest another explanation. Perhaps Jesus was not referring to the transfiguration at all. If you notice, Jesus said, “some” of them would not taste death before this event took place. When the event did take place, a week later, none of them had died. It might be that Jesus was referring to Pentecost (Acts 1:8; 2:1-8) when they, minus Judas, who killed himself, saw the kingdom of God come with power. In verse 4 Peter says, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters-one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah?” The building of shelters is referring to the custom to build during the Feast of Tabernacles (tabernacles means shelter). There is a Jewish tradition to invite notable personages from scriptures such as Moses to be a guest in your shelter. Now he is inviting both Moses and Elijah. Why these two? Moses died, Elijah never died. This is a testimony from both the living and the dead that Jesus is the Messiah (Rom 14:9).

Matt 18:15-20 explains how church discipline should be handled. I suggest you read the article under the Frequently asked Questions entitled, “How should we deal with church conflict?”

Matt 18:19 “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” In the time of Jesus the Jews required a minimum of ten to make a quorum. Here Jesus is saying that it takes only two to “bind or loose,” to make those decisions as to how lives should be lived, especially with regard to church discipline, which is the context of the passage. You will see this process of binding and loosing in Acts 15 when the church gathered to discuss whether or not the gentiles had to adhere to the Old Testament laws given to the Jews.

Matt 19:21 “Jesus answered (the young man), “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Jesus is not teaching that all of us should take a vow of poverty. But this young man had great wealth and didn’t want to part with it. He really didn’t put God first. The young man thought that if he performed one great act of sacrifice, he could earn his salvation.

Matt 19:28 "You will also sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel." This shows that God still has promises to fulfill with regards to the nation of Israel. The church has not replaced Israel in God's plan. Romans 11 makes this clear.

Matt 20:21 the mother of Zebedee’s sons (the disciples James and John) came to Jesus and asked, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” We see people seeking positions of power and authority (much like some in churches today). Jesus said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave.”

The disciples thought that the kingdom would operate like a secular business with leaders seeking to be served by those under them. Not so in the church.

Matt 21:12 “Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.” The temple tax was paid in Tyrian rather than Roman coins because the Roman ones had heathen markings on them which offended the Jews. The money changers charged an exorbitant fee for the exchange. As for the sellers of doves, they were overprices. For these people, the temple was being “run as a business,” rather than a ministry.

Matt 21:21 “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” This passage has been abused by “prosperity preachers.”  They claim that God wants us to be healthy and wealthy. If we have enough faith, we can ask anything of God and He is obligated to give it to us. And how do we demonstrate faith? By planting a seed of faith, by giving money to God. But, since God doesn’t have a checking account or take credit cards, send it to the preacher. And by the way, if you are still sick and poor, it must be your fault, you of little faith. These folks are twisting scripture and taking a figure of speech (you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer) and making a literal promise. What about God’s will? What about his sovereignty? Who is serving whom in this relationship? I will probably address this issue in the Frequently Asked Questions section.

Matt 21:33-43 Jesus gives a parable to teach that “the kingdom of God will be taken away from the wicked tenants of the vineyard (Jewish leaders who rejected their Messiah) and given to a people (gentiles) who will produce fruit. It is not the Jewish people who are being replaced but the corrupt leadership. The new tenants are the disciples and elders of the early church. In the Messianic Age the disciples will sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt 19:28).

Matt 22:36-40 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Jesus is saying, if you Love God, you will not worship an idol, etc. If you love your neighbor, you will not steal or kill him. The Laws of God can be reduced to these two basic teaching. All the rest is commentary.

Matt 23:2-5 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Everything they do is done for men to see.”

Now Jesus really lashes out at the corrupt religious leaders. In verses 13-16 he speaks of seven “woes.” These are not curses being placed on them, but rather, statements of facts. These woes are:

They would not enter the kingdom of heaven. In spite of their religious appearance, the condemnation will be greater than the unjust, who had less understanding (verses 13-14).

Those who they convert to their legalistic, hypocritical practice, pervert the grace of God more than you (verse 15).

Those who do not keep their vows based on legal technicalities are condemned (verses 16-22).

Legalists keep the law in great detail but ignore their greater responsibility to justice, mercy and living by faith (verses 23-24).

Their appearance projected an image of righteousness, but their hearts were filthy (verses 25-26).

Tombs were washed white so that pilgrims who came to observe the feasts would not defile themselves by accidently touching them. Like the tombs, these leaders were attractive on the outside, but full of corruption (verses 27-28).

Their accumulation of guilt would be greater than that of their ancestors because of their greater enlightenment (verses 29-36).



Matt 23:8-10 “But you are not to be called Rabbi, for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ.”

This passage has been used by some to teach that we should not use religious titles with clergy, such as Rabbi in the Jewish faith or, Father in the Roman Catholic Church. This is not the point. In the time of Jesus, when disciples were fully trained, they were raise up their own group of disciples. What Jesus is forbidding is the raising up of disciples for themselves, rather than of Jesus. The Pharisees were disciples of one of two great sages, Hillel or Shammai. The disciple’s job is not to raise up followers of themselves, but of Jesus. The problem of following a person, rather than following Jesus is found in I Cor 3 where some said that they were following Paul, other said Apollo. This was causing divisions in the church.

Matt 23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. . . For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, “blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Israel rejected the Messiah, but God is not through with Israel (Rom 11-1-29). The church has not “replaced” Israel. There will come a time, at the end of the Great Tribulation, when the Jews will cry out (Zech 12:10-12) and accept Jesus as the Messiah.

Matthew chapters 24-25 contain the Olivet (Mount of Olives) Eschatological (end-times) Discourse (lecture).

Jesus speaks of the destruction of the Temple. His disciples ask in verse 3 “When will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Notice, there are two questions here: When will the Temple be destroyed  and when will he return? The temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. when the Jews rebelled against Rome. He will return only after a series of events referred to as the Tribulation, yet to come. Preceding his return will be, among other things: wars, famines, earthquakes, persecution, apostasy, the preaching of the Gospel, defilement of the Temple (yet to be built), false prophets, and false miracles (verses 4-29). He them warns them that “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” This is repeated in Acts 1:6-7 when, after his resurrection and just before he is to ascend to heaven, they ask, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.” There have been many preachers who have “set dates” for Christ’s return. Read the article, “The End of the World, Again?” in the Frequently Asked Questions tab of this website for more on this subject.

Matt 25:26 "While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples . ."

In Acts 27:35 we see that in these two passages, where "thanks" or "saying grace" is spoken. Now in the Old Testament, Deut 8:10 it says that when you "have eaten, thank the Lord your God." Many Jews give thanks after the meal, not before. This makes sense, since before the meal everyone is so hungry, they are focusing on their stomachs. Have you ever had to sit through a long prayer before a meal? Another point I'd like to make is that these folks simply said "thank you." They didn't ask God to "bless this food," because the food itself is the blessing. Rather, they thanked God for the blessing of the food. A common prayer would be, "Blessed is He who brings bread out of the earth." I oftentimes simply say, "Thank you God for the blessing of this food and for someone special to share it with."

For more on the subject of prophecy, I recommend two books: Things to Come, A Study in Biblical Eschatology by J. Dwight Pentecost and The Footsteps of the Messiah A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events by Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum. An excellent website is Lamb and Lion Ministries with Dr. David Reagan at: www.lamblion.com

Matt 25:14-28 This is the Parable of the Talents. Here Jesus is saying that we need to use the opportunities and gifts that we have been given. Though we are saved by grace through faith, we will be rewarded by our works. I refer you to the Frequently Asked Questions article, “How Should We Live in Light of the Imminent Return of Jesus?”

Matt 26 The leaders plot to arrest and kill Jesus. Judas agrees to betray Jesus.

Matt 26:27 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” This was not real blood. If it were, none of the disciples would have drunk it. Deut 12:23 forbids the drinking of blood. Obviously, the wine (the third cup of wine at the Passover dinner) was a symbol of the blood that is to be shed by Jesus.

Matt 26 Jesus is tried, convicted and in the process. 

Matt 27: Judas hangs himself and Jesus is scourged, mocked crucified and buried.

Matt 27:9 "Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled."

Wait a minute, Jeremiah didn't say what is recorded in verses 6-8. Is there a mistake here? Why didn't he refer to Zechariah instead? Well, the scroll of the prophets ma have originally begun with Jeremiah, the longest of the books. By naming Jeremiah instead he is referring to the prophets as a group, not naming the particular prophet, Zechariah.

Matt 27:51 "At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom."

This is the curtain that separated the holy from the holy of holies, that portion of the temple where only the high priest could go on the Day of Atonement. This tearing of the curtain is a way of symbolizing that everyone has access to the most holy place of all in heaven, as is taught in Heb 9:3-9.

Matt 28 describes the resurrection of Jesus. The ultimate proof that Jesus was who he claimed to be is his resurrection). If Jesus did not rise from the dead, he was a liar, fraud and our faith is in vain (I Cor 15:3 & 14). For more on this subject, I refer you to the Frequently Asked Question tab and the article, “Was Jesus of Nazareth the Messiah?”

Matt 28:18-19 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

This is the mission statement of the church. Go, don’t stay. Preach, teach, and make disciples. Don’t build campuses and hope some people come. Put your resources to reach out to others, not turn your group into an exclusive country club for members only.