NIV LifeConnect Study Bible Sampler

8/20/2019 NIV LifeConnect Study Bible Sampler

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NIV L IF ECONNECT STUDY B IBLE

NEW TESTAMENT

F I R S T P R O O F SF I R S T P R O O F S


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I N T R O D U C T I O N T O

M ATTHEW

AUTHOR, PLACE AND DAT E OF WRIT ING

Tradition associates this Gospel with the apostle Matthew. There has been much debate, however, regarding

the dating of Matthew’s Gospel. Many think it was written between AD 70 and 80, although some suggest a

much earlier date (in the 50s or 60s). The Jewish nature of Matthew’s Gospel may suggest that it was written

in the Holy Land, though many suggest an origination in Syrian Antioch.

AUDI ENCE

Matthew’s original readers were predominately Jews who already believed in Jesus and confessed him as

the Son of God (14:33; 16:16; 27:54).

CULTURAL FACTS AND HIGHLIGHTS

Matthew’s purpose was to prove to a Jewish audience that Jesus is the Messiah: (1) He emphasized Jesus’

fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy (e.g., 1:22 – 23; 2:15); (2) used typical Jewish terminology, such as

“kingdom of heaven”; (3) told the story of Jesus as a retelling of the story of Israel (e.g., Jesus came out of

Egypt — analogous to the exodus; passed through the Jordan — analogous to the Red Sea; suffered in the

wilderness — analogous to the wilderness wandering; gave his law on a mountain — analogous to Sinai; and

so forth); and (4) traced Jesus’ ancestry to Abraham and frequently referred to the Messianic title “Son of

David” instead of to “Son of God” (as in the Gospel of John).

AS YOU READ

Notice Matthew’s systematic, yet artistic, style. He did not tell Jesus’ story in strict chronological sequence but

grouped facts topically. Watch for the many references to the “kingdom of heaven,” and note Jesus’ teachings

about what it means to be a citizen of that kingdom.

DID YOU KNOW?

▶ There were no sexual relations during a Jewish betrothal period, yet it was a much more binding relation-

ship than a modern engagement — breakable only by divorce (1:18).▶

No one living in the desert hesitated to eat insects, and locusts were among the ceremonially clean foodsof which the Jews were free to partake (3:4).

T IMELINE

WHEN DID THESE THINGS HAPPEN? 10 BC AD 1 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

HEROD THE GREAT’S REIGN (C. 37 – 4 BC)

JESUS’ BIRTH (C. 6/5 BC)

JESUS’ FLIGHT TO EGYPT (C. 5/4 BC)

BEGINNING OF JOHN THE BAPTIST’S MINISTRY (C. AD 26)

BEGINNING OF JESUS’ MINISTRY (C. AD 26)

JESUS’ DEATH, RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION (C. AD 30)

PAUL’S CONVERSION (C. AD 35)

BOOK OF MATTHEW WRITTEN (C. AD 60 – 70)

F I R S T P R O O F SF I R S T P R O O F S


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MATTHEW 1 :25 | 1 139

1:1 a Isa 11:1; Ro 1:3b Ge 22:181:2 c Ge 25:26 d Ge 29:351:3 e Ge 38:27-301:6 f 1Sa 16:1g 2Sa 12:241:10 h 2Ki 20:211:11 i 2Ki 24:14-16;Jer 27:20; Da 1:1, 21:12 j 1Ch 3:171:18 k Lk 1:351:19 l Dt 24:11:21 m Lk 1:31 n Lk 2:11; Ac 13:23, 281:23 o Isa 7:14

The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah

1 This is the genealogya of Jesus the Messiahb

the son of David,a the son of Abraham:b

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,c

Jacob the father of Judah and his broth-

ers,d

3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah,

whose mother was Tamar,e

Perez the father of Hezron,

Hezron the father of Ram,

4 Ram the father of Amminadab,

Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

Nahshon the father of Salmon,

5

Salmon the father of Boaz, whose moth-er was Rahab,

Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother

was Ruth,

Obed the father of Jesse,

6 and Jesse the father of King David.f

David was the father of Solomon, whose

mother had been Uriah’s wife,g

7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam,

Rehoboam the father of Abi jah,

Abi jah the father of Asa,

8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,

Jehoram the father of Uzziah,

9 Uzziah the father of Jotham,

Jotham the father of Ahaz,

Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,h

Manasseh the father of Amon,

Amon the father of Josiah,

11

and Josiah the father of Jeconiahc

andhis brothers at the time of the ex ile

to Babylon.i

12 After the exile to Babylon:

Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, j

Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,

Abihud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 Azor the father of Zadok,

Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Elihud, 15 Elihud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob,

16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the hus-band of Mary, and Mary was themother of Jesus who is called theMessiah.

17 Thus there were fourteen generations in allfrom Abraham to David, fourteen from David tothe exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile

to the Messiah.

Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah

came aboutd : His mother Mary was pledged tobe married to Joseph, but before they came to-

gether, she was found to be pregnant throughthe Holy Spirit.k 19 Because Joseph her husbandwas faithful to the law, and yet e did not want toexpose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to

divorce l her quietly.20 But after he had considered this, an angel of

the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,“Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to takeMary home as your wife, because what is con-

ceived in her is from the Holy Spir it. 21 She wi llgive birth to a son, and you are to give him thename Jesus, f m be cause he will save his peoplefrom their sins.”n

22 All this took place to ful fill what the Lordhad said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin willconceive and give birth to a son, and they wi ll callhim Immanuel” g o (which means “God with us”).

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what theangel of the Lord had commanded him andtook Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did notconsummate their marriage until she gave birthto a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

a 1 Or is an account of the origin b 1 Or Jesus Christ. Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) both mean Anointed One; also inverse 18. c 11 That is, Jehoiachin; also in verse 12 d 18 Or The origin of Jesus the Messiah was like this e 19 Or wasa righteous man and f 21 Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means the LORD saves. g 23 Isaiah 7:14

1:1 The Hebrews kep t extensive records of their family’sancestry (cf. 1Ch 1 – 9), which were used for practical andlegal purposes: to establish a person’s heritage, inheritance,legitimacy and rights. Luke followed the traditional ap-proach of tracing lineage through males (Lk 3:23 – 38), butMatthew included five women (Bathsheba is not named butis described), three of whom were outsiders to Israel. All the

women seemed unlikely candidates to be ancestors of theMessiah in one way or another, yet God saw fit to include

them in his redemption plan.1:18 – 19 There were no sexual relations during a Jewish be-trothal period, but it was a much more binding relationshipthan a modern engagement — breakable only by divorce.

Joseph planned to have a private divorce — the only choicethat would have allowed him to maintain his personal righ-teousness according to the Law of Moses and yet save Maryfrom public disgrace and possible death.

F I R S T P R O O F S

1 138 | INTROD UC T ION TO MAT THEW

▶ Most of the salt used in Israel came from the Dead Sea and was full of impurities, causing it to lose some

of its flavor (5:13).▶ People in ancient times commonly hid valuables in fields (e.g., when a marauding army approached) since

there were no banks (13:44).▶ A person who stepped on a grave became ceremonially unclean, so graves were whitewashed to make

them easily visible, especially at night (23:27).

THEMES

Matthew’s themes include:

1. Jesus, the Messiah. Matthew clearly taught that Jesus was the fulfillment of Old Testament

promises, especially that of the coming Messiah (King).

2. Righteousness. Citizens of the kingdom of heaven are called to be righteous, and ethical issues

are a major focus in Matthew. Jesus’ first recorded words in Matthew had to do with fulfilling righteous-

ness (3:15), and he demanded that his disciples invest their treasures in God’s kingdom, not in earthly

possessions. Love for others is also emphasized.

3. The believer’s commission. In its closing verses (28:16 – 20), the book of Matthew re-

veals the plan for the expansion of the kingdom of heaven. Believers are to be “salt” and “light” (5:13 – 16),

spreading the Good News of the kingdom to the world.

OUTLINE

I. Jesus’ Childhood (1 – 2)

II. The Beginnings of Jesus’ Ministry (3:1 — 4:11)

A. John the Baptist (3)

B. The Temptation (4:1 – 11)

III. Jesus’ Ministry in Galilee (4:12 — 14:12)

A. His Early Ministry (4:12 – 25)

B. The Sermon on the Mount (5 – 7)

C. Miracles (8 – 9)

D. Ministry (10:1 — 14:12)

IV. Ministry in Other Areas (14:13 — 17:21)

V. Jesus Returns to Galilee (17:22 — 18:35)

VI. Jesus’ Ministry in Judea and Perea (19 – 20)

VII. Passion Week (21 – 27)

A. The Triumphal Entry (21:1 – 11)

B. The Cleansing of the Temple (21:12 – 17)

C. Questions From the Jewish Leaders (21:18 — 23:39) D. The Olivet Discourse (24 – 25)

E. The Anointing of Jesus’ Feet (26:1 – 13)

F. The Arrest, Trials and Death of Jesus (26:14 — 27:66)

VIII. The Resurrection (28)



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MATTHEW 4 :8 | 1 14 1

2:23 b Mk 1:243:1 c Lk 3:2-193:2 d Da 2:44; Mt 4:173:3 e Isa 40:3; Lk 1:76;Jn 1:233:4 f 2Ki 1:8 g Lev 11:223:7 h Mt 12:34; 23:33i Ro 1:18; 1Th 1:103:8 j Ac 26:203:10 k Mt 7:193:11 l Isa 4:43:12 m Mt 13:303:16 n Isa 11:23:17 o Ps 2:7 p Mt 12:18;Lk 9:354:2 q 1Ki 19:84:3 r 1Th 3:54:4 s Dt 8:34:5 t Ne 11:1; Mt 27:534:6 u Ps 91:11, 124:7 v Dt 6:16

The Baptism of Jesus13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan

to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter

him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and

do you come to me?”15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is prop-

er for us to do this to ful fill all righteousness.”

Then John consented.16 As soon as Jesus was bap tized, he went up

out of the water. At that moment heaven was

opened, and he saw the Spirit of Godn descend-

ing like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a

voice from heaven said, “This is my Son,o whom

I love; with him I am well pleased.”p

Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness

4 Then Jesus was led by the Spir it into thewilderness to be temptedc by the devil. 2 Af-ter fasting forty days and forty nights,q he was

hungry. 3 The tempterr came to him and said, “If

you are the Son of God, tell these stones to be-

come bread.”4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall

not live on bread alone, but on every word that

comes from the mouth of God.’d ”s

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city t and

had him stand on the highest point of the tem-

ple. 6 “If you are the Son of God ,” he said, “throw

yourself down. For it is written:

“ ‘He will command his angels concerning

you,

and they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot

against a stone.’e ”u

7 Jesus a nswered him, “It is also written: ‘Do

not put the Lord your God to t he test.’ f ”v

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high

mountain and showed him all the king doms

was fulfilled what was said through the proph-

ets, that he would be called a Nazarene.b

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

3 In those days John the Baptistc came,

preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and

saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heavend

has come near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of

through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,

‘Prepare the way for the Lord,

make straight paths for him.’ ”a e

4 John’s clothes were made of c amel’s hair,

and he had a leather belt around his waist. f

His food was locustsg and wild honey. 5 Peoplewent out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea

and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confess-

ing their sins, they were baptized by him in the

Jordan River.7 But when he saw many of t he Pharisees and

Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing,

he said to them: “You brood of vipers! h Who

warned you to flee from the coming wrath? i 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. j 9 And do not th ink you can say to yourselves,

‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that

out of these stones God can raise up children for

Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the

trees, and every tree that does not produce good

fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.k

11 “I baptize you withb water for repentance.

But after me comes one who is more powerful

than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.

He will baptize you withb the Holy Spirit and

fire.l 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and

he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his

wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff

with unquenchable fire.”m

a 3 Isaiah 40:3 b 11 Or in c 1 The Greek fortempted can also mean tested . d 4 Deut. 8:3 e 6 Psalm 91:11,12 f 7 Deut. 6:16

associates, (Ac 2:22; 3:6; 10:38). Jesus, in fact, applied it tohimself (Ac 22:8). On the lips of his enemies, however, it

was a title of scorn (Mt 26:71; Mk 14:67).3:1 The wilderness of Judea was an area that stretched some20 miles (32 km) from the Jerusalem-Bethlehem plateaudown to the Jordan River and the Dead Sea — perhaps thesame region where John the Baptist lived (cf. Lk 1:80). Thecommunity of Qumran lived in this area too.3:4 Leather belts were used to bind up loose outer gar-ments. Camel’s hair and a leather belt may also have been

worn by Elijah and other Old Testament prophets (see 2Ki1:8; Zec 13:4). Insects such as locusts were among the cer-emonially clean foods of which the Jews were free to partake(Lev 11:21 – 22).

3:7 The Pharisees, the party of the synagogue, were a legal-istic and separatist group who strictly kept the Law of Mosesand the unwritten “tradition of the elders” (see the note on15:2). The Sadducees were a Jewish party that representedthe wealthy and sophisticated classes. Though a relativelysmall group, in Jesus’ day they exerted powerful politicaland religious influence.4:1 The temptations took place (1) in the desert regionof the lower Jordan Valley, (2) on a high mountain (pos-sibly one of the abrupt cliffs near Jericho that present anunsurpassed panorama) and (3) on the highest point of thetemple, from which the priests sounded the trumpet to callthe city’s attention to important events.


1 140 | MAT THE W 2 : 1

2:1 p Lk 2:4-72:2 q Jer 23:5; Jn 1:49

r Nu 24:172:5 s Jn 7:42

2:11 t Isa 60:3 u Ps 72:102:12 v Heb 11:7

2:15 w Ex 4:22, 23;Hos 11:1

2:18 x Jer 31:152:22 y ver 12, 13, 19

z Lk 2:392:23 a Lk 1:26

The Escape to Egypt13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord

appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he

said, “take the child and his mother and escape

to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is

going to search for the child to kill him.”14 So he got up, took the child and h is mother

during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he

stayed until the death of Herod. And so was ful-

filled what the Lord had said through t he proph-

et: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” c w

16 When Herod realized that he had been out-

witted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave

orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its

vicinity who were two years old and un der, in

accordance with the time he had learned fromthe Magi. 17 Then what was said through the

prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

18 “A voice is heard in Ramah,

weeping and great mourning,

Rachel weeping for her children

and refusing to be comforted,

because they are no more.”d x

The Return to Nazareth19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord ap-

peared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said,

“Get up, take the child and his moth er and go to

the land of Israel, for those who were try ing to

take the child’s life are dead.”21 So he got up, took the child and his moth-

er and went to the land of Is rael. 22 But when

he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea

in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to

go there. Having been warned in a dream,

y

hewithdrew to the district of Galilee,z 23 and he

went and lived in a town called Nazareth.a So

The Magi Visit the Messiah

2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Ju-dea,p during the time of King Herod, Magia from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked,

“Where is the one who has been born king of the

Jews?q We saw his star r when it rose and have

come to worship him.”3 When Ki ng Herod heard this he was dis-

turbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he

had called together all the people’s chief priests

and teachers of the law, he asked them where

the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehems in

Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the proph-

et has written:

6

“ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of

Judah;

for out of you will come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.’b ”

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly andfound out from them the exact time the star had

appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said,

“Go and search carefully for the child. As soon

as you find him, report to me, so that I too may

go and worship him.”9 After they had heard the king, they went

on their way, and the star they had seen when

it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over

the place where the child was. 10 When they sawthe star, they were over joyed. 11 On coming to

the house, they saw the child with his mother

Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped

him.t Then they opened their treasures and pre-

sented him with giftsu of gold, frankincense and

myrrh.

12

And having been warned

v

in a dreamnot to go back to Herod, they returned to their

country by another route.

a 1 Traditionally wise men b 6 Micah 5:2,4 c 15 Hosea 11:1 d 18 Jer. 31:15

2:1 Bethlehem, a village about 5 miles (8 km) south of Jeru-salem, is called “Bethlehem in Judea” to distinguish it fromthe town of Bethlehem about 7 miles (11.3 km) northwestof Nazareth.

The Magi were likely from Persia or southern Arabia,both of which lay east of the Holy Land. Herod was “dis-turbed” (v. 3) by the Magi’s announcement because heknew he was not the rightful heir to Israel’s throne, havingusurped power by aligning himself with Rome. The Magi’svisit likely caused him to fear that invading forces from theeast might join others within Israel to replace him with aking from the true line of the anticipated Messiah. The reli-gious leaders had aligned themselves politically with Herod.If his power base were threatened, so was theirs.2:2 The “star” was probably not an ordinary star, planetor comet, though some interpreters have identified it withthe conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn or with some otherastronomical phenomenon.

2:4 The chief priests were in charge of worship in thetemple in Jerusalem. They included the ruling high priest;the former high priest; and the high priestly families, all of

whom were included in the Sanhedrin — the ruling Jewishcouncil. Scribes, or teachers of the law, were Jewish scholars,professionally trained in the Old Testament law. They too

were members of the Sanhedrin.2:16 The genocide of children took place, not only underHerod during the birth of Christ, but also under Pharaoh atthe time of Moses’ birth.2:22 Archelaus, one of the sons of Herod the Great, ruledover Judea and Samaria for only 10 years (4 BC – AD 6).Unusually cruel and tyrannical, he was deposed, after which

Judea became a Roman province, administered by governorsappointed by the emperor.2:23 The word “Nazarene” was derived from Nazareth, thehometown of Jesus, who was often called a Nazarene. Theterm had a friendly meaning when used by his disciples and



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MATTHEW 5 :28 | 1 143

5:8 k Heb 12:145:9 l Ro 8:145:10 m 1Pe 3:145:11 n 1Pe 4:145:12 o Ac 7:525:13 p Mk 9:50;Lk 14:34, 355:15 q Mk 4:21; Lk 8:165:18 r Lk 16:175:19 s Jas 2:105:21 t Ex 20:135:22 u 1Jn 3:155:27 v Ex 20:14; Dt 5:18

commandss and teaches others accordingly willbe called least in the kingdom of heaven, but

whoever practices and teaches these commandswill be called great in the kingdom of heaven.20 For I tell you that unless your righteousnesssurpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers

of the law, you will certainly not enter the king-dom of heaven.

Murder21 “You have heard that it was said to the peo -

ple long ago, ‘You shall not murder,a t and anyonewho murders will be sub ject to judgment.’ 22 But I

tell you that anyone who is angry with a brotheror sisterb , c will be sub ject to judgment.u Again,

anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’d

isanswerable to the court. And anyone who says,

‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at

the altar and there remember

that your brother or sister hassomething against you, 24 leaveyour gift there in front of the al-

tar. First go and be reconciled tothem; then come and offer yourgift.

25 “Settle matters quickly

with your adversary who is taking you to court.Do it while you are still together on the way, oryour adversary may hand you over to the judge,

and the judge may hand you over to the of ficer,and you may be thrown into pris on. 26 Truly Itell you, you will not get out un til you have paidthe last penny.

Adultery

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shallnot commit adultery.’e v 28 But I tell you that any-

one who looks at a woman lustfully has already

8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.k

9 Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God. l

10 Blessed are those who are persecutedbecause of righteousness,m

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you,n

persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evilagainst you because of me. 12 Re joice and beglad, because great is your reward in heaven, forin the same way they persecuted the prophetswho were before you.o

Salt and Light13

“You are the salt of the eart h. But if thesalt loses its saltiness, how can it be made saltyagain? It is no longer good for anything, except

to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.p

14 “You are the light of theworld. A town built on a hillcannot be hidden. 15 Neither dopeople light a lamp and put it

under a bowl. Instead they putit on its stand, and it gives lightto everyone in the house.q 16 Inthe same way, let your lightshine before others, that they may see your

good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

The Fulfillment of the Law17 “Do not thi nk that I have come to abol-

ish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come

to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For t ru-ly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear,not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a

pen, will by any means disappear from the Lawuntil everything is accomplished.r 19 Therefore

anyone who sets aside one of the least of these

a 21 Exodus 20:13 b 22 The Greek word forbrother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a fellow disciple, whether man orwoman; also in verse 23. c 22 Some manuscripts brother or sister without cause d 22 An Aramaic term of contempte 27 Exodus 20:14

5:8 The heart, including the mind, will and emotions, wasconsidered the center of one’s being.5:13 Salt was used for flavoring and for preserving (see alsothe note on Lev 2:13). Most of the salt used in Israel camefrom the Dead Sea and was full of impurities, causing it tolose some of its flavor.5:15 In Jesus’ day people used small clay lamps that burnedolive oil drawn up by a wick. The common New Testamentmention of lamps is in connection with their household us-age (5:15; Mk 4:21; Lk 8:16; 11:33; 15:8). Because theygave off only modest light, they were strategically positionedfor maximum benefit. Such lamps were generally placed ona lampstand, often a niche built into the wall. The use of oil-fed lamps in a marriage procession is mentioned in Matthew25:1. Since such lamps contained only a small amount of

oil, a reserve supply would have been a necessity.5:18 The Greek word iota (translated here “smallest let-ter”) is the nearest Greek equivalent to the Hebrew yodh,the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The Greek wordtranslated here as “stroke” means “horn” and was used todesignate the slight embellishment or extension of certainletters of the Hebrew alphabet.5:22 The Greek word for hell is ge(h)enna , which derivesits name from a deep ravine south of Jerusalem, the “Valleyof (the Sons of) Hinnom.” During the reigns of the wickedkings Ahaz and Manasseh, human sacrifices to the Ammon-ite god Molek were offered there. It became a sort of per-petually burning city dump and later a figure for the placeof final punishment.5:26 The penny was the smallest Roman copper coin.

Start small

but start now.


1 142 | MAT THE W 4 :9

4:10 w Dt 6:134:11 x Lk 22:434:16 y Isa 9:1, 24:17 z Mt 3:2

4:19 a Mk 10:21, 28, 524:23 b Mk 1:39; Lk 4:15,

44 c Mt 9:35; Mk 1:21d Mk 1:14

4:24 e Lk 2:2 f Mk 1:324:25 g Mk 3:7, 85:4 h Isa 61:2, 35:5 i Ps 37:115:6 j Isa 55:1, 2

brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother

John. They were in a boat with their fa ther Zeb-

edee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them,22 and immediately they left the boat and their

father and followed him.

Jesus Heals the Sick23 Jesus went throughout Galilee,b teaching in

their synagogues,c proclaiming the good newsd

of the kingdom, and healing every disease and

sickness among the people. 24 News about him

spread all over Syria,e and people brought to

him all who were ill with various diseases, those

suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed,f

those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and

he healed them.25

Large crowds from Gal ilee,the Decapolis,c Jerusalem, Judea and the region

across the Jordan followed him.g

Introduction to the Sermon on theMount

5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went upon a mountainside and sat down. His disci-ples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes

He said:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.h

5 Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the earth. i

6 Blessed are those who hunger and th irst for

righteousness,

for they will be filled. j

7 Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will

give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and

worship me.”10 Jesus sai d to hi m, “Away from me, Satan!

For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God,

and serve him only.’a ”w

11 Then the devil left him, and angels came

and attended him.x

Jesus Begins to Preach12 When Jesus heard that John had been put i n

prison, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 Leaving Naz-

areth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which

was by the lake in the area of Zeb ulun and

Naphtali — 14 to fulfill what was said through

the prophet Isaiah:

15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,

the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles —16 the people living in darkness

have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of the shadow of

death

a light has dawned.”b y

17 From that t ime on Jesus began to preach,

“Repent, for the kingdom of heavenz has come

near.”

Jesus Calls His First Disciples18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Gal-

ilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter

and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net

into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come,

follow me,”a Jesus said, “and I will send you out

to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their netsand followed him.

21 Going on from there, he saw two oth er

a 10 Deut. 6:13 b 16 Isaiah 9:1,2 c 25 That is, the Ten Cities

4:12 – 16 The northern part of Naphtali was inhabited by amixed race of Jews and pagans (Jdg 1:33). Its Israelite popula-tion had been carried away captive to Assyria and had beenreplaced by a colony of pagan immigrants (2Ki 15:29; 17:24).Hence the region was called “Galilee of the Gentiles” and itspeople “Gentiles” (Isa 9:1; Mt 4:15). For this reason the Gali-lean accent and dialect were noticeably peculiar (26:73). Thiscaused the southern Jews of “purer” blood and orthodox tra-dition to despise the Galileans (see Jn 7:52).4:13 Capernaum was evidently a sizable town in Jesus’ day.Peter’s house there became Jesus’ base of operations duringhis extended ministry in Galilee. A fifth-century basilicanow stands over the supposed site of Peter’s house, and afourth-century synagogue is located a short distance from it.4:23 The synagogues provided a place for Jesus to teach onthe Sabbath. During the week he preached to larger crowdsin the open air.

4:24 Syria is the area north of Galilee and between Damas-cus and the Mediterranean Sea.4:25 The Decapolis was a league of free cities character-ized by Greek culture. All but one, Scythopolis (Beth-shan),

were situated east of the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River.5:1 — 7:29 The site of the Sermon on the Mount (see alsoLk 6:20 – 49) is not identified in the Gospels. Tradition hasplaced it near Capernaum. Jesus went up the mountain alittle way so that his immediate followers would be nearerthan the rest of the crowd, and then he came down withthem to a “level place” (Lk 6:17), still on the mountain.Presently he sat down and began to teach, with special at-tention to the disciples who were nearby.5:3 – 11 The word beatitude is not found in the text of theEnglish Bible. It means either (1) the joys of heaven or (2) adeclaration of blessedness, especially as made by Christ.



7/26

MATTHEW 7 :6 | 1 145

6:7 o 1Ki 18:26-296:10 p Mt 26:396:11 q Pr 30:86:12 r Mt 18:21-356:14 s Mk 11:25, 26;Col 3:136:15 t Mt 18:356:16 u Isa 58:56:18 v ver 4, 66:19 w Heb 13:56:20 x Mt 19:21;Lk 12:33; 1Ti 6:196:24 y Lk 16:136:25 z Lk 12:11, 22;Php 4:6; 1Pe 5:76:26 a Ps 147:96:27 b Ps 39:56:29 c 1Ki 10:4-76:30 d Mt 8:266:33 e Mt 19:29;Mk 10:29-307:1 f 1Co 4:57:2 g Mk 4:24

24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you

will hate the one and love the other, or you will

be devoted to the one and despise the other. You

cannot serve both God and money.y

Do Not Worry25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worryz about

your life, what you will eat or drink; or about

your body, what you will wear. Is not life more

than food, and the body more than clothes?26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow

or reap or store away in barns, and yet your

heavenly Father feeds them.a Are you not much

more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you

by worrying add a single hour to your lifee ?b

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? Seehow the flowers of the field grow. They do not

labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you t hat not even Sol-

omon in all his splendorc was dressed like one

of these. 30 If that is how Go d clothes the g rass

of the field, which is here today and tomorrow

is thrown into the fire, will he not much more

clothe you — you of little faith?d 31 So do not

worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What

shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For

the pagans run after all these things, and your

heavenly Father knows that you need them.33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteous-

ness, and all these things will be giv en to you

as well.e 34 Therefore do not worry about tomor-

row, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each

day has enough trouble of its own.

Judging Others

7“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. f 2

For in the same way you judge others, youwill be judged, and with the measure you use, it

will be measured to you.g

3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust

in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to

the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to

your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your

eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your

own eye? 5 You hy pocrite, first take the plank out

of your own eye, and then you will see clear ly to

remove the speck from your brother’s eye.6 “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not

who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what

is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And whenyou pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans,

for they think they wil l be heard because of theirmany words.o 8 Do not be like them, for your Fa-

ther knows what you need before you ask him.9 “This, then, is how you should pray:

“ ‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

10 your kingdom come, your will be done,p

on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread.q

12 And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.r

13 And lead us not into temptation,a

but deliver us from the evil one.b ’

14 For if you forgive other people when they sinagainst you, your heavenly Father will also for-

give you.s 15 But if you do not forgive others theirsins, your Father will not forgive your sins.t

Fasting16 “When you fast, do not look somberu as the

hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to

show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you,

they have received their reward in full. 17 Butwhen you fast, put oil on your head and wash

your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to oth-

ers that you are fasting, but only to your Father,who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what

is done in secret, will reward you.v

Treasures in Heaven19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on

earth,w where moths and vermin destroy, andwhere thieves break in and steal. 20 But store

up for yourselves treasures in heaven,x where

moths and vermin do not destroy, and wherethieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where

your treasure is, there your heart will be also.22 “The eye i s the lamp of t he body. If your

eyes are healthy,c your whole body will be full

of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,d yourwhole body will be full of darkness. If then the

light within you is darkness, how great is that

darkness!

a 13 The Greek for temptation can also mean testing . b 13 Or from evil; some late manuscripts one, / for yours is thekingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. c 22 The Greek for healthy here implies generous. d 23 The Greekfor unhealthy here implies stingy. e 27 Or single cubit to your height

6:16 “Disfigure their faces” here refers to disguising one’sface to publicize physical hardships endured while fasting.

This was a pretentious way of letting others see and appreci-ate their extensive efforts to increase their godliness.


1 144 | MAT THE W 5 :29

5:28 w Pr 6:255:29 x Mk 9:42-475:31 y Dt 24:1-45:32 z Lk 16:185:33 a Lev 19:12

b Nu 30:2; Mt 23:16-225:34 c Jas 5:12 d Isa 66:1

5:35 e Ps 48:25:38 f Ex 21:24;

Lev 24:20; Dt 19:215:39 g Lk 6:29; 1Co 6:7

5:42 h Lk 6:305:43 i Lev 19:18 j Dt 23:6

5:44 k Lk 6:27, 28; Ac 7:60

5:48 l Lev 19:26:5 m Mk 11:256:6 n 2Ki 4:33

not turn away from the one who wants to bor-

row from you.h

Love for Enemies43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love

your neighbord i and hate your enemy.’ j 44 But I

tell you, love your enemies and pray for those

who persecute you,k 45 that you may be children

of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to

rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain

on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you

love those who love you, what reward will you

get? Are not even the tax col lectors doing that?47 And if you greet only your own people, what

are you doing more than others? Do not even

pagans do that?48

Be perfect, therefore, as yourheavenly Father is perfect. l

Giving to the Needy

6 “Be careful not to practice your righteous-ness in front of others to be seen by them.If you do, you will have no re ward from your

Father in heaven.2 “So when you give to the needy, do not an-

nounce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in

the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored

by others. Truly I tell you, they have received

their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the

needy, do not let your left hand know what your

right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may

be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is

done in secret, will reward you.

Prayer5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypo-

crites, for they love to pray standing

m

in the syn-agogues and on the street corners to be seen by

others. Truly I tell you, they have received their

reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into yourroom, close the door and pray to your Father,n

committed adultery with her in his heart.w 29 If

your right eye causes you to stumble,x gouge it

out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose

one part of your body tha n for your whole body

to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your rig ht hand

causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it

away. It is better for you to lose one part of your

body than for your whole body to go i nto hell.

Divorce31 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his

wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’a y 32 But I tell you that a nyone who divorces his

wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her

the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries

a divorced woman commits adultery.z

Oaths33 “Again, you have heard th at it was sai d to

the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath,a

but fulfill to t he Lord the vows you have made.’b 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all:c ei-

ther by heaven, for it is God’s throne;d 35 or by

the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem,

for it is the city of the Great King. e 36 And do not

swear by your head, for you cannot make even

one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is

simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes

from the evil one.b

Eye for Eye38 “You have heard that it was said , ‘Eye for

eye, and tooth for tooth.’c f 39 But I tel l you, do

not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on

the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek

also.g 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take

your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If any-

one forces you to go one mile, go with them two

miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do

a 31 Deut. 24:1 b 37 Or from evil c 38 Ex odus 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21 d 43 Lev. 19:18

5:29 These injunctions are obviously not literal and shouldbe used as “proof texts” upon which poor theology may bebased. Here Jesus speaks of self-discipline, not self-mutila-tion. Whatever a follower must do in order to remove them-selves from temptation, they must be willing to do.5:32 The Greek word translated here as “sexual immorality”refers to illicit sexual a ctivity — in this case, adultery.5:39 Striking someone on the cheek was considered morean insult than an act of violence.5:40 Th e shirt was an undergarment and the coat a looseouter garment. Since the outer garment was wrappedaround the individual for s leeping, Old Testament law pro-hibited anyone from taking it as a pledge overnight, leavingthe owner unprotected against the cold (see Ex 22:26 – 27;Dt 24:12 – 13).

5:43 Hatred of one’s enemies was an accepted part of the Jewish ethic at that time in some circles.5:46 Traditionally known as publicans, tax collectors weremen employed by Roman tax contractors to collect taxes.Because they worked for Rome and often demanded exces-sive payments, some of which they pocketed themselves, thetax collectors gained a bad reputation and were generallyhated.6:1 – 2 In later Judaism the righteousness of almsgiving be-came somewhat legalistic and professional. The lame man atthe gate called Beautiful exemplified professional begging inthat he “was put every day to beg from those going into thetemple courts” (Ac 3:2).6:5 Pious Jews prayed publicly at set times — usually morn-ing, afternoon and evening (cf. Ps 55:17; Da 6:10; Ac 3:1).



8/26


9/26

MATTHEW 10 :7 | 1 149

9:30 u Mt 8:49:31 v Mk 7:369:32 w Mt 12:22-249:34 x Mt 12:24;Lk 11:159:37 y Lk 10:210:1 z Mk 3:13-1510:4 a Jn 13:2, 26, 2710:5 b Lk 9:5210:6 c Mt 15:24

ciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers

are few.y 38 Ask the Lord of t he harvest, there-

fore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

10 Jesus called his twelve disciples to himand gave them authority to drive outimpure spiritsz and to heal every disease and

sickness.2 These are the names of the twelve apostles:

first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother

Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother

John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and

Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphae-

us, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas

Iscariot, who betrayed him.a

5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the follow-

ing instructions: “Do not go among the Gen-

tiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.b 6 Go

rather to the lost sheep of Israel.c 7 As you go,

sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” u 31 But they went out and spread the news about

him all over that region.v

32 While they were going out, a man who

was demon-possessed and could not talkw was

brought to Jesus. 33 And when the demon was

driven out, the man who had been mute spoke.

The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like

this has ever been seen in Israel.”34 But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of

demons that he drives out demons.”x

The Workers Are Few35 Jesus went through a ll the towns and vi l-

lages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaim-ing the good news of the king dom and healing

every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the

crowds, he had compassion on them, because

they were harassed and helpless, like sheep

without a shepherd. 37 Then he sai d to his dis-

10:4 The label “the Zealot” either describes Simon’s reli-gious zeal or is a reference to his membership in the partyof the Zealots, a Jewish revolutionary group violently op-posed to Roman rule over the Holy Land. The Zealots

were members of a Jewish patriotic party started during thetime of Quirinius to resist Roman aggression. The Zealotsresorted to violence and assassination in their hatred of the

Romans, their fanatical violence eventually provoking theRoman war.10:5 Samaritans were a mixed-blood race resulting from theintermarriage of Israelites left behind when the people of thenorthern kingdom were exiled and Gentiles brought into theland by the Assyrians (see the note on 2Ki 17:24 – 41). Bitterhostility existed between Jews and Samaritans in Jesus’ day.

Faith Takes Initiative

L IF ECONNECT • MATTHEW 9:20 – 22

What is faith? Is it some divine source of healing or some magical potion

that brings the miraculous? Jesus told a woman who had been suffer-ing for many years that her faith had healed her (see Mt 9:22).

We know that Jesus is the Source of our faith. We cannot have faith in

faith itself; it must be placed in something. There needs to be a source of

our faith.

So what is faith?

Faith is trust, the conviction of things not seen. Faith is living what you’re

going through and experiencing or understanding it in reverse. In each case

here in Matthew chapters 8 – 10, we find that faith is the impetus to move us

to action, the initiative to get us to the Source of healing. It is the incentive to

get us out of a dark place and gets us to the light. It is the basis for action; it

is exerting a greater energy toward what’s best — enough to overcome leth-

argy, doubt, discouragement or any other force that keeps us in the spiritual

doldrums. This is the definition of faith.

Go to page XXXX for the next LifeConnect article.


1 148 | MAT THE W 9 :3

9:4 f Mt 12:25; Lk 6:8;9:47; 11:17

9:8 g Mt 5:16; Ac 4:219:11 h Mt 11:19

9:13 i Hos 6:6; Mt 12:7 j 1Ti 1:15

9:14 k Lk 18:129:15 l Jn 3:29

m Ac 13:2, 39:20 n Mt 14:36

9:22 o Lk 7:50; 17:19;18:42 p Mt 15:289:23 q 2Ch 35:259:24 r Ac 20:10

s Jn 11:11-149:27 t Mt 15:22;

Mk 10:47

on an old garment, for the patch will pull away

from the garment, making the tear worse. 17 Nei-

ther do people pour new wine into old wine-

skins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine

will run out and the wineskins will be ruined.

No, they pour new wine into new wineskins,

and both are preserved.”

Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Healsa Sick Woman

18 While he was say ing this, a synagogue

leader came and knelt before him and said, “My

daughter has just died. But come and put your

hand on her, and she will live.” 19 Jesus got up

and went with him, and so did his disciples.20

Just then a woman who had been sub ject tobleeding for twelve years came up behind him

and touched the edge of his cloak. n 21 She s aid

to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be

healed.”22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart,

daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.”o

And the woman was healed at that moment.p

23 When Je sus en tered the synagogue lead-

er’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people

playing pipes,q 24 he said, “Go away. The girl is

not deadr but asleep.”s But they laughed at him.25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went

in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.26 News of this spread through all that re gion.

Jesus Heals the Blind and the Mute27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men

followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us,

Son of David!” t

28

When he had gone indoors, the blind mencame to him, and he asked them, “Do you be-

lieve that I am able to do this?”

“Yes, Lord,” they replied.29 Then he touched t heir eyes and said, “Ac-

cording to your faith let it be done to you”; 30 and

their sight was restored. Jesus warned them

Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take

heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”3 At this, some of the teachers of the law said

to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”4 Knowing their thoughts, f Jesus said, “Why

do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?5 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiv-

en,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But I want

you to know that the Son of Man has author-

ity on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the

paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go

home.” 7 Then the man got up and went home.8 When the crowd saw this, they were filled with

awe; and they praised God,g who had given such

authority to man.

The Calling of Matthew9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man

named Matthew sitting at the tax col lector’s

booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Mat thew

got up and followed him.10 While Jesus was having dinner at Mat-

thew’s house, many tax collectors and sin-

ners came and ate with him and his dis ciples.11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his

disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax

collectors and sinners?”h

12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the

healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But

go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy,

not sacrifice.’a i For I have not come to call the

righteous, but sinners.” j

Jesus Questioned About Fasting14 Then John’s disciples came and asked him,

“How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often,

k

but your disciples do not fast?”15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the

bridegroom mourn while he is with them? l The

time will come when the bridegroom will be

taken from them; then they will fast.m

16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth

a 13 Hosea 6:6

9:9 Matthew, the son of Alphaeus (Mk 2:14) and a taxcollector, was also called Levi (Mk 2:14; Lk 5:27). Sincedouble names were common among the Jews, there can belittle doubt that Levi and Matthew were one and the sameperson. Levi probably changed his name to Matthew (“giftof Yahweh”) when he became a disciple of Jesus.

As a tax collec tor Matthew was ski lled at writing andkeeping records. Apart from the mention of Matthew inthe lists of the apostles (10:3; Mk 3:18; Ac 1:13), no furthernotices of him are found in the New Testament.9:11 For information on the Pharisees, see the note on 3:7.9:17 In ancient times goatskins were used to hold wine. As

the fresh grape juice fermented, the wine would expand, andthe new wineskin would stretch. But a used skin, alreadystretched, would break.9:20 The hemorrhaging woman was considered rituallyunclean and was excluded from social and religious rela-tions. Jesus’ healing of her removed the public stigma of hercondition and smoothed the way for her reentry into socialand religious life.9:23 Musicians were hired to play in mourning ceremonies.9:25 Touching a corpse rendered a person “unclean” (seeNu 19:14 – 16), but Jesus restored the girl to life, transform-ing uncleanness to purity.



10/26

MATTHEW 1 1 :29 | 1 15 1

11:2 x Mt 14:311:5 y Isa 35:4-6; 61:1;Lk 4:18, 1911:7 z Mt 3:111:9 a Lk 1:7611:10 b Mal 3:1; Mk 1:211:14 c Mal 4:5; Lk 1:1711:15 d Mt 13:9, 4311:19 e Mt 9:1111:21 f Jnh 3:5-911:22 g ver 24; Mt 10:1511:23 h Isa 14:13-1511:24 i Mt 10:1511:27 j Mt 28:18k Jn 3:3511:28 l Jn 7:3711:29 m Jn 13:15;Php 2:5; 1Pe 2:21;1Jn 2:6

17 “ ‘We played the pipe for you,

and you did not dance;

we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’

18 For John c ame neither eating nor drinking,

and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of

Man came eating and drinking, and they say,

‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of taxcollectors and sinners.’e But wisdom is proved

right by her deeds.”

Woe on Unrepentant Towns20 Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in

which most of his miracles had been performed,

because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you,

Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsai-da! For if the miracles that wereperformed in you had been per-

formed in Tyre and Sidon, theywould have repented long ago

in sackcloth and ashes. f 22 But Itell you, it will be more bearable

for Tyre and Sidon on the day of

judgment than for you.g 23 Andyou, Capernaum, will you be

lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down toHades.e h For if the miracles that were performed

in you had been performed in Sodom, it wouldhave remained to this day. 24 But I tell you t hat it

will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of

judgment than for you.”i

The Father Revealed in the Son25 At that ti me Jesus said , “I praise you , Fa-

ther, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have

hidden these things from the wise and learned,and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes, Fa-ther, for this is wh at you were pleased to do.

27 “All things have been committed to me j by

my Father.k No one knows the Son except the

Father, and no one knows the Father ex cept the

Son and those to whom the Son chooses to re-veal him.

28 “Come to me, l all you who are weary and

burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my

yoke upon you and learn from me, m for I am

Jesus and John the Baptist

11 After Jesus had finished instructing histwelve disciples, he went on from there toteach and preach in the towns of Galilee.a

2 When John, who was in prison,x heard about

the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples3 to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, orshould we expect someone else?”

4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John

what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight,the lame walk, those who have leprosyb are

cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised,

and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.y 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on ac-

count of me.”

7 As John’sz disciples wereleaving, Jesus began to speak

to the crowd about John: “What

did you go out into the wilder-

ness to see? A reed swayed by

the wind? 8 If not, wh at did you

go out to see? A man dressed

in fine clothes? No, those who

wear fine clothes are in kings’

palaces. 9 Then what d id you go

out to see? A prophet?a Yes, I tell you, and more

than a prophet. 10 This i s the one about whom

it is written:

“ ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,

who will prepare your way before

you.’c b

11 Truly I tell you, among those born of wom en

there has not risen anyone greater than John

the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom

of heaven is greater than he.12

From the daysof John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of

heaven has been sub jected to violence,d and vi-

olent people have been raiding it. 13 For all the

Prophets and the Law prophesied until John.14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is the

Eli jah who was to come.c 15 Whoever has ears,

let them hear.d

16 “To what ca n I compare this generation?

They are like children sitting in the marketplac-

es and calling out to others:

a 1 Greek in their towns b 5 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.c 10 Mal. 3:1 d 12 Or been forcefully advancing e 23 That is, the realm of the dead

11:16 – 17 The New Testament word for “market” is ag-ora , the civic center where people gathered for recreation(vv. 16 – 17), where the unemployed loafed (20:3,6) and

where the proud paraded (Mk 12:38; Lk 11:43). The agora was both a courtroom (Ac 16:19) and a forum (Ac 17:17).

11:21 Tyre and Sidon were cities on the Phoenician coastnorth of the Holy Land.11:28 T he Pharisees placed burdens on the people by in-sisting on a strict adherence to the law (see 23:4).11:29 – 30 The chief work of a carpenter was making roofs,

Success is failure

turned inside out.

Don’t be afraid

of failure.


1 150 | MAT THE W 10 :8

10:7 d Mt 3:210:10 e 1Ti 5:1810:14 f Ac 13:51

10:15 g Mt 11:22, 2410:16 h Lk 10:3

i Ro 16:1910:17 j Mk 13:910:21 k Mic 7:610:24 l Lk 6:40;Jn 13:16; 15:2010:25 m Mk 3:22

10:26 n Mk 4:22; Lk 8:1710:28 o Heb 10:3110:30 p Lk 21:18;

Ac 27:3410:32 q Ro 10:910:36 r Mic 7:6

10:37 s Lk 14:2610:39 t Jn 12:2510:40 u Gal 4:14

v Lk 9:48; Jn 12:4410:42 w Mt 25:40;

Heb 6:10

26 “So do not be afra id of them, for the re is

nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or

hidden that will not be made known.n 27 What I

tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is

whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.28 Do not be afraid of those who ki ll the body

but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the

Oneo who can destroy both soul and body in hell.29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not

one of them will fall to the ground out side your

Father’s care.b 30 And even the very ha irs of your

head are all numbered.p 31 So don’t be afraid; you

are worth more than many sparrows.32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others,q

I will also acknowledge before my Father in

heaven.33

But whoever disowns me before oth-ers, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring

peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace,

but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn

“ ‘a man against his father,

a daughter against her mother,

a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-

law —36 a man’s enemies will be the members of

his own household.’c r

37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother

more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who

loves their son or daughter more than me is not

worthy of me.s 38 Whoever does not take up their

cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Who-

ever finds their life will lose it, and whoever los-

es their life for my sake will find it. t

40 “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me,u

and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the onewho sent me.v 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as

a prophet will receive a prophet’s re ward, and

whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righ-

teous person will receive a righteous person’s

reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold

water to one of these little ones who is my dis-

ciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly

not lose their reward.”w

proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heav-

end has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise t he

dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,a drive out

demons. Freely you have received; freely give.9 “Do not get any gold or silver or copper to

take with you in your belts — 10 no bag for the

journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for

the worker is worth his keep.e 11 Whatever town

or village you enter, search there for some wor-

thy person and stay at their house un til you

leave. 12 As you enter the home, give it your

greeting. 13 If the home is de serving, let your

peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace re turn

to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or lis-

ten to your words, leave that home or town and

shake the dust off your feet.f

15

Truly I tell you,it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomor-

rah on the day of judgment than for that town. g

16 “I am sending you out like sheep among

wolves.h Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and

as innocent as doves. i 17 Be on your guard; you

will be handed over to the local councils and

be flogged in the synagogues. j 18 On my account

you will be brought before governors and kings

as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But

when they arrest you, do not worry about what to

say or how to say it. At that time you will be given

what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but

the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a

father his child; children will rebel against their

parentsk and have them put to death. 22 You w ill

be hated by everyone because of me, but the

one who stands firm to the end will be saved.23 When you a re persecuted in one place, flee to

another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish go-ing through the towns of Israel before the Son

of Man comes.24 “The student is not above the teacher, nor a

servant above his master.l 25 It is enough for stu-

dents to be like their teachers, and servants like

their masters. If the head of the house has been

called Beelzebul,m how much more the mem-

bers of his household!

a 8 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin. b 29 Or will ; orknowledge c 36 Micah 7:6

10:12 The Jewish greeting was shalom, meaning “peace.”10:14 Shaking the dust off one’s feet was a symbolic actpracticed by the Pharisees when they left a ceremoniallyunclean Gentile area. Here it represented an act of solemn

warning to those who rejected God’s message.10:17 “Local councils” refers to the lower courts, connect-ed with local synagogues. They tried less serious cases andflogged those found guilty.

10:25 Bee lzebul is the Greek form of the Hebrew nameBaal-Zebub. It is widely thought to mean “lord of the flies”and to be a parody on and mockery of Baal-Zebul, an an-cient name of the god Baal that meant “Prince Baal.”10:40 – 42 During times of persecution, hospitality wasespecially important and could entail danger for the host(s).



11/26


12/26

HOW WILL I BE DIFFERENT TODAY BECAUSE OF WHAT I HAVE JUST READ?

DATE TITLE PAGE

MATTHEW | 1 155


1 154 | MAT THE W

Soil, Seed and Sower

SScripture

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some

fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places

. . . Other seed fell among thorns . . . Still other seed fell on good soil” (Matthew

13:3 – 8).

OObservation

Although this is often known as the parable of the sower and the seed, it

can also be said this is a parable about the soil. All four types of soil are essen-

tially the same dirt but are in different conditions and respond in different ways

to cultivation.

What made one soil more responsive and the other less?

When the New Testament was written, communities were agriculturally based. A family would be appointed a section of land to farm. Every farmer’s plot was

adjacent to their neighbor’s. In order to get to the fields, the farmers would walk

along the boundaries bordering each field to avoid stepping on the growing

plants. The “path” was held in common by all the farmers. Over time, the soil on

the path would compact. It was never plowed and never fertilized. In the parable,

the seed that is sown on the path is not able to penetrate the ground because of

the constant use. The condition of the first soil is hard and impermeable.

The second type of soil mentioned in the parable is the “rocky places” or the

shallow soil where the plow didn’t cut deeply enough to break up the shale or

hard ground just below the surface. This soil produced only plants with weak,

shallow roots.

The third type of soil mentioned is the thorny soil, most likely found in the

corners of the field where the plow couldn’t reach; here, weeds overtook what

was planted.

All the types of soils mentioned here are actually in the same plot of ground

with one major difference: Only one area was fully yielded to cultivation, to being

changed and prepared for planting. That area was called the good soil.

The greatest amount of fruit produced was not determined by how rich the soil

was, but how yielded to the plow it was. The soil in each condition received seed,

but not all produced quality fruit.

Everyone receives seed, the Word of God. Everyone has potential for the har-

vest, living a fruitful life, but the ones who will produce the most fruit will be the

ones most yielded to cultivation.

A Application

How I apply this passage is by asking questions: Can I be “cultivated” in

my life? How correctable am I? How quickly do I repent? Can I self-correct? The

greater my yielding to God’s cultivation will define the capacity of my fruitfulness

in life.

PPrayer

Father, create in me a soft heart, an open heart that is readily yielded to

your Word and your commands. Make me fruitful, I pray. Amen.

STUDY

S

O

A

P

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MATTHEW 14 :9 | 1 157

13:38 b Jn 8:44, 4513:39 c Mt 24:313:42 d ver 50; Mt 8:1213:43 e Da 12:313:44 f Isa 55:1;Php 3:7, 813:47 g Mt 22:1013:49 h Mt 25:3213:53 i Mt 7:2813:54 j Mt 4:23 k Mt 7:2813:55 l Jn 6:42m Mt 12:4613:57 n Jn 4:4414:1 o Mk 8:15; Ac 4:27p Lk 9:7-914:3 q Lk 3:19, 2014:4 r Lev 18:16; 20:21

“Yes,” they replied.52 He said to them, “Therefore every teach-

er of the law who has become a disciple in the

kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house

who brings out of his storeroom new treasures

as well as old.”

A Prophet Without Honor53 When Jesus had finished these parables,i he

moved on from there. 54 Coming to his home-

town, he began teaching the people in their syn-

agogue, j and they were amazed. k “Where did

this man get this wisdom and these miraculous

powers?” they asked. 55 “Isn’t this the carpenter’s

son?l Isn’t his mother’sm name Mary, and a ren’t

his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?56 Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did

this man get all these things?” 57 And they took

offense at him.

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not with-

out honor except in his own town and in his own

home.”n

58 And he did not do many miracles there be-

cause of their lack of faith.

John the Baptist Beheaded

14 At that time Herodo the tetrarch heard

the reports about Jesus,p 2 and he said to

his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has

risen from the dead! That is why miraculous

powers are at work in him.”3 Now Herod had arrested John and bound

him and put him in prison because of Herodi-

as, his brother Philip’s wife,q 4 for John had been

saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have

her.”r

5

Herod wanted to kill John, but he wasafraid of the people, because they considered

John a prophet.6 On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Hero-

dias danced for the guests and pleased Her od

so much 7 that he promised with an oath to give

her whatever she asked. 8 Prompted by her moth-

er, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head

of John the Baptist.” 9 The king was distressed,

but because of his oaths and his dinner guests,

The Parable of the Weeds Explained36 Then he lef t the crowd a nd went into t he

house. His disciples came to him and said, “Ex-

plain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good

seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world,

and the good seed stands for the people of the

kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil

one,b 39 and the enemy who sows them is the

devil. The harvest is the end of the age, c and the

harvesters are angels.40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in

the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The

Son of Man will send out his an gels, and they

will weed out of his kingdom everything that

causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throwthem into the blazing furnace, where there will

be weeping and gnashing of teeth.d 43 Then the

righteous will shine like the sun e in the kingdom

of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

The Parables of the Hidden Treasureand the Pearl

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure

hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid

it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he

had and bought that field. f

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a

merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he

found one of great value, he went away and sold

everything he had and bought it.

The Parable of the Net47 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like

a net that was let down into the lake and caught

all kindsg

of fish.48

When it was fu ll, the fish-ermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat

down and collected the good fish in baskets, but

threw the bad away. 49 This i s how it wil l be at

the end of the age. The angels will come and

separate the wicked from the righteoush 50 and

throw them into the blazing furnace, where

there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.51 “Have you understood all these things?”

Jesus asked.

13:44 People in ancient times commonly hid valuablesin fields (e.g., when a marauding army approached), sincethere were no banks. These treasures might go hidden andunclaimed for generations.13:55 For “carpenter’s son,” see the note on Mk 6:3. Ap-parently Joseph was not living at the time of this incident.14:1 A tetrarch was the ruler of a fourth part of a region.“Herod the tetrarch” (Herod Antipas) was one of severalsons of Herod the Great. When Herod the Great died, his

kingdom was divided among three of his sons. Herod Anti-pas ruled over Galilee and Perea (4 BC – AD 39).14:3 Herodias was a granddaughter of Herod the Great.Herod Antipas persuaded Herodias to leave her husband(his half brother, Phillip I) for him. When Herod Antipasmarried Herodias, John the Baptist publicly condemnedhim for marrying his half brother’s wife. Such a marriage

would have been considered an incestuous affront to God’slaw (Lev 18:16; 20:21).


1 156 | MAT THE W 13 : 1 3

13:12 p Mt 25:29;Lk 19:26

13:15 q Isa 6:9, 10;Jn 12:40; Ac 28:26, 27

13:16 r Mt 16:1713:17 s Heb 11:13;

1Pe 1:10-1213:19 t Mt 4:2313:21 u Mt 11:6

13:22 v Mt 19:23;1Ti 6:9, 10, 17

13:30 w Mt 3:1213:32 x Ps 104:12;Eze 17:23; Da 4:12

13:33 y Ge 18:613:34 z Mk 4:33

13:35 a Ps 78:2; 1Co 2:7

ing a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was

sown.”

The Parable of the Weeds

24 Jesus told them another parable: “The king-

dom of heaven is like a man who sowed good

seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleep-

ing, his enemy came and sowed weeds among

the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat

sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also

appeared.27 “The owner’s servants came to him and

said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field?

Where then did the weeds come from?’28 “ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us togo and pull them up?’

29 “ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are

pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat

with them. 30 Let both grow together until the

harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters:

First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles

to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it

into my barn.’ ”w

The Parables of the Mustard Seed

and the Yeast

31 He told them another parable: “The king-

dom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a

man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it

is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows,

it is the largest of garden plants and becomes

a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its

branches.”x

33 He told them sti ll another parable: “The

kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a womantook and mixed into about sixty poundsb of

flour y until it worked all through the dough.”34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in

parables; he did not say anything to them with-

out using a parable.z 35 So was fulfilled what was

spoken through the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables,

I will utter things hidden since the

creation of the world.”c a

Whoever does not have, even what they have

will be taken from them.p 13 This is why I speak

to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see;

though hearing, they do not hear or

understand.

14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

“ ‘You will be ever hearing but never

understanding;

you will be ever seeing but never

perceiving.

15 For this people’s heart has become

calloused;

they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their

eyes,

hear with their ears,

understand with their hearts

and turn, and I would heal them.’a q

16 But blessed are your eyes because they see,

and your ears because they hear. r 17 For truly I

tell you, many prophets and righteous people

longed to see what you sees but did not see it,

and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sow-

er means: 19 When anyone hears the message

about the kingdomt and does not un derstand it,

the evil one comes and snatches away what was

sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along

the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground re-

fers to someone who hears the word and at once

receives it with joy.21

But since they have noroot, they last only a short time. When trou ble

or persecution comes because of the word, they

quickly fall away.u 22 The seed falling among the

thorns refers to someone who hears the word,

but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness

of wealthv choke the word, making it unfruit-

ful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to

someone who hears the word and understands

it. This is the one who produces a crop, yield-

a 15 Isaiah 6:9,10 (see Septuagint) b 33 Or about 27 kilograms c 35 Psalm 78:2

13:26 Zizanion, a kind of weed, has poisonous seeds butlooks like wheat in the early stages of growth. Yet they areeasily distinguishable at harvest.13:31 – 32 The mustard seed is not the smallest seed knowntoday, but it was the smallest used by farmers and gardenersin the Holy Land at that time. Under favorable conditions,the mature plant could reach about 10 feet (3 m) in height.

Using the mustard seed as a metaphor for the kingdom nodoubt shocked Jesus’ audience, who expected God’s king-dom to be great and expansive.13:33 Scripture almost always uses yeast as a negative image(see also the note on Mk 8:15). But Jesus cited it to sym-bolize the positive, hidden permeation and growth of thekingdom of heaven within an unsuspecting world.



14/26

MATTHEW 15 :22 | 1 159

14:26 v Lk 24:3714:27 w Mt 9:2 x Mt 17:7;28:10; Rev 1:1714:31 y Mt 6:3014:33 z Ps 2:714:36 a Mt 9:2015:2 b Lk 11:3815:4 c Ex 20:12; Dt 5:16d Lev 20:915:9 e Col 2:20-22f Isa 29:1315:11 g Ac 10:14, 1515:13 h Isa 60:2115:14 i Mt 23:16, 24

j Lk 6:3915:15 k Mt 13:3615:16 l Mt 16:915:18 m Mt 12:34;Jas 3:615:19 n Gal 5:19-21

4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’a c

and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother

is to be put to death.’b d 5 But you say t hat if a ny-

one declares that what might have been used to

help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’6 they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’

with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the

sake of your tradition. 7 You hy pocrites! Isaiah

was right when he prophesied about you:

8 “ ‘These people honor me wit h their lips,

but their hearts are far from me.

9 They worship me in vain;

their teachings are merely human

rules.e’c f”

10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said,“Listen and understand. 11 What goes into some-

one’s mouth does not defile them,g but what

comes out of their mouth, that is what de files

them.”12 Then the disciples came to him and asked,

“Do you know that the Pharisees were offended

when they heard this?”13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly

Father has not plantedh will be pulled up by the

roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides.d i If

the blind lead the blind, both wil l fall into a pit.” j

15 Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”k

16 “Are you still so dull?” l Jesus asked them.17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth

goes into the stomach and then out of the

body? 18 But the th ings that come out of a per-

son’s mouth come from the heart, m and these

defile them. 19 For out of the heart come e vil

thoughts — murder, adultery, sexual immoral-

ity, theft, false testimony, slander.n 20 These arewhat defile a person; but eating with unwashed

hands does not defile them.”

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the

region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman

er side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After

he had dismissed them, he went up on a moun-

tainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he

was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a

considerable distance from land, buffeted by the

waves because the wind was against it.25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them,

walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw

him walking on the lake, they were terrified.

“It’s a ghost,”v they said, and cried out in fear.27 But Jesus i mmediately said to them: “Take

courage!w It is I. Don’t be afraid.” x

28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to

come to you on the water.”29 “Come,” he said .

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walkedon the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when

he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning

to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand

and caught him. “You of little faith,”y he said,

“why did you doubt?”32 And when they cli mbed into the boat, t he

wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the

boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the

Son of God.”z

34 When they had crossed over, they land-

ed at Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that

place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the

surrounding country. People brought all their

sick to him 36 and begged him to let the sick

just touch t he e dge of his cloak, a and all who

touched it were healed.

That Which Defiles

15 Then some Pharisees and teachers of thelaw came to Jesus from Jerusalem andasked, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradi-

tion of the elders? They don’t wash their hands

before they eat!”b

3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the

command of God for the sake of your tradition?

a 4 Exodus 20:12; Deut. 5:16 b 4 Ex odus 21:17; Lev. 20:9 c 9 Isaiah 29:13 d 14 Some manuscripts blind guides ofthe blind

14:25 The phrase “shortly before dawn” indicates a timeroughly 3:00 – 6:00 a.m. According to Roman reckoning,the night was divided into f our watches: (1) 6:00 – 9:00p.m., (2) 9:00 p.m. – midnight, (3) midnight – 3:00 a.m.and (4) 3:00 – 6:00 a.m. The Jews had only three watch-es during the night: (1) s unset – 10:00 p.m., (2) 10: 00p.m. – 2:00 a.m. and (3) 2:00 a.m. – sunrise.15:2 After the Babylonian exile, the Jewish rabbis began tomake meticulous rules and regulations governing the dailylife of the people. These were interpretations and applica-

tions of the Law of Moses, handed down from generationto generation. In Jesus’ day this “tradition of the elders” wasin oral form. It was not until about AD 200 that it was putinto writing in the Mishnah.15:21 Tyre was a Gentile city located in Phoenicia (modernLebanon), which bordered Galilee to the northwest. Sidon

was about 25 miles (40 km) north of Tyre.15:22 In New Testament times there was no countryknown as Canaan. Some think that this was the Semiticmanner of referring to the people of Phoenicia at this time.


1 158 | MAT THE W 14 : 1 0

14:14 s Mt 9:3614:17 t Mt 16:9

14:19 u 1Sa 9:13;Lk 24:30

16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away.

You give them something to eat.”17 “We have here on ly five loaves t of bread and

two fish,” they answered.18 “Bring th em here to me,” he sa id. 19 And

he directed the people to sit down on the grass.

Taking the five loaves and the two fi sh and look-

ing up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the

loaves.u Then he gave them to the disciples, and

the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all

ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked

up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were

left over. 21 The number of those who ate was

about five thousand men, besides women and

children.

Jesus Walks on the Water22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get

into the boat and go on ahead of him to the oth-

he ordered that her request be granted 10 and

had John beheaded in the prison. 11 His head was

brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who

carried it to her mother. 12 John’s disciples came

and took his body and buried it. Then they went

and told Jesus.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand13 When Jesus heard what had hap pened, he

withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.

Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot

from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a

large crowd, he had compassion on thems and

healed their sick.15 As evening approached, the disciples came

to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s

already getting late. Send the crowds away, so

they can go to the villages and buy themselves

some food.”

14:21 All four Gospels record this miracle, but only Mat-thew noted that the number 5,000 resulted from a tally ofmen only. Jews did not permit women and children to eat

with men in public, so th ey were no do ubt fed in a sepa-

rate area. The total number of people may have stretched to10,000 or more. The remote region offered no fo od for thepeople, but neither would such abundant staples likely havebeen on hand in the nearby villages.

Miracles Become Scarce

L IF ECONNECT • MATTHEW 13:53 – 58

The people from Jesus’ hometown thought they knew him. He was acarpenter. He was Mary’s son. What they thought they knew blindedthem to who he really was. They were offended by his claims. So he moved

on — and went to those who would receive him.

God’s truth offends a lot of people. Take the case of the Pharisees of Mat-thew 15. Jesus was teaching from Isaiah about how some would honor him

with their lips, but that their hearts were far from him — “They worship me in

vain; their teachings are merely human rules” (Mt 15:9). The Pharisees were

offended by Jesus’ harsh words.

When Jesus was in Nazareth, he could do no miracles among the people

because they did not believe he was who he was. When we are offended

by who Jesus is or what Jesus requires of us, he cannot work with us. Our

unbelief puts distance between him and us. We disqualify ourselves from the

miracles he wants to work every day in us and for us.

Jesus was amazed at the unbelief of his former neighbors (see Mk 6:6).

I never want God to wonder at my unbelief. Instead, I want him to wonder

at my faith! And I certainly don’t want God’s miracles to become scarce in

my life.

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15/26

MATTHEW 17 : 17 | 1 16 1

16:14 f Mt 14:2g Mk 6:15; Jn 1:2116:16 h Jn 11:2716:17 i 1Co 15:50;G

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