Matthew

General notes

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus states how he fulfills the Law and the Prophets and then gives illustrations of it.

Chapter 1

• Genealogy of Christ
• Birth of Christ

Chapter 2

• The Magi
• Flight to Egypt
• Return from Egypt

Chapter 3

• Introduction to John the Baptizer
• Baptism of Jesus

Chapter 4

• Temptation of Jesus in the Wilderness
  • stones to bread
  • high point of temple
  • high mountain
• Jesus returns to Galilee and calls disciples

Chapter 5

• The Sermon on the Mount
  • Beatitudes “Blessed/happy” connects with Ps 1
  • Salt and Light
  • Jesus fulfills the Law and Prophets
    • Jesus the Lawgiver:
      • Murder
      • Adultery & Divorce
      • Oaths
      • Retaliation
      • Love

Chapter 6

• The Sermon on the mount con’t
  • Jesus fulfills the Law and Prophets con’t
    • Jesus the prophet:
      • False (outward) religion
      • False prayer
      • True Prayer
        • Our Father
      • True Forgiveness
      • False Fasting
      • False and True Treasure
      • False and true Service
      • God provides your needs

Chapter 7

• The sermon on the mount con’t
  • Jesus fulfills the Law and Prophets con’t
    • Jesus the Prophet con’t
      • Do not judge (or rather judge yourself)
      • Seeking the Kingdom, God’s provision
      • False prophets are known by their fruit
      • Judgment day
  • Conclusion to the sermon: Two foundations (connect with 2nd temple Judaism/Didache way of life and death) House of Rock and Sand
  • The crowd reacts to the sermon

Chapter 8

• Jesus heals a leper
• Jesus heals a centurion’s servant
• Jesus heals many people
• Jesus tells potential followers to follow him regardless of loss of home, and let the dead bury their own dead
• Jesus calms the storm
• Jesus casts demons into pigs

Chapter 9

• Jesus heals the paralytic
• Jesus calls Matthew
• St John the Baptizer, fasting, and the Bridegroom
• The ruler’s daughter and the woman with the issue of blood.
• Healing of blind men
• Jesus casts out demons and heals those in the area.
  • The harvest is great, but the workers are few.

Chapter 10

• The Twelve given a mission to drive out spirits and heal disease.
• Persecution will come
• But fear God
• Great are the rewards in heaven for those who confess receive Christ, even if one’s family persecutes them.
• We receive Christ when we offer cold water in his name.

Chapter 11

• Questions from John the Baptist
• Jesus appraises John
• Jesus condemns Bethsaida and Capernaum
• Jesus prays to the Father, my yoke is easy

Chapter 12

• Plucking grain on the Sabbath
• Healing a withered hand on the Sabbath
• Healing the crowds
• Casting out demons, the Pharisees claim Jesus is doing it by the power of demons
• Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit
• Good and bad trees and fruit
• the sign of Jonah
• Jesus’ mother and brothers: those who do the will of his father.

Chapter 13

• Parable of the Soil and its interpretation
  • Parables not meant to be understood by those outside the Kingdom
• Parable of the weeds/tares
• Parables of small things, mustard seed, yeast
• Explanation of weeds
• Parables of treasure and pearl
• Parable of net
• Jesus rejected in home town.

Chapter 14

• Death of John the Baptist
  • Herod’s dinner party
• Feeding the 5,000. (A contrast between Herod and Jesus? Mark 6 and Luke 9 also juxtapose John’s death and Jesus feeding the 5,000)
• Jesus walks on water

Chapter 15

• Pharisees breaking the law with their traditions
• The Canaanite woman
• Jesus heals many
• The feeding of the 4,000

Chapter 16

• The Pharisees and Sadducees ask for a sign.
  • Jesus tells them they can read the weather but not the times
  • Jesus gives the sign of Jonah
• Jesus warns against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
• Peter declares the Son of Man to be the Christ
  • This is a revelation given by God, and the Church is built upon it.
• Jesus predicts his death and resurrection, rebukes Peter
• Discourse on the Cross

Chapter 17

• The Transfiguration
• Healing of demon-possessed boy
• Jesus again predicts his death and resurrection
• Jesus pays the Temple tax from a coin found in a fish’s mouth.

Chapter 18

• The Greatest in the Kingdom, Children
• Parable of the lost sheep
• Reconciliation
• Parable of the unforgiving servant

Chapter 19

• Jesus teaches about divorce
• Jesus calls children to him
• The rich man and eternal life
  • teaching on possessions
  • Son of man cf Daniel

Chapter 20

• The parable of the vineyard (11th hour)
  • “Friend I did you no wrong. Are you resentful because I am generous.” This is a hard saying, and should deflate our pride.
• Jesus again predicts death and resurrection.
• James and John’s mother requests them to sit at right and left.
  • “Can you drink of the cup I’m to drink from?”
• Jesus came to serve, not to be served.
• Healing of two blind men near Jericho

Chapter 21

• Triumphal Entry
• Cleansing the Temple (CEB: Hideout for Crooks for Den of Thieves, interesting choice)
  • Quotes Psalm 8.3 from LXX
• Cursing of Fig tree
• Jesus’ and John the Baptizer’s authority
• Parable of sons working in vineyard
  • The ‘righteous’ said they followed the Torah but didn’t, whereas tax collectors and prostitutes turned from their ways.
  • Connected with next parable, the Gospel goes out to the Gentiles
• Parable of tenant farmers
  • notice both take place in vineyards
  • reaction of the Pharisees that Jesus was speaking of them

Chapter 22

• The Parable of the wedding party and the new guests
• Taxes and Caesar
• Marriage in the Resurrection (Tobit reference?)
  • God is god of the living, the departed saints are alive in him.
• The greatest commandment
• Psalm 110/109 David’s son and Lord

Chapter 23

• Do what the Pharisees say, not what they do
  • They sit on Moses’ seat
• But don’t live religion for show
• Jesus condemns the Pharisees
• Discussion of swearing oaths
  • Interesting in Christianity it is the Gift that is more holy than the altar now
• The Pharisees testify they are the sons (in the likeness of) those who murdered the prophets
• Jesus mourns over Jerusalem

Chapter 24

• The Destruction of the Temple
• Beginning of tribulation
• Desolation described by Daniel
• The Son of Man coming on the clouds
• The time is not given
• The Judgment

Chapter 25

• The Wise and Foolish Virgins with lamps
• The parable of the Talents
• Judgment of the world, sheep and goats
  • Whatsoever you do to one of the least of these, you do to me

Chapter 26

• Jesus predicts his death
• A woman anoints Jesus with perfume
• Judas plots to betray Jesus
• The Mystical Supper
• Peter’s denial foretold
• Jesus prays at the Mount of Olives
• Judas betrays Jesus and he is arrested; the disciples flee
• Jesus before the council.
• Peter denies Jesus

Chapter 27

• Jesus goes before Pilate
• Judas suffers regret, but not godly sorrow 2 Corinthians 7.10 and so destroys himself and does not repent.
  • 30 pieces of silver, the price of a slave
• The priest continue to follow the minutiae of the Torah, but neglect the weightier matters (like betrayal)

Chapter 27

• Jesus goes before Pilate
• Judas suffers regret, but not godly sorrow 2 Corinthians 7.10#chapter-7 and so destroys himself and does not repent.
  • 30 pieces of silver, the price of a slave
• The priest continue to follow the minutae of the Torah, but neglect the weightier matters (like betrayal). 23.23
• Pilate can find no wrong in Jesus, and is warned by his wife in a dream
  • importance of omens in Roman world
• ‘Let his blood be on us and our children’ unintentionally ironic, as it is clensing blood.
• Jesus humiliated with ‘false purple’ and exclaimed King of the Jews by the Romans
• Death by crucifixion regarded as a curse, both by leaders and the condemned criminals
• v 47 the misunderstanding of the cry Eli for Elijah indicates prayers to the saints were common (enough) at the time
• Matthew’s description of the dead rising and the temple veil being torn indicate this is the Day of the Lord.
• The centurion believes
• The women revealed to have followed Jesus from Galilee
• Jesus buried in the tomb of a rich man.
• Pilate gives a guard. The Pharisees remember Jesus says he’ll rise, but the disciples don’t remember.

Chapter 28

• An angel announces the Resurrection. (oddly this Resurrection account is not in the Orthros cycle)
• The guards are bribed to lie about what happened.
• orthros Orthros Gospel 1: 16–20. The Great Commission
  • Note the ascension does not mean Jesus left us but is with us. “Christ is in our midst!” “He is and ever shall be!”