Matthew 1-7
Different Gospel themes:
ü Matthew is the Gospel for the Jews, the Gospel of the past, the Gospel which represents Christ as the Messiah of the Jew.
ü Mark is the Gospel for the Romans, the Gospel which represents Christ as the Son of God and Lord of the world.
ü Luke is the Gospel for the Greeks, the Gospel of Jesus as the Good Physician and the Savior of Mankind.
ü John is preeminently the Gospel for the church, the Gospel of Christ as the Eternal Son, and the Incarnate Word.
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Matthew 1:1-17: The Genealogy of Jesus
Ø What is the purpose of Matthew giving such a detailed genealogy for Jesus?
Ø What members of Jesus’ family do you find interesting? List them and tell why they interested you.1
Ø Is this a maternal or paternal genealogy? Does it make any difference?
Ø Herod the Great died in 4 BC which indicates that Jesus was born between 6 and 5 BC.
Matthew 1:18-2:23: The Birth of Jesus
Ø What does it mean “to be pledged to be married”? Is there any counterpart today?
Ø Why did Joseph agree to marry Mary? What does this show about Joseph’s character?
Ø What O.T. Scripture did the angel give to Joseph confirming the virgin birth? What does this tell us about the proper interpretation of that passage?
Ø Why was Herod concerned about the Magi’s report? How long after the birth of Jesus di the Magi appear? How many Magi were there?
Ø How did they know that the Christ was to be born in Bethlehem?
Ø Did the Magi find Jesus in the manger? Where did they find Him?
Ø Why did Joseph take Mary and Jesus to Egypt? When did they return home? Why?
Matthew 3: John the Baptizer
Ø How does Matthew describe John the Baptist? Does this mean he was Elijah?
Ø Was John’s baptism of repentance the same water baptism we practice today? Explain.
Ø Why did Jesus have to be baptized?
Ø Was the Trinity present at the baptism of Jesus? Explain.
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“There are many interesting features in this register. For example, in this paragraph, four women are mentioned: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba (her who had been the wife of Uriah). Since women are seldom mentioned in eastern genealogical tables, the inclusion of these women is all the more astonishing in that two of them were harlots (Tamar and Rahab), one had committed adultery (Bathsheba), and two were Gentiles (Rahab and Ruth). Their inclusion in Matthew’s introduction is perhaps a subtle suggestion that the coming of Christ would bring salvation to sinners, grace to Gentiles, and that in Him, barriers of race and sex would be torn down.” [1]
Matthew 4: The Temptation of Jesus
Ø Who led Jesus into the desert to be tempted? What can we learn from this?
Ø Did Satan try to tempt Jesus immediately? Why did he wait? Application?
Ø How did Jesus repel the darts of Satan? Application for us?
Ø Did the earthly ministry of Jesus begin before or after His temptation? Application?
Ø What did Jesus mean when He preached that the kingdom of heaven was near?
Matthew 5-7: The Beatitudes
Ø What are the Beatitudes?
Ø To whom were these teachings directed? Application?
Ø The term translated “blessed” speaks of a state of prosperity or happiness. Why are all of the examples Jesus cited the exact opposites of what the world sees as happiness? Application?
Ø Why does Jesus refer to His disciples as “salt” and “light”?
Ø What does it mean that Jesus “came to fulfill the Law”? Notice how He amplifies the common understanding of the Law. What is His point in this? Application?
Ø Chapter 6 gives insight into what true worship is. How did Jesus define true worship according to this chapter?
Ø Chapter 7 gives insight into what true living is? How did Jesus define true living according to this chapter?
Ø Are these teachings still applicable for us today?
[1]MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments (Mt 1:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
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