The Good News is for Everyone
EasyEnglish Study Units (Level B) on the Gospel (Good News) of Matthew
Stephen Dray
translation into EasyEnglish by Mary Read
(Based on the Crossway Bible Guide, used by permission of Crossway Books, Leicester, LE1 7GP, England.)
A word list at the end explains words with a *star by them.
WYCLIFFE ASSOCIATES (UK)
EasyEnglish Ó TRANSLATION (Level B)...................................................................................... Mary Read
LINGUISTIC CHECKER.............................................................................................................. Sue Hunter
MATTHEW
Crossway Bible Guide
BY
Stephen Dray
(Used By Permission of Crossway Books
Leicester LE1 7GP, England.)
A Study of the Gospel (Good News) of Matthew
For personal study,
and for study by a group.
By Stephen Dray
How to use this Bible guide
The structure of this Bible guide
Introduction to Matthew
A Study of each chapter of the book
(Note: Each Section
will be in a box, so that you can easily find a particular passage.
It will look like this: Matthew 1:1–17 .)
There is a Word List at the end of this book.
This gives the meanings of difficult words.
These words have a star like *this in front of them in the text.
There may be other words that you do not understand.
If so, please tell us.
*OT means Old Testament. It is the first part of our Bible.
*NT means New Testament. It is the second part of our Bible.
In the Bible, verses are the divisions of a chapter.
This Guide is for personal Bible study. The studies are short. This makes them ideal for daily use. You may prefer a longer time of study. If so, you could use groups of 3 to 5 studies. This would give you a better idea about a longer Bible passage. You may not want to use them all. If so, you can choose from the ‘4 other ways’ at the end of this book. Regular study is vital, whatever method you choose.
This Guide is for the leaders and members of small groups.
This guide is for teachers of the Bible too. It gives ideas for talks. Its advice will help in preparation too. The teacher can use it for adults and children.
· Read the text several times. If it is possible, use more than one translation.
· Think about what you have read.
· Write down your own thoughts about the passage.
· Look at any other notes that are available to you.
· Use the notes in this book. Read all the Bible references too.
· Answer the questions that are at the end of each section. They have a purpose. It is to help you to use the passage in your own situation.
· End with prayer. This is a good habit. Pray about the things that you have learned.
Note: This kind of study may be too hard for you. Or, you may only have a short time to spare. Here is an idea for you too. Read the Bible passage. Read the notes in the Bible Guide. Think about one of the questions. Then, pray about what you have learned. This method would take about 15 minutes.
You may not have led a group before. But you may know of somebody who has. If so, you should ask for advice. There are books about the subject too. You may not have any other help available to you. But do not worry. Just ask for the help of God’s Holy Spirit.
This Guide explains the book of Matthew. It should help members of a group to benefit from their studies. It is not ideal to divide God’s Word into small parts. The authors did not intend this to happen. But it can be hard to benefit from long passages. So, this Guide uses smaller sections.
You may have a series of meetings to lead. You may decide to give the members just an impression of Matthew. If so, you should select studies. They must be suitable for each meeting. First, read and study them yourself. Then prepare a brief statement of the studies. Give a copy to each member, if you can.
Do not try to do more than one study in a meeting. Choose the most important study. Choose the one that makes the message clearest.
You may not intend to study the whole book. If so, choose a series of studies that will suit the number of meetings. It is better to use studies that follow each other. Then you will understand the whole section. You could do something else. Choose one of the ‘4 other ways to study Matthew’. You will find them at the end of this book.
If you wait until you are the perfect leader, you will never start. The vital parts of preparation are:
► Pray. This is not just in words. It is an attitude too. You are putting your trust in God. ‘*Lord, I cannot manage to lead this meeting by myself.’
► Know the passage that you are going to study. This means that you must read the text carefully. Read it several times, so that you are familiar with it. Then, read this Bible Guide study. If any other books are available to you, read them too.
► Have a clear idea of your aim for the meeting. Make notes on how you will start the meeting. Perhaps you could repeat the lessons of the previous time. Suggest your ideas for the present study. But, never force the group to give the answers that you want. Listen to their ideas.
Pray about the meeting.
Decide what you want to achieve in the meeting.
Prepare the information.
Be sure about the questions to use. They should encourage good group discussion.
Encourage silent members. (You must do this in a gentle way.)
Stop other members from talking too much. (Again, you must do this in a gentle way.)
You will not know all the answers. Do not pretend that you know everything.
Listen to the members of the group. And value what they say.
Some people think that they are always right. You may tend to be like this. But it is not good. Here is something to remind you. Say to yourself: ‘I will not force my ideas on the group.’
Have several ideas for prayer. (They must be of common interest to the group.)
You should study the Bible so that you can use it in your daily lives. (You should not just make it agree with your own ideas.)
Find means for action and change in your lives. (You are not just having a nice talk.)
You should all enjoy the experience together.
· The *OT tells us about many hopes. It describes many things that people could expect. And Jesus is the answer to them all.
· Jesus is the *Messiah. He is God who became man. He shows this by the authority of his teaching. He shows it by the nature of his *miracles too.
· The stories about Jesus are facts of history. Matthew was recording the truth.
· Jesus teaches about various subjects. There is the *Kingdom of God. He tells what Christians should be like too. Also, there are specific matters. There is the matter of divorce. There is the subject of remarriage too.
· Jesus is the hope of the world. Matthew shows how the Good News is for everyone.
This guide has separate sections. They should make things easier to understand.
First section
This is the main section. It gives the meaning of the passage.
Every study has this section at the beginning. It describes the passage in the fewest possible words.
The second main section is:
Questions
Every passage has special questions. They are for personal study and for study by a group. They come after the main section. Some questions are for each person. Some of the questions can be helpful for the whole group. It could be a group in your church or in a home. Other questions affect us as members of God’s people all over the world. There are three main purposes for the questions. They are:
► to help people to think about the passage.
► to show them how to use the text in ‘real life’ situations.
► to encourage them to think, discuss and act!
As leader of a group, you may think of other questions. These may be better for your group. So, note them in your time of preparation.
More explanation
Some passages need more explanation. This section will help you to understand them. It gives extra information. This explains the facts in the passage. Here is one example in Matthew. We read about the *Pharisees. We can learn more about them. Then we will understand their reactions to Jesus. It is a technical section.
Important truths
This section gives more details. Not every passage has it. It is for passages that have important subjects. Or they may have important teaching. These truths need more study. There is a reason for this. It will help us to become mature Christians. This is a technical section too.
We cannot be sure who wrote the book. There is nothing in it to identify the author. But, the first traditions of the church all agree. A *disciple of Jesus wrote it. His name is in Matthew 9:9. The words of the *Gospel seem to agree with this. It is what we would expect a *Jew to write. Matthew (Levi) respected authority. He was sure that Jesus Christ was King. So, the tradition is probably right. This book assumes that Matthew is the author.
[Note: A *Jew is a person from the *Jewish nation. God chose the *Jews to be his special people. (Read Deuteronomy 7:6–8.) Our *OT (the first part of the Bible) tells their history. Their language is Hebrew. Jesus was a *Jew.]
The author says nothing about the date. Tradition said that it was the first one of the 4 *Gospels. (This is why it is at the beginning of the *NT.) But, between 1800 and 1900, opinions changed. People thought that Mark was the first *Gospel. Matthew seemed to depend on Mark for information. Some things in Matthew seemed to be available to Mark only. So, the usual date that people give for Matthew is between *AD 70 and AD 79.
But there is a problem with these dates. People found first copies of parts of the *NT. These have much earlier dates. Then, in *AD 70, the enemy destroyed the city of Jerusalem. Surely, Matthew would have referred to this event. So, it is possible that he wrote the *Gospel in *AD 45. Or, it could have been soon after that date.
If that is true, Matthew wrote his book soon after the events. So, the author is describing events that he would remember clearly. This would be true about his readers, too. All of this would show that Matthew was writing the truth. The events actually happened. They are a part of history.
He probably wrote the book to *Jews. He wanted to convince them that Jesus was the *Messiah. A careful study of the *Gospel will show this. Some of these facts are:
· He shows the family of Jesus. It was the same as the family of the *Jews.
· He claims that the *OT gave facts about Jesus’ birth. They were facts about the *Messiah.
· He has an interest in the *Law.
· He tells about other *Jewish customs. (One example is in Matthew 15:1–9.)
These things all suggest something. It is this. The author wrote the *Gospel especially for *Jews. Of course, he insisted that it was for all nations too. (Read 28:16–20.) But, he was still showing that God chose the *Jews first. They were his special people. They would bring God’s good things to the nations. (Read Genesis 12:1–3.)
So, we can believe that Matthew wrote to *Jews. He wanted them to know that Jesus is the *Messiah. Jesus would save them from the results of their *sins. He would rescue them from the power of that *sin in their lives.
Matthew 1:1–17
It is true! God saves.
The stories about Jesus in the *Gospels are true. They really happened. They tell us how God completed his plan. His plan was to save men and women. He wanted to save them from the power and the results of their *sin.
Matthew wrote the first book of the *NT. His job was to collect taxes. He became one of Jesus’ best friends. (Read Matthew 9:9–13. Then read Mark 2:13–17 and Luke 5:27–32.)
Matthew was writing down what actually happened. He wanted his readers to understand this. Look at the first words of his book. They seem to just tell Jesus’ family history. But it is probably more than this. Matthew was introducing the whole book. He was saying, ‘This book gives the history of Jesus Christ.’
Many of us know the name ‘Jesus Christ’ very well. So, we miss something. It is that ‘Christ’ was not just a name. The name described his job. God chose him for a special purpose. The word comes from a *Greek word ‘christos’. This is a translation of the *Hebrew word ‘meshiah’. To a *Jew, this meant the one who would save them.
The *OT is full of promises about the *Messiah who would come. *Jews in Matthew’s time knew about the *Messiah. The *Romans had been their rulers for many years. *Jews hoped that the ‘Christ’ would save them from the power of the *Romans.
The name ‘Jesus’ means ‘he will certainly save’. (Read 1:21.) *Jews expected the Christ to have the name of Jesus. So, many mothers gave this name to their sons. They hoped that their child would be the *Messiah. This Jesus was the son of Mary. Matthew believed that he was the Christ.
But, Jesus came to save the *Jews from much more than the *Romans. He came to save them from the results and power of their *sin (verse 21). He came to establish a *kingdom. His *kingdom would be much greater than any other one.
Read Genesis 22:18 and 2 Samuel 7:16. The *Jews knew these passages. They are about the *Messiah (Christ) who would come. He would save them. The *Jews would know him when he came. They were sure about this. Christ would come from the families of both Abraham and David. These two men were the greatest *Jews who had ever lived. Matthew tells us that this was true about Jesus. He was ‘the son of David’. He was ‘the son of Abraham’.
The beginnings of families
People want to discover who their past family members were. The word for them is ‘ancestors’. Today, there is much interest in this subject. In many parts of the world, it has always been vital. This was true about the *Jews. They kept careful records. Either the oldest members of the family would remember. Or, they would write down the names. Matthew was writing especially to *Jews. So, it was important to give proof. He must show that his claims about Jesus were true.
Matthew began his book with a list of names. He divided it into three sections. Each section has 14 names.
The first section begins with Abraham. He was the first man to have a promise like this from God. The promise was that God would send someone special. This person would be from Abraham’s family. He would come to save people. (Read Genesis 12:1–3.)
The first section ends with David. He was the *Jews’ greatest king (1:2–6a). So, Matthew showed the human part of God’s promise. David was the greatest member of Abraham’s family. This was true until the time when Matthew lived. But, after David had died, his *kingdom divided. It became two separate parts. Then, it stopped being a great *kingdom. But God gave greater promises to David. (Read 2 Samuel 7.) The person who would save them would be greater than David.
The second section continues with David’s family. It ends at the time of the *exile.
Then there is the third section. This deals with the years from the *exile to the birth of Jesus Christ. (This is in 1:12–17.) Some people claimed to be the *Messiah. This happened even before the time of Matthew. But there was nobody who could convince the people. Then, Jesus came. Matthew shows that Jesus is the *Messiah. All of God’s promises in the *OT come true in him.
Questions
1.Some people say that the stories about Jesus just contain truth. This religious truth is what matters. It is not important whether they actually happened. What would you say to these people?
2. What is the most important thing to tell non-Christians? What does your church group think? Matthew emphasised that ‘God saves’. Do you agree with him?
3. Jesus will establish a *kingdom one day. Do you concentrate on this fact? Or, do you care more about what you can get from him now? Discuss your ideas with the group.
Matthew 1:18–25
God became human for us
Jesus was God. He was also completely human. The story of his birth showed how this could be true.
God promised to send the Christ (*Messiah). Jesus is the Christ. Matthew has told us this. He has shown us that Jesus had the right family. He was the son of Abraham. He was the son of David too. Now we want the story to begin!
Matthew did not tell us all the facts about Jesus’ birth. But we can be sure about two great facts. He told us enough for this. First, a virgin gave birth to Jesus. (Note: A virgin is someone who has never had sex.) Second, Jesus’ strange birth was special. It had special meaning.
Joseph and Mary had agreed to marry. This agreement would be for a year. Then there would be the marriage. (Read more about this at the end of this section.) It was during this year that Joseph found out about something. Mary was going to have a baby. Of course, he thought that she must have had sex with another man.
God’s law demanded action. Joseph wanted to give honour to God in his life. But, he did not act before he had thought about it. Then, he had a very clear dream. He knew that it was from God. An *angel brought a message to Joseph. It was hard to believe it. Mary was going to have a child. But she had not had sex with another man. She was still a virgin! Her child belonged to God in a special way. He was from the Holy Spirit. This was exactly what God had said would happen. The *angel reminded Joseph about this. Joseph was familiar with the *OT. So, he would know the words from Isaiah 7:14.
Joseph acted very bravely. He obeyed God’s message. He married Mary. Probably, some people laughed at him. They would think that there had been sex before marriage. Some friends would know that he would not do this. They might think that he was not obeying God’s laws. Other people might accuse Mary. They might say that she was a wicked woman. They might say that she would have sex with any man for money! It is not always easy to obey God!
Matthew explained why this strange event happened. God became a man. He did this to ‘save his people from their *sins’ (verse 21). Men and women can do many good things. But all people have bad habits. The bad habits come from *sin. All of the *OT and all of human history show us this. Men and women are unable to help themselves. This is very sad. People need someone who will rescue them. The Bible teaches something more. People are *sinners. They are against God. In the end, God must punish them.
So, in these verses, Matthew suggested a truth. He would explain more about it later.
Questions
1. God called Joseph to do a very brave thing. Is there any part of your life where you are like Joseph? What could you learn from this passage to encourage you?
2. Christians believe that Mary was a virgin. (She had not had sex with any man.) They teach that it is true. Why do you think that this is important? (The *NT only mentions the special birth clearly twice.)
3. We live in a world where people often suffer. They are often sad. What message does this passage give your church to declare? What does it suggest that your church could do about it?
More explanation
There were three periods to a *Jewish marriage. First, there was the ‘engagement’. This was often while the couple were still children. The parents would use someone else to arrange it. This still happens today in many places. The couple might not even see each other. Marriage was a serious matter. You could not trust the emotions of young people.
The second period was the ‘betrothal’. This was an official agreement. It was between the two young people. It meant that the engagement should continue. Up to this time, it could end. After the betrothal, they could not end the agreement. It lasted one year. During this time, people spoke to them as if they were man and wife. But they did not live together. Divorce was the only way to end it. Joseph and Mary were in this period when we first hear about them. The marriage was at the end of the year of betrothal.
Joseph was a good man. This meant that he obeyed God’s *Law. Some laws spoke about women who had sex with many men. There should be a public meeting about the matter. Then there should be a divorce. (Read Deuteronomy 22:23–29.) By the time of Joseph and Mary, the *Jews did not kill people for this *sin. But, there was another way to deal with it. The *Law seemed to allow a ‘secret’ divorce. (Read Deuteronomy 24:1–2.) Joseph was a kind man. So, he decided to have this kind of divorce. That would mean that Mary’s shame would not be so bad.
Important truths
Matthew told how a virgin gave birth. People often doubt his account. Even some important teachers of the *OT have questions about it. In verse 23, Matthew repeated Isaiah 7:14. He used the word ‘virgin’. These teachers say that Isaiah’s word just means ‘young woman’. (The Hebrew word is ‘alma’.) ‘Alma’ is the closest word to ‘virgin’ in Hebrew. (Note: Hebrew is the *Jews’ language.) It does not necessarily mean someone who has never had sex. But it does seem to suggest a virgin. It comes from a word that means ‘secret’. In fact, the *OT never uses the word ‘alma’ about a married person.
There is another explanation. Isaiah may be referring to an event that would happen soon. But he could have been pointing to a much greater event too. Matthew would be writing about the greater event. Whatever Isaiah meant, we can be sure about one thing. It is this. We know that the Bible is true. *NT writers never changed the meaning of the *OT.
Matthew 2:1–12
A royal priest
The wise men (‘Magi’) visited Jesus. This visit showed three things about Jesus. He is a king. He is a priest. He is God himself. It suggested something else too. He would suffer greatly because he always obeyed God.
Matthew did not tell us about Jesus’ birth. He had a main interest. He wanted to explain why it was important. He did this by describing some strange events. They happened after Jesus’ birth.
Jesus’ birth was exactly as the *OT had said that it would be. The *prophet Micah lived more than 800 years before Jesus. Micah had promised that a great ruler would come. His birth would be in Lesser Bethlehem. (Lesser means less important.) This was the place where David was born. (Read Micah 5:2.) The people knew that it would be after the time of the *exile. But, nobody had come. So, the people were still waiting (verses 4–5). But this small village was exactly where Jesus was born!
Matthew recorded the gifts that the Magi (wise men) brought. So, he must have thought that the gifts were important. He believed that each one shows us something special.
► Gold shows us about royal things. This is true even today. But, in the *OT, it was also a sign that something was holy. There was a lot of gold in the *temple. (Read 1 Kings 6:20–22.)
► Frankincense is a perfume. (This is a substance with its own special good smell.) People used it in ancient times. *Jewish priests used it in the *Temple. It was one of their duties. In *OT times, their main duty was to bring gifts to God for the people. Usually, the gifts were perfect animals. The animal died instead of the person who brought it. It was as if the people were paying a price to God. The payment was for their *sin. The people knew that they deserved God’s punishment.
► Myrrh was another perfume. (This is a substance with its own special good smell.) In Bible times, people used it to reduce pain. They used it when they buried people too. It helped to make the funeral less awful. In the *OT, myrrh was also a sign that people were loyal to God.
Matthew believed that these gifts were signs. They showed the fact that Jesus was a holy king. He obeyed God. Because he served God, he would suffer and die.
Perhaps Matthew wanted us to think about something else too. People had different reactions to the news about Jesus’ birth. King Herod knew and believed God’s word. Herod had no doubts that the Magi would find the Christ in Bethlehem. He said, ‘When you find him’ (verse 8). But Herod was more interested in himself. He had his own ambitions. So, he tried to defeat God!
Also, there were the chief priests and the teachers of the *Law. They had a different problem. They were professional Bible experts. But they failed to use the *OT in their own lives. They showed little interest in the Magi’s news. All of the *OT points to Jesus. But these men still had no interest in him.
The Magi (wise men) had little knowledge about Jesus. But they travelled great distances. They dealt with many difficulties. They really wanted to find him. When they first saw him, they gave him honour. Yet, he was only a tiny baby. These men ‘*worshipped’ Jesus. *Worship is for God only. Matthew tells us that the baby was God himself. In some way, even the Magi knew this!
Questions
1. People in this passage had different reactions to Jesus. What lessons can we learn from them?
2. Jesus came into this world for a purpose. He came to obey his Father. He came to serve us. He also died for us. What does this mean for the life of your church?
3. We must tell the Good News (gospel) to other people. What does this passage tell us about the gospel’s contents?
More explanation
The Bible mentions several people who were called Herod. Herod the Great ruled Israel at the time of Jesus’ birth. Herod the Great was born in 73 BC. (Note: BC means Before Christ. Christ means *Messiah.) Herod killed many people. So, he was always afraid that someone would kill him. At the time of his death, he had evil plans. He was planning to kill more than 3000 people. He had already killed his wife and his sister’s husband. He even killed his mother and some of his sons. This was because he was afraid of them.
All this explained Herod’s reaction to the report of the Magi (wise men). It helps us to know why the news affected ‘all the people in Jerusalem’ too. When Herod worried, other people usually suffered! Soon, the mothers of Bethlehem would know this. They would suffer from the cruelty of the king.
Maybe Herod was worried most about something that the Magi said. They spoke about someone who was ‘born as the king of the *Jews’. Herod knew that he was not the proper king. He became king by using evil methods.
Jesus was born a short time before Herod’s death. (Compare verses 1 and 19.) Herod died in the first quarter of 4 BC. Jesus was probably born in 5 BC.
Magi were religious leaders. They were the wise men in Persia and Media. This is now Iran and other countries near there. We do not know how they knew about Jesus. Perhaps it was by a dream. Maybe it was similar to the dream in verse 12.
We do not know what star the Magi saw. Many people have tried to identify it. Some of them suggest that it was Halley’s Comet. (Note: ‘Comet’ comes from a Greek word ‘kometes’. It means a star with a long tail.) But this appeared in 12 BC (Before Christ.) So, it was too early to show Jesus’ birth. Another comet is more likely to be the star. The Chinese recorded a comet in 5 BC. It would have been like the star in verses 9 and 10. Its tail would have pointed down ‘over’ Bethlehem. (We know more details about this comet. See the ‘Tyndale Bulletin’ 43.1, 1992.)
These men were religious and political leaders. They ruled in ancient Judea. Judea was a part of Israel. They met together in a group. The name of this group was the Sanhedrin.
The chief priests included the present and previous High Priests. They also included priests from whom they would choose the new High Priest. They were all members of another group. The name of this group was the Sadducees.
Also, there were the teachers of the *Law. ‘Scribes’ is another name for them. (Some English translations of the Bible use this name.) They must make sure that people obeyed the laws. They must also teach God’s words. They were the experts in *Jewish religion. They were usually *Pharisees.
(Note: *Pharisees and Sadducees: There is more information about these two groups. It is in the section for 3:4–10.)
Matthew 2:13–23
God controls everything
God does what he promises. He protects and looks after his children.
There is not much information about Jesus’ early life. Matthew soon completed his account. He did this in three short paragraphs. These are in verses 13–15, 16–18 and 19–23.
Herod realised that the Magi (wise men) were not coming back. He acted immediately. Probably, this happened a few days after the visit of the Magi (wise men). Herod wanted to be sure that nobody else could be king. So, he killed all the children who were younger than 2 years of age. Bethlehem was a very small village. But there would still be between 15 and 30 babies.
But, men and women cannot stop God’s plans. Herod himself would die soon. Jesus escaped his evil plan. God told Joseph about the danger before it happened. So, he could take the child and Mary to Egypt. This was the nearest safe place.
Then Herod died. So, Joseph could return with his family. Verses 19–23 describe this. He did not want to go back to Bethlehem. This does not surprise us. The new ruler was Archelaus. He was as bad as his father, Herod. He had already killed 3000 people. So, Joseph was anxious. But God understood this. He told him to return to his former home. This was in Nazareth. (Read Luke 2:4.) Archelaus did not rule there. There were many dangers. But God was protecting and caring for Joseph, Mary and the baby. He can do the same for us too.
All of God’s promises in the *OT come true in Jesus. Each of the three short paragraphs ended by repeating words from the *OT. Matthew tells us that they came true in Jesus. (Read the section after ‘Questions’.)
There is one more thing to notice here. Joseph obeyed God. But this was not always easy. First, there was the fact that Mary was having a baby. Then there was the birth of Jesus. These events completely changed his life. Sometimes, he was confused and anxious. He did not know what to do. He only knew that God had helped him before.
At other times, he knew part of God’s plan. But he did not know all of it. (Compare verses 20 and 22.) It was hard for him to marry Mary. She was having a baby. People did not understand. They spoke against him. But, Joseph still learned something important. It was this. To obey God was the best way. God protected him, even in times of great danger.
Questions
1. Think about Joseph’s experience. Use the lessons of his life in your own situation.
2. How does this passage encourage your church group? How does God guide a group of Christians (believers)?
3. Think about the cruel murders in 2:16. There is so much suffering in the world. Is there something that you could do? How could you show that the Christian message has an answer?
More explanation
Matthew says that these *OT passages refer to Jesus. But at first, they do not seem to have anything to do with him!
Verse 15 repeats Hosea 11:1. There, the *prophet showed how God saved Israel’s people. They were in Egypt. He brought them back to their own land. This had happened many hundreds of years before. So, some people cannot understand how the passage could refer to Jesus. Perhaps Matthew used it in the wrong way. Maybe it was something that was familiar to *Jews only at that time.
But the *NT writers used the *OT. They saw similar things between the *OT story and Jesus’ life and work. Careful study will show this. They felt that Jesus matched with the whole history of the *Jews (Israel). He even lived it all again.
God brought the *Jews out of Egypt. He wanted them to bring God’s *salvation to the world. They failed to do this. But Jesus would succeed. So, he too went to Egypt and returned from there. This was to show that he had come to save the world. He had come to bring the knowledge of God to all people. Of course, Hosea was not actually speaking about this. But it was quite fair for Matthew to use his words.
Read verse 18. Matthew was doing something similar there. He repeated Jeremiah 31:15. It told about a sad time in Bethlehem. The young people of the village would go away into *exile. So, the words could not be about Herod’s murder of the babies. But Jeremiah’s words were a message of hope. The enemy would destroy the land. But there was still hope. God would save his people. He had not forgotten his people. He would not remove his promises from them.
Again, Matthew saw that those days and his own days were similar. Once, God had brought hope to a sad people. He saved them. Now, in Jesus, God had done it again. Jesus still brings hope to desperate people. He saves them from the results and the power of their *sin. This was the hope for which the world was looking.
Verse 23 is more difficult. Matthew did not tell us where the words came from. Some people suggest that he was thinking about Isaiah 11:1. The word ‘branch’ is there. In *Hebrew, the word sounds like ‘Nazareth’. Other people think that he was using Numbers 6. This is because it mentions the ‘Nazirite’. Both of these passages came true in Jesus. But, these words only sound similar to the name Nazareth. They have no real connection with it.
Matthew repeated some words of ‘the *prophets’. (These are the books that the *prophets wrote. They are in our *OT.) So, he was probably thinking about several passages. In fact, Nazareth was a very small village. People ‘despised’ it. This means that it was very unimportant to them. People thought that it had nothing of value. (Read John 1:45–46.) Many times, the *OT said that people would ‘despise’ the *Messiah (Christ). (Read Psalm 22:6–8, 13; 69:8, 20–21; Isaiah 49:7; 53:2–3, 8; and Daniel 9:26.) These verses describe good people. They also describe the *Messiah. People ‘despise’ them both.
Matthew realised something. So did other writers of the *NT. It was about the language of these verses. They referred especially to Jesus. (Compare Matthew 12:24; 27:21–23, 63; Luke 23:11; John 1:11; 5:18; 6:66; 9:22, 34.)
Matthew 3:1–3
Be ready!
Only those who really *repent will enjoy the benefits of Jesus’ work.
Matthew now spoke about later events. He did this just after he had told about Jesus’ birth. These events happened 30 years later. The time was just before Jesus started his special public work. Matthew must have thought that the events were important. He said, ‘In those days’. This meant: ‘In those important days’.
A great leader usually sent someone ahead of him. The name for this special person was a ‘herald’. His job was to prepare for the arrival of the leader. Jesus was a king (2:2). He had a herald too. The *OT had said that this herald would come. Isaiah 40:3–5 told about him. He would come before God himself came. Matthew said that the verses referred to John the *Baptist. Usually, nobody would give his talks in the desert. He would go to where there are people to listen! But this was what John did. It was what Isaiah had said would happen too.
Note: Many *OT *prophets spoke about events in the near future. But they often suggested that these events could refer to something more. They pointed to much greater events. They would be a long time in the future. These verses in Isaiah are like this.
*Repent!
John was a herald. Someone important was going to arrive. He was much greater than John. The herald’s task was to make sure that everyone was ready. This was exactly what John did. His message was very clear. Most people would not want to hear it. He called them to *repent. If they did not *repent, something bad would happen. He warned them about that.
We may want to know what John meant by the ‘*kingdom of heaven’ (3:2). It meant that God would establish his rule over the whole earth. The *OT told about this time. It described ‘the *kingdom of God’. Another name was the ‘*kingdom of heaven’. John said that this *kingdom ‘is near’. God would act very soon. Men and women could enjoy God’s *kingdom for themselves. But, they must be ready. They would not just arrive there. John emphasised this. They needed to do something. Most important, they must *repent.
To *repent is not just to feel sorry about something. There are all sorts of reasons to be sorry. Perhaps someone discovered what we did. Maybe we suffered for our actions. We may have hurt other people. But, *repentance is different.
God promised that he would give many good things. It would happen soon. But men and women must be ready. Jesus spoke the same message. (Read Matthew 4:17.) But there was a difference. Jesus taught how these good things would come. They would come because people knew him. (Read Mark 1:15 and Matthew 13:16–17.) John promised good things. These good things began to arrive. They started when Jesus came.
Questions
1. How could your life show that you have *repented? What evidence should you expect in your life?
2. *Repentance is necessary. How does your church emphasise this when they tell the Good News about Jesus? Do they emphasise it too much, or too little? How can they do it in the right way?
3. John spoke the truth to the people. How can we learn from his methods?
Important truths
John said that God’s *kingdom was near. He said that God’s *judgement was coming soon. But this does not seem to be true. More than 2000 years have passed since then. God’s final *judgement is still in the future. Jesus has not returned to earth yet. The Bible itself gives information about these things.
► There would be two arrivals of Jesus. The Bible describes them both. But, they sometimes seem like one event. At other times, the Bible talks about them separately. Jesus’ work began the events that will lead to the *judgement.
► The enemy destroyed the city of Jerusalem. This happened only 40 years later. The *NT described this event as the certain *judgement of God.
► When people refuse to believe, they become worse. For such people, *judgement is starting to happen.
► God’s time is different from our time. Peter spoke about this. He said, ‘For the *Lord, a day is like a thousand years.’ (Read 2 Peter 3:8.)
But none of these points gives a complete answer. There is still a problem in this passage. Probably, John was speaking about certain people. It was those people who would not recognise who Jesus was. They would receive God’s *judgement for a special reason. They always refused to believe. They chose to do this. So, God would leave them in that state.
Matthew 3:4–10
True and false *repentance
People may declare that they are God’s *disciples. God wants them to be really sorry about their *sin.
In *OT times, God spoke to his people by *prophets. But there had been no *prophets since the death of Malachi. That was in about 400 BC (Before Christ). The *Jews believed that God would use *prophets again. They thought that it would be when God’s *kingdom came. John’s clothes were different. This was like some of the *OT *prophets. (Read Zechariah 13:4; 1 Samuel 28:14 and 2 Kings 1:8.) His words seemed like *prophets’ words too. People travelled a long distance to hear him. Many of these people recognised who John was. They obeyed his message.
When this happened, John *baptised them. He put them in the water of the Jordan river. *Baptism was a common ceremony in the ancient world. It was often a sign. It could show that a person was clean from something evil. Or, it could show that they were entering into a new society. (Note: There were many ‘secret societies’. They used this practice to welcome new members. Other groups in the ancient world did this too.)
Many people wanted to do something about John’s message. *Baptism was the way that they showed this. It was a sign. It showed that God had taken away their *sin. John was preparing them for God’s *kingdom. Jesus would start this *kingdom. Later, Jesus’ *disciples *baptised people too. (Read John 3:22; 4:1, 2.) This also became a sign. It showed that people wanted to follow Jesus. It showed that they had entered his *kingdom. (Read Matthew 28:18–20 and Romans 6:4.)
A different life
There were two important religious groups. They were the main ones in Israel then. They were *Pharisees and *Sadducees. Members from both these groups came to John. They asked him to *baptise them. We might expect that this would please John. But he was angry with them. He did not believe that they had *repented. They wanted God to accept them as his people. Maybe, they thought that *baptism was sufficient. But John emphasised something. It was this. The result of real *repentance will always be a different life.
The same thing happens today. Many people believe that *baptism alone makes them God’s people. But this is not true. First, people must *repent of their *sin. They must want to live in a way that will please God. They will obey God. Only then does *baptism have meaning. It shows that *repentance is real.
In verse 7, John dealt with a problem. It was the problem of the *Pharisees and the *Sadducees. The snake was a sign to the *Jews. It was a sign for wicked things. A snake (serpent) first deceived humans. (He told a lie to Eve; and he made it seem like the truth.) This caused *sin in the world. John said to the religious groups: ‘You are all like snakes.’ They would hate this description. But John wanted to give them a shock. They were not being honest with themselves. They did not realise that they were in great danger of God’s *judgement.
Both groups believed that God was especially pleased with them. There was a reason for this. God had made many promises to the first members of the *Jewish nation. Those first *Jews lived a long time ago. But, surely, the good things that they had done would still count. This was what the *Pharisees and the *Sadducees thought. So, the two groups believed that they could claim benefits from the past for themselves.
Read verses 9–10. John was saying something important here. God is very good to us. But this means that we have responsibility. He promises to save. But there is a rule. God will only accept people if they *repent.
Questions
1. What importance does *baptism as a Christian have for you?
2. What should the church expect in the lives of those who want *baptism? Parents may bring children for *baptism. What should the church expect to see in the parents? Also, there are the friends who will have a special interest in the child. What should they be like?
3. Do you think that modern speakers should ever speak as John spoke? (Read verses 7–10.) If so, where should they do this? To whom should they speak like this? On what occasions should they speak like this?
More explanation
We do not know how these two groups began. But, we do know some facts about them. There were the *Pharisees. They would not accept other cultures and customs. They felt that these things would stop them from being holy. The *Pharisees insisted that people must be very careful to obey God’s laws. So, they added many extra regulations. They thought that these rules would help people. The rules would stop them from becoming ‘dirty’ with *sin. *Pharisees tended to be proud. They thought that they were very good people. They did not like those who did not have the same beliefs.
Also, there were the Sadducees. They were very different. They believed the first 5 books of the *OT. They believed that only these books were God’s words. They had another main belief. It was this. Dead people could never come alive again. (The *Pharisees believed that this could happen.) The Sadducees enjoyed power. To gain it, they were even willing to have lower standards. They were rich and powerful. The High Priest and his family were members of this group.
Important truths
The Bible speaks about God’s anger. This does not mean that God has bad moods. He does not get angry for no reason. But God hates all that is evil. He hates all that is wicked. This is what God’s anger means.
This is why God’s anger must be against every human person. Nobody can ever live by God’s standards. (Read Ephesians 2:3.) People experience his anger in this life. (Read John 3:18, 36 and Romans 1:18.) But his main anger is for the future. (Read Ephesians 5:6; Colossians 3:6; 2 Thessalonians 1:8–9 and Revelation 14:10.) There is a connection with the return of Jesus. (Read Malachi 3:2–3; 4:1–5.) Men and women must really *repent. They must trust Jesus. Only then can they escape God’s anger.
Matthew 3:11–17
The most important thing
Jesus is God. He *baptises with the Holy Spirit. But he still wanted John to *baptise him.
The crowd believed that John was a *prophet. But John told them that he was like a slave. In ancient Israel, this had a certain meaning. It was a slave’s task to carry his master’s shoes. Then John made another claim. It was even more surprising. The *OT says that God is ‘the greater or more powerful one’. (Read Daniel 9:4 and Jeremiah 32:18.) The *OT promised that God’s Christ (the Messiah) would come. John saidthat this *Messiah would be God! He would not be just a man, as John was.
Also, there was John’s work and the task of the Christ. There would be a great difference between them. Christ (the *Messiah) would *baptise with the fire of the Holy Spirit. Humans cannot really *repent. They cannot live a life that pleases God. They do not have the power to do it. But, the Christ would provide that power. John could only *baptise as a sign of *repentance. The Christ would give real *repentance. He would make men and women holy (like God).
What John had said finally came true. It was on the Day of Pentecost. (Read Acts 2. It will explain about the Day of Pentecost.) From that day, God gave the Holy Spirit to all his people. His work showed in their lives. Every day, there was *repentance. Every day, they became more holy. But, there is something else about Jesus’ *baptism of fire. If it did not make holy, it would burn. (Read 3:12.) Jesus came to bring life. But, there will be people who refuse him. They will know him as judge one day. John 3:16–21 teaches a similar lesson.
Jesus’ *baptism
John did not think that he should *baptise Jesus. John knew enough about Jesus to know this. John was a *sinner. Jesus was not a *sinner. But Jesus insisted on *baptism. Perhaps he wanted to deal with John’s doubts and fears. Maybe, Jesus was showing something to John. He was willing to share with *sinners. He was willing to take their punishment. His gentle reply in verse 15, may suggest this.
But, the most important part of this section is in verses 16 and 17. The dove (a bird) was a sign in the ancient world. It was a sign of moral goodness and kindness. But something was more important. The Spirit came on Jesus in a way that people could see. This meant that Jesus was now ready for his work. He would be able to *baptise with the Spirit too.
Something even more wonderful happened next (verse 17). God the Father spoke. He declared that Jesus was the Son of the Father. Jesus was God. This man was the Christ (*Messiah). He was the man about whom John spoke. God is holy. He must hate and judge *sin. But, he is also the God who loves. Because he loves, he sent his Son to save people. God was very pleased with the work that Jesus was going to do.
There is one final detail in this section. It is in verses 13–17. We learn that the Father was pleased with the work of the Son. The Spirit came to help Jesus with his work. So, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were working together. They were working to save *sinners. They still do this same work today. This is very wonderful.
Questions
1. How would you describe Jesus to one of your friends?
2. The work of the Holy Spirit is vital to every real believer (Christian). How do the leaders of your church explain the Holy Spirit’s work? Does their teaching agree with this passage? If it does not, why is this?
3. Non-Christians need to understand the love of God in Jesus. How can you help them?
Important truths
The phrase ‘*baptism in the Holy Spirit’ is common today. It often refers to experiences after a person becomes a Christian. But, read Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; Acts 1:5 and 11:16. These *NT references are clear. They refer to the first experience of a Christian. The use of the word ‘*baptism’ confirms this too. Ancient societies used this word. They used it for the ceremony when a person joined the society. So, it was about the beginning of a person’s decision to join.
So, ‘*baptism with the Spirit’ is a *NT phrase. It is one of the ways to describe a special event. It is the event when a person becomes a Christian. It emphasises two things. First, God lives in a real Christian. Then, that person has what he or she needs for a holy, good life.
There will be many other new experiences of God. These will happen after a person becomes a Christian. The believer can enjoy them in the days and years afterwards. But people should not call these experiences the ‘*baptism in the Spirit’.
Many false teachings have come from these words. They do not mean that Jesus was not really God. They do not mean that he was born in heaven, some time after his Father. John 1:1–3 shows us that this is not true.
But, a son has the same nature as his father. A man is human. His children are human too. It is the same when the Bible speaks about ‘God’s son’. God is God and Jesus is the son. It means that he has the same nature as the Father. So, he is God! This was the claim that Matthew was making about Jesus here. Matthew’s readers would have understood this.
Matthew 4:1–11
The test
Jesus is the Son of God. God showed this to everybody. He did this at Jesus’ *baptism. The devil, (or *Satan), did not like this. So, he gave Jesus some very hard tests.
Jesus was ready to identify with all the needs of *sinners. (Read 3:13–17.) He had the same temptations as we have. (This word means that someone or something is tempting us to *sin.) Jesus suffered like us too. But his temptations were special. It could not be the same for anybody else. The devil was testing a fact. It was the fact that Jesus was the ‘Son of God’. Notice when these events happened. It was just after a great experience. (Read 3:16–17.) The word ‘then’ emphasised this.
It can be the same for us. We may have a great spiritual experience. We may have a great success against Satan (the devil). Then, it can be hard to deal with another temptation. This was true for Elijah. (Read 1 Kings 18 and 19.) It was also true for Jesus.
Jesus went to the place where he would have his great test. Matthew said something unusual. He said that God’s Holy Spirit took Jesus there. It was part of God’s plan for Jesus. He would be ‘perfect by the things that he suffered’. (Read Hebrews 2:10.) God often uses the temptations that come into our lives. It can be his way to make us grow in our Christian lives. But, we must remember something. Matthew emphasised it. God allows the devil to tempt us. But, when evil attracts us, that is the devil’s work.
*Satan did not just tempt Jesus at the end of 40 days. (Read verses 2–3.) He tempted Jesus for the whole period. (Read Luke 4:1–13.) There was no quick escape from his tests. Often, the same is true for us.
Let us think about the first temptation. The devil seemed to be referring to 3:17. There, God confirmed that Jesus was his Son. *Satan was trying to spoil Jesus’ confidence in these words. *Satan said ‘If’. He wanted Jesus to test the truth of God’s words.
The devil had used this method before. He tried to bring doubts into Eve’s mind. (Read Genesis 3:1–6.) There, in the garden, Adam and Eve failed the test. Here, Jesus passed the test. He was confident in God. He trusted God and his word. He reminded the devil that all people must respect God. So, Jesus said words from Deuteronomy 8:3. Deuteronomy is in the *OT. The devil’s methods do not change. They are the same today. The way to overcome the devil does not change either!
The devil had some more tests for Jesus. This time, the devil said something from the Bible. (The words are in Psalm 91:11–12.) He wanted Jesus to test God’s word. The place where this happened was probably important. *Satan’s test was on the roof of the *Temple. The *Temple was the place where God lived. So, surely God would look after his Son. God was very near. He was able to help too. There could not be a better place. Jesus could do something wonderful. Then a crowd of people would follow him!
Jesus answered the devil in the same way. He used the Bible. Jesus knew Psalm 91. There, God promised to protect his children. But Jesus said words from Deuteronomy 6:16. We must not use God for experiments. Jesus knew the Bible. He understood its correct meaning too. In this way, he overcame the devil. The lesson for us should be clear.
Then there was the last test for Jesus at this time. It was probably a vision. (This is like a dream, but the person is often awake.) The devil showed Jesus ‘all the *kingdoms of the world’. He was able to do this ‘in a moment of time’. (Read Luke 4:5.) But, the test was still very real. The devil offered power on earth to Jesus. This was instead of spiritual authority.
But, there was a price for this power. Jesus must accept *Satan as his spiritual leader. He must *worship *Satan. Jesus knew *Satan’s purpose. Again, Jesus said words from the Bible. (The words are in Deuteronomy 6:13.) God is the only one whom people must *worship. Then the devil left Jesus (verse 11). The devil will leave us too. (Note: Luke 4:13 reminds us of another fact. *Satan ‘went away to wait until a better time’. For us too, the same thing will happen. *Satan will come back.)
Questions
1. How well do I know my Bible? When the devil tempts me, could I answer him in the right way? (A good idea: Write down any verses that would help you. There will be many of them. So, you could do this for a long time.)
2. Jesus had the same sort of tests that we have. How should this help us with temptations (when someone or something is tempting us to *sin)?
3. What does this passage teach about the spiritual battle?
4. How does this passage explain the world in which we live?
Matthew 4:12–25
Action
Jesus’ special public work began. He taught and he healed people. These things showed who he was. We shall think about what people’s reactions to him should have been.
John’s work ended. Then, Jesus’ work began (verse 12). He worked mostly from a small town. It was called Capernaum. It was a special place in Galilee. It was important to Matthew. This was because of the *OT. Capernaum belonged to Zebulun and Naphtali. These were two of the 12 tribes (family groups) of the *Jews. An *OT *prophet spoke about them. The wonderful words are in Isaiah 9:1–2.
This place was in the north of Israel. For centuries, the people who lived there had had very hard times. They had suffered much. There had been political trouble. There had been military trouble too. There were constant attacks from their enemies in the north. The words of Isaiah’s *prophecy showed this. But he promised something good to those same people. One day, they would be the first to benefit. They would have light instead of darkness.
The Bible often uses the word ‘light’ as a picture. It makes us think about laughter. We think about living a great life. But, there are two other special uses for the word. It reminds us about the knowledge of God. It also reminds us about the fact that God is present. Matthew believed that this *prophecy had now come true. It was happening as Jesus began his work. He declared the start of the *kingdom of heaven.
Jesus’ words are in verse 17. They are like John’s words. Jesus made it clear which people had hope. They were people who knew something. They knew that they had *sinned against God. They knew that they deserved his punishment. But they turned to him with *repentance. There was such good news for them. This could be true for the people of Galilee. It did not matter that they were poor. They were suffering much. They were anxious. Their needs were great. But, the good news was still for them.
The first *disciples
At this time, Jesus asked 4 men to join him. They were Peter, Andrew, James and John. There was a custom in Israel at that time. *Disciples would gather round a teacher. But, Jesus was different. He called the men to him. He expected them to follow him. This clearly showed that he had authority.
But Jesus was not like a teacher who is at school. He was not giving information to students. They followed him. This meant that they were joining him in the work. That work was to call men and women to *repent. They must call them to believe in God too. To these 4 men, it meant that they must leave their jobs. Their work for Jesus must be more important than their families. It could be the same for us today. Jesus deserves the best.
Now we come to the last three verses of the chapter. They are an introduction to 5:1–9:34. They describe the nature of Jesus’ special public work. Jesus did three things.
· He taught the truths of the Bible. He would go as a visitor to the synagogue. (This was the *Jews’ special building in which they *worshipped God.) Priests would invite him to speak.
· He declared the good news. It was about the *kingdom of heaven. (Read verse 17 too.)
· He healed many people. These actions taught three things. Matthew 8:1–9:34 shows them.
1. They confirmed Jesus’ message. (Compare John 14:11.)
2. They showed that he was the *Messiah.
The *prophets had spoken about him.
(Read Isaiah 35:5;
53:4–5; 61:1 and Matthew 11:2–6.)
3. They proved that God’s *kingdom had begun to arrive.
The life and the work of Jesus disturbed many people. It also caused excitement. That was in Galilee. But it was true about other places too. This is not a surprise.
Questions
1. Jesus invited the first 4 *disciples to follow him. Study their reactions to Jesus. What do you think that you should learn from these *disciples? They left their jobs and their families. Does Jesus usually expect us to do the same? If not, how do we know when we should do this?
2. Christians should bring people to Jesus. They should then teach them how to follow Jesus. Read this passage again. What can we learn about how we could do these things?
3. Verse 16 describes certain people. Where might we find them today? Other people think that religion is something bad. To them, it is like going into the dark. How can we help them to find Jesus as the ‘light’?
Introduction to ‘the Sermon on the Mount’ (Matthew 5:1–7:29)
(Note: We could say this in another way. It is ‘the talk that Jesus gave on the mountain’.)
The greatest talk that anyone ever gave
Matthew emphasised something. It was this. To teach was the very important part of Jesus’ work in his life. We see this in 4:23–35. Here, he told about Jesus’ first public talk. He told us a lot of what Jesus said.
There are 4 popular ideas about Jesus’ words:
► Some people think that Jesus provides standards of moral behaviour. There are two problems with this idea. First, it does not work. The standards are good. But men and women cannot live by them. Second, this idea forgets about the truths in 5:3–9. These verses emphasise something. The change in a person’s character must come first. Only then can he or she obey Jesus’ words.
► Other people think that Jesus’ words are not for us today. This is another idea. Some people say that Jesus gave rules. God would accept people if they obeyed the rules. They say that Jesus gave up the rules later. He saw that they did not work. But, this cannot be right. Jesus is not telling us how we can earn our *salvation. He is speaking to those who are in a right relationship with God. He is showing them how they should live.
► Some people think that the sermon (talk) is a standard for ‘special’ Christians. This is another idea. But, there is a problem with this idea too. Jesus was teaching all who followed him. Chapter 5:1–2 shows this. He was not just speaking to a special group.
► Only one idea is satisfactory. Here, Jesus tells us how to be a Christian *disciple. All real believers (Christians) should show that they are citizens of heaven. They do this by lives that follow the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus expects them to do this. Perhaps they refuse to do it. If so, there is no real evidence that they are real believers.
It is helpful to compare the last two ideas. The first of these two assumes something. It is enough for a person just to claim that Jesus has saved him. But, many people who claim this do not live by the standards here. They claim to be Christians, but their lives do not show it.
The second of the two ideas emphasises something. The standards are those of God’s *kingdom. Some people never reach the standards. Some people do not even try to reach them. These people should ask themselves if they are real Christians.
Brief statement of the main points
This is the message of the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ (talk on the mountain):
Chapter 5:3–10: What the character of a Christian should be like.
Chapter 5:11–12: There is proof of a genuine Christian character. People who are not Christians do not take any notice of God. They will do bad things to Christians. Believers’ real characters will show in their reactions to this.
Chapter 5:13–16: How a Christian will behave in society and in the world.
Chapter 5:17–48: How a Christian will live because of God’s character.
Chapter 7:1–27: A Christian will always remember two things about God. First, God sees how he or she lives. Each one must give an account of his or her life to him. Second, each one must have the right fear and respect for God.
Two difficulties
Matthew gives an account of the sermon (talk). So does Luke. People have two difficulties with these accounts. First, there is the place for the sermon. Luke (6:17) states that it was on a plain (flat place). Here, Matthew says that it was on a mountain. But this does not need to be a problem. Luke could be referring to a plain that was on a mountain. Or, Matthew could mean the part of that country that had hills.
Second, there are the contents of the sermon (talk). Matthew and Luke give different records of it. But, this is not surprising. Certain things were of special interest to Matthew. He recorded them. Luke, too, recorded the things that interested him.
Jesus might have said it all on one occasion. But, maybe he took several days to say it all. Other *Gospels show that Jesus said the same things in other places. Again, this is not surprising. It just suggests that Jesus used the same teaching more than once. But, then, all speakers do this!
Matthew 5:1–6
Right attitudes
Real *disciples will:
· have a humble trust in God
· depend on God for everything
· be gentle and holy.
Matthew introduced the talk in verses 1–2. Then, Jesus began his sermon (talk). He explained what a genuine *disciple should be like. (This is in verses 3–12.) Each statement began with the same word. Those who translated the Bible into English chose different words. Some of them used the word ‘happy’. Some of them used the word ‘blessed’. Many of the *OT psalms use the same *Hebrew word. It means: ‘What rewards there are in such a life!’ It is especially for those of whom God approves. People will want to be like them.
The poor in spirit
This does NOT mean three things:
• those whose spirits have lost hope
• those who do not have God’s Holy Spirit
• those who do not have spiritual understanding.
It DOES mean those who know that:
• they have no spiritual resources of their own
• they cannot please God by their own efforts
• they are trusting in God only.
In the *OT, the word ‘poor’ has a usual meaning. It refers to those who do not have many possessions. Perhaps they do not have any possessions at all. So, they need God. This is an attitude that everyone must have. Without it, nobody can enter God’s *kingdom.
People who feel very sad
Verse 4 relates very much to verse 3. People who are ‘poor in spirit’ will feel very sad about their *sin. It is not just their personal failure. It is the fact that their *sin separates them from God. David showed this perfectly. See Psalm 51. You can read about David’s *sin in 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12. David says to God, ‘My *sin is against you’ (Psalm 51:4).
Here, Jesus described people who are like this. These people are always aware of their *sin against God. But, there is comfort for them. They also know that Jesus can forgive their *sin.
People who are humble
Verse 5 relates to verses 3 and 4. There are people who are ‘poor in spirit’. They feel very sad about their *sin. Those people will also be humble. Humble people are not just ‘nice’ people. They are not weak or lazy. They are often firm and strong in character. Moses was like this. (Read Numbers 12:3.)
People in the ancient world knew the word ‘humble’ well. It referred to people who had the right sort of anger. That is, they were angry when people did bad things to other people. But they did not stay angry with those who did wrong things to them. They were not bitter against those who did bad things to them. They did not want the best things for themselves either.
But Jesus gave extra meaning to the word. He meant people who obey God. They obey his words. They let God’s will control them. They are completely loyal to the purposes of God. They recognise their own lack of knowledge. They realise that they are weak. But they know that God will supply all that they need.
God promised to give the country called Canaan to his people. This was very important to *OT believers. But, the *prophets extended the promise. One day, all God’s people would live in a new heaven and a new earth. Here, Jesus was thinking about this great truth of the Bible.
Those who are ‘hungry’ and ‘*thirsty’ for righteousness
(The word righteousness means to be ‘right’. It also means to do what is
right.)
‘People who want to do right more than anything else’. Jesus says that these people ‘will be happy’ (verse 6). Jesus knows that everyone wants to be happy. But he knows something else too. He knows that there is only one way to be really happy. That way is to live a life that pleases God. A person must really want to live a life like this.
‘Righteousness’ can mean different things in the Bible. It can refer to God’s opinion of someone. A person believes in God. So, that person’s life pleases God. Then, God says that he or she is ‘righteous’. This was true about Abraham. (Read Genesis 15:6 and Romans 4:1–5.) In Matthew, it includes two meanings. First, it refers to a holy life. This kind of life comes after two things. It comes after we have *repented and after we have believed in God. Also, it includes something else. It is a desire for God’s *kingdom to come.
Ancient Israel often had no rain. So, there was a great lack of water. There would be a lack of food too. The lack of these things often caused death. Jesus spoke here about a situation like this. The person’s desire for ‘righteousness’ is very great. In fact, he feels that he will die if he does not have it. He is like a very hungry person. He is like a person who desperately needs some water. He feels that he will die if he does not have food and water. (Note: ‘He’ refers to a man or a woman.)
The truth of this teaching requires much from us. It can frighten us. So often, we are not like this at all. But, there is comfort for us too. We may have failures. But we just need to keep close to God and to Jesus Christ. We must desire what is best in our lives. Then, God will certainly bless us.
Questions
1. What do these verses teach me? How can they help me, as a *disciple of Jesus?
2. There is much talk in the church today about celebration (a happy time). But, people should be sad about *sin too. How can both these things be in the local church?
3. Many people in our world today are very poor. How do these verses apply to what they need?
4. What effect should humble people have on the church and on the world? There are people who live for God. What effect should their lives have on the church and on the world? Can you think of any examples?
Matthew 5:7–9
Right actions
The quality of a person’s life will show if he or she is a real *disciple.
Jesus had been speaking about a real Christian. He had described his or her character. He did this in the earlier verses of this chapter. Now Jesus emphasised something else. It was this. The character of such a person will show in how he or she behaves.
People who show mercy
There is a good way to understand this word. It is to look at its use in the *OT. There, it describes God’s sympathy. It is genuine. It is also active. He does something about it. We have the best example. It is this. God sent his Son to save us.
Believers (Christians) know God’s love and mercy. Jesus teaches us that we should show the same things. We must do this in all our relationships. When we show mercy, it is evidence. It shows that we have received it ourselves. Only then can we expect God’s mercy for us on the Day of *Judgement. (Note: There is more about the word ‘mercy’ in the Word List.)
People who are holy
Verse 8 is most important. It tells us what to do. We must be holy if we want to enjoy God in this life. Then there is the life that is future. That is most important of all. We must be holy if we want to enjoy God then. But to be holy affects everything now. It affects our thoughts and our emotions. It affects our will and our actions too.
To be holy does not mean that we do not *sin. We can never be without *sin in this life. But Jesus taught us what it means to be holy. It is this. We will want to be holy more than anything else. The great aim of the believer must be to please God. We do this when we become more and more like him.
Read Revelation 1:7. It says that everyone will see God one day. (Remember that Jesus is God.) For the people who did not want Jesus, it would be a sad day. Jesus spoke about the time when some people will see God too. But he meant something else. Jesus referred to the time when some people will enjoy God. They will enjoy God in his *kingdom for ever. It will be the same for everyone who is a real *disciple of Jesus.
People who ‘make peace’ (‘peacemakers’)
Many of us have our own ideas about what ‘peace’ means. We think that it means the end of war. Or, we think that it means that nobody is against us. But it means much more than this in the Bible. It includes 5 things. It means that:
· someone is whole as a person. There is nothing to cause a lack of agreement inside him or her.
· there is a sense of being complete. Nothing is missing.
· there is satisfaction
· there is joy
· there is happiness.
These 5 things refer to one person. But they also refer to people in a general way.
So, this is what ‘peacemakers’ do. They work hard to cause this kind of peace. They encourage all that brings honour to God. They encourage all that causes agreement between people. This was what Jesus was saying in verse 9.
People should see ‘peacemakers’ at work everywhere. They should be trying to cause peace in a family. They should be active in the church. They should be working for peace in the world. They will also work for the spiritual good of all people. This is their most important work.
These people are following the model of their Father. (Read Hebrews 13:20 and 2 Corinthians 5:20.) They are following the model of their Saviour (Jesus). (Read Philippians 2:1–11 and Colossians 1:20.) God will call these people his children. Everyone will know that these people belong to God. This will happen when God judges people at the end of the world. So, the ‘peacemakers’ show three things. They show that they are the children of God. They show that they are living in peace. They show that they are living for peace.
Verse 9 links with verse 8. It emphasises a most important Christian truth. It happens when a person really believes. A great change takes place. It may only happen slowly. But a change does take place. There is a reason for this. God gives his Holy Spirit to every believer (Christian). The Holy Spirit helps him or her to live a life that will please God.
Questions
1. The Holy Spirit is active in your life. What evidence of this is of most value to you? Is it the evidence that Jesus would most love to see?
2. What ambitions do the people of God have today? It should be the desire to be holy. It should also be the desire for peace. What do Christian people today often put in place of these things?
3. Non-Christians notice the lives of believers. The Holy Spirit is in them. There should be evidence of this. What would help people most to become Christians today?
Matthew 5:10–12
Be careful! There will be enemies.
Jesus emphasised that there would be *persecution. He showed how the believer could find comfort at a time like that.
Verses 3–10 all start with the same word. Some translations use the word ‘happy’. Other translations use the word ‘blessed’. Verses 11 and 12 explain more. They show the reactions of non-Christians to real Christians. Verses 13–16 make a contrast. They describe the Christians’ reactions. They live in the world. Many other people in the world do not believe. These verses give the right reaction to these people. They show how Christians should behave in that world.
There will always be *persecution for real believers. Jesus taught this. He emphasised the fact in three ways:
• *Persecution is evidence. It shows that a person is a citizen of God’s *kingdom.
• Jesus spoke about ‘when’ not ‘if’ *persecution will happen.
• History shows that *persecution will happen (verse 12).
Here, Jesus was speaking about a certain type of *persecution. It is when people say bad things against you (verse 11). All believers must experience it at some time. This is the least form of *persecution. Many Christians (believers) experience much worse things.
Sometimes, Christians suffer for the wrong reasons. It can be because of their *sin. They may be stupid or not wise in their words or deeds. They may insist that only their group is right. Jesus was not thinking about any of these things.
Here, it is *persecution because of a person’s right beliefs. It is because of a person’s good behaviour. Jesus called these things *persecution. Today, non-Christians may laugh at those who practise love. They may laugh at those who are ready to forgive. Also, there are Christians at work. They will want to work all day. They will refuse to tell lies. These things may cause other people to laugh at them.
Jesus tells us that we must not just continue. There is something more. When there is *persecution, we must be happy and glad (verse 12)! There are three reasons for this. They are things about *persecution.
· It gives us evidence that we really are Christians (verse 10).
· It helps us to be more sure that we are God’s children.
· It means that we will have a reward one day. The reward then will be much greater than any suffering that we have now (verse 12).
Questions
1. Think about your own life. You may have told someone that you are a Christian. People made things hard for you because of this. What things in this passage could encourage you?
2. Have non-Christians caused difficulties for your local church? If they have, why was this?
3. The Church in the West today rarely seems to have *persecution. Why do you think that this is true?
Matthew 5:13–16
Salt and light
Jesus described some responsibilities of those who follow him.
Read verses 10–12. Here, Jesus explained something. It was about the people who do not believe. They will always have a certain reaction. They have this reaction to real *disciples of Jesus.
Now read verses 13–16. Here, Jesus spoke about believers. He explained their reaction. This reaction would be to the people who do not want God in their lives. Jesus used two word pictures. First, he used salt (verse 13). Then, he used light (verses 14–16).
Think about salt. The main use of salt is to stop things from going bad. Jesus has something to teach us here. It is about people who do not believe. They tend to do more evil. Jesus said that the people of God are like ‘salt’. People will get morally worse without this ‘salt’. The world’s history shows that this is true. There has been a big change in nations and peoples. This has been when real believers have been most noticeable.
When you rub salt into something, you cannot see it. But it still stops things from going bad. You cannot see it, but it still works. Jesus taught that steady *disciples can prevent the growth of *sin. They can have a powerful effect, even if people cannot see it.
There should be nothing in salt to spoil it. If there is, the salt will not be useful. Real *disciples should be like salt in this way. They will keep away from anything that would spoil. Believers will want only what God wants. They will desire only God’s honour in everything. This does not mean that there would be no contact with non-Christians. *Disciples can only be like salt if they are with non-Christians!
• Salt stops things from going bad, as we saw above.
• Salt gives flavour. Steady *disciples will have a good quality of life. Other people will not have it. They will see that these *disciples enjoy good pleasures. They will wish that they could do the same.
• Salt prevents the growth of things that cause disease. Real *disciples will try to be pure in every part of their lives.
There is something else to consider. If something spoils salt, it cannot be useful. It even has bad results. If salt gets into the ground, it will stop growth. So, *disciples like this are a bad example to other people.
Then, there was a most serious matter. Read Matthew 5:13. Jesus’ words mean that bad salt cannot become salty again. These words teach us. They teach that a real *disciple’s life is always of some use. Perhaps they also teach something about a person who is like bad salt. He or she must receive God’s punishment. God must send that person away. So, we should be like good salt.
Then, Jesus spoke about light. He said, ‘You are the light of the world.’ Real *disciples cannot hide that fact. It will show in the way that they live. It is not just their words. It is not just their ‘good deeds’. It is the way in which they do these actions. It is the way in which they say these words. Their lives should be right. They should be beautiful and attractive. They should give honour to God only.
Questions
1. Here, Jesus described the life of a real believer. This life shows people about God. It cannot avoid doing that. How much do you think that this is true of you? How might you improve?
2. Should people in churches today practise ‘good deeds’? In what ways do you think that they should do this? If they do too much social work, what dangers are there?
3. ‘Good deeds’ cannot save people from their *sins. How can we tell people this fact?
Matthew 5:17–20
The *Old Testament teaching today
Jesus explained about the *OT *Law in our own situations. He showed us how we should understand it. He explained how we can know its meaning.
People often discuss this passage. They very often understand it wrongly too. So, it is vital to study it well. Then we can be sure about what it means.
Jesus said that his teaching agreed with the whole of the *OT. This was what he told those who listened to him. (Read verses 17–18.) But, the teaching of the religious leaders was very different. Jesus said that their teaching did not agree with the *OT. (Read verses 19–20.)
We need to know what the *Jews meant by ‘the Law’. It referred to the laws that were in the first 5 books of our Bible. These are Genesis to Deuteronomy. The ‘*Prophets’ meant the next group of books. They are the books of Joshua to 2 Kings. (But *Jews do not include Ruth in this section.) This group also includes Isaiah to Malachi (but not Daniel). The other books of the *OT were called ‘the Writings’.
However, the words ‘Law and *Prophets’ usually apply to the whole of the *OT. This was how Jesus used the words here. So, he taught that he would never destroy any of the *OT teachings. He said, ‘I came to give full meaning to what it taught.’ He was not adding to them. He was not putting anything in their place. So, Jesus claimed two things. First, the whole of the *OT spoke about him. Second, he completely obeyed all of the *OT.
Jesus spoke Aramaic. The *OT was in Aramaic and Hebrew. Both these languages have the same alphabet. Jesus spoke about the smallest letter of the alphabet. He also spoke about the smallest part of a letter (verse 18). In this way, Jesus taught that he would not change any of the *OT. There has been much discussion on one word. This word is ‘until’ in verse 18. But, the word just emphasises something that is permanent. Jesus taught that the *OT is permanent. Its basic lessons do not change.
Jesus explained the meaning of ‘righteousness’ (to be and to do what is right).
In verses 19 and 20, Jesus answered another question. It was, ‘What is real righteousness?’ There were two groups of religious teachers. There were the teachers of the *Law (the scribes). Also there were the *Pharisees. To them, it was most important to obey all the *OT *Law. This was what they taught. They wanted to obey all of God’s laws. Jesus knew this. (This explains his words in verse 19.)
But, they did not understand two big things about the *OT *Law.
• First, it emphasised ceremonies. To obey God’s *Law on the outside of themselves was most important to them. They did not tell people to obey God because they loved him. This was the reason for what Jesus said in verse 20. Real ‘righteousness’ is greater than the righteousness of these men.
· Also, the teachers of the *Law and the *Pharisees added many rules. This meant that they never noticed great lessons in the *OT. Sometimes, they even denied these truths. Jesus discussed this particular bad habit in detail. He did this is in verses 21–48.
In these verses, Jesus taught about standards. There was the standard of ‘righteousness’ in the *OT. God would accept men and women by this standard only. There was the standard of behaviour. God expected this standard from citizens of his *kingdom.
Jesus knew that nobody could obey all the *Law. (That is, no person except himself could obey it all. Read verses 17–18.) That was the reason that he became a man. (Read 1:21.) There was a problem with the two groups of religious teachers. They thought that they could do things that would please God. And God would accept them because of what they did. Jesus’ teaching showed that this was not true. Nobody could ever do all that God requires. Nobody could ever obey all God’s laws. But God looks for people who love him. They ask for his help to obey his *Law.
Questions
1. Do you have the same interest as Jesus had in the *OT? If you do not, what is the reason for this? Decide to read at least a part of each *OT book. Then, write a plan to do this in the next 12 months.
2. Should our churches teach the laws of the *OT? Or, should they teach Jesus’ own way of life and behaviour? What are the differences?
3. Think about the teachers of the *Law and the *Pharisees. In what way are non-Christians like them? Do they understand the *Law in a similar way? Explain this. Do you think that people in your church are like this too?
Jesus made 4 main points in this section of his sermon (talk).
► Jesus emphasised the moral principles of the *OT laws. They will always be God’s standards for man.
► Jesus taught something about the *OT laws. They were not a complete list of rules. God never meant that they should be like that. They were examples. They showed how God’s desires applied to specific situations. People must know how to use the principles of the *OT in their lives. This was what God intended the laws to do. The teachers of the *Law and the *Pharisees did not understand this. They concentrated on the laws themselves. So, they forgot the great principles of the *Law.
► Jesus pointed out something. The teachers of the *Law and the *Pharisees had not understood it. It was to do with how they obeyed the *Law. It included three things. There were motives (why we do something). There were desires. Also, there were intentions.
► Jesus showed something else. The *OT laws were usually things that people should not do. But, God wanted people to think about the good things that they should do instead. The teachers and the *Pharisees did not notice this at all.
Notice the first verse of each new section in 5:21–48. It begins with the same words. ‘You know what our people heard long ago… . But, I tell you…’. Jesus was comparing two ways to think about the laws. First, there were the teachers of the *Law and the *Pharisees. They explained the *OT *Law in a certain way. Second, there was Jesus. He was going to give people the real meaning of the *OT laws.
Matthew 5:21–26
God hates it when people hate!
It is not just acts of murder that make God angry. It is thoughts about murder.
Jesus repeated Exodus 20:13. But he added something too. He said that the teachers of the *Law had added to God’s *Law. They added: ‘God will judge anyone who kills someone.’ Jesus said that they were wrong to do this. It was not just for what they said. It was for what they did not say. It was for what they did not emphasise too.
Here, Jesus used his authority as the Son of God. The *Jews were not used to this. Their teachers of the *Law and the *Pharisees never did this. They always repeated other people’s opinions.
The *Law forbade murder. This was to teach that life is important to God. This principle is in Genesis 9:1–7. This teaches that only God has rights over life. So, when anyone takes another life, he goes against God.
In Genesis 9:1–7 there is another idea. God made men and women as a copy of himself. (People use some words for this fact. They are: ‘in God’s image’.) This fact gives great worth to every human being. So, to murder someone spoils God’s image.
But, there is more. Two things are wrong. First, someone may behave as if another person’s life is not important. This is wrong. Also, it is wrong if anyone denies a person’s worth. Jesus gave three examples of this.
• He mentioned anger.
• Someone may say bad things about another person.
• Someone may say bad things to another person. (Read verse 22.)
But, that is not all. Jesus spoke about the other person as a ‘brother’. He chose to use this word. He had a reason for doing this. A good family looks after its own members. (Cain did not do this. Read Genesis 4:9.) God expects all people to look after each other. Anything less is not to obey God.
Ceremony must not be instead of actions
Notice Jesus’ words in verses 23–26. They continue from verses 21 and 22. This is hard for us to understand. Perhaps Jesus was thinking about some objections to his teaching (why people did not like his teaching). Some people may have thought that religious ceremonies were most important. Their quality of life was less important. But Jesus said that this is not what God wants.
Jesus gave an example. Someone was offering the correct gift. He wanted God to accept him. So, he did what God ordered. But, he suddenly remembered a certain person. It was someone who was angry with him. Jesus said that he must leave his gift. First, he must go to that person. He must try to make peace with him. Then, he could offer his gift. Otherwise, his gift was of no use at all.
Notice what Jesus did not say. It was not: ‘If you are angry with a brother’. Jesus did not say something else. It was not: ‘If your brother has a good reason to be angry with you’. There might be no good reason for it. But, Jesus still wanted him to try. He must try to make things right between them. If he did not, God would not accept his gift.
Jesus’ words show us something important. It is about anything that the Bible tells us not to do. Our thoughts must be good as well as our actions.
Jesus explained something in verses 25 and 26. It is urgent to become friends again. Jesus gave the reason for this. If the person does nothing, the relationship could get worse.
The standards are high in these verses. We may never achieve them perfectly in this life. But, we must try. The most important thing in life is to obey Jesus. Of course, he will help us. But we must ask him.
Questions
1. Is there someone who is angry with you? What are you going to do about it?
2. It is very important not to have wrong things between believers. (Note: This does not mean that believers must always agree about everything.) How might the members of your church emphasise this? Think especially about the *Lord’s Supper. You may say: ‘Peace be with you’ at this special meeting. But is that enough?
3. Many non-Christian groups oppose each other. How should Christians try to make peace between them?
More explanation
(This is a law that some countries have. Someone kills another person. The law says that the killer must die too.)
The Bible emphasises that life is important to God. So, murder is a serious matter. Genesis 9 speaks about this. That is the reason why the *OT laws were so strict. A person who killed someone was acting against God. He lost the right to live. In the *OT, God sometimes appointed men to act for him. They were to take the life of a killer.
Today, we too must remember that life is important to God. We must think seriously about murder. But, there are other things to consider. So, when we apply God’s Word, the details will vary. There is a time for *mercy. This is especially true when there is *repentance. David was a murderer. But God forgave him. He died in peace. So, the *OT laws remain in principle for all time. But we can apply them with *mercy. We can forgive.
Jesus’ words in 5:18 still agree with the *Law. He showed this in the rest of the chapter. Jesus wants people to use the basic principles of the *Law. He does not demand that people must obey each rule exactly
The *OT permits war. The *NT emphasises another point. It applies to all of God’s people. It is that they should listen to their rulers. (Read 1 Samuel 15:1 and Romans 13:1–6.) This does not mean that the *OT and the *NT do not agree.
Some believers say that war may be necessary. They give a reason for this. The world in which we live is full of *sin. The Christian has a responsibility to the state. Sometimes, this can mean ‘taking up arms’ against another person. This is not murder in the Bible. Perhaps one man kills another man. He wants to kill him. He does this because he hates that person. That is murder. In these verses, Jesus was discussing murder.
There is another subject. It is what people call a ‘just war’. Some people think that this could be a Bible principle. The subject is too big to consider here. But this passage, on its own, does not deny such a theory.
Matthew 5:27–32
Adultery and divorce. (Note: Adultery is a *sexual *sin. A married person is one of the partners. The other partner is not the husband or wife.)
Right *sexual behaviour begins in the mind. But it shows in a marriage that lasts.
Adultery in the mind (verses 27–30)
These verses give another example from Jesus’ words. They show how we should understand the *OT laws. They show the real meaning of ‘righteousness’. (This means to be right. It means to do what is right too.)
Jesus said words from Exodus 20:14. This is command 7. The *Jews thought that it applied only to the act of adultery. Jesus explained God’s words. He was not speaking about a look that admires. He was not speaking about our natural *sexual natures. God gave them to us. Jesus was not speaking about the sudden thought that enters the mind. *Satan tempts us. But, what we do with it is important. The child of God should stop that thought quickly.
But, Jesus was speaking about something. It is the deliberate look of desire (when we mean to do it). Read verse 28. This describes the thoughts and actions of a man. That man is not innocent!
Read verses 28–29. A person may choose to imagine *sexual *sin. Jesus showed that that is a *sin. These thoughts are a serious matter. The person must refuse them completely. We must not do exactly what Jesus says here. He does not want this. If he did, he would have mentioned both hands and both eyes! But, Jesus had a purpose for what he said. It was this. The eyes are the main parts of the body for wrong *sexual desires. The hands are the main parts of the body for action. We must have discipline in both desires and actions.
Marriage is for life (verses 31–32)
This is another example that Jesus gave. He was referring to the teachers of the *Law and the *Pharisees. He considered their attitudes to divorce. Jesus said words from the law that they used. This was in Deuteronomy 24:1–4.
The Bible deals with the subject of divorce. It deals with the subject of remarriage too. We should read the main passages about them first. Then, we will be able to understand Jesus’ words. The passages are: Deuteronomy 24:1–4; Matthew 5:31–32; 19:3–9; 1 Corinthians 7:12–16. There are three ways to understand these passages.
1. People usually say, ‘Deuteronomy 24 permits divorce but it does not encourage it.’ In fact the *OT never did approve of divorce. But Jesus replaced the *OT teaching. He gave a new standard. Now, there is only one reason for divorce. It is adultery. (There is more information in a later section. This is the section on Matthew 19:1–12.)
1 Corinthians 7 does not mention the word ‘divorce’. So, some people suggest that it refers to something else. It is when a couple separate from each other. This may take place when one partner leaves the other partner. In the *NT, there is only one time when there can be a remarriage. This is when one partner dies.
2. Paul does not use the word ‘divorce’ in 1 Corinthians 7. But, he does use language that clearly refers to it. People do not want to act against Jesus’ words. So, they have an explanation. Jesus was speaking about marriage that was between believers. Paul was thinking about another kind of marriage. This marriage was between a believer and someone who was not a believer. So, believers cannot divorce except for two reasons. First, they can divorce for adultery. Second, they can divorce if the non-Christian partner leaves them.
3. Perhaps this is the best explanation. Jesus was not trying to replace the *OT law about divorce. But he was trying to answer a question. The *Jews often asked it. They asked: ‘What are the reasons for divorce in the *OT?’ But Jesus did not give a direct answer. He said that they were asking the wrong question. They should not be arguing about the reasons for divorce. They should ask something else first. They should ask: ‘What does the *OT teach about marriage?’ Jesus emphasised the ideal for marriage. The relationship can end only when one partner dies.
But, Jesus recognised realities. There was a time to allow divorce. This was when there was adultery. In this case, there could be divorce. The ‘innocent’ partner would not be guilty of *sin. This does not mean that there must be divorce after adultery.
There is something else. Maybe, a wife behaves badly to her husband. This could make it easier for him to think about adultery. Then, Jesus would expect her to feel guilty. She would have some responsibility in the matter. Of course, a husband may behave badly to his wife. The same thing would be true in that case too.
But, Jesus did not change the teaching of the *OT. This was that divorce is possible for certain reasons. Paul thought this too. He gave the example of one partner who leaves.
But Jesus emphasised something. The teachers of the *Law and the *Pharisees did not emphasise it. Jesus taught that divorce is usually a *sin. There should be *repentance. Where it is possible, the couple should save their marriage. There is nothing very specific about divorce in the Bible. We must decide if there can be a divorce. We must do this in each situation. But, we must always teach something too. It is this. When a marriage fails, there has been *sin.
Questions
1. Am I thinking about some wrong things? Do I enjoy doing this? What could I do to improve things? How does Jesus feel about it?
2. There is always *sin in a divorce. So, what does this teach about the state of marriage? What does it teach about deciding to marry?
3. Sometimes a couple stay together when there is hate. This is a terrible thing. Is divorce worse than this? If so, why is it worse? If not, why is it not worse?
4. Church leaders often find it hard to deal with divorce. How do they help someone who has had a divorce? How might this passage help them?
Matthew 5:33–42
When you say an oath (a strong promise). When you do more than you need to do.
A real *disciple will always respect the truth. Someone may hurt you. But you will not want to hurt that person.
Jesus continued to give examples. They were about his teaching in 5:17–20. Again, he referred to a popular teaching of the *Jews (verse 33). He gave a short account of some *OT passages. They are: Leviticus 19:12; Numbers 30:2 and Deuteronomy 23:21. He did not agree with the *Jewish religious leaders. They taught the opposite of what the *Law intended. Jesus referred to the law about oaths (strong promises). This was what they taught. Only some oaths were important. But, Christians should not use oaths at all when they speak. When they say ‘yes’, they should mean ‘yes’. When they say ‘no’ they should mean ‘no’.
When you do more than you need to do
Read verse 38. Jesus again said words from *Jewish tradition. They were short accounts of some passages in the *OT. These were Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20 and Deuteronomy 19:21. The short accounts were right. But the *Jews had not understood them in the right way.
These *OT instructions were for the law courts. (Read Deuteronomy 19:18 especially.) The laws gave principles. They were there to help judges to make decisions. There were two reasons for this.
• First, the law should control wrong desires. Someone has hurt you. So, you want to hurt that person. You have suffered. So, you want that person to suffer too.
• Second, the law removes punishment from personal feelings. It puts the responsibility with the court of law.
But, the *Jews increased the principle of the *Law. It became a guide for personal behaviour. People could use the *Law in the courts wrongly too. They could use it to give excuses for their evil desires. They thought that someone had done bad things to them. So, they would use the court to do bad things to that person.
There is a big contrast in verses 39–42. Jesus showed how people should apply the *Law. He referred to a blow on the cheek. This was a very bad thing to do in ancient Israel. Jesus suggested something here. It is never right to punish another person for a personal wrong.
But we must understand Jesus’ words in the right way. Someone might say, ‘A man should never say anything to those who behave badly.’ It could seem that Jesus meant that. But he did not mean that. It is important that people should be fair to everybody. The rights of other people are important too. So, people may defend themselves. But the *disciple must stay holy. A *disciple should accept it when someone does bad things to him or her. That is, if it only affects him or her. His or her love can then change attitudes.
In Jesus’ day, the *Romans were in power. They could force *Jews to do things (verse 41). And *Jews could not refuse to obey their commands. This practice was not popular. And it might not be convenient. The *Pharisees would obey. But they would show that they were unhappy about it. Jesus said that this must not be the standard for *disciples. They must do their duties in a cheerful way. They must be generous in the way that they do the duties too.
Jesus gave an example in verse 42. There are people who really need help. This teaches what the *disciple’s reaction should be to them. The *disciple should help them all that he can.
Questions
1. Should a Christian ever tell lies? Is there any situation when it might be right?
2.Think about a certain situation. Someone has hurt you. You want to hurt that person in return. What should you do? Someone may say: ‘I can never forgive him for what he has done.’ How would you help the person who says that?
3. Members of the Church should be willing to give in to other members. How can they show this? There is a principle in verse 39. Je