Session 13: The Gospel of Matthew Bible Study in Plain English By Bill Huebsch Session Thirteen: The Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew: A sermon book? The Gospel of Matthew might have been written originally as a sort of sermon book in the early church. One way to look at it is to see within it five sermons, beginning with the famous Sermon on the Mount. These five sermons in Matthew echo the five books of the Pentateuch. Matthew s audience would have understood that parallel. And each of the sermons left the crowds standing there, stunned! Look for example at Matthew 7:28-29, the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount: the crowds were astonished The five sermons Where to find them An outtake from each Sermon on the Mount 5:1-7:29 Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God. Sermon on how to be an Apostle Sermon in parables, preached from a boat Sermon on how to have good order in the church 10:1-11:1 Take no gold, or silver I am sending you like sheep among wolves. 13:1-13:53 To you has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven 17:24-19:1 Not seven times, but I tell you, seventy-seven times. The Bible Study in Plain English Version 2.0 2014 The Pastoral Center Page 1
Jesus final sermon 23:1-26:1 just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. Note this The very first words out of Jesus mouth in the Gospel of Matthew are, in a sense, a summary of the whole gospel. John the Baptist was protesting the idea that he would baptize Jesus. But Jesus said, We must do what God wants! or We must do what is right. Follow me. The author of Matthew, then, presents a portrait of Jesus as a teacher. He gathers disciples around him. Disciples are life-long learners, people figuring out what it means to follow their leader. And Jesus gives quite specific instructions about his way of life, the way of Jesus. In a nutshell, what are some of these teachings of Jesus? Open your Bible to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. Take a few minutes to scan ahead in this Gospel all the way to 7:29. What do you notice here? In the table below, we are presenting the eight Beatitudes from the Gospel of Matthew, in two different biblical translations. One is from The Message, a translation of the text into contemporary English. The other is from the more traditional NRSV translation. Beneath each of the eight short teachings write how this applies to you. Keep this personal. You aren t writing social commentary here. Let your own inner voice direct you. Be ready to share with your group. This is summary of our faith. The Bible Study in Plain English Version 2.0 2014 The Pastoral Center Page 2
The Message 3 You re blessed when you re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. 4 You re blessed when you feel you ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. 5 You re blessed when you re content with just who you are no more, no less. That s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can t be bought. 6 You re blessed when you ve worked up a good appetite for God. He s food and drink in the best meal you ll ever eat. 7 You re blessed when you care. At the moment of being care-full, you find yourselves cared for. 8 You re blessed when you get your inside world your mind and heart put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. 9 You re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God s family. 10 You re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God s kingdom. The NRSV 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The Bible Study in Plain English Version 2.0 2014 The Pastoral Center Page 3
One of Jesus teachings in Matthew has to do with learning to love your enemies. This is never easy! In the first place, who are your enemies? Take a few moments to talk about the people you keep at arm s length from yourself. Who are the ones you consider undesirable, the ones you reject, the ones you think are just ignorant, the ones against whom you re holding a grudge. (These are your enemies.) Write the names of one or two such people below, just so you can take a good, long look at them. Salt & Light: You are the salt of the earth! You are the light of the world! What did Jesus teach you should do with your light? Read Matthew 5:15-16 to find out. An eye for an eye? Stop this eye-for-an-eye nonsense. Turn the other cheek. Give to one who asks. What example did Jesus give about how we are to handle it when someone is mean to us? Read Matthew 5:39-42. Your inner life Don t do good deeds to be seen. Give in secret. Your heavenly Father will see your gift. Don t brag about donating money. Read Matthew 6:2-4 to find out why. Trust God above all others. Don t worry about your life - food or clothing. Seek first the kingdom of God, and the rest will be given to you. Read Matthew 6:25-34 to find out why worry gets us nowhere. Write verse 33 from that passage in the space below and let it sink into your soul. The Bible Study in Plain English Version 2.0 2014 The Pastoral Center Page 4
Live your faith. Beware of wolves in sheep s clothing! Good trees bear good fruit! What does Jesus mean that we should be careful not to be fooled by people who appear to be good, but are really not? Read Matthew 7:15-20 to find out. The Way to God. Although he was sometimes afraid to follow the path before him, Jesus seemed sure about his mission in life. He came to do the will of his Father. Everything he did in life was done to fulfill God s promise and to bring salvation to God s People. Jesus whole life - from his birth to his suffering and death - was a sign of what it means to do God s will. To whom did Jesus say he was sent? Read Matthew 9:9-13 to find out. How does knowing about Jesus give you hope in the face of suffering and sin? The yoke is easy. Jesus chose to follow God s will, and he invited everyone he met to do the same. And in a time when many people thought that doing God s will was something difficult or even impossible to do, Jesus taught otherwise. Jesus was the example. What did Jesus teach about the difficulty of following God? Read Matthew 11:28-30 to find out! Write Jesus message in the writing space. Then tell what it means in your own words. Money. Jesus had a lot to say about money. In fact, of the moral teachings of Jesus, nearly half deal with the danger of being rich. Half! The Kingdom of God, it seems, cannot be reconciled with wealth. But most people read right past these teachings in the Bible. We d rather not have to come to terms with this. The Bible Study in Plain English Version 2.0 2014 The Pastoral Center Page 5
So what does Jesus have to say about all this? Read the disturbing story in Matthew 19:16-22. Note that this same story appears also in Mark 10 and Luke 18. Read the final line of this story aloud. Let it sink into your own heart. He seems to mean it. Now read on in Matthew for a few verses. It will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle many who are first will be last, and the last will be first. In a nutshell, what is Jesus saying here? Read Matthew 6:24. Let this teaching shape you as you share how you will apply it in your own life. Meant for all. Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them, Jesus taught in Matthew 7:24, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. This is the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus used a simple, earthy image. Any builder who expects his or her house to last through storms will build it on a solid foundation. If the builder does not do that, then rain, wind, and snow will shift and buckle the foundation and the house will collapse. The image of a firm foundation is also found in the Hebrew Scriptures where God promised to build a firm foundation in Zion upon a tested, precious cornerstone Read Isaiah 28:16 to find this passage. In our journey of faith today, who or what is the cornerstone on which we build? The Sermon on the Mount begins in a lyrical manner with the Beatitudes but it concludes with a word of warning: listening to and understanding Jesus teaching is not enough; it must also be put into practice. We disciples must also do the will of God. Throughout life we are presented with choices. We make decisions. We act. Appropriate choices, proper decisions and right actions form us from the inside out. When we internalize the teaching of Jesus and act accordingly, our The Bible Study in Plain English Version 2.0 2014 The Pastoral Center Page 6
actions fortify and strengthen the foundation of our faith. What experiences of choosing to act on Jesus words have strengthened your faith? The Kingdom of God. At the heart of Jesus teaching and preaching in Matthew is his proclamation that the Reign of God is here and now. He begins his preaching by announcing the coming of this kingdom. It refers to a time when God will rule all of creation - a rule of justice, mercy, reconciliation, and peace in which all evil and death will be eradicated. It is a time that is coming but which in some ways is here in part already but not yet complete. All believers are called to participate with God in bringing the kingdom to its fullness. Turn to chapter 13 in the Gospel of Matthew and read the parables of the kingdom of God that Jesus gives. For each parable in chapter 13, write a short sentence describing the Kingdom of God based on the image, metaphor, or simile which Jesus uses. Be ready to share your insights with your group. 1. The sower 2. Weeds among the wheat 3. Mustard seed 4. Yeast 5. A treasure hidden in a field 6. A merchant in search of find pearls 7. A net that was thrown into the sea When you pray the words of the Our Father, Thy kingdom come what do you see as the implications of this prayer for your life? How can you grow in your efforts to participate more fully in God s intention for a more peaceful and forgiving world? The Bible Study in Plain English Version 2.0 2014 The Pastoral Center Page 7
Is no one safe? Jesus also had some choice words for the church insiders of his day. He warned church leaders over and over again that they were missing the main point: Your inner life must reflect what you believe. What he had to say here are perhaps the most challenging words of the entire Gospels. OK, so what did Jesus say about this? Scan Matthew chapter 23 for the answer. Read Matthew 23:25-28 and write a summary of this teaching in the space. What does it mean for today s church leaders? Note this The first three Gospels - Matthew, Mark, and Luke - are called the synoptic gospels because they generally have a parallel story to tell. The word synoptic means, literally, viewed together. But the Gospel of John does not follow that pattern. Written much later than the first three, its purpose seems to be an elaboration of Christian understanding of who Christ is as the divine Son of God. We will return to discuss the passion story from this Gospel in an upcoming study. Conclude your study. Take a moment to tell each other what new insights into faith you gained in this study. Then conclude with a brief prayer of thanksgiving. The Bible Study in Plain English Version 2.0 2014 The Pastoral Center Page 8