People sometimes speak as though God only loves those who love him and wills the evil that happens in our lives. These are misunderstandings of the nature of God. God loves everyone and never causes evil, even though he allows evil in his pursuit of a greater good. Previous Christian Faith Articles Next God Loves All People and Never Wills Evil Even Though He Allows It People sometimes speak as though God only loves those who love him and wills the evil that happens in our lives. These are misunderstandings of the nature of God. God loves everyone and never causes evil, even though he allows evil in his pursuit of a greater good. Image by Dámaris Azócar, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Cropped. Tom Faletti August 3, 2026 God loves everyone, even those who reject him. He allows evil things to happen, but he does not desire that evil things happen and he does not cause evil. The Bible is very clear about this: God loves all people No one stands outside of the love of God. John uses the biggest word he can – “world” – when he says that God loves the whole “world” (John 3:16) and that Jesus came to deal with the sins of the whole “world” (1 John 2:2). John captures the extreme nature of God’s love in the simple statement that “God is love” (1 John 4:8-10). Paul tells us that God’s love is so great that absolutely nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:37-39). Love is not love if it is willing to do evil to the other. God love all people. God loves even those who do evil Jesus tells us that God provides his sun and rain to the just and the unjust (Matt. 5:44-45), and that God is kind and merciful even to those who are ungrateful and those who are evil (Luke 6:35-36). Jesus, who was and is God, taught us to love our enemies (Luke 6:28-28) and to love others as he loved us. Jesus forgave those who crucified him, as he hung on the cross (Luke 23:34). So we can be sure that God loves even his enemies. The Old Testament affirms that God is good to all and compassionate toward all in Psalm 145:9. Peter tells us that, far from seeking to hastily punish those who oppose him, God waits patiently, not wishing that anyone would perish (2 Pet. 3:9). In these passages, we can see that God does not desire or cause evil towards others. Sometimes, from our limited perspective, it may feel like there are situations where God is causing evil, but the evil is the product of our free will and natural forces, not God’s desire. Similarly, God does not tempt or entice people to do evil, and he does not override free will or force people to do evil when they might otherwise do good: God does not tempt anyone to sin James is very clear that God does not tempt anyone. Instead, it is our own desires that entice us and lead us to do sinful and evil things (James 1:13-14). Paul similarly tells us that God is always offering us a way to overcome temptation (1 Cor. 10:13). God never has as his goal that a human being do evil or sin in any way. God gives humans free will, with which we can choose to do evil or good, to follow God or to reject him Although there are a few places in the Bible where the language seems to say that God is forcing or directing that evil be done, we need to interpret those passages in the light of the other half of the story – that God gives all people the freedom to choose to do good or to do evil. The Jews in the Old Testament believed that everything that happened was of God and, at the same time, everything that humans did was by their own free choice. We must not leave out the element of free will. In the Old Testament, God tells the Israelites through Moses, “I have set before you life and death.... Choose life” (Deut. 30:19-20). The choice is in their hands, not dictated by God. When they enter the promise land, God tells them again through Joshua, “If it is displeasing to you to serve the Lord, choose today whom you will serve” (Josh. 24:15). They are given free will, to choose whom they will follow. Exodus describes how the people can make voluntary offerings to God (Ex. 35:29), underscoring the reality of free will. The books of Kings describe how each king chose to do good or evil (for example, 2 Kings 13:1-7; 2 Kings 22-23). The prophets constantly exhort the leaders, the priests, and the people to respond to the words of the Lord and change their ways. These words from God would be meaningless if the people did not actually have the free will to choose to obey God or reject him. The deuterocanonical book of Sirach, written roughly 200 years before Jesus was born, includes a whole section that talks explicitly about free will (Sir. 15:11-20), showing how important that concept was for the Jews in the final centuries before Jesus walked the earth. Jesus constantly affirms the reality of free will in the way he invites people to follow him (John 1:39) and allows them to reject him (Matt. 19:22; 23:37; John 7:17). See John 12:36-50 for an analysis of the Gospel passage most commonly misinterpreted to claim that God prevented some people from believing in Jesus hardening their heart. God did not will that anyone’s heart be hardened against Jesus, but he allowed people to make the choice to reject him, which hardened their hearts against him. Our world is filled with free but imperfect people living in a universe that follow the morally indifferent laws of nature. Because of free will and the laws of nature, evil and painful things happen. God allows it to happen by sustaining the universe, but he lets people choose how they will respond to him, each other, and the circumstances they encounter in their lives. God does this for a reason. If he dictated everything so that only good things happen, there would be no freedom to choose good, no freedom to choose God, no freedom to truly love others, no freedom to sacrifice ourselves for the good of others, no freedom to give people a glimpse of God by the way we treat them, no freedom to embrace with their whole heart a personal encounter with God, no freedom to choose to become like Jesus. When we freely choose to follow God in the midst of suffering, God brings good out of evil (Romans 8:28; Gen. 50:19-21). The question isn’t whether God loves us and gives us free will; the question is what we will do with it. Will we embrace God’s love and work with him to bring good out of evil? Or will we go our own way and blame him for the evil that happens? Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Christian Faith Articles Next

Are you acting like you are ready for the Lord? What would it look like in your life to be the faithful servant, the well-prepared attendant? [Matthew 22:45-51; 24:1-13] Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 24:45-25:13 Are you acting like you are ready for the Lord? What would it look like in your life to be the faithful servant, the well-prepared attendant? Peter von Cornelius (1783–1867). The Parable of Wise and Foolish Virgins (unfinished) . 1813-1816. Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, Germany. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Peter_von_Cornelius_-_The_Parable_of_Wise_and_Foolish_Virgins_(unfinished)_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg . Tom Faletti September 7, 2025 Matthew 24:45-51 two servants – one ready and one not ready for the master’s return This is the first of 2 parables about Jesus’s return and the need to be ready. Some translations use the word “servant” and some translations use the word “slave.” In New Testament times, perhaps 20% or more of all the people in the Roman Empire were slaves ( Welch and Hall ; The British Museum ). Slaves performed professional as well as menial jobs, often side by side with freed people. They moved freely around their cities and beyond, were allowed to earn money, and could buy their freedom if their master was willing. Although masters were allowed to abuse their slaves, and some or many did, Roman slavery was not the same as the chattel slavery of the American South. To help us understand the relatively independent, decision-making roles they played in their society, I will use the translation “servant” in this study. That will also help us understand that Jesus wants us to be able to see ourselves in these servants. What happens in this parable? Who do the two servants stand for? Jesus is talking to the disciples now, not the Pharisees or chief priests. Matthew is probably expecting his audience to apply the parable to themselves, in which case it applies equally to us and to all Christians in every age. One member of my Bible Study, when asked who the faithful and unfaithful servants stand for, thoughtfully replied, “It [i.e.,both] could be us at different times.” What is the job of the two servants? What would it look like when these servants were doing their jobs properly? Jesus wants us to see ourselves in these images, so translate this to your life. What would it look like in your life if you are the faithful servant living your life until the master comes? What would you, the faithful servant, be doing in your life? What are the things we might become distracted by, that would leave us caught by surprise when the master comes? Note that this servant is not just distracted, he is wicked: he abuses the other servants. In verse 51, what happens to that wicked servant? Jesus is talking to his followers in this parable, and Matthew is telling the story as a caution to his fellow Christians. Jesus says the wicked servant will be assigned a place with the hypocrites. Why is that a devastating outcome for a Christian? Who has Jesus accused of being a hypocrite, and why would Jesus use that term for “followers” of his who do not live the life of a faithful servant? It was the job of these servants to take care of the household and make sure the other slaves/servants were fed at the proper times. Each of us has a different “job” as we serve God, based on the unique circumstances of our lives. What are the “jobs” God wants to see you doing faithfully right now? Matthew 25:1-13 being ready – a parable of 10 virgins In the second parable, 10 virgins (i.e., unmarried women) are supposed to be ready so that when the bridegroom arrives (probably with the bride he has gone to get from another city) they can welcome him and accompany him to their new home for a week-long celebration ( Ignatius Catholic Study Bible , fn. to 25:1-13, p. 53). In Jesus’s time, travel was unpredictable and the timing of events was often more uncertain than in our day. It might not be clear when the bridegroom would have completed all the necessary steps to bring the bride home. When he was approaching, it was expected that the word would go out ahead of him so that they could be greeted, day or night. In this case, the bridegroom represents Jesus, so the focus in on him. The Greek word can mean “virgin” or “unmarried woman” (what in the past was called a “maiden”). Some translations use the term “bridesmaid.” Most translations use the term “virgin,” so this study uses that word. What happens in the parable? Who do the wise and foolish virgins represent? What is Jesus’s point in this parable? Notice that Jesus calls the virgins who weren’t sufficiently prepared “foolish,” whereas he called the unfaithful servant “wicked.” Are there ways that we might not be “wicked” but could still be foolish (unwise) and therefore not be what Jesus is expecting us to be? How might we be guilty of being, or in danger of being, unwise in our spiritual lives, even though we are not trying to be wicked? What does this tell us about faithfulness in living the Christian life? What happens to those who are not ready when the time comes? Matthew wants us to hear this parable as applying to all of us. What does it say to us? There are aspects of our lives where we can’t wait until the last minute to be ready for Jesus’s coming. What might be some of those things we need to be doing in advance? What might be some things we can’t “borrow” – that we need to already have when Jesus comes? In verse 12, when the foolish women finally show up late to the wedding banquet, the bridegroom says, “I do not know you.” In the context of the story , this makes sense: the groom, perhaps coming from far away, might not know the friends of the woman he is marrying. But what does this say to us about our lives? We would not want Jesus, when we come before him at the end of our lives, to say, “I do not know you.” What do we need to do about that? What does it mean to be known by Jesus? What would you do differently if you lived your life, like the five wise virgins, with a real readiness for the day you will meet God face to face? As with earlier statements by Jesus, this parable can be applied to being ready for the Second Coming of Christ, but it applies equally well to our deaths, for we shall see him then. What does this parable say to you about being ready for your inevitable death? Jesus’s ends by saying, “Stay awake, for you do not know the day or the hour.” What does it look like to, in a spiritual sense, “Stay awake”? Take a step back and consider this: We are always making choices. Sometimes our choices make us more ready for Jesus, and some do not. Some choices help us as we seek to know and be known by Jesus, and some do not. Sometimes we act like we can put off spending time with God or wait until later to do what God wants us to do, and yet still be ready for Jesus when he comes. That approach might make us unready for the Lord when we die. But it also has an impact long before we die. There might be things that God wants to do through us, but if we are not “ready,” he might not be able to open the path for us to serve him or others in that way. Our choices affect not only the endgame of our lives, but also the plays we make every day. To what extent is your life focused on being ready for each next thing that Jesus is showing up for in your life? How can you be more ready for every little thing that he might want to do in you or through you? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next

While the normal routines of life go on, Jesus knows that one of his disciples is in the process of betraying him. How do you keep going when bad things are happening? [Matthew 26:14-16; 26:17-19; 26:20-25] Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 26:14-25 While the normal routines of life go on, Jesus knows that one of his disciples is in the process of betraying him. How do you keep going when bad things are happening? Unidentified artist. Judas mottar de trettio silverpenningarna [Judas receives the silver pieces] . Circa 1425-1450. Chalk painting, Brönnestad Church, Hässleholm, Sweden. Photo by Lennart Karlsson. CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kalkm%C3%A5lning,_Judas_mottar_de_trettio_silverpenningarna_-_Br%C3%B6nnestads_kyrka,_H%C3%A4ssleholm_-_9017124.jpg . Tom Faletti September 15, 2025 Matthew 26:14-16 Judas betrays Jesus Why do you think Judas offers to betray Jesus? There are three ways that scholars commonly attempt to explain Judas’s betrayal: Judas might have been greedy. The Gospel of John supports this idea in John 12:6, where John says that Judas kept the money for Jesus and his companions and used to steal from it. This explanation is supported by the fact that in Matthew 26:15 Judas asks the chief priests how much money they would give him if he betrayed Jesus to them. Judas might have been disillusioned because Jesus was not showing any evidence that he was going to rise up against the Romans and establish an independent Jewish nation. Judas might have believed deeply in the cause he thought Jesus stood for and felt that Jesus was moving too slowly. He might have thought he was forcing Jesus’s hand in order to speed up the inauguration of the kingdom. What is the significance of 30 pieces of silver? Exodus 21:32 indicates that 30 shekels of silver was the value of a slave in ancient Israel – the amount of compensation that had to be paid if a man’s ox gored another man’s slave. The weights of various coins were not very standardized, but the shekel and the “silver pieces” in Judas’s time were close enough that it is reasonable to hear hints of Exodus 21:32 in Matthew 26:15. A story in Zechariah 11:7-13 about a rejected shepherd suggests that 30 shekels is 30 days’ wages, and the silver pieces Judas accepted may have had the value of 30 days’ wages. However, depending on the coin that was used, it may have been worth four times that much, or 120 days’ wages: a third of a year’s wages, which is comparable to $8,000 to $16,000 today ( The New Oxford Annotated Bible , Matthew 26:14 footnote, p. 1785). Judas is betraying Jesus for less than half of the cost of the ointment the woman used to anoint Jesus in the previous passage (Matt. 26:6-13). Why do you think Judas decided to betray Jesus? Do you think he really wanted to see Jesus killed? Explain. If we put the best face on Judas’s actions, he thought he knew better than Jesus how to bring God’s kingdom into its glory. How do people in our day try to force a greater manifestation of God’s kingdom? How does Judas contrast with the woman who anointed Jesus? How is Judas different than the other disciples? How might you sometimes be at risk of trying to force God’s hand rather than waiting for God’s timing and method of working in our lives? Matthew 26:17-19 Preparation for the Passover meal In this passage, Jesus prepares to celebrate his final Passover meal with his disciples. He has probably eaten the sacrificial Passover lamb in Jerusalem every year since he was a child (Luke 2:41 tells us that his parents went to Jerusalem every year for the Passover). What do you know about the Jewish celebration of the Passover? What were they commemorating and how did they commemorate it? Passover is the annual Jewish feast celebrating the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. It is also known as the feast of Unleavened Bread, because the Israelites were told to prepare unleavened bread to take on their exodus out of Egypt, because they would not have time for bread to rise as they left. Passover as the night when the Jews put the blood of a lamb on the lintels of their doors so that the angel of death would “pass over” their households when the death of the firstborns convinced Pharaoh to stop standing against God and allow the Israelites to leave Egypt. Passover is celebrated on the 15 th of Nissan (the Jewish month that, based on the lunar cycle, falls during our March/April). The “first day” referred to here is the day of preparation, the 14 th of Nissan. At sundown, the 15 th of Nissan would begin. The Passover meal was eaten on the first night of a week-long celebration of the salvation from slavery that God provided by bringing the Israelites out of Egypt. What preparations do Jesus and his disciples make for the Passover meal? It appears that Jesus had spoken with someone in advance about using his house to have the Passover meal. This is one of those little clues that remind us that the Bible gives us only a selected sample of everything Jesus did and said (see John 21:25, which suggests that if all the stories were told, the world could not hold all the books that would be written). Do you suppose there are things in your life that Jesus is also preparing in advance for? If the disciples had not done what Jesus directed them to do, the Passover meal might not have been as orderly: there might have been last-minute scrambling, etc. What does this tell you about the importance of listening for God’s guidance and following his direction? Matthew 26:20-25 Jesus acknowledges that he will be betrayed by an insider What does Jesus say he knows? Why do you think he is saying this, rather than keeping it to himself? How do the disciples feel about the possibility that someone might betray Jesus? Why would they ask, “Surely, not I?” Wouldn’t they know they are not going to betray him? Could they be clueless about just how big the betrayal is that Jesus is talking about, and think that Jesus is referring to some more minor way they might “betray” him due to foolishness or pettiness? Are there ways that we might “betray” Jesus in small ways, not by a dramatic denunciation but by our own mundane sinfulness? How might that be? What title for Jesus do the apostles use in v. 22? What title for Jesus does Judas use in v. 25? “Rabbi” is an Aramaic word meaning “teacher” or “master” that was used as a title of honor for teachers. The Jews of Jesus’s time spoke Aramaic, a language related to Hebrew. Matthew is writing his Gospel in Greek, so he almost always translates into Greek what the people would have said in Aramaic. Everywhere else, he uses the Greek word for teacher where Jews would have said “rabbi.” But not here. Here, Matthew preserves the fact that Judas called Jesus “rabbi.” What does it tell you about their relationship when a person calls someone else “Lord”? Does “Teacher” have the same connotation? Are our teachers seen as our lords? Does the fact that Judas uses the word for teacher, when the disciples usually refer to Jesus as Lord, give us a hint as to Judas’s attitude toward Jesus? Explain. In what ways do you see Jesus as “Lord”? In verse 25, when Judas says, “Surely, not I?”, Jesus replies, “You have said so” rather than a simple “Yes.” Why might Jesus have phrased it this way? Jesus’s choice of words is significant here. If Jesus had said, “Yes,” rather than “You have said so,” it would have suggested that Judas was locked into a path of betrayal and no longer had any choice. By saying to Judas, you have said so, Jesus leaves room for Judas to decide to say otherwise, to change his mind, to retreat from the path he has started down. This shows that Jesus, to the end, loves Judas and is holding out hope that Judas will do the right thing. Note: The fact that Jesus’s death fulfills Scripture does not mean that Judas was forced to betray Jesus. Judas is not a puppet. Jesus ultimately would have died on a Roman cross even if Judas had changed his mind and not helped the Jewish leaders. God did not need Judas to be evil in order to accomplish his work of salvation. In Matthew 26:24, Jesus says, “It would have been better for him if he had not been born.” Some people find this troubling because it seems harsh. However, it is not as harsh as verse 25:41: “Depart from me, you accursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Jesus does not actually say that Judas is going to hell. Judas’s final judgment remains to be seen. He could still repent. Does God ever give up on the possibility that you, or any other person, might repent and move away from a path of sin or evil? How can you keep an open mind about others’ potential to turn around? Take a step back and consider this: In these passages, we see the normal routines of life going on – the ordinary preparation for an annual celebration – while the wheels are turning that will lead to Jesus’s crucifixion. And Jesus knows what is going on! How do you think Jesus handled the stress and inner turmoil that comes with knowing that bad things are happening? We face this same problem sometimes. Bad things may be happening in our lives, not necessarily life-or-death situations like Jesus is facing, but serious, potentially life-altering circumstances. Perhaps we are waiting for medical test results that could indicate we have a serious illness or disease. Perhaps we are watching an adult child or other loved one struggle with drugs or other serious impairments. Perhaps a business we are deeply involved in is failing. Perhaps a government is trying to find us and deport us even though we have never done anything wrong other than cross a border to find safety from a life-threatening situation. How do you deal with stress when bad things are happening around you or you are waiting for potentially bad news? Where do you turn for help in those difficult times? Do you see Jesus as someone who has gone through that kind of stress and can help you get through it? What could you do to reach out to him and draw strength from him? Jesus appears to have enjoyed spending time with his disciples. Other than going away to spend time in prayer with his Father, we never see him trying to avoid the disciples. Human beings are social creatures. Jesus was God, but he was also human, and as a human, he may have found encouragement in spending time with those he loved. Who around you might be experiencing the stress of living in a bad situation or waiting for potentially bad news? How could you be a help to them? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next

What is God trying to do in our world today, and are we missing the signs of what is needed and what he is doing? Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 16:1-12 What is God trying to do in our world today, and are we missing the signs of what is needed and what he is doing? Sculpture by Sargis Babayan. Jonah the Prophet . Armenia. CC BY-SA 3.0 , uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by Sargis Babayan, 24 Jan. 2011, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jonah_the_Prophet.jpg . Tom Faletti June 15, 2025 Matthew 16:1-4 The Pharisees and Sadducees demand a sign Who challenges Jesus here? This is the first time the Sadducees have had anything to do with Jesus. We see them joining with the Pharisees to challenge him. This is a significant development because the Pharisees and the Sadducees were diametrically opposed on many issues: The Pharisees accepted the whole Old Testament, believed in angels and an afterlife, and followed the minutiae of ritual rules and traditions added over the centuries, while the Sadducees accepted only the Pentateuch (the first 5 books of the Old Testament), did not believe in angels or an afterlife, and did not follow the extra ritual rules the Pharisees cared so much about. Also, the Sadducees were the wealthy class of political collaborators, while most Pharisees avoided politics as long as they could continue their customs. But here they are united by their opposition to Jesus. What do you think the Pharisees and Sadducees are looking for when they ask for “a sign from heaven”? A sign from heaven might be a voice from the skies or some other supernatural occurrence from above. Jesus’s initial response in verses 2-3 does not appear in many of the early manuscripts, but it is considered part of the canon of inspired Scripture. It is a clever reply because they are asking him for a sign from the skies (heaven) and he says they know how to interpret the natural signs in the skies but not the signs of the times. Many people are familiar with the saying Jesus quotes in verses 2-3. We know it as an old sailors’ adage: “Red sky at night, sailors delight; red sky in morning, sailors take warning.” Jesus is saying they know how to interpret the appearance of the sky to judge weather conditions, but they don’t know how to interpret “the signs of the times.” What do you think he means by “the signs of the times”? The signs of the times are the things going on in the world at any particular moment in history, where God is working or where his influence is needed. The signs the Pharisees and Sadducees are missing are miracles and teachings of Jesus that are the signs that he has been sent from the Father and that the kingdom of God is at hand. During the Catholic Church’s Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, the bishops urged the Church to interpret “the signs of the times” in the light of the Gospel. Pope Francis was fond of using this phrase to call attention to the issues of the 21st century where Christians need to put Gospel values into action (for more on the signs of the times that Pope Francis thought were significant, see the Faith Explored study “Where signs of hope are needed today” ). What do you think the signs of the times are today in our nation or world – the things happening in our society or world where God is working or where God’s perspective is needed? And what are the gospel values that need to be brought to bear in those areas? In verse 4, Jesus refers again to “the sign of Jonah.” He used this term in 12:39-41. What is the sign of Jonah? In the story of Jonah, Jonah was in the belly of the whale for 3 days and lived. The “sign of Jonah” may be that Jesus will be in the tomb for 3 days and then rise back to life. That will be a sign for those who doubt Jesus. But considering that Jesus has just been addressing the issue of the Gentiles, the “sign of Jonah” may also be that God cared so much about the Gentiles in Ninevites that he sent Jonah to preach to them and call them to repentance; and God cares equally about the Gentiles in Jesus’s time. The demand for a sign raises a philosophical issue. If God wants people to freely believe in him and accept his authority in their lives, would the kind of sign from heaven that the Pharisees and Sadducees want support or undermine that goal of free acceptance? More generally, why doesn’t God do dramatic things in our lives all the time, to show us that he is real? Matthew 16:5-12 Warnings about the Pharisees and Sadducees What is Jesus’s warning to the disciples in verse 6? What do the disciples think he is talking about? What is he actually talking about? What is the “leaven” or “yeast” of the Pharisees and Sadducees? Jesus is talking about the false teaching of the Pharisees and the Sadducees – their misunderstandings about who Jesus is and about what kind of life God is calling them to live. Jesus had used leaven as a positive analogy in Matthew 13:33 (the kingdom grows like a batch of leavened dough), but now he uses it as a negative thing. What is it the negative connotation of what leaven or yeast does that he is pointing to here? Yeast corrupts what it comes in contact with. In what ways are the disciples thinking too literally and missing the symbolism in the feeding of the 5,000 and the 4,000? What is the symbolism he thinks they are missing? The modern-day equivalent of the teaching of the Pharisees might be excessive legalism, while the modern day-equivalent of the teaching of the Sadducees might be materialism and the pursuit of power without regard for the spiritual. How can you distinguish good teaching from corrupting teaching today? Take a step back and consider this: Although the Pharisees and Sadducees ask for a sign and Jesus refuses to give them one when they demand it, they have already had multiple signs – including the feeding of the 5,000 and the 4,000. The Pharisees and Sadducees are missing what is right in front of their faces. The disciples are also missing what is right in front of them. They think Jesus is chiding them for not bringing bread with them (verse 7) even though he has just recently shown that he can provide all the bread they will ever need. They are too focused on the literal and physical, and they are missing the spiritual dimension. In what ways might we, like disciples, miss the point of what Jesus is teaching, by focusing on literal, physical interpretations when Jesus is speaking at a spiritual level? How might we be missing what God is doing or trying to do in our time because we are focused too much on our immediate physical needs and not focused enough on what God is trying to do spiritually in our world? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next

You have free will. Previous Next Table of Contents You Can Choose You have free will. Tom Faletti You have free will. Every day, all the time, you have the awesome privilege of making choices. For the most part, you can choose what you will do, who you will spend time with, and what you will think about. God has free will. He can do what He chooses to do. One of the ways in which you are made in the image of God is that you have free will. God made you that way. You are like Him in that way. What you do with that awesome freedom may show how much you are living in the image of God. You may choose to do what God would do, or you may choose other things. As you make those choices, you may present to the world an accurate image of God or a warped image of God. The choice is yours. But it isn’t that simple. As St Paul says in Romans 7:19, sometimes I don’t do the good that I want to do…. TO BE CONTINUED If God knows what I am going to do, how can I have free will? TO BE CONTINUED Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Table of Contents Next

Jesus was not abandoned by God, but it might have felt that way when he started praying Psalm 22. The psalm affirms him, and the centurion declared: “Truly this was the Son of God!” Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 27:45-56 Jesus was not abandoned by God, but it might have felt that way when he started praying Psalm 22. The psalm affirms him, and the centurion declared: “Truly this was the Son of God!” The quote coming from the centurion reads (in German), “Truly, this man was the son of God.” Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553). The Crucifixion with the Converted Centurion . 1536. Cropped. National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. Public domain, courtesy of the National Gallery of Art, https://www.nga.gov/artworks/46168-crucifixion-converted-centurion . Tom Faletti September 22, 2025 Matthew 27:45-56 Jesus dies and some Gentiles recognize him as the son of God Mark tells us that Jesus was crucified at 9:00 a.m. (the third hour) and died at 3:00 p.m. (the ninth hour). Matthew picks up the story at noon. What is the symbolic significance of it growing dark in the middle of the day (verse 45)? What does Jesus cry out in verse 46? What does “forsaken” mean? Forsaken means abandoned; deserted and left entirely on your own. Some bystanders hear “Eli” – which means “my God” and misunderstand him, thinking he is invoking Elijah. Interestingly, the name Elijah means “The Lord is my God” ( The New Oxford Annotated Bible , footnote to Matthew 27:46, p. 1789.) In Jesus’s time, people saw Elijah as a helper who might come to you in a time of need ( The New Oxford Annotated Bible , footnote to Matthew 27:47, p. 1789), so it is easy to see why they might have jumped to the wrong conclusion. How do the bystanders react when they think Jesus is calling for Elijah? There are two different reactions, one in verse 48 and another in verse 49. What are their reactions? Jesus cries out one more time and dies. John tells us that Jesus’s final words were, “It is finished” (John 19:30), while Luke records, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46). Matthew describes Jesus’s death by saying that he “gave up” or “yielded up’ his spirit (Matt. 27:50. Some translations just say, “breathed his last,” which does not capture as well the sense of the Greek word that he was voluntarily letting go of his life. What does Jesus’s death mean to you? Before we go on to discuss what happened when Jesus died, let’s go back to Jesus’s final prayer, which begins with “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (verse 46). In verse 46, Jesus is quoting the first words of Psalm 22, which are denoted as 22:1 in the NRSV and most other Bibles and as Psalm 22:2 in the NABRE. (Explanation: Many of the psalms have a “superscription” – a comment before the psalm begins. These superscriptions were part of the original Hebrew. They were not added by the people who translated the Bible into English the way passage headings. We do not know when these superscriptions were first attached to each psalm, but they were there before the psalms as we know them were finalized. A superscription may indicate who the psalm was written for or by, or what type of psalm it is, or how it should be played, or what it is about. Sometimes, it uses Hebrew words the translators are not familiar with, and some translations leave those unfamiliar words untranslated. In most Bibles, including the NRSV, the superscription is not given a verse number, and the text of the actual psalm begins at verse 1. The NABRE in many cases assigns the superscription to verse 1 and begins the text of the psalm at verse 2. As a result, the verse numbers sometimes don’t agree between Bibles. I will give both sets of verse numbers: the number used by the NRSV and most other Bibles, followed by the number used by the NABRE.) Read Psalm 22 . Notice, as you read, the shifts in the psalmist’s mood. In Psalm 22, the psalmist begins with feelings of abandonment, and then moves to remembrance, to urgent plea, to trust, to anguish, to hope, and finally to confidence in what he and God will do in the future. Considering the psalm as a whole, how would you describe the overall tone of Psalm 22? Would you say the psalmist is primarily feeling forsaken, or something else? How would you describe his overall mood? Although the psalmist starts out feeling abandoned, by the end of the psalm he is declaring that God is with him, that he will fulfill his vows and praise God in the assembly, that the poor will eat and be satisfied, and that God will provide deliverance. These questions about the overall mood of the psalm are important because Jesus would have been able to recite this entire psalm from memory. The psalms were the hymns and prayers of his Jewish faith community throughout his life. Since he would have known the psalm by heart, do you think he would have stopped at verse 1, or would he have kept going, praying through the whole psalm as best he could? What verses in the psalm would have seemed to Jesus to be accurate descriptions of what he was going through? Here are some of the things he would have noticed: Verses 7-8 (8-9 in the NABRE) would have reminded him of the mocking he was enduring. Verses 14-17 (15-18 in the NABRE) describe some of the torture he was experiencing in being crucified, including having his hands and feet pierced. Verse 18 (19 in the NABRE) describes what he would have seen from the cross: the soldiers dividing up his clothing. There is a difference between feeling abandoned and losing hope. Has Jesus lost hope in his Father? Jesus is still praying to his Father, so he has not lost all hope. He has not turned away from God in despair. And as he prayed Psalm 22, his words from that prayer would have been words of hope, not words of despair. You can feel abandoned and still not lose hope in God. Is it OK to feel abandoned at times in our lives? Can you feel abandoned and still not lose hope in God? Explain. There is a difference between feeling abandoned and actually being abandoned. In the psalm, is the psalmist actually forsaken, or does it become clear by the end of the psalm that the psalmist recognizes that God is with him ? Explain. This is an important issue, because some Christians have used Matthew 27:46 to help build a theology that God abandoned Jesus on the cross. That idea is deeply flawed for many reasons, some of which are explored in God Did Not Abandon Jesus on the Cross . Go back to Matthew 27:45-56 and read Matthew 27:43 . Are the chief priests suggesting that Jesus’s God has abandoned Jesus? Are the chief priests right that God has abandoned Jesus? As Jesus quotes Psalm 22, one way to view it is that he is directly refuting the chief priests’ claim that God has abandoned him. He is starting at verse 1, in which the psalmist thinks he is abandoned, and then reciting the rest of the psalm, which walks through some of the evidence that what was happening to Jesus was prophesied in advance and fit into God’s grand scheme for the salvation of the human race, and then reaching the end of the psalm where the psalmist expresses confidence that God has not abandoned him and God has provided the salvation the people needed. That fits perfectly with the fact that Luke and John tell us Jesus went on to say, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46) and “It is finished” (John 19:30). In verse 51, what two things happened when Jesus died? What is the symbolic significance of the curtain in the Temple being torn in two? And what is the significance of it being torn from top to bottom? The curtain or veil was a large, thick curtain that covered the entrance to the Holy of Holies in the Temple – the place where the presence of God was believed to reside. No person was allowed to go there except, once a year, the High Priest on the Day of Atonement. There are many ways to think about the symbolism here: Temple sacrifices were no longer needed; access to God was no longer restricted; God would no longer reside in the Temple but in human hearts; the Old Covenant, with its reliance on the blood of animal sacrifices, has been replaced by the New Covenant in Jesus’s blood because of his once-for-all sacrifice. The curtain was very tall. No human could tear it from the top down. That the curtain was torn from top to bottom signifies that this is God’s doing – that through Jesus’s death God has removed the barrier between himself and us. What is the symbolic significance of the earthquake? In Joel 2:10, earthquakes happen in the day of the Lord. It shows God is at work. In verses 52-53, what does Matthew tell us happened after Jesus rose from the dead? Do you know any Old Testament prophecies that relate to the idea of people coming back to life? In Ezekiel 37, God shows Ezekiel a valley of dry bones that, at God command, come back to life (37:10) as God opens up graves and bringing people back to the land of Israel (37:12). What is the significance of dead people coming back to life, insofar as it relates to Jesus’s death? How did the centurion and the soldiers under him react (verse 54)? We don’t know if “son” should be capitalized in their statement about Jesus – i.e., whether they declared him to be the Son of God or a son of God – because the Greek only had one case at that time. But either way, what is the significance of Gentiles calling Jesus the son of God after the chief priests mocked his claim to be the son of God? How is the centurion a model for us? It turns out that Jesus wasn’t totally alone all this time. Who was there (verses 55-56)? What does this tell you about the women who followed Jesus? How can we be more like those women – perhaps often unseen, but faithful? What does Jesus’s death tell you about him? How does Jesus’s death affect how you want to live your life? How does Jesus’s death affect how you want to approach your own death? Take a step back and consider this: Although God the Father did not abandon Jesus on the cross because of our sins (see God Did Not Abandon Jesus on the Cross ), humans sometimes experience the feeling of abandonment. Because Jesus expressed that feeling at one point while he was hanging on the cross, we know that we are not alone if we sometimes feel like God has abandoned us. He understands. Have you ever felt abandoned by God? How did you deal with it? (Or how do wish you had dealt with it?) What do you think Jesus says to you in those times? How does Jesus’s victory despite feelings of abandonment affect how you can approach difficult times in your own life? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next

Active in the timeline. Previous Next Table of Contents Where is God? - Part 2 Active in the timeline. Tom Faletti (to be continued) Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Table of Contents Next

Continue in faith, love, and endurance despite persecution, so that the Lord may be glorified in you. Previous 2 Thess. List Next 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 Continue in faith, love, and endurance despite persecution, so that the Lord may be glorified in you. Image by Olivia Snow provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti March 10, 2025 2 Thess. 1:1-12 Paul begins with the traditional letter format (to, from, thanks, and a prayer) Verses 1-2 Paul begins with words that are very similar to what he wrote at the beginning of his earlier letter. Does anything stand out to you as different in this beginning? Or is there anything that strikes you as especially deserving of repetition here? Explain. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul wishes them “grace and peace,” but does not name the source of that grace and peace. Here, in verse 2, where does he say the grace and peace come from? How do you experience “grace” from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ? How do you experience “peace” from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ? Verses 3-4 In verses 3-4, Paul praises the Thessalonians for their faith, their love for one another, and their endurance in the face of persecution and affliction. He also praised them for these traits in the first letter he wrote to them. What is the value of praising people for the good things they are doing? Are there some people you could encourage by praising them for the good they are doing? How might your life be different if you cultivated a habit of praising others? What would you need to do to be such a person? Verses 5-10 In verse 5, what does Paul say about their persecution? Their steadfastness in the face of persecution is a sign that they are worthy of eternal life in the kingdom of God. In verse 6, what does Paul say will happen eventually to those who are afflicting the Thessalonian Christians? How does the idea that people who mistreat others will someday face God’s judgment make you feel? Is the idea that evil will someday face judgment important for our theology? How does Paul’s statement in verse 7 that those who have been persecuted will find “rest” (NABRE) or “relief” (NRSV) make you feel? Note: The reference to “fire” in verse 8 is standard apocalyptic language of Paul’s time and not necessarily meant to be taken literally. The primary and most haunting pain of rejecting God is not physical but instead lies in having freely chosen to live forever outside of God’s presence, separated from him, as Paul indicates in verse 9. In verse 8, Paul identifies what is worthy of judgment in the people who have persecuted the Thessalonians. He does not just criticize their specific wrongful actions; he diagnoses what is going on in them spiritually. What are the two things about them that he finds worthy of God’s judgment? They do not know/acknowledge God and they do not obey the gospel. So, they do not recognize God’s authority or place in their life and they do not obey God’s teachings about how to live. Paul finds them deficient with regard to both their missing relationship with God (they do not know/acknowledge him) and their missing actions (they do not obey the gospel). How are both of those elements – knowing and doing – important in the Christian life? In verse 9, Paul says that those who have rejected God will experience the ultimate penalty: they will be “separated from the presence of the Lord.” In what ways is this a particularly fitting description of what we call “hell”? Notice that this chief feature of hell – separation from God – is something they already chose while they were on earth: they chose to live a life that was not in communion with God. Why would they want anything different in eternity? How does this passage support the idea that God doesn’t choose to send people to hell; they freely choose it for themselves by rejecting him? Verses 11-12 In verse 11, what two things does Paul pray for the Thessalonians? Paul prays that God will make them worthy of God’s calling and fulfill every good “purpose” (NABRE) or “resolve” (NRSV) and every “effort” (NABRE) or “work” (NRSV) of their faith. In verse 11, Paul prays that God will make them “worthy of his calling.” How might you evaluate whether you are living a life that is worthy of God’s calling? Also in verse 11, Paul prays that God will bring to fulfillment every good “purpose” (NABRE) or “resolve” (NRSV) and every “effort” (NABRE) or “work” (NRSV) of faith. In other words, may God fulfill both their good intentions and the actions they take because of their faith. How can we try to make sure both our intentions and our actions are consistent with our faith? Who is someone for whom you could pray this prayer, that God will fulfill their good purposes and efforts of faith? What are they trying to do with the help of God that you could support in prayer? In verse 12, Paul indicates that, because of God’s grace, the name of the Lord Jesus can be glorified in us, and we can be glorified in him. What does it look like when Jesus is glorified in us, and how can that happen? How can we be glorified in Christ? What does that mean or look like? What are you doing, or what might God be calling you do to, that could bring glory to him? Take a step back and consider this: William Barclay offers a beautiful image, and a challenge, in response to verse 12. He writes: “A teacher’s glory lies in the scholars he produces; a parent’s in the children he rears not only for living but for life; a master’s in his disciples; and to us is given the tremendous privilege and responsibility that Christ’s glory can lie in us. We may bring discredit or we may bring glory to the Master whose we are and whom we seek to serve. Can any privilege or responsibility be greater than that?” (Barclay, The Letters to the Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians , pp. 210-211). Jesus frequently uses the word “joy” to characterize his attitude when we do good. In Matthew 25:21, Jesus tells us that the master says to the servant who uses well the gifts he was given, “Come, share your master’s joy” (Matt. 25:21, NABRE) or “enter into the joy of your master” (Matt. 25:21, NRSV). In Luke 15:3-6, he says that the shepherd (an image of Jesus Christ) rejoices and invites others to rejoice with him when he finds the lost sheep. In Luke 15:7-10, he says there is joy or rejoicing in the presence of the angels when a sinner repents. In John 15:11 and John 17:13, he says that he wants his joy to be in us. Jesus is a person of joy. When we fulfill God’s purposes in our lives, the joy is not only ours; it is also his. When we glorify the Lord by serving him effectively, it gives joy to our Lord. How might it recast or even transform how you approach the details as well as the major actions of your life if you were to remember consistently that your faithful efforts to serve Jesus give him joy? How can you live in that joy even when God has not yet fulfilled "every good purpose and every effort of faith” in your life (2 Thess. 1:11)? Bibliography See 2 Thessalonians - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/2-thessalonians/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous 2 Thess. List Next

Make the choice to follow Christ and do not be afraid of the consequences. [Matthew 10:16-25; 10:26-33; 10:34-39; 10:40-42] Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 10:16-42 Make the choice to follow Christ and do not be afraid of the consequences. Image by Redd F, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Cropped. Tom Faletti August 10, 2024 Matthew 10:16-25 The persecution that will come As Jesus’s followers go out to preach the good news, what problems will they face? What are the risks they will face? What are the reassurances Jesus offers? How is the reassurance Jesus offers based on a relationship? In verses 17, 18, and 21, who will oppose them or cause them trouble? Jesus mentions religious leaders, governmental authorities, and family members. As you try to be transparent and open about your faith, is there anyone who is likely to oppose you or cause you trouble? If so, what might you do about it? Have you experienced any situations like what is described in verse 20, where you did now have a plan for what you would say about your faith, but the Spirit spoke through you? How can you live a life that is so open to the movement and guidance of the Holy Spirit that that kind of guidance “in the moment” is possible? Where are you tempted to hold back in boldly following Jesus? What does this passage say to you? Based on what Jesus says in these verses, would you say martyrdom should be sought, avoided where possible, or avoided at all costs? In verse 23b, Jesus says that the Son of Man will come before they have proclaimed the good news in all of the towns of Israel. Matthew might have understood this to be true in the sense that the beginning of the coming of the Son of Man was inaugurated when Jesus died and rose from the dead. Or he might have seen the coming of the Son of Man as having occurred when Jerusalem was destroyed and Israel was shattered by the Romans in AD 70. We will explore the coming of the Son of Man when Jesus talks more about it in Matthew 24. In verse 24, Jesus says the disciple is not above the teacher. The word disciple means a learner or student. How do you maintain your role as a lifelong learner under Jesus? What are some ways that we, as disciples, are called to be “like” our teacher Jesus? Matthew 10:26-33 Do not fear What does Jesus emphasize repeatedly in verses 26, 28, 31 of this passage? Why might fear be a natural response? There might be pain, suffering, rejection, and even death in following Jesus. Why, then, does Jesus tell us not to fear? What is Jesus saying about us and God in the sparrow analogy in verses 29-31? We are greatly valued by God. We are intensely and surprisingly important to him. He never stops watching us, with love. What fears do you face? What does this word from Jesus about not being afraid say to you in your particular circumstances? In verses 32-33, Jesus contrasts those who acknowledge him before others and those who deny him before others. William Barclay suggests (Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1 , pp. 403-404) that there are three ways we can deny Jesus: by our words , by our silence , and by our actions . What does it look like to deny Jesus by our words? . . . by our silence? . . . by our actions? What does it look like to acknowledge Jesus before other people by our words, our silence, and our actions? Where in your life do you need to be a clearer witness to Jesus right now, and how might it affect your words, your times of silence, or your actions? Matthew 10:34-39 The choice What are the some of the things Jesus says will be part of being called by him? What does Jesus mean in verses 34-36 when he says he has come to bring a sword? When Jesus says he has not come to bring peace, but a sword (verse 34), he explains what he means in verses 35-36. He is not talking about military might or violent uprising. He is not saying that he wields a sword, nor is he saying that the sword should be wielded by his disciples. On the contrary, the sword is wielded by those who oppose Jesus and his disciples. Jesus is lamenting the fact that his coming produces such opposition that some will die by the sword. The quote in verses 35-36 comes from Micah 7:6, where the prophet describes with great sorrow how the society around him has degenerated to the point where those who are faithful to God cannot trust the people around them, but instead must look to God and wait for God to provide salvation (Micah 7:7). What does the conundrum in verse 39 about finding your life/losing your life mean? What does it mean to “take up your cross and follow me”? How might a person today have to give up the life they have today in order to find the life they are called to by in Christ? What do you think of Jesus’s blunt honesty in this passage? Do we need more of this kind of honesty in the message of Christianity in our day? Or can we avoid this tough message and still be saved? Most people don’t face this choice in stark, life-or-death terms the way the martyrs did. They do face smaller life decisions that change the direction of their lives and even smaller choices every day about how to live their lives. How do these smaller choices both reflect and determine where we stand with Jesus? What is the cost or sacrifice that comes with following Jesus? What is the reward or benefit? A cross is an instrument of death. How is taking up a cross an apt metaphor for the choice we face? What is the cross you are called to take up right now in order to follow Jesus? Matthew 10:40-42 You are representatives of Jesus What is this passage saying? This passage implies that we are representatives of Jesus. What responsibilities come with being a representative of Jesus? This passage implies that our fellow Christians, even the lowest, are representatives of Jesus. What does that fact call us to do? In verse 42, Jesus talks about giving a cup of cold water to “these little ones.” Scholars debate whether the “little ones” refers to the apostles/disciples or to the uneducated and needy members of the community. But it can also be taken more literally. Who are the “little ones” in this world who need a cup of water? How can we, directly or through organizations or governments, help people who need access to safe, clean drinking water? Benedict T. Viviano comments, “It has been observed that if God will reward one who gives a cup of cold water to a disciple, how much more will he reward one who installs an entire city water system” (Viviano, par. 72, p. 652). Many nonprofit organizations, often operating from a religious orientation, help people in less developed countries build wells or implement water purification programs, so that children and other community members will have safe drinking water. Some people living along the southern border of the United States try to serve Jesus in the “least among us” by providing water to migrants who might die of thirst or heatstroke as they search for a safe place to call home. There are many ways to give a cup of cold water to “little ones” in need. If you were to be evaluated (like in school or on a job performance evaluation) on how you are doing as a representative of Jesus, where would you receive high marks and where would it be said that you could make improvements? How might you respond to this passage in terms of how you relate to other people? Take a step back and consider this: William Barclay wrote, “The Christian may have to sacrifice his personal ambitions, the ease and the comfort that he might have enjoyed, the career that he might have achieved; he may have to lay aside his dreams, to realize that shining things of which he caught a glimpse are not for him. He will certainly have to sacrifice his will, for no Christian can ever again do what he likes; he must do what Christ likes. In Christianity there is always some cross, for Christianity is the religion of the Cross” (Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1, p. 408). There are many ways that following Christ may require a sacrifice of the will. It generally doesn’t mean, “I want to be an entrepreneur/lawyer/realtor/artist (etc.) but God wants me to be a missionary in a far-off land.” More commonly it means, “I want to be an entrepreneur/lawyer/realtor/artist (etc.) but because I follow Christ there are certain things I will not do, even if the world tells me it is necessary for success.” In our work, we stay true to God, speak honestly and openly about our faith when the opportunity arises, and trust God, without fear, that if following Christ closes some doors, God has other doors for us. Sacrificing our will generally doesn’t mean we live in absolute penury with only the clothes on our back. It means we choose to live simply so that we have resources left to put at God’s disposal. We put Christ in charge of our budget, recognizing that all we have comes from God and that sacrificing our own luxury may help meet others’ basic necessities. In other words, when our desires and Christ’s will do not line up, we let go of our will so that Christ’s will can have its way. In exchange, we are given the opportunity to participate, from the platform we have as an entrepreneur/lawyer/realtor/artist (etc.), in the greatest mission we could imagine. And when we have made that fundamental decision and have lived it for a while and allowed it to seep deeply into the fabric of our life, the ambitions and luxuries that run counter to the mission of Christ sometimes seem less attractive. That doesn’t mean we won’t face new temptations as situations arise. But they will less commonly be decisions about the major direction of our lives. They will more commonly be: “Can I set aside the thing I am working on right now, because the person in front of me needs me to do something for them.” Those smaller sacrifices of the will are always before us and will continue until we meet the Lord face to face in the life to come. Do you agree with Barclay that Christianity requires a sacrifice of the will to do what Christ desires? Explain. What are the kinds of sacrifices that God is asking you to make right now for the sake of his kingdom? What do you need to do (or keep doing) right now to stay true to the decision you have made to be a follower of Christ? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next

Members of Faith Explored can post comments and questions on the Faith Explored blog. Subscribing (free) gives you an email notification when new posts are added. Thank You for Being a Member! We appreciate you! Members can comment on posts and asks questions, which can help you and others grow in their faith. If you have not already subscribed to receive email notifications when we post new articles, please do so. Receiving notice of new material will help you get the most out of our website . Subscribe to receive email notifications of new posts What Would You Like to Do Now? Explore a Bible study to grow in your faith: Matthew Philemon John Hope 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians Mary Read an article on how to apply the Bible to everyday life: Back to School with the Greatest Teacher of All It’s Back to School time for all of us, no matter how young or old we are. Everyone is invited to learn in the classroom of the greatest teacher the world has ever known: Jesus. How do we do that? His lesson plan is ready. We just need to show up. God is Not Appeased by Our Sacrifices There is no sacrifice you can make that will appease God. Fortunately, unlike the Greek gods, that’s not what God wants. The Bible has a much more surprising view of sacrifice. Will you join in, unite with God, and be a member of his team? God Works to Bring Good Out of Evil God allows bad things to happen – not because he wills or desires evil but because he believes so strongly in giving us free will. But he doesn’t stop there. He invites us to cooperate with him and allow him to bring good out of evil. What Do We Mean by God’s Will? God sustains the universe even though bad things sometimes happen. Instead of ordering everything to happen by decree, he shows us his perfect will – what he desires to see happen – and permits people to respond by doing good or evil by their own free will. These are all facets of God’s “will.” Thankful for the Things I am Not in Control Of How often are you thankful for the things you are not in control of? Consider these wise words from a young man who is thankful for things he can't control. How can we respond to a God who lovingly gives us so many good things we do not control? The True Freedom We Can Celebrate Every Day Now that the 250th anniversary of America’s Declaration of Independence has passed, let’s take a look at what true freedom really is. It is more than just freedom FROM the rule of others. America’s founders saw it as freedom FOR something. But for what? Image at top  Mateus Campos Felipe, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Oher images provided by Wix.

Pilate tried to pretend that Jesus’s death was not his decision. How can we be honest about the role we play in what goes on in our lives? [Matthew 27:11-14; 27:15-26] Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 27:11-26 Pilate tried to pretend that Jesus’s death was not his decision. How can we be honest about the role we play in what goes on in our lives? Pilate washes his hands in front of a bound Jesus. Andrea Schiavone (c. 1510-15 - 1563). Kristus inför Pilatus [Christ before Pilate] . 16 th century. Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Andrea_Schiavone_-_Christ_before_Pilate_GG_1516.jpg . Tom Faletti September 19, 2025 Matthew 27:11-26 Pilate questions Jesus and sentences him without finding him guilty Pilate was given authority over Judea as a military governor from AD 26 to 36, so he is not new to the position when Jesus shows up in his court in AD 30 (or 33 according to some scholars). His headquarters were in Caesarea, on the Mediterranean coast, but he knew it was important to be in Jerusalem during the Passover feast due to the huge crowds that gathered there. He was an unsympathetic person, not well liked, and unnecessarily cruel, which eventually led to his being recalled to Rome. He apparently considered his primary duty to be to keep the lid on the pressure-cooker of Judea, where there were many fervent and sometimes resistant Jews living under Roman occupation. Sadly, his methods often inflamed the population rather than pacifying them. Pilate’s formal title was “prefect,” a military governor. Some translations refer to him as the “procurator,” a generic term indicating that a person has been given power but is subordinate to a higher authority. Pilate had received power from the emperor and was responsible to him for what went on in Judea. In verse 11, what does Pilate ask Jesus? Why would he care about that particular question? Matthew is providing a condensed version of what happened. The Gospel of John provides a much fuller account of the multiple hearings that led to Jesus’s execution. Matthew does not state the formal charges that were brought against Jesus. We see them in Luke 23:2. The charges included that he claimed to be “the Messiah, a king.” Pilate asks about the claim that he is a king because that would be an unacceptable claim in the Roman Empire. He would be much less concerned about whether Jesus claimed to a messiah. He would consider that to be mainly a religious squabble among the Jews unless it was accompanied by acts of insurrection against the Empire. How does Jesus answer in verse 11? When asked if he is a king, Jesus again the same “You say so” that we have seen him use previously. Again, a straight “Yes” would be misleading because he was not claiming to be the king of the Jews in the military sense that Pilate would have understood the term to mean. We often get ourselves into trouble by saying too much or by saying things that people can misinterpret and that we could have said better. What can we learn from Jesus about saying the right things in the right ways at the right times? How does Barabbas come into the story starting in verse 16)? The claim that Pilate had a practice of allowing one prisoner to go free during the feast is not mentioned in sources outside of the Gospels, but it is a prominent element of the story in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John. Verse 18 tells us that Pilate had reached a conclusion as to why Jesus was brought before him. What does he think is going on? If that is what Pilate thought, do you think he should have handled Jesus’s case differently? What happens to Herod’s wife (verse 19)? It looks like God is giving Pilate every opportunity to do the right thing and refuse to do the wrong thing. Does God also give us little signals when we are contemplating doing something wrong, or does he just sit back and watch as we wrestle with sin? What is God’s attitude toward you as you are grappling with temptation? Reread Matthew 27:20-26 . Who do you think these “crowds” were, that were there in Pilate’s court rather than focusing on their Passover celebration? Why do you think they asked for Barabbas to be released rather than Jesus? What does verse 23 tell us about whether Pilate thinks Jesus is innocent or guilty? How does verse 24 further show what Pilate thinks about Jesus? If Pilate thought that Jesus was innocent, why didn’t he release him? We might wonder how concerned Pilate is about justice. Verse 24 offers some insight about his biggest concern here. What does Pilate care about most? Matthew’s is the only Gospel where Pilate washes his hands (verse 24). What is Pilate’s point in doing that? The Jews had a practice of washing one’s hands to show innocence. It arose from an instruction in the Mosaic Law in Deuteronomy 21:1-9, which said that if a corpse was found in the wilderness and no one had any idea who killed the person, the elders of the nearest town were directed to sacrifice a heifer and wash their hands over it as a sign of their innocence, asking God not to hold against the people the guilt of the shedding of innocent blood. Pilate is unlikely to have had any interest in following a Jewish ritual, and the circumstances in Deuteronomy don’t fit Jesus’s situation. However, this gesture by Pilate has come down through the ages as a symbol of professed innocence. Pilate further underscores his innocence by saying to the crowd in verse 24, “See to it yourselves” (27:24), the same thing the chief priests had said to Judas when he repented of betraying innocent blood (27:4). He is saying, “Don’t put the blame on me.” However, who ultimately hands Jesus over to be crucified – the crowd or Pilate? Can a person in power get off the hook or absolve themselves from something by washing their hands of it? When is it appropriate for them to say, “Don’t blame me,” and when is a person in power still morally responsible for what they allow others to do? Verse 25 has a statement that has been misused throughout history to justify discrimination, mistreatment, and oppression of Jews. In Matthew’s telling, the people say, “His blood be on us and on our children.” In Western history, how have Christian churches and individual Christians used this statement as a bogus reason to treat Jews badly? Jews in later generations were falsely called “Christ-killers,” discriminated against, kept from good jobs and neighborhoods, forced into ghettos, evicted from their homes, murdered in vicious pogroms, and ultimately subjected to the Holocaust. Many of these acts were falsely justified on the grounds that a tiny number of their distant ancestors sought Jesus’s execution. Matthew is expressing a view that arises from the contentious and sometimes violent relations between Christians and Jews in his time. The words he places in the mouth of the crowd are not a judgment from God. God’s view is entirely different. Read Ezekiel 18:4 and Ezekiel 18:20 . Does God allow children to be punished for the sins of their parents? No. God says: “For all life is mine: the life of the parent is like the life of the child, both are mine. Only the one who sins shall die!” (Ezekiel 18:4, NABRE) If that isn’t clear enough God adds: “Only the one who sins shall die. The son shall not be charged with the guilt of his father, nor shall the father be charged with the guilt of his son” (Ezekiel 18:20, NABRE). Is there any legitimate justification for blaming the entire Jewish people for the acts of the few who were there at the time? Why not? Note that in the end, in verse 26, it is Pilate who hands Jesus over to be crucified, not the Jews generally or even the chief priests specifically. Pilate is the only one with the authority to order the crucifixion. How does that guide your thinking about Pilate’s protestations of innocence? It is Pilate’s Roman soldiers who will crucify Jesus, and they will do so on the orders of a Roman, Pilate. How does that guide your thinking about the ways that Christians have unjust treated Jews throughout the ages? In verse 26, Jesus is scourged. Scourging was an incredibly excruciating form of torture, where a condemned prisoner was whipped with leather straps that had bits of bone and lead embedded in them. This was different than using a regular whip to whip someone as a form of punishment. Instead, it was part of the torture of execution, intended to deliver maximum pain and weaken the prisoner while still keeping him alive to suffer the further intense agony of the crucifixion itself. In verse 26, Jesus is “handed over” to be crucified. Matthew uses the same Greek work for “handed over” in all of the following places: In Matthew 11:27, Jesus says that the Father has handed over all things to him. In Matthew 20:18, Jesus says that he will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, who will condemn him to death. In Matthew 26:2, Jesus says that he will be handed over to be crucified. In Matthew 27:2, Jesus is handed over from the chief priests to Pilate. In Matthew 27:18, Matthew tells us that Pilate knew the chief priests handed Jesus over to him out of jealously. In Matthew 27:26, Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified. Interestingly, not in Matthew but in John, when Jesus died, he bowed his head and handed over his spirit (John 19:30). To the end, Jesus was in control of his destiny. Do you ever feel like your life is a series of instances where you are “handed over” to some experience or another? In John 10:17-18, Jesus says that he has the power to lay down his life and the power to take it up again. In Matthew 26:53, Jesus declares that he could summon legions of angels to intervene if that was what the Father wanted to happen. What does the fact that he allowed this to happen, when he could have stopped it, tell you about him? How might Jesus’s example give you a sense of perspective as you deal with difficult situations in your life that are not of your own choosing? Take a step back and consider this: The Roman Empire is often praised for the Pax Romana , a period of supposed peace and prosperity the reigned under Roman rule from roughly 27 BC to AD 180. There may have been relative peace on the Italian peninsula during this time, but to people of other ethnic groups it was a period of oppression that was so extensive that any attempt to fight for freedom was quickly and brutally crushed. Moreover, people did try to fight for freedom, leading to massacres such as Rome’s destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. And even during periods of relative “peace” such as the years in which Jesus lived, Roman crucifixions lined the roads of the Empire as vicious warnings not to disrupt the peace of Roman oppression. How can we hold historians to account, and challenge ourselves as well, to tell an accurate history that includes the experiences of the oppressed and does not present the views of the victors as the only way to understand what happened? How do you think God would want you to tell your own nation’s history? Christ died on the cross for all people, not just the people who were most powerful. Does your nation’s history tell the stories of people who were oppressed or held back as honestly as God would tell their stories? Whose story might need to be more fully told if seen through God’s eyes? Why does it matter whether Christians tell the whole history of a people? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next

Matthew shows the universal relevance of Jesus – to all people of all nations. Jesus cared about all people and offered a gospel for all people, while demonstrating His authority over all nations. Previous Matthew List Next Introduction to Matthew Matthew shows the universal relevance of Jesus – to all people of all nations. Jesus cared about all people and offered a gospel for all people, while demonstrating His authority over all nations. Image by Brett Jordan, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti February 13, 2024 Introduction to the Gospel of Matthew This study is designed for anyone who is willing to approach the Bible with an open heart, including: Catholics, Protestants, evangelicals, and Orthodox. People who are active in their church, who have stepped away from a local church or the Church as a whole, or who have never found a church home. People who are familiar with the Bible and people who are just starting out. Seekers, doubters, agnostics, explorers, and the curious. Everyone is welcome to join us as we explore what the Bible says, what it means, and how we can apply it in our lives today. A NOTE FOR SMALL GROUPS This study material can be very enriching for personal study and growth, and it can be even more powerful and life-changing when it is used by a small group of people who explore God’s Word together. We will occasionally offer instructions, indented like this, that may be useful for a small-group study. Small-group leaders can find leadership training material and practical suggestions at Leading a Small-Group Bible Study . Leaders can see Preparing to Lead a Small-Group Bible Study Meeting for suggestions on how to prepare for a small group Bible Study. I encourage you to begin and end each meeting with a time of prayer, and to go through each passage in detail, often verse by verse. As you do so, try to explore what the passage says, what it means, and how we can apply it in our lives. Personal Introductions Before you begin a small-group Bible Study, you should take some time to build community, beginning with introducing yourselves and making sure that everyone has a chance to know everyone else’s name. Here are some questions you could ask everyone in the group to answer: What is your name? What is your connection to this church/parish/group? Why is the Bible important to you? Why are you interested in studying it? If the group is reconvening after a summer break , you could renew the introductions with questions such as these: Could everyone remind us of your name, and tell us why you decided to return to this group? (Or if you are new, why did you decide to join us?) What is one insight about faith or life that you gained this summer or were reminded of? Overview of the Gospel of Matthew Matthew seeks to show the universal relevance of Jesus – to all people of all nations. As a man, Jesus interacted with people of many nations, cared about all people, and offered a gospel for all people. As the Son of David, Son of Man, and Son of God, Jesus demonstrated that his authority extends over all nations. Who is the author? The author of the Gospel of Matthew is unknown. From early on, the name Matthew was added to the top of it (“according to Matthew”), but there is no information about the author in the text and the text does not say that it comes from the tax collector named Matthew. However, there is good reason to believe that the Gospel of Matthew draws on material from the original Matthew, and therefore we might think of it as being at least partly “according to” Matthew, even though it was probably not “written by” Matthew. What do we know that leads us to this conclusion? Eusebius was a bishop who wrote the first history of Christianity around 324. Eusebius attributes Matthew’s Gospel to the disciple Matthew named in the Gospels (Eusebius, ch. 24, par. 5) and says that Matthew wrote his Gospel “in his native tongue” (ch. 24, par. 6), which would have been Aramaic, the language related to Hebrew that Jews were speaking in Jesus’s time. Eusebius quotes a document we no longer have that was written by Papias, probably in the first part of the second century (perhaps around 125, plus or minus 20 years). In that document, Papias says that he learned from the “presbyter” or “elder” that (1) “Mark, having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately, though not in order, whatsoever he remembered of the things said or done by Christ” (ch. 39, par. 15), and (2) Matthew wrote “oracles in the Hebrew language, and every one interpreted them as he was able” (ch. 39, par. 16). The Greek word that in this sentence was translated as “oracles” is the Greek word logia , which means “sayings." The document Papias is referring to cannot be the Gospel of Matthew in the form it was handed down to us through the centuries, for 2 major reasons: While the Gospel of Matthew as we have it includes many “sayings,” it is not a book of sayings: it has extensive narrative that tells the stories of what Jesus did, not just what he said. The Gospel of Matthew that we have was written in Greek, not Hebrew or Aramaic, and there is no evidence that it ever appeared in another language before it was provided to us in Greek. So whatever Papias was referring to is not what we have today. After looking at all the evidence, most scholars across all Christian traditions have concluded that (1) the Gospel of Matthew in the final form we have it was written by an anonymous writer, not the Matthew mentioned in Papias; (2) this unknown writer drew from those “oracles” provided by Matthew, from Mark, and from other material; and (3) this Gospel acquired the name “Matthew” because it included some material from the document Papias mentioned that was from Matthew. Additional facts guide us to this conclusion: If the author of the Gospel of Matthew had been the apostle Matthew, who was an eyewitness to Jesus’s ministry, he would not have drawn so much of his material from Mark, who mostly was not an eyewitness. Yet we see Matthew condensing and reshaping what Mark wrote. If the Gospel of Matthew was written in the 80s, as most scholars believe it was, the apostle Matthew probably would have been dead before this Gospel reached its final form 50 years after Jesus died. It is important to note, however, that the Gospel of Matthew clearly was written by someone who compiled stories and teachings handed down from eyewitnesses. It is not a fabrication. It is a compilation that draws on the stories told by Matthew and other eyewitnesses, and it is a trustworthy part of the inspired Word of God. Christians who are not familiar with how the Bible came together might react: What? Are you saying Matthew didn’t write Matthew? This reflects a gap in knowledge about how the Gospels came into being. The stories of Jesus first circulated orally. And in those days, people didn’t necessarily sign their names on their books the way people do today. The Gospels were compiled through a process by which people, years later, gathered together and sifted the stories of Jesus that were being passed around orally. God inspired someone to bring together in one book what was available in a variety of sources, and the result is a masterpiece presentation of the life and teachings of Jesus. It doesn’t matter whether we know the name of the final author; God does. We will call the author “Matthew,” because Matthew is part of its history and the tradition leads us to no other name. (Further information about these conclusions can be found in a variety of sources. Here are some examples of scholars from a variety of positions on the theological spectrum who have reached the same conclusion: H. L. Ellison, “Matthew,” in The International Bible Commentary , edited by F. F. Bruce, p. 1121; Raymond E. Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament , pp. 158, 208-211; William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1 , pp. xx-xxi; Myron Augsberger, Matthew , volume 1 of The Communicator’s Commentary (Mastering the New Testament) , Lloyd J. Ogilvie, general editor, pp. 14-15; and Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: The New Testament, Revised Standard Edition, Second Catholic Edition . Ignatius Press, 2010, p. 3.) What were his sources? Where did he get his material from? The author of the Gospel of Matthew appears to have gotten his material from several sources. Half of the verses in this Gospel have parallel verses in the Gospel of Mark, which is believed to have been written earlier (the evidence suggests Mark was written before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70). (References to the number of verses in this and the next paragraph are calculated based on information in Raymond E. Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament , p. 111). Perhaps one-fifth of the verses in Matthew appear in Luke but not in Mark. Scholars have proposed the existence of an earlier source that both Matthew and Luke had access to and drew from as they wrote their Gospels. That source is usually called Q – short for the German Quelle , meaning “source.” There is no manuscript available today that contains the material from Q, so it would be unwise to make many claims about it, even though it is reasonable that Luke and Matthew, with so many verses in common, both had access to such a document. Matthew has a significant amount of material comprised of sayings or teachings by Jesus that does not appear in the other Gospels. This material could have come from the source Papias identifies as “Matthew,” which would have been written in Aramaic/Hebrew and might have come from the apostle Matthew. Note, though, that the Gospel of Matthew was written in Greek, not Aramaic or Hebrew, so the author of this Gospel or someone else would have had to translate that original “Matthew” material into Greek. Matthew also has other material unique to his Gospel that he might have written himself or gathered from other sources. Matthew, like any good writer, also frames and explains material in the context of his readers’ own situations, so we see some things in Matthew that appear to be commentary from the perspective of the mid-80s, when Jewish Christians were being forced out of Jewish synagogues, Christian churches were developing more of a structure, and these churches were a multifaceted mix of Gentiles, Jews who still tried to maintain Jewish practices, and Jews who had given up practicing Judaism. When and where was the Gospel written? The best thinking is that the Gospel of Matthew was written perhaps between 80 and 90, give or take 5 or 10 years. I will often shorthand that to “around 85,” but 85 is not a precise date. Some scholars propose a date as early as before 70 or after 100. If it came after Mark as the majority of scholars think, it would have to have been written after 70 since Mark is thought to have been written around 70. Furthermore, Matthew seems to show great awareness that Jerusalem has been destroyed, which happened in 70. The ways he hints at tensions between Jews and Christians at the time it was written suggests that it might have been written between 80 and 90, when Christians were being pushed out of synagogues. And it was written before 110, because Ignatius, a bishop from Antioch, quotes phrases from it in a letter dated around 110. Scholars do not know where Matthew wrote this Gospel. Proposals range from Judea to Syria to Antioch to Phoenicia. There may be vague hints in the text that Matthew might have been based in a large city in Syria. For example, in Matt. 4:24, he adds Syria to Mark’s description; he uses the word “city” far more than the word “village”; and Ignatius, who was aware of his Gospel by 110 was from Antioch (Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament , p. 212). This leads a majority of scholars to lean toward Antioch in Syria as the locale. Antioch had a large Gentile Christian population and also a large Jewish population, some of whom embraced Christianity while others did not; and tensions had grown high by the time Matthew was writing. So Antioch fits the evidence. But it is a conjecture, not a fact. What community or audience was Matthew writing to? For centuries, the assumption was that since Matthew quotes so frequently from the Old Testament, he must be writing to a community of Jewish Christians. In the past century, this has given way to a more nuanced interpretation that pictures him writing to a community that is a mixture of Jewish and Gentile Christians. What do scholars think were Matthew’s main purposes? Scholars differ on what Matthew’s purposes were. Was he providing a handbook for local church leaders? Was he trying to teach his community and stir up their commitment? Was he trying to make the case for Jesus to people who were open to the message? Was he responding to attacks from Jews who were opposed to Christianity? Was he trying to clarify who Jesus really is – including his roles as Messiah, Son of David, etc.? We can see all these things in Matthew’s work, so perhaps he was trying to do all these things, not just one thing. The theme that perhaps is woven most consistently through Matthew’s Gospel is the theme of the “kingdom of heaven” – what is it; how things work there; what demands it places on us; and what will happen when it reaches its fulfillment. Matthew also makes considerable effort to point to Old Testament passages that are fulfilled by Jesus, which is one of the factors that led scholars from the beginning to assume that Matthew’s audience was Jewish. Matthew works hard to establish that Jesus is the Son of David, a term linked in Jewish minds to a hoped-for Messiah, but he later demonstrates that the Messiah must be more than just the Son of David. He presents Jesus identifying himself as the Son of Man, a term from Daniel associated with a decisive, final act in which God saves the Jewish people. He ends with material where Jesus takes the role of king, but scholars who try to make out this Gospel as being primarily about Jesus as King are overemphasizing one facet of Matthew’s multifaceted presentation. Unlike in the other Gospels, we see some discussion of “church” in Matthew, though it is very brief and embryonic. What is the structure of Matthew’s Gospel? When scholars try to write an outline of Matthew to show the organization of the story (since the original did not have sections, chapters, or even verse markings), they find a clear structure that most scholars accept. Matthew presents his story of Jesus in 6 narrative sections, interspersed with five teaching sections. The five teaching sections are collections of teachings by Jesus, gathered together in clumps (for example, the Sermon on the Mount). Matthew is not trying to tell the life story of Jesus in order; he is trying to help us understand what Jesus is about and what he has taught us by organizing material for throughout Jesus ministry. One key element of Matthew’s structure has not been mentioned in any of the commentaries I have consulted, so I will lay it out here in some detail. Matthew seeks to show the universal relevance of Jesus – to all people of all nations. At the beginning of the Gospel, there are Gentiles in Jesus’s family tree in Matthew’s version of Jesus’s genealogy. At the end of the Gospel, Jesus tells the disciples to take the gospel to all nations. In between, the itinerary of Jesus’s geographical movements shows his relevance to people of all nations: Jesus is born in Bethlehem in Judea , in the south near Jerusalem; lives for a time as a refugee in Egypt ; and then grows up in Nazareth in Galilee , in the north of Palestine. He goes to the eastern side of Judea to John at the Jordan River to be baptized, and then returns to Galilee. In Matthew 4:12-13, Jesus leaves Nazareth in Galilee and moves to Capernaum, by the Sea of Galilee , and begins to gather disciples. In Matthew 4:24-25, Matthew tells us that Jesus’s healings are attracting attention in Syria (Gentile territory to the northwest of Galilee), the Decapolis (largely Gentile Greek cities east and southeast of the Sea of Galilee), Jerusalem and Judea (Jewish territory to the south), and beyond the Jordan (Jewish territory east of the Jordan River, south of the Decapolis, east of Samaria and running south to the area across the river east of Jerusalem and Judea). Jesus will eventually visit all of these territories. In Matthew 8:28, Jesus crosses over to Gadara, in the territory of the Decapolis , southeast of the Sea of Galilee, and then returns “home” in Matthew 9:1, presumably to Capernaum. He travels to all the towns and villages of Galilee (9:35). He sends out the Twelve to preach and heal (10:1) but restricts them (for the time being) to Jewish territory (10:5). In Matthew 15:21, Jesus goes to Tyre and Sidon in the province of Syria, Gentile territory northwest of Galilee and performs healings and miracles before returning briefly to Galilee in Matthew 15:39. In Matthew 16:13, Jesus goes to Caesarea Philippi, Gentile territory northeast of Galilee for some key incidents with his disciples as well as a healing. By Matthew 17:22, he is back in Galilee. In Matthew 19:1, Jesus goes to the Jewish territory of Judea across the Jordan , at the beginning of his journey to Jerusalem. By Matthew 20:29, Jesus has reached Jericho, in Judea , less than 20 miles from Jerusalem. In Matthew 21:1-11, Jesus enters Jerusalem . Some key themes What this itinerary shows us is that Jesus had an extensive ministry in both Jewish and Gentile territories. Matthew wants us to understand that: As a man, Jesus had an international background and cared about all people. He was a man for all people. As the Son of David, Son of Man, and Son of God, Jesus’s authority extends over all nations. His gospel is for all people. The gospel is for all nations and needs to be preached to all nations. Jesus tells us what the kingdom of heaven is like and how to live the kind of life that is appropriate for those who wish to be part of his kingdom. These are key themes that Matthew focuses on, every step of the way through his Gospel. Look for these themes, and explore how you can apply them to yourself and to how you interact with the people and world around you. Which of these themes of Matthew’s Gospel intrigue you the most, and why? What do you hope to learn by studying Matthew’s Gospel? What questions do you hope to have answered as you study? If you could ask Matthew one question, what would you ask, and why? How do you think he would respond? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next