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Pray with confidence that God will respond as your Father. Previous Matthew Index Next Matthew 7:7-11 Pray with confidence that God will respond as your Father. Image by Gustavo Sánchez, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti June 7, 2024 Matthew 7:7-11 Pray expectantly Overall, what is your initial impression of this passage? What is it saying? In verses 7-8, what is the attitude Jesus is calling us to have in prayer? The tense of the verbs in these verses is the present imperative active ( Interlinear Bible , https://biblehub.com/interlinear/matthew/7.htm ), which means that they would be better translated as: Keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking; or continually ask, continually seek, continually knock. We don’t have this tense in English, so our translators settle for “ask, seek, knock,” but the tense in Greek means to continually do that thing. The Greek verbs that are used in verses 7-8 indicate that Jesus is not talking about asking just once. The verbs actually mean “keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking.” How does that affect your understanding of this passage? What does this tell you? In verses 9-10, Jesus offers two images of what human parents would or would not do, and then uses them as analogies to God. What would human parents not do, and why? To an innocent and undiscerning child, a large stone might look like a small loaf of bread. A small fish might look like a snake or eel. If a child asked for bread or fish, a parent would not give them a stone or a snake; that would be malicious. Almost all parents love their children and would responding lovingly, not cruelly or callously. In verse 11, Jesus then compares the parents to God. What does he say about “your Father in heaven”? By describing our prayers as like a child seeking what he or she needs from a parent, Jesus is telling us about our relationship with God who is our Father. What does this tell us about how we can approach God in prayer? Jesus says even human parents, who are “evil” (NRSV) or “wicked” (NABRE), wouldn’t give their child a stone if they asked for bread. What is he trying to tell us by using that word “evil” or “wicked” to contrast us with God? God, who is all good, will not give us fake gifts or false gifts. God will only give us what is good, what is consistent with His perfect love. This means God will not always give us what we ask. Even when we ask for good things, God does not always give us what we ask for. How do you make sense of that reality in the context of this passage? It is often said that God answers our prayers in one of three ways: Yes, No, or Not Yet. If the answer is Yes, we receive the blessing and move forward. If the answer is No, we accept the answer and move on. If the answer is Not Yet, we wait patiently, continuing to pray and trust that God has our best interests at heart. God cannot always give us what we ask for, because sometimes what we ask for would not actually be what is best for us, and God would not give us a stone even if we thought it was good and asked for it. How have you experienced God answering your prayers with a Yes? How have you experienced God answering your prayers with a No? How have you experienced God answering your prayers with a Not Yet? There is a fourth way that God answers prayer. Sometimes, after praying for a period of time, we come to realize that what we truly want and need is not what we were asking for, but something else. In this case, God has answered our prayer by changing our heart and our desires. When our heart is aligned with God, it opens the door for God to work in new ways that might not previously been feasible. But that requires us to be willing to more forward according to God’s ways, not our ways. How have you experienced your requests to God changing as you kept asking God for something? There is a fifth way that God answers prayer: with a “Not That But This.” God sometimes gives us something that is a blessing but not the blessing we sought. As William Barclay says: “God will always answer our prayers, but He will answer them in His way, and His way will be the way of perfect wisdom and of perfect love” (Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1 , pp. 275-276). A relevant quote that has been attributed to many people over the years is: “When one door closes another always opens, but we usually look so long, so intently, and so sorrowfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened” (quote investigator Garson O’Toole concludes that the source is unknown, although part may have come from Johann Paul Friedrich Richter). How have you experienced God answering a prayer not by giving you what you asked for but by opening a door to something else? Did you find it easy or hard to recognize that God was answering your prayer by giving you that alternative? The relationship we have with God, our Father, is far more important than anything we ask God to do. Are there ways that your prayer life might change if your prayers were consistently founded on the relationship you have with God as Father and not so much on what you want? How does this passage help you pray to God with confidence? Having looked at this entire passage in detail, what does it say to you? Take a step back and consider this: Sometimes what we ask for is not evil but misses the point. My grandfather, when he was in his 60s, told me that when he was young, he had asked God for three things: a beautiful wife, a beautiful car, and a big house. With his 8th-grade education and hard-scrabble upbringing, those probably seemed like big asks. But he was a hard worker, a sociable person who was good at understanding what other people wanted and how to bring people together, and a wise man about many things despite his meager formal education. He advanced in the steel mill from blue collar to white collar, then left to become a very successful insurance agent. He married early and eventually obtained a big house (relative to others in his community) and the fancy car he wanted. But he told me about his early prayer not boastfully but ruefully, as if to show the foolishness of the request. When he told me this, he was spending most of his time in one room of the big house, sitting next to the bed where his wife lay 23 hours a day. Her life had been sapped by chronic health problems, but she had all the time in the world to carp at him as he sat there. The fancy car mostly sat unused in the garage. People sometimes say: Be careful what you ask for. But that is too cryptic to catch the point. It isn’t what you ask for, but why, that matters. For whom are you asking, and to what end? For whom are you most earnest prayers delivered? To what end do you ask God to bless you? How would your prayers change, if you were only allowed to pray for things that you knew would help advance God's loving work in the 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 Index Next

Jesus’s compassion extends to all people; even foreigners. How can we be like Jesus? Previous Matthew Index Next Matthew 15:29-39 Jesus’s compassion extends to all people; even foreigners. How can we be like Jesus? James Tissot (1836-1902). La multiplication des pains [The Multiplication of the Loaves] . Between 1886 and 1894. Brooklyn Museum, New York, NY. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brooklyn_Museum_-_The_Miracle_of_the_Loaves_and_Fishes_(La_multiplication_des_pains)_by_James_Tissot.jpg . Tom Faletti June 13, 2025 Matthew 15:29-31 Crowds come to be healed Although some Bibles have a footnote on this passage suggesting that these crowds may be Jews, there is overwhelming evidence that in this scene and the next, where Jesus feeds the 4,000, he is in Gentile territory: Jesus and the disciples were in Gentile territory in the previous passage. To get to this location, Jesus walks by the Sea of Galilee and continues on. Mark 7:31 tells us that he went by the Sea of Galilee to the Decapolis, which was Gentile territory southeast of the Sea of Galilee. In the next passage – the feeding of the 4,000 (Matt. 15:32-39) – Matthew uses language that clearly signals that they are in Gentile territory. In the next chapter, he will be in the Gentile region of Caesarea Philippi (Matt. 16:13), north of the Sea of Galilee. Matthew doesn’t tell us Jesus is back in Jewish territory again until Matthew 17:22-24. So it is pure supposition to put Jesus back in Jewish territory for this incident. Furthermore, this period of ministry in Gentile territory is central to the entire arc of the narrative of Matthew’s Gospel (see the study Matt. 1:1-17 ). Matthew foreshadows in the early chapters that Jesus is for all people, Jewish and the Gentile, and then shows Jesus teaching and working miracles first in Jewish territory and then in Gentile territory before he goes to Jerusalem, dies, rises back to life, and tells the disciples to take the gospel to all nations. In Matthew 5:1, Jesus went up on a mountain to teach the Jewish crowds in the “Sermon on the Mount” at the beginning of his ministry (Luke placed Jesus on a plain for this sermon). Here, Matthew tells us that Jesus went up on another mountain, this time in Gentile territory. What do you think Matthew is signaling to us by placing Jesus on mountains in these passages? What kinds of people come to Jesus on the mountain? Why do you think they are coming to him and bringing sick people to him? What does Jesus do? Considering Jewish attitudes toward non-Jews (Gentiles) at the time of Jesus, how significant is it that Jesus is healing all the Gentiles who come to him? Why were the crowds amazed, and how did they react? Notice in verse 31 that the people “glorified the God of Israel.” This is the only time Matthew uses the phrase “the God of Israel,” and Mark and John never use it at all (Luke uses it only once). It would be rather redundant to say that Jewish people “glorified the God of Israel” – you would just say they glorified God. But this is exactly what Gentiles would say. Since the God of the Jews was not their God and they did not believe in the God of Israel, if they now wanted to acknowledge that God they would call him “the God of Israel.” Why is it significant that these Gentiles are praising the God of Israel? Jesus has made a significant breakthrough: crowds of Gentiles are honoring the God of the Jews, the one true God. How do you think Jesus felt when he saw Gentiles, who did not believe in the one true God the Jews believed in, now glorifying the God of Israel because of his healings? If scholars are right that one of the reasons Jesus “withdrew” from Jewish territory was to get away from the Jewish crowds and prepare his disciples for what was to come, what lessons do you think his disciples were learning, or were supposed to be learning, from watching what he is doing? Are there times when we need to re-learn that the mercy of God is for everyone? How can we be as willing to minister to foreigners as Jesus was? How might we bring this example of caring for the foreigner into our society and help our society be more caring about foreigners? Matthew 15:32-39 The feeding of the 4,000 Jesus has been healing people, and probably teaching them too (that’s what he did when he sat down on a mountain for the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:1). How do you think Jesus feels about this crowd who has bene with him for 3 days? What does Jesus do? How are the details of this story different than the details of the feeding of the 5,000 (Matt. 14:13-21)? Some scholars think the only differences between the feeding of the 5,000 and the feeding of the 4,000 are the numbers, so they suggest that these are two different tellings of the same story. They have missed key information and jumped to a false conclusion. William Barclay, who was an expert in the Greek language of the New Testament, found nuances that others missed. In this passage, he finds clear evidence that the people fed here are living in a Gentile culture, and that therefore this is a different event than the feeding of the 5,000 in Jewish territory. He writes: “When Jesus fed the five thousand (Matt. 14:15-21; Mark 6:31-44), we read that they sat down on the green grass (Matt. 14:19; Mark 6:39). It was therefore the spring time, for at no other time would the grass be green in that hot land. On this occasion when the crowd are bidden to sit down, they sit on the ground ( epi tēn gēn ) , on the earth; it was by this time high summer and the grass was scorched leaving only the bare earth…. The people and the place are different. The feeding of the four thousand in this passage took place in Decapolis; Decapolis literally means ten cities , and the Decapolis was a loose federation of ten free Greek cities. On this occasion there would be many Gentiles present, perhaps more Gentiles than Jews. It is that fact that explains the curious phrase in Matthew 15:31, ‘They glorified the God of Israel.’ To the Gentile crowds this was a demonstration of the power of the God of Israel. There is another curious little hint of difference. In the feeding of the five thousand the baskets which were used to take up the fragments are called kophinoi ; in the feeding of the four thousand they are called sphurides . The kophinos was a narrow-necked, flask-shaped basket which Jews often carried with them, for a Jew often carried his own food, lest he should be compelled to eat food which had been touched by Gentile hands and which was therefore unclean. The sphuris was much more like a hamper; it could be big enough to carry a man, and it was a kind of basket that a Gentile would use.” (Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2 , pp. 138-139). Matthew says they “ate and were satisfied” (Matt. 15:37, NABRE) (or “filled,” NRSV). What does that phrase say to you: they ate and were satisfied? Jesus called himself the Bread of Life (John 6:35), and at the Supper he broke bread, gave it to his disciples, and said, “This is my body.” Given the overtones of Eucharist or Holy Communion when Jesus feeds the people with bread, what are the spiritual implications of this story? Going beyond the event itself, what deeper spiritual message does it offer you? This story has a spiritual dimension, but it also has a practical, physical dimension. God does not want anyone to go hungry. God explicitly calls us to feed the hungry (Matt. 25:35; Is. 58:7; Prov. 22:9). What does the fact that in Jesus’s ministry all the people “ate and were filled” say to us about our responsibility for the hungry? Despite Jesus’s teaching and example, millions of people regularly go hungry in our nation and hundreds of millions of people go hungry around the world. As Christians and followers of Jesus, what should we do about it? Jesus had compassion for the crowd of Jews in Matthew 14:14, and he has compassion for this crowd of Gentiles (Matt. 15:32). He cares for everyone. How are we called to have God’s compassion for whoever is in need, regardless of whether they are part of “our” people? What can we do to extend God’s compassion to others? How can we find tangible ways to show care for people who are not of our own race, nationality, ethnic group, class, religion, or church? How might this set of passages about Jesus’s ministry to the Gentiles (15:21-39) be seen as a follow-on to the previous passage (15:10-20) about what is and is not unclean? And what does it say to us? Jesus showed that the Gentiles are not unclean. No one is unclean. No one is excluded from the being fed by the Lord. God is accessible to all and has compassion for everyone. How might this insight be applied to marginalized groups in our society today? What can you do to be like Jesus here? Take a step back and consider this: The feeding of the 5,000 comes near the end of Jesus’s public ministry to the Jews in chapters 5-14. The feeding of the 4,000 comes near the end of this period of time when Jesus has been ministering to the Gentiles. The Last Supper comes at the end of Jesus’s ministry in Jerusalem before his crucifixion and resurrection. How central to our faith is the image of being fed by the Lord? Why? How central to your faith is the idea of feeding at the table of the Lord? Why? 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 Index Next

Faith Explored applies the Bible to our lives today, with Bible Study resources for individuals and small groups and analysis of issues related to faith and justice. Copyright and Permissions Copyright © 2024 – 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. Scripture quotes are copyrighted by their respective owners; including the following: Some Scripture texts on this website are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Some Scripture texts on this website are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

You will be judged in the same way you judge others. Previous Matthew Index Next Matthew 7:1-6 You will be judged in the same way you judge others. Image by Chris Curry, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti June 7, 2024 Matthew 7:1-6 Judge not, lest you be judged What is Jesus saying in this passage? What does v. 2 mean, in speaking about the “measure” you get? A “measure” is the method used to weigh or count the portions of something. In the supermarket, if you buy potatoes by the pound, a “pound” is the measure. If you buy mangos by the number of mangos, then the number of units (mangos) is the “measure.” Lettuce might be sold using either measure – by weight or by the number of heads. Jesus says that the measure you use for judgment is the measure that will be used to judge you. What are some of the things about which we tend to judge others, and what measure do we use to judge their guilt or innocence, or how good or bad their actions are? If we will be judged in the same way that we judge others (i.e., using the same measure we use), what does this tell us about making judgments about other people? What do you think is an appropriate measure for judging other people, or an appropriate way of approaching your judgments, if you know that you will face the same standard of judgment? Consider Galatians 6:7, which tells us that whatever we sow we will also reap. Although Paul is making a different point in that passage, how does the concept of sowing and reaping illuminate verse 2’s discussion of judging? God has built linkages into the natural world that provide useful analogies for the linkages he has built into the spiritual fabric of life. Just as we can’t sow grass seed and reap vegetables, so too we can’t sow judgmental attitudes and reap mercy. In many aspects of our lives, you get back what you give out. What is the meaning of Jesus’s image of the speck (or splinter) and the log (or beam) in verse 3? What might be some examples of the logs or beams in our own eyes that might make it hard for us to make sound judgments about what others do? What biases make it hard for people to judge other people accurately? How do you know when you have a “log” in your eye? How do you know when you have a blind spot that makes it hard to accurately judge what is going on around you? Someone else can tell you; you can try to put yourself in others’ shoes; you can immerse yourself in God’s Word and check your actions against God’s Word. One of my Bible Study members, Phyllis Hegstrom, told us that she asks her boss: What are my blind spots? How might that approach to our own behavior make us more effective followers of Jesus? Jesus tells us to take the log (or beam) out of our own eye first. How can we do that? How can we remove the things that make it hard for us to see clearly? In Matthew 5:38-42, Jesus tells us not to resist those who seek to do evil to us but to turn the other cheek, go two miles, etc. What are the traits of Christian character that Jesus is trying to foster both in that passage and here in Matthew 7:1-6? Verse 6 uses some metaphors that need to be unpacked: for example, what does a “pearl” stand for and what does a “dog” or “swine” stand for? Note: Dogs were mostly undomesticated scavengers in Jesus’s time. According to the Law, swine were unclean, so Jews were prohibited from eating or handling them. When you put it all together, what does verse 6 mean? What are the “pearls” we should be preserving? One interpretation of verse 6 is that the pearls are the deeper truths of our faith. If we follow that interpretation, what is Jesus saying about not giving the pearls to those who will trample them? Don’t try to convince others of the deeper truths of the faith if they have not accepted the more basic truths. In order to follow verse 6, we would need to make judgments about who falls into the metaphorical category of the “dogs” or “swine.” Doesn’t that require judging? Explain. Do you conclude from this passage that we should never judge, or only judge certain kinds of things (and if so, what)? Explain. How can we apply in our lives the principles Jesus is teaching us here about judging? Take a step back and consider this: Social psychologists working in the field of attribution theory explore how we decide why people do what they do. If someone does something we think is wrong (fails to show up for a meeting, says something unkind, etc.), how do we decide what the causes of their behavior might be? We might attribute their behavior to situational causes – to external factors that might explain their behavior. For example, we might say to ourselves: He must have had an unexpected crisis that kept him from coming; maybe someone in his family got sick. She must be having a bad day; maybe her boss chewed her out or her child did something wrong – that’s why she said what she said. Alternatively, we might attribute their behavior to dispositional causes – to internal factors in their personality or character. In this case, we might say to ourselves: He is unreliable; he doesn’t respect other people’s time and effort. She is a mean person and doesn’t appreciate the effect of her words on other people. We don’t usually know the whole story behind people’s actions. To be honest, we never know the whole story. But we make judgments. And arguably, judgments are sometimes necessary. If George routinely fails to show up for meetings that have been arranged with him, we need to recognize that and not assign essential tasks to him where a no-show would cause harm. The interesting thing is that we have attribution biases that distort our assessments. If we already have a positive view of a person, we are more likely to explain a false step as being caused by situational factors rather than signaling a flaw in their personality. If we think a person is similar to us, we are more likely to give them a pass rather than deciding that they have a bad character trait. The bias that is most relevant to Jesus’s words about judging others is the fundamental attribution error : the tendency to think that if we have done something wrong, it is because of something external that caused the problem; but if someone else has done something wrong, it is because of their own internal dispositions (Robert S. Feldman, Understanding Psychology , 14th edition, McGraw Hill Education, 2019, pp. 563-564). In other words, people have a tendency to think that the speck or log in the other person’s eye is caused by flaws in the other person’s character, while any speck in our own eye is only due to the external circumstances we face. This fundamental attribution error may be the biggest log of all in our eyes, because it signals an unconscious belief that we are better or less flawed than other people, and that other people are choosing to be bad while we are with good intentions just trying to make the best of a difficult world. Jesus calls us to stop thinking that we are better, or that we are doing better, than others. That is the fundamental log in our eyes. When someone does something that you perceive to be a slight or that hurts you in some way, are you more likely to attribute it to a flaw in their personality/character or to attribute it to external circumstances that made it difficult for them to do what you wanted them to do? Can you describe a time (or times) when you did that? When you do something that someone else perceives to be a slight or that hurts someone else in some way, are you more likely to make justifications for your action based on external circumstances or to do some soul-searching about whether this shows you need to work on your character? Can you describe a time (or times) when you did that? If you were talking with Jesus right now, what would he say to you about whether you treat others the way you treat yourself in terms of how you attribute motives to your behavior and others’ behavior? What steps can you take to adjust your thinking about other people, so that you are more merciful in the judgments you make about other 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 Index Next

When you welcome children as God does, you never know the impact you might have. Previous Matthew Index Next Matthew 19:13-15 When you welcome children as God does, you never know the impact you might have. Image provided by Wix. Tom Faletti February 13, 2024 Matthew 19:13-15 Welcoming children Who do you think was bringing children to Jesus, and why? Why do you think the disciples were trying to keep them from Jesus? Some commentators argue that this is not about playing up how wonderful children are. A footnote in the New Oxford Annotated Bible says that this is: “Not an idealization of childhood” ( The New Oxford Annotated Bible , footnote to Mark 10:1-16, p. 1810). This may be about status, not about how cute or sweet or innocent children are. Children had the lowest status in Jewish society. The disciples were trying to maintain “control” so that Jesus could focus on more important things than children; but Jesus disagrees. What is Jesus’s view of those who have no status? No one is unimportant to Jesus. What is important to Jesus? What does this passage tell us about how things look or feel in the kingdom of heaven? How should this affect how we go about our lives? Take a step back and consider this: If parents are modeling the love that Jesus has for children, it will have lifelong effects on their children. The effects may sometimes be hidden at the time, but later, that love may manifest itself in powerful ways. In the movie Belfast (directed by Kenneth Branagh, TKBC and Northern Ireland Screen, 2021), the deeply loving relationship between 10-year-old Buddy’s grandparents has generation-crossing effects on their children and grandchildren. When Buddy’s father teaches Buddy to be welcoming to people of all faiths, we understand that he learned it from his parents. And now he is shaping his child (who became the actor Kenneth Branagh we know), who has shaped the thinking of millions of people through his movies. Our faithful love, reflecting the love of God in our marriages and family relationships, and the ways we pass on that love to our children, matters deeply. By our love, we shape how well our world reflects its Creator. So let us not lose sight of how important our treatment of children is. We have an awesome calling to show children the love of God and let them experience what it means to be part of the love in God’s kingdom. When we love them, we may be setting in motion good things that may bear fruit years later. How can we use well the awesome opportunity to love the children in our families and help them experience the welcoming and love of Jesus? 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 Index Next

What are your goals as a small-group Bible Study leader, and what do you need to do to fulfill the role you have taken on? Previous For Leaders Next Important Functions of Leaders What are your goals as a small-group Bible Study leader, and what do you need to do to fulfill the role you have taken on? Image by Priscilla Du Preez, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti March 25, 2024 Bible Study groups seek to accomplish at least three important goals: (1) increase people’s understanding of the Bible, (2) foster spiritual growth through the application of God’s Word, and (3) provide a place to experience Christian community. Although leaders have different styles, leaders of every style need to try to fulfill several important functions as they guide their groups. 1. Ask all 3 types of questions. In order to facilitate both the understanding and application of God’s Word, a leader must ask all 3 major types of questions: Questions of fact : What does the passage say? Questions of interpretation : What does it mean? Questions for application : How can we apply it to our lives? Some leaders focus on the 2nd and 3rd types of questions but leave out the “What does it say?” questions. This leads to misunderstandings, as people jump to conclusions about what the Bible says and get it wrong. Some leaders focus on the 1st and 2nd types of questions but leave out the application questions. This leads to dry studies that seldom change lives. Make sure you ask a specific, challenging application question about every passage. A general question like “Where do you see this in our world?” will not change lives the way a specific question like “Where do you experience this in your own life?” can. Personal application questions are a key to having a thriving group. 2. Manage the time. A leader must stay aware of the time and manage it carefully. Leave plenty of time for application questions. Don’t let the first two type of questions squeeze out the chance to talk about how to apply the truths we have discussed. Don’t be afraid to gently redirect the conversation. Sometimes this is as simple as asking another question or drawing the group’s attention back to a particular verse. Break the passage down into manageable chunks. If you make your chunks too large, you can easily overlook key points. Sometimes it is helpful to say, “Let’s read verses 25 through 36 but focus first on verses 25 to 30.” Then you can ask questions about the first half of the passage before you discuss the second half. 3. Always welcome other people and their ideas. A leader must help set people at ease. People will not be able to be open to what the Scripture says if the group or the leader do not demonstrate an openness to them. Your openness to them sets the stage for their openness to God. Don’t try to refute every idea you think is wrong. It’s OK to leave unchallenged things that you disagree with. Sometimes you will want to point out that church teaching or scholars view the matter differently, but do it in a gentle way that doesn’t prevent future sharing. Otherwise, people will simply keep silent about their views. By allowing room for differing views, we allow room for the Holy Spirit to slowly guide people into a clearer understanding of God’s truths. 4. Encourage faith. A leader must guide the group toward a faith-filled response to God. When people express doubts about a Scripture passage, we need to give them space to share those concerns. At the same time, we want to encourage a faith-filled response to God’s Word. Often, the best way to do this is not by challenging the doubter but simply by expressing our own faith and our confidence that God is with us even in our doubts. We can tell Him how we feel and still try to stay open to Him. Our attitude of faith will rub off on others much more than anything we say. Don’t be afraid to express your faith and encourage and praise the faith-based responses of others. For more leadership training materials, see Leading a Small-Group Bible Study . Copyright © 2024, 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 For Leaders 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 Index 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 Index Next

The poor; the goods of the earth, debt, economic priorities; synodality. (Paragraphs 15-17 of Spes Non Confundit) Previous Next Jubilee Year 2025: Embrace God’s Hope and Extend It to All Session 5: Where signs of hope are needed today, part 3, and broader appeals for hope The poor; the goods of the earth, debt, economic priorities; synodality. (Read paragraphs 15-17) Link to S pes Non Confundit Photo by Tom Faletti, Berlin, Germany, June 20, 2024. Tom Faletti November 16, 2024 Some of the greatest divisions in the world seem to revolve around economics and religion. In the paragraphs of Spes Non Confundit that we will explore in this session, Pope Francis first voices God’s special concern for the poor. He then offers proposals for responding to the divide between wealthy and poorer nations. Finally, he highlights the Church’s long history of synodality as part of a call for greater unity among God’s people in the Church. Our study guide questions will help us explore how we can live lives that show greater solidarity with the poor, how we might appeal to our leaders to place a greater priority on meeting the needs of the poor and providing justice for all, and how we can promote unity in the Church. Rather than shaking our heads in despair at the challenges around us, we are called to find ways to work for justice and unity in our world and in our Church. Our loving God stands on the side of responsive hope rather than idle despair. Read paragraphs 15-17 in preparation for this session. Paragraph 15 (the poor) 🔗 In paragraph 15, Pope Francis gives an impassioned plea on behalf of the poor. What are some of the ways he sees them being neglected and impoverished? Pope Francis says that when we see “the constant tide of new forms of impoverishment, we can easily grow inured and resigned” (par. 15). What does he mean? Why do we become “inured or resigned”? How does poverty drain people of hope? How can you live a life that is more fully identified with the poor as an act of solidarity? Read 1 John 3:16-17 According to 1 John 3:16, who is our example for how we should treat others, and what do you think it calls you to do as a follower of Christ? What does John tell us in 1 John 3:17? What are some concrete things you could do, on your own or with others, to respond to some of the poverty around you? If Christians engaged in more concerted efforts to help the poor, it naturally would lift the hopes of the poor. How might it also give greater hope to you or others who are doing the helping? Now return to what Pope Francis wrote in paragraph 15. Why does he say that it is “scandalous” that “the poor continue to be the majority of the planet’s population” (par. 15)? Pope Francis is not only concerned with our individual responses to the poor; he is also concerned about the actions of leaders in the international economy. Why does the world need more than just our individual responses? In what ways might it be said that, for world economic leaders, the problems of the world’s poor “are brought up as an afterthought” (par. 15)? How might political and economic leaders do a better job of addressing poverty? Suggested Activities: Explore the work of Catholic Relief Services , which provides developmental assistance to communities in need all over the world and provides opportunities for church members to advocate for governmental action to address poverty around the world. Consider a more frugal and earth-sustaining lifestyle. Distinguish between needs, wants, and luxuries when you are considering purchases. If you save money this way, consider giving some of it to organizations that serve the poor. (Section 4) Appeals for hope In this section, Pope Francis discusses some broader ways of thinking about the issues we face. Paragraph 16 (the goods of the earth, debt, and economic priorities) 🔗 Pope Francis says that the goods of the earth are for everyone, not for a privileged few. This runs contrary to the prevailing view that whatever you own is yours – period, end of story. In paragraph 16, Pope Francis make a specific request of the rich. What does he ask them to do? In the same paragraph, Pope Francis makes a specific request of governments. What does he ask them to do with the money spent on weapons? What do you think about Pope Francis’s requests? Pope Francis is raising questions about the priorities of those who have the greatest impact on how the world’s resources are used. Let’s look at this question of priorities on a personal level and on a societal level. Read Matthew 25:41-42 and 25:45 What does Jesus say about our failure to provide food and water to those who need it? There is enough food in the world to feed everyone, but the food is not distributed equitably enough to meet all people’s basic needs. What does this say about our priorities? What changes is Pope Francis asking us to make in our priorities, and what would your response be? What are one or two things you could do – either directly or as an advocate appealing to people in power – to try to reduce poverty and increase access to food and water? What could people in power do to increase access to food and water? Suggested Activity: Explore the work of Bread for the World , a Christian organization that is the leading anti-hunger voice in the halls of Congress. This group helps church members and other people of good will become advocates for action as it calls on our leaders to take the necessary steps to end malnutrition and hunger in our nation and our world. Read Leviticus 25:13-17,23-24 The Law of Moses prescribed that every 50th year (the jubilee year) all land would be returned to its original owner, so that families would not be indebted forever. Pope Francis quotes from Leviticus 25:23, where the Lord tells the Israelites that they are tenants on the land, not permanent owners, because the land belongs to God. If we viewed land this way in our society, how might that lead to changes in the situation of the poor? We might not be able to implement the full vision of Leviticus 25:23, but what might we do to move closer to a society where people are not mired in debt? In the second part of paragraph 16, Pope Francis raises the issue of debt relief for countries that cannot repay their loans. Debt relief can help address the lingering effects of past injustices related to colonization. Pope Francis notes that economic disparities can be exacerbated by the disproportionate use of the earth’s natural resources by wealthy countries. Would you be willing to support debt relief programs that try to help indebted countries get a fresh start? Why or why not? What might you do to learn more about the history of colonial practices that impoverished so many nations in Africa, South America, and South Asia and the economic imbalances that still affect them? Suggested Activity: Do some research to learn more about the history of colonization, the ways wealthy and powerful nations have extracted wealth from poorer and weaker nations, and how the power imbalances of the past continue to hold back the development of the nations of the global South today. Share what you learn with a friend or neighbor. Paragraph 17 (synodality) 🔗 In paragraph 17, Pope Francis notes that 2025 is the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, where bishops approved the bulk of the Nicene Creed that we proclaim at Mass every Sunday. The Pope does not mention this merely to remind us of Church history and doctrine, but to illustrate the value and importance of church synods in the life of the Church. Synodality is the idea that we must include all of the People of God as we journey together and discern what God is doing and wants to do in our Church. In paragraph 17, Pope Francis discusses the concept of synodality, which goes back to the early days of the Church. Why does Pope Francis say that synodality is important? How might a synodal approach to Church life help build unity? At the end of the third part of paragraph 17, Pope Francis quotes Jesus’s prayer for unity, which appears in John 17:21. What does Jesus’s call for unity say to us, and how should we respond? According to Jesus’s prayer, how can unity in the Church have an effect that goes beyond the Church itself? How can we support the Church’s efforts to express unity through synodality? Suggested Activity: Reach out to someone in your parish who thinks differently than you on issues related to the Church or politics. Invite them to get together with you for coffee so that you can listen to their perspective. Let the conversation proceed without any intention to convince the other person – just listen and learn. The very act of listening is part of what synodality is about. It helps build unity, even when we don’t agree. Closing question: In these paragraphs, Pope Francis is trying to build a unity of purpose that transcends economic differences, reaches out across national boundaries, and draws together the entire Church. What needs to change in people’s hearts in order for this unity of purpose to be fostered? What needs to change in your heart to help you more fully embrace this unity of purpose? Bibliography See Jubilee Year 2025 - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/jubilee-2025/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 Jubilee 2025 Next

Prayer in difficult times: Can you learn from Jesus’s example and keep in mind the bigger picture of your life? [Matthew 26:36-46; 26:47-56] Previous Matthew Index Next Matthew 26:36-56 Prayer in difficult times: Can you learn from Jesus’s example and keep in mind the bigger picture of your life? Unidentified artist (Flemish, 17th century). The Taking of Christ . Circa 1620. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA. Public domain, https://collections.mfa.org/download/34311 . Tom Faletti September 17, 2025 Matthew 26:36-46 The agony in the garden of Gethsemane They left the city after singing a hymn (v. 30). In the seder, Psalms 115-118 were sung after the meal. They walked out, across the Kidron Valley, to the Mount of Olives. There, they go to a garden known as the garden of Gethsemane. “Gethsemane” means “oil press,” so perhaps there was an oil press there for gathering oil from the olive trees that grew on the Mount of Olives. Jesus decides to go away from the big group to pray by himself. Who does he ask to come with him? How does Jesus feel? What is Jesus’s first prayer (v. 39)? What is Jesus’s second prayer (v. 42)? How is the second prayer different from the first? The first prayer is more focused on the possibility that “this” might be avoided; the second prayer is more focused on how to deal with it. The first prayer suggests the possibility that Jesus’s desire might conflict with the Father’s will; the second prayer is focused entirely on doing the Father’s will. How can Jesus’s prayer be a model for us when we are facing difficult circumstances? Jesus knows (vv. 45-46) that his betrayal is about to be put into action. How would you describe his state of mind? How do you think God feels about the difficulties you encounter? What is his state of mind as you face difficult circumstances? What does this time in the garden of Gethsemane tell you about your relationship with God? What is Jesus inviting you to do? Matthew 26:47-56 Jesus is arrested, the disciples resist and then desert him Judas’s act of betrayal involved telling the chief priests where they could find Jesus away from the crowds, in order to arrest him without enraging a crowd. How does Judas greet Jesus? How does Jesus greet Judas? What does it tell you about Jesus, that even in the act of being betrayed, he calls Judas “Friend”? In verse 51, how does one of Jesus’s disciples respond? John 18:10 tells us that this disciple was Peter. Considering that Judas came with a crowd armed with swords and clubs, what does this tell you about Peter? How does Jesus respond in verse 52? What does “those who take up the sword die by the sword” mean to you? How might that statement guide you in your life? What does Jesus say about angels in verse 53? In verse 54, Jesus says that the Scriptures say it must happen this way. What does that mean to you? In verse 55, Jesus gets a bit testy with the crowd regarding their method of arresting him. What is he implying about their motives? In verse 56, Jesus repeats that all that is happening is fulfilling the Scriptures. How does it affect your faith, knowing that parts of the Old Testament gave witness to what would happen to Jesus even though the Old Testament authors did not comprehend the fullness of what they were writing? Jesus sees these specific events in his life as part of a bigger picture, the bigger story arc of his life. What can you do to keep in mind the bigger picture of your life when you are facing difficult circumstances? Matthew ends this section by noting that at this point the disciples fled. Jesus has just made it clear that he is not going to resist what is coming. Can you stick with Jesus in your life even in times where God is not going to protect you from suffering or illness or rejection or death? What will you need to do in order to be ready to stick with him, and not run away, when the difficult times come? Take a step back and consider this: It is amazing to think that God guided a variety of prophets over a period of centuries to write down things that had meanings they could not have fully comprehend. Often, they wrote things about their own times that could be seen later as also applying to Jesus. Other times, they wrote things that were directly prophetic in nature, but they had no idea when, how, or through whom those things would come to pass. Yet God honored their unique voices and free will in those books. He did not just turn off their brains, put them in a trance, and dictate words to them. We hear the voices of the authors in the Word of God, even while we hear the Author behind them. God also allows us to make free decisions about what we say and do, and yet when we allow ourselves to be guided by him, he does things that may have implications and impacts we never dreamed of. Where have you seen the hand of God in your own life, guiding you in your present to bring you to your future without dictating your decisions for you? Does this make it easier for you to trust God about your future? Explain. 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 Index Next

What will those who give up earthly goods for Jesus receive? Previous Matthew Index Next Matthew 19:27-30 What will those who give up earthly goods for Jesus receive? Image by Emma Shappley, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti February 13, 2024 Matthew 19:27-30 The rewards of giving up everything for God Peter observes that the disciples have left everything behind to follow him. What does Jesus say they will have “at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne” (19:28, NRSV)? What does Jesus say that other believers who have left things behind will have in his kingdom? In verse 29, “a hundredfold” is a metaphor rather than a literal accounting term. What is “a hundredfold” describing, metaphorically? A hundredfold might mean an abundance, a richness of life. If they have left behind houses, brothers and sisters, parents and children, property, what do you think it means to say they will have “a hundredfold” in God’s kingdom? Perhaps “brothers and sisters” is metaphorically referring to the fellow believers we will have as spiritual brothers and sisters. It might have a similar meaning for parents and children, but wouldn’t it be awesome to think that I might have some great-great-great-grandparents who might, in heaven, be like parents to me? The property might stand for the abundance and richness of life that we will experience in heaven. Jesus concludes in verse 30: “But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first” (NRSV and NABRE). In what ways does this passage support the conclusion that “the last will be first”? Take a step back and consider this: This incident is part of a series of events in this part of Matthew’s Gospel where Jesus explains what I call Jesus's downside-up/upside-down view of life : the greatest must become like a child (18:1-5), God cares as much about the one stray as the 99 who are safe (18:10-14), the prayers of just two or three people can move heaven (18:19-20), forgiveness is not something we can choose to dole out in limited amounts — we are called to forgive to the utmost (18:21-35), men are to be committed to marriage and not find reasons to divorce their wives (19:1-9), the kingdom of heaven belongs to the children, who are the lowest people on the social ladder (19:13-15), wealth is a potential impediment to receiving God's salvation rather than being a sign of God’s favor (19:16-30), the rewards of the kingdom are available to those who come late to Jesus as well as those who (think they) have followed God’s law from the beginning (20:1-16), those who wish to be first must be the servant of all (20:20-28). Jesus’s perspective is often diametrically opposed to prevailing societal perspectives regarding what is important, or valued, or expected, or right. If you want to see as God sees, you generally need to train yourself to look at things from the bottom, not the top. This can be hard for us. We have to work to see as God sees. Sometimes we have to force ourselves to see differently than the world has trained us to see. What is one aspect of your life where you can challenge yourself to see what it looks like from the bottom up, from Jesus’s downside-up perspective? Why does God choose to take that vantage point? Can you do the same? What difference would it make? 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 Index Next

What are you called to do in the work of God’s vineyard? Previous Matthew Index Next Matthew 21:33-46 What are you called to do in the work of God’s vineyard? Jan Luyken (1649-1712). Gelijkenis van de pachters van de wijngaard [Parable of the wicked tenants] . 1703. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Public domain (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gelijkenis_van_de_pachters_van_de_wijngaard,_RP-P-OB-45.110.jpg . Tom Faletti August 7, 2025 Matthew 21:33-46 The parable of the tenants who kill the landowner’s son Recall that in the previous passage , Jesus was drawing a contrast between the chief priests and elders, who have failed to respond to the preaching of John and Jesus, and the “tax collectors and prostitutes,” who have come to believe and are therefore entering into the kingdom of God ahead of the chief priests and elders. Jesus tells a second parable that applies to the chief priests and elders. It uses the longstanding image of the Jewish people as God’s vineyard. The image appears especially in Isaiah 5:1-7, a passage the Jewish leaders would have known well. Read Isaiah 5:1-7 . In the Isaiah passage, in the first verses of chapter 5, what did the vineyard owner do? How does this represent God’s love for his chosen people Israel? What has he done for them? What did the vineyard do in response to the owner’s love (see verse 2 and verse 4)? In the Jewish mind, everything that happened was caused by God. They did not make a distinction between what God causes and what God allows . So they saw the destruction of the vineyard – i.e., Israel in Isaiah’s time – as the direct act of God. We, who see a difference between what God causes and what God allows , might see this as a case where God allowed the nations around Israel to attack and destroy Israel (verse 5: “take away its hedge”), rather than that God directly visited ruin upon them. Now return to Matthew 21:33-46 . Who does the landowner represent? Who do the tenants represent? Who do the servants of the landowner in verses 34-36 represent? Who does the owner’s son represent? In Mark 12:8, the tenants kill the son and throw him out of the vineyard. In Matthew, the order is reversed, as they throw him out of the vineyard and kill him. Some scholars see in Matthew’s order a reference to the fact that Jesus was killed outside the walls of the city of Jerusalem (John 19:17, 20; Hebrews 13:12-13). Who are the “other” tenants in verse 41 who the owner will subsequently bring on as his tenants? The usual interpretation of this parable is that the owner is God; the vineyard is Israel (or Jerusalem); the original tenants are the leaders of the people – the chief priests and elders; the servants are the Old Testament prophets, whom the nation of Israel often mistreated and sometimes killed (although Matthew adds that one of them was stoned, which could be a reference to Stephen – see Acts 7:54-60); the son is Jesus; and the new tenants are a new Israel (or the true Israel) composed of people who believe in Jesus. Matthew’s community, a people who received the kingdom, was a collection of Jews and Gentiles. In having so many connections to the story of salvation history, this parable is more like an allegory than most of Jesus’s parables. How does this story portray the chief priests and elders, who will soon ask the Roman authorities to put Jesus to death? What does this story say about the people who are putting their faith in Jesus? What does this parable tell us about God? Notice that the landowner, like God, trusts the workers without standing over them micromanaging every move. He is patient when they rebel. He cares so much about his vineyard that he sends his son. Although he is patient, he does bring judgment ultimately. What does this parable tell us about Jesus? He is not just a prophet; he is God’s son. He will be killed. However, there will be an accounting in the end. Where are we in this story? What does the parable tell us about ourselves? The stone In Matthew 21:42, Jesus ends the parable by pointing to a quote from Psalm 118:22-23 (“the stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone”). It might also remind the chief priests and elders of the saying in Isaiah 28:16 where God says that he is laying a cornerstone in Zion (Jerusalem) that is a sure foundation for people’s faith. Who is this cornerstone? What happens to the cornerstone? Jesus, the cornerstone, is rejected by the builders – i.e., the leaders of Jerusalem. The quote from the Psalms say that God has done this and it is “marvelous” or “wonderful” in our eyes. How would you explain what is wonderful about Jesus being the cornerstone of our faith and of our relationship with God? When Jesus quotes this passage from the Psalms, how does it answer the question the leaders asked in Matthew 21:23, when they asked by what authority Jesus is doing what he is doing? In verse 43, Jesus speaks judgment upon the leaders. What does he say will happen to them? The passage about the vineyard in Isaiah has similar language. You can read Isaiah 5:11-16 to see that. In verse 43, Jesus says the kingdom will be taken away from them and given to a people who will produce the proper fruit of God’s kingdom. Who are those people, and what is the “fruit” they produce? The early Christians saw this statement by Jesus as being fulfilled when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and scattered the Jewish people. They saw the Church (the Christian people) as the “other tenants,” the people producing fruit. Verse 44 does not appear in many of the early manuscripts, but it is in Luke 20:18 (Luke’s version of this same parable), so it makes sense here. Jesus may be drawing on a couple of Old Testament images: Isaiah 8:14-15 has an image of God as a rock that both Israel and Judah will stumble over, and they will fall and be broken. In Daniel 2:32-35 and 43-45, Daniel interprets a dream that King Nebuchadnezzar had, in which a stone that was not made by human hands crushes a statue that represents the powerful nations of the world from the time of Babylon through the time of the Greeks. Verse 44 has been interpreted in many different ways: perhaps the first group is those who humble themselves before God and fall on Jesus in repentance, while the second group is those who resist the saving grace of Jesus. How have you found yourself needing to be “broken” as part of the process of embracing the call of Jesus in your life? In verses 45-46, we see the reaction of the chief priests and Pharisees. This is the first time Matthew has mentioned the Pharisees since Jesus arrived in Jerusalem. The recognize that Jesus’s parable refers to them. What would they like to do, but don’t do, and why? The lines have now been clearly drawn. The political die has been cast. As Jesus foretold before he came to Jerusalem, he is on a clear path to be executed by the leaders of his society. God never forces anyone to do evil. Each person who is opposing Jesus could have chosen a different path. What is Jesus offering to the leaders, as a way to get off of the tragic path they are on? In this story, we are among the “other tenants” who have been given a shot at working in God’s vineyard. What a great privilege that is! What are you doing with your opportunity? How are you working in God’s vineyard? What more could you be doing, to do the work of God? Take a step back and consider this: The range of people circling in and around God’s vineyard is vast. When people encounter Jesus, there are many different ways they might respond: Some are put off by the claims he makes, or the demands he makes, and they reject him without ever embracing him. Some may be living unruly lives when they encountered Jesus, but they see the truth in his calling, decide to follow him, and find themselves being transformed by the relationship they develop with him. Some are raised “in the faith” but do not discover a personal experience of Jesus. They go through the motions of the faith and then fall away or just keep going through the motions without developing a vital relationship with Jesus. These members of our community need a new encounter with Jesus to help them connect with him on an adult level and follow him on a personal level. Some are raised in the church, fall away, and then subsequently have a new encounter that helps them recommit their lives to following Jesus. Some are raised in the faith and develop a personal relationship with Jesus early on that matures into an adult commitment to him without ever falling away. Jesus wants all of them to be part of his team – the people who are working in his vineyard to produce the fruit of the kingdom. Every time the sun goes down, it is a chance to reflect on what we have done today. Every time the sun rises, it is a new day in the vineyard – a new chance to be open to the fruit of God’s Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) and to “press on,” as the apostle Paul puts it (Phil. 3:14). Every day, Jesus invites us to take another step. We can ask: What would Jesus like to help you do today in the work of God’s vineyard? What can you do to help someone else stay true to their calling as a worker in God’s vineyard? Let us embrace our calling as tenants in the vineyard of the Lord, in whatever capacity he gives us and in whatever work he calls us to do. 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 Index Next

God’s judgment; indulgence and Penance; the Mother of God; hope as an anchor. (Paragraphs 22-25 of Spes Non Confundit) Previous Next Jubilee Year 2025: Embrace God’s Hope and Extend It to All Session 7: A life anchored in hope, part 2 God’s judgment; indulgence and Penance; the Mother of God; hope as an anchor. (Read paragraphs 22-25) Link to S pes Non Confundit Photo by Tom Faletti, Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, November 4, 2024. Tom Faletti November 16, 2024 When you complete this study, please give us feedback using this feedback form . God loves us so much that even God’s judgment is not to be feared for those who seek to follow God. That is the message of the final paragraphs of Spes Non Confundit , where Pope Francis encourages us to live a life anchored in hope. He explains the role of the indulgences that are offered during the Jubilee Year, calls us to receive God’s forgiveness in the Sacrament of Penance, and points to Mary as an example of persevering hope. Although we face God’s judgment at the end of our lives, we can approach God with confidence because, even though we may need to be purified before living forever with God, our salvation has been won by Jesus. Our study guide questions will help us explore the criteria Jesus will use in the Last Judgment, the effects of sin and how we might overcome those effects, how Jesus’s mother Mary is a role model, and how the way we live our lives can bring hope to others. We are on a journey where we can make a difference in the lives of others, not just ourselves! Read paragraphs 22-25 in preparation for this session. Paragraph 22 (God’s judgment) 🔗 In paragraph 22, Pope Francis looks squarely at the reality that we will all be judged by God. Read 1 John 4:7-16 According to John, how do we know that God loves us? According to John, how can we abide or live in God’s love? Read Matthew 25:31-46 What are the criteria by which God will judge us at the Last Judgment? How are you currently active in some form of service to others in need, or how might you take a step forward into service? Suggested Activities: Get involved in the work of a soup kitchen or food pantry in your community. Help a crisis pregnancy center as it seeks to provide the most basic needs of newborns in your area: cribs, diapers, baby food, clothes, etc. Talk with a homeless person you encounter on the street. Reach out to a stranger who is new to your neighborhood or parish and welcome them. Practice putting on new eyes that see the people in need who are normally invisible to most of us as we live our busy and distracted lives. Read Wisdom 12:19-22 In paragraph 22, Pope Francis quotes from the Book of Wisdom as evidence of God’s mercy. According to Wisdom 12:19, why is repentance an important step toward hope? What does receiving mercy from God (Wisdom 12:22) mean to you? What does it look like? In the second part of paragraph 22, Pope Francis tells us that we need to be “purified” in order to have “a definitive encounter with the Lord.” What does he mean by “purified”? How does Pope Francis connect this to our prayers for those who have died? Suggested Activity: Pray for those who have died, that God may purify them for eternal life. Paragraph 23 (indulgence and the sacrament of Penance) 🔗 In the multiple parts of paragraph 23, Pope Francis explains the Church’s teaching on indulgence and how it is different from the forgiveness of sins we receive in the sacrament of Penance. Read Psalm 103:2-4, 8, 10-12 What do these verses of Psalm 103 tell us about what happens when we confess our sins? What does this psalm tell us about God’s mercy and what God does with our sins? In the second part of paragraph 23, how does Pope Francis describe the purpose and effects of the sacrament of Penance? The Jubilee Year offers a special indulgence for those who participate fully in its practices. A separate Vatican document issued in May 2024 summarizes the indulgence as follows: “All the faithful, who are truly repentant and free from any affection for sin (cf. Enchiridion Indulgentiarum , IV ed., norm. 20, § 1), who are moved by a spirit of charity and who, during the Holy Year, purified through the sacrament of penance and refreshed by Holy Communion, pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff, will be able to obtain from the treasury of the Church a plenary indulgence, with remission and forgiveness of all their sins” ( Decree on the Granting of the Indulgence During the Ordinary Jubilee Year 2025 Called by His Holiness Pope Francis ). This indulgence can be applied to souls in Purgatory if certain requirements are met. In the third part of paragraph 23, what does Pope Francis mean when he says that every sin “leaves its mark,” and what does the Jubilee indulgence do? In the fourth part of paragraph 23, what does Pope Francis say about forgiving others? Why should the experience of receiving forgiveness from God lead us to forgive others? Suggested Activities: Go to confession and confess your sins to God. Where appropriate, reach out to those you have hurt and ask their forgiveness. Forgive someone who has done something wrong to you. Practice seeing others as God sees them and extend to them the grace and forgiveness that God extends to you. Paragraph 24 (the Mother of God) 🔗 Read Luke 2:25-35 What did Simeon say about Jesus? How does he describe Jesus in his prayer? In verses 34-35, Simeon tells Mary that she will suffer, but he says more than that in verses 29-35. How might his words have been an encouragement to her to have hope? Pope Francis presents Mary as the supreme example of hope and notes that the 500th anniversary of her appearance as Our Lady of Guadalupe is near. How have Mary’s appearances throughout history encouraged people who are suffering to have hope? How is Mary an example of hope for you? Suggested Activities: Pray the Magnificat and connect with Mary’s hope and trust in God. Use the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary as a way to contemplate Mary’s hope-filled approach to life; then seek to follow her model of willingness to submit to God’s will. Paragraph 25 (hope as an anchor) 🔗 Read Hebrews 6:17-20 Why do you think Hebrews 6:17-20 calls hope an “anchor” for our souls? Note: People sometimes find Hebrews 6:17-18 confusing. The author of Hebrews points to two things that are immutable (cannot change) because they come straight from the mouth of God: God’s promise to Abraham that he would have a son (Genesis 17:4; 18:10; and 21:22) and God’s oath to Abraham that he would have countless descendants through whom all the nations of the earth will be blessed (Genesis 22:16-18). Our hope rests on the fact that God does not lie. In the second part of paragraph 25, Pope Francis explains why he thinks the image of an anchor is so appropriate. What metaphor does he use to show how hope is an anchor? How is hope an anchor for your life? In the third part of paragraph 25, Pope Francis suggests that our hope in God can affect our work “in the Church and in society, in our interpersonal relationships, in international relations, and in our task of promoting the dignity of all persons and respect for God’s gift of creation” – in other words, in every facet of our lives, sacred and secular. How can we bring our hope in God into parts of society that are not explicitly “spiritual”? How can we put our hope in God into action to care for the environment and the Earth? In the final part of paragraph 25, Pope Francis says, “May the way we live our lives” encourage others to have hope. What is one thing you can do, in the way you live your life, that might spread hope to others? Suggested Activity: Go through an examination of conscience or examen. Use it to try to detect areas of your life where you need to make adjustments so that your life spreads hope and the love of God to others. Act on your discoveries. Closing questions: Looking back over this entire study of Spes Non Confundit , what do you think God wants you to take from this study and put into practice in your life? How might God want you to make adjustments in how you think , to more fully anchor your life in the hope that comes from God? How might God want you to make adjustments in the things you say , so that your words communicate clearly your hope in God? How might God want you to make changes in the things you do , so that your hope in God leads to actions that benefit the world around you? What is one thing you might do to help extend God’s hope to the poor, the sick, the young, the elderly, migrants, refugees, or prisoners? End this study with a prayer, asking God to empower you to ground your life ever more fully in God’s hope and effectively extend that hope to others in service and love. When you complete this study, please give us feedback using this feedback form . You can also share your thoughts using the Contact Form at the bottom of this page. Bibliography See Jubilee Year 2025 - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/jubilee-2025/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 Jubilee 2025 Next