How do you prepare a small-group Bible Study meeting? Previous For Leaders Next Preparing to Lead a Small-Group Bible Study Meeting How do you prepare a small-group Bible Study meeting? Image provided by Wix. Tom Faletti March 25, 2024 At the Previous Meeting Tell the group what verse you are starting at or what verses or chapters you will be covering, especially if there is an expectation, or a desire among some, to study during the week. During the Week Before the Meeting Don’t wait until the last day to prepare. In your preparation, it is better to be prepared to cover too much material than not enough. Pray. Ask God to guide you, help you understand the text, and help you formulate questions and comments that will lead others to understand God’s Word and how it speaks to their lives. Read the text at least twice. Then read a commentary and/or study notes to learn some of the nuances of the text and the kinds of issues that might come up. Break the text into appropriately sized passages: a paragraph, a story, a set of verses that focus on a particular topic. For each passage, formulate a series of questions, including all three of the following types of questions: What does it say? These are questions of fact . They help the group to acknowledge and agree on the basic facts of what the passage says. Examples: What happened? What is Jesus (or God or some other person) saying here? What issue does Paul (or some other author) raise here? What does the author say we should do? What guidelines for living does he offer? What does it mean? These are questions of interpretation . They help the group to wrestle with what the passage means, and with different interpretations of what it means. Examples: Why did the man do what he did? Why did Jesus react in that way? What does that word (or phrase) mean? Why did the author (or person) use that particular word (or phrase)? What does the author mean when he uses that term, or says “. . . .”? Who is this referring to, or who does this apply to? What does this passage tell us about God? Why do you think the author chose to focus on that problem? How does this passage make you feel? What are some attitudes or actions that term would apply to today? What does that key word (or phrase) mean to you? What are some ways that people demonstrate this characteristic? Give some examples of actions that fit the description in the passage. Describe a time in your life when you encountered this problem. How can we apply it to our lives? These are application questions. They help the group to share their faith and practical insights with each other, and apply the passage to their own lives. Examples: What do you find most challenging in this passage, and why? How can we learn from the example of the person in this passage? What does this person’s example tell us about what me might do in our own lives? How can we apply this passage to our lives today? What does this passage say to us about our relationship with God, or about God’s attitude toward us? What are the modern problems we face today that this passage is talking about? How does the passage say we should respond? What does this passage say to you about yourself? What do you find most encouraging in this passage, and why? What are some things we can do to live out these commands? Which of these commands do you find hardest to obey, and why? When do you find it especially difficult to do what this passage is saying? Why is that the hard time, and what can you do about it? What are some ways we try to avoid the implications of this passage? What do we need to change in our lives to become examples of what Jesus (or God or the author) is talking about? What are you facing right now where you need to hear and apply the ideas in this passage? When have you experienced what the passage describes? When are you tempted to do what the passage describes? What does this person’s example tell us about how we can deal with similar problems at work (or at home, or in our church, or in our relationships)? In what ways do we fail to do what this passage is describing? How well does our parish reflect these values? What can we do to improve our parish’s way of living this part of the Gospel? What do you need to do to live out the truths of this passage? What holds you back from living out these principles? What would the author (or God) say to you in response? What do you find hardest to accept or live out in this teaching? Why? In the next week, what is one thing you can do to live out the challenge of this passage? Determine whether there are some key issues and applications you think the group should see. Make sure your questions will lead the group to wrestle with those issues, but don’t put your answer in the questions. Allow room for the members to reach a different conclusion. (For example: If you think the key is faith, don’t ask, “Don’t you think faith is the key point here?” Instead, ask, “What do you think this passage says to us about our relationship with God?”. If the group answers in a different way than you expect, you can share your view, but don’t push them to see it only your way.) During the Meeting Extend a welcome to each person as they arrive. Greet each person warmly. Don’t delay your start. Reinforce those who are on time by starting 5 minutes after the official starting time, regardless of who you are still expecting. Begin with prayer, reminding the group that Jesus is here with us, and spend a short time in silence to become aware of His presence. Then ask the group to pray short prayers of thanks or praise : “Thank you, God, for. . . .” Or “I praise you, Lord, for. . . .” Close this prayer time by asking for God guidance and the group’s openness to Him. Unless you are covering several chapters each week, ask someone to read aloud the first passage. (If you are covering large sections, instead ask the group to read the chapters in advance and begin by summarizing what happened in the passage, perhaps reading a key part.) Ask the questions you prepared. Always start with the basic “what does it say” or fact questions. Quite often, people don’t really understand or agree about what the passage actually says, and if they don’t understand what it says they certainly won’t understand what it means or how to apply it. Your study during the week may have given you some background knowledge you can share here to help the group understand what the passage says. However, try to elicit as much as possible from the group rather than telling it all yourself. Ask your interpretation or “what does it mean” questions, but don’t let the group get stuck there. Leave plenty of time for application questions. Ask some application questions that help the group find apply the passage to their daily lives. Don’t skip this step. Your job isn’t done until the passage has been applied. Frame your questions in ways that encourage personal sharing and a faith response to the passage. Know in advance which questions you think are most important. After the group has talked about what the passage says and means, ask your most important application questions first. If the group spends a long time on your first application question, you don’t have to use every question you prepared. Try to involve everyone. Make sure that people who want to say something but are more shy about breaking into the conversation are given a chance to speak. (For example, say, “I think Chris is trying to say something here.”) If one or two people have taken the discussion into a side area that is not involving the whole group, bring the group back to the topic. “Off the track” is often in the eyes of the beholder, so if the area is somewhat related to the passage, and most of the group is interested and participating, you may want to let the discussion go for a little while. The goal is faith sharing and spiritual growth, and the Holy Spirit can sometimes accomplish that in a different way than you anticipated. But don’t let the discussion get way off the passage and don’t let a few people go on and on without involving the rest of the group. Bring the discussion back to the passage. (For example, say, “Let’s look at the passage again to see what it says about this.” Or ask another application question that brings the group back to the passage.) When you feel it is time to move on, briefly summarize what the group has discovered in that passage and suggest that the group move on to the next passage. Repeat steps 4 to 11 for the next passage. Before the end, try to summarize the key findings and applications from the week’s discussion. End with prayer, inviting short prayers asking God to help us or others : “Lord, help me or us to. . . .” or “Lord, help my brother or sister to . . . .” Encourage the group to echo each other’s prayers, so that it is truly conversational prayer: “Yes, Lord, help, me or us or Chris to. . . . Give them your. . . .” Make sure newcomers and quieter people are included in the social chit-chat after the meeting. 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

Allow Jesus to heal you, open your eyes, loosen your tongue. Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 9:18-34 Allow Jesus to heal you, open your eyes, loosen your tongue. Image provided by Wix. Tom Faletti August 8, 2024 Before we read our next passage, consider this question: In the next passage, Matthew tells us about more of Jesus’s miracles. In the previous passages, we have seen a progression of miracles that show Jesus’s authority over increasingly daunting challenges that humans face: illnesses, storms, demons, and sin. What is left? I.e.: What is the greatest challenge that every human must ultimately face? What is the greatest thing that Jesus could work a miracle to overcome? Matthew 9:18-26 restoring a dead girl to life, while healing a woman with hemorrhages What two miracles take place in this pair of stories? Let’s look at the synagogue official and his daughter first (verses 18-19 and 23-26): Matthew’s telling of the story of the girl has small differences from Mark’s version of the same story: in Matthew, the girl is already dead and the synagogue official knows she is already dead when he approaches Jesus and ask him to save her. Matthew just calls him a “ruler”; Mark specifies that he is a leader or official in the synagogue (Mark 5:22). The synagogue official asks Jesus to heal his daughter after she is already dead. What does this tell you about his faith? Matthew keeps showing us people who are in positions of leadership but take the position of a faith-filled supplicant, even as other leaders are moving more and more toward opposition to Jesus. You can imagine the tense conversation that might have occurred between this synagogue official and the scribes and Pharisees we saw challenging Jesus in the previous passages. If you were the synagogue official, how would you explain your actions to the scribes and Pharisees who were challenging Jesus? They would have been people of your social class. How would you explain why you were humbling yourself to seek out this controversial man Jesus? What does this political backdrop tell you about the social context in which Jesus conducted his ministry? What does the political backdrop tell you about faith? What does it tell you about following Jesus? We are called to do the work of God regardless of whether political leaders support us. We should be welcoming to all of them, just as Jesus was. What does this healing of the girl tell us about Jesus? About God? What does this healing of the girl tell us about faith? About ourselves? Among other things, this healing shows that the faith of another person can make a difference in your life, which means that your faith can make a difference in the lives of others. Now let us focus on the story of the woman. As someone who suffers from constant bleeding (hemorrhages), which would make her be considered ritually unclean, she is probably a social outcast. The “tassel” or “fringe” was a knotted string that Jews attached to the four corners of their outer garments in obedience to the Law of Moses (Numbers 15:37–39; Deut. 22:12) to remind them to obey the commandments of the Law. Notice that Jesus wore such a garment. He would have been dressed like any Jew of his time, not in modern robes. What is the significance of the fact that the woman touched the tassel of Jesus’s cloak? In general, it would not have been socially appropriate for a woman to touch a man in that culture. But in addition to that, with an issue of blood she would have been considered unclean. When the woman touched Jesus’s garment, Jesus immediately turned and looked to see who had touched him. If we were reading the story of a Greek god or goddess, then when in verse 22 it says that Jesus turned and saw her, we might fear that the next sentence would be that he blasted her in some way. But Jesus is not that kind of god. How does he respond to her in verse 22? How does Jesus affirm her decision not to be timid in reaching out to him? How might you benefit from being less timid in your faith? To what does Jesus ascribe the woman’s healing? What is the role of faith in living out our live with Jesus? How is this woman a role model for us? How is Jesus in this entire pair of stories a role model for us? The moment the woman touched the fringe of Jesus’s outer garment, she had his total and undivided attention. As people made in the image of God and called to be like Christ to those around us, what does this tell us about how we should be aware of and respond to others? Returning to the story of the girl, what is the crowd’s reaction when Jesus says she is not dead? How are we at risk of being like that crowd? While Matthew has begun this third sets of miracles with a climactic demonstration of Jesus’s power over even death, he is also making another point by telling us when a miracle occurred in response to a person’s faith – here, the synagogue official and the woman with the hemorrhages. The next miracle also emphasizes the faith of the recipient. Matthew 9:27-31 the healing of two blind men What do the two blind men ask for? What does Jesus ask them in response? Why do you suppose Jesus asked this question rather than just granting their request? Does God ask us the same question (“Do you believe that I am able to do this”)? In what way does he pose this question to us? To what does Jesus ascribe their healing? Do you believe that Jesus will help you when you ask him? Jesus’s healing of blind people is metaphorical as well as physical. What is the metaphorical or spiritual point for us? In verse 30, why do you think Jesus told the formerly blind men not to tell anyone what Jesus had done? What did the formerly blind men do? Was Jesus’s request a realistic request? After all, they were previously blind and now they were not blind. What do you think he expected to happen? Matthew 9:31-34 the healing of a person who is mute In this healing, we are told that “the one who had been mute spoke; and the crowds were amazed” (Matthew 9:33, NRSV). How does the fact that the man spoke relate to the statement about the crowd’s reaction? Just as we might think about the healing of the blind men metaphorically, we might also think about how sometimes our voices are silent, metaphorically, and Jesus heals that. How might it be said of you – at some time in your past, present, or future – that “the one who had been silent spoke”? How do the Pharisees who lack faith react to this healing of a person who was thought to be possessed by a demon? What do they accuse Jesus of? How does the level of faith of the blind men versus the Pharisees illustrate the timeless choice about how to respond to Jesus? What does this set of stories about people’s reactions to Jesus’s miracle-working power say to you about your life? In this chapter 9, Matthew has presented some of the key criticisms of Jesus that will lead to his execution. What things has Jesus been attacked or challenged for? Blasphemy (Matt. 9:3), for claiming to be able to forgive sins. Association with immoral people (Matt. 9:11), for eating with sinners. Inadequate attention to the rituals of the faith (Matt. 9:14), for not having his disciples fast. Being a tool of the devil (Matt. 9:34), an illogical conclusion that did acknowledge the fact that he could drive out demons. Jesus is not someone to be neutral about. As C. S. Lewis said, “You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call him Lord and God” ( Mere Christianity , p. 56). People are beginning to take sides. If you were watching all of this happen, how would you have responded to the Pharisees? Take a step back and consider this: These stories of the woman with the hemorrhage, the synagogue official, the blind men, and the man who could not speak call us to have faith in Jesus. They show us that Jesus does not want us to be timid, blind, or silent. Matthew is telling us: Don’t be afraid to approach Jesus even if the world thinks you are not worthy to do so. Don’t be afraid to approach Jesus even if it goes against what other people of your social class are saying. Don’t be afraid to admit that there are things you just can’t see on your own, but that in Jesus you can see with new eyes. Don’t be afraid to let Jesus loosen your tongue so that you are silent no longer and can speak about what matters in your life. Are there ways you feel unworthy to approach Jesus about your needs? Are there ways you feel pressured to keep your faith private? Are there ways you think maybe you are missing something and need Jesus to open your eyes in a new way? Are there ways you feel like you need Jesus to loosen your tongue so that you can speak edifying words that would benefit others? What would Jesus say to you if you were in front of him right now? How can you reach out in faith and touch the tassel of Jesus’s cloak, and allow him to do a new work in your life? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next

Jesus is baptized, subjected to temptation, and starts preaching. Previous Mark List Next Mark 1:9-16 Jesus is baptized, subjected to temptation, and starts preaching. Image provided by Wix. Tom Faletti Mark 1:9-15 Why do you think Jesus chose to be baptized by John? (to be continued) Bibliography See Mark - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/mark/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 Mark List Next

Bibliography of major sources and additional sources used in this study of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Previous Mary List Next Mary - Bibliography Bibliography of major sources and additional sources used in this study of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Some of the resources on the author's bookshelf. Tom Faletti July 16, 2025 Major Sources Brown, Raymond E. An Introduction to the New Testament . New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1997. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: The New Testament, Revised Standard Edition, Second Catholic Edition . Ignatius Press, 2010. Interlinear Bible. Bible Hub , https://biblehub.com/interlinear/ . Liddell, Henry George and Robert Scott . An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon, Founded Upon the Seventh Edition of Liddell and Scott’s Greek-English Lexicon . Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1899. Perseus Digital Library , Tufts University, https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0058 . For the full Lexicon from 1940 available online, see A Greek-English Lexicon , Furman Classics Editions, http://folio2.furman.edu/lsj/ or A Greek-English Lexicon , Internet Archive , Volume I: https://archive.org/details/b31364949_0001/mode/2up and Volume II: https://archive.org/details/b31364949_0002/mode/2up . New American Bible, revised edition (NABRE) . Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2010. Scripture texts in this work 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. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary . Edited by Raymond E. Brown, et al. Prentice Hall, 1990. The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version: With the Apocrypha: An Ecumenical Study Bible . Eds. Michael D. Coogan, Marc Z. Brettler, Carol A. Newsom, and Pheme Perkins. 4th ed. Oxford University Press, 2010. 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. Payne, David. F. “Isaiah.” The International Bible Commentary: With the New International Version . F.F. Bruce, General Editor. Marshall Pickering/Zondervan, 1986. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance . Bible Hub , https://biblehub.com/greek/21.htm . Vine, William E. Vine’s Expository Dictionary , 1940, StudyLight.org , https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/ved.html . Additional Sources Keller, Timothy. “God’s Call to Mary and to Us.” Focus on the Family , 15 Nov. 2021, https://www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/gods-call-to-mary-and-to-us/ . Prahlow, Jacob. “A Protestant Thinks about the Blessed Virgin Mary.” Conciliar Post , 21 Nov. 2018, https://conciliarpost.com/theology-spirituality/a-protestant-thinks-about-the-blessed-virgin-mary/ . “What is the difference between a refugee and a migrant?” USA for UNHCR , 15 Dec. 2022, https://www.unrefugees.org/news/what-is-the-difference-between-a-refugee-and-a-migrant/ . “Which church father first taught the perpetual virginity of Mary?” Christianity Stack Exchange , 3 Dec. 2018, https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/56526/which-church-father-first-taught-the-perpetual-virginity-of-mary . 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 Mary List Next

The empty tomb means that Jesus is alive – and still alive today! Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 28:1-10 The empty tomb means that Jesus is alive – and still alive today! Image by Fr. Daniel Ciucci, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti May 24, 2024 Matthew 28:1-10 The Resurrection: Jesus appears to the two Marys From your knowledge of the Resurrection story, why do you think the two Marys returned to the tomb after the Sabbath? Luke tells us (24:1) that they had prepared spices with which to anoint his body. What happens in verse 2? This is not an earthquake for show, though it is meant to signal that God is at work here. The real earth-shaking event here is not the rumble of shifting tectonic plates but the fact that the stone has been rolled away. What does the description of the angel in verse 3 tell us about this person? How does it show that this is not a human? In verse 4, how do the guards react? The angel says a lot of things to the women. Take it one verse at a time. What does the angel tell them in verse 5? In verse 6? In verse 7? What is the significance of “Do not be afraid”? Is there a place in your life where you need to hear those words right now: Do not be afraid? What kinds of things cause us to need to hear those words? Uncertainty, inadequate resources, health issues, loved ones facing struggles, world situations, etc. How does the fact that Jesus is risen give us a way to try to deal with our fears? (If you are struggling with anxiety or worry, this might be a good time to go back and look at our study of Matthew 6:25-34 : Do not worry about your life; do not worry about tomorrow.) Why does the angel remind them that Jesus said he would be raised? Why does the angel invite them to “see the place where he lay”? The angel honors the natural human desire to want to verify. Being able to see with one’s own eyes gives confidence that it is true. It will also strengthen their story and make it more believable when they go tell the disciples. In some Christian circles, one sometimes gets the impression that wanting evidence is a bad thing. But the Christian faith is based on real evidence, not on unsupported claims. The angel invited the women to see for themselves . Jesus invited Thomas to examine the wounds of his crucifixion. Jesus appeared bodily to the disciples. He didn’t just communicate to them in some ethereal, otherworldly way that he had risen from the dead – he showed them by coming into their midst with a real body, eating with them, and letting them touch him. God understands our need for evidence. Evidence is not a bad thing. Why is evidence important? Among other things, evidence allows us to separate countless fakes and frauds from the genuine work of God. You were not there to see the empty tomb or to see the risen Lord in the flesh. On what basis can you make the claim that Jesus is risen and is not still dead in a tomb? What difference does it make to you that Jesus is risen? How does it affect how you live your everyday life in the real world? It is amazing that, despite the male-dominant culture of Jesus’s time, the initial news that Jesus is risen is given to women, not to male members of the band of disciples. Why do you think this is, and what difference does it make that God chose to have this great news be told first to women? Women showed up to the tomb, so they were in the right place at the right time. Women throughout history are the ones who show up to do the grunt work. In doing the grunt work, they were there for this great revelation. God’s choice to honor the women is one more example of God’s downside-up approach to humanity. Women were the first people to tell the good news of Jesus’s resurrection. Do we give women a significant enough voice in our churches today? Explain. Jesus wants to see the disciples. It isn’t just that they want to see him. He wants to see them . Why? Can we extend this to ourselves? In what ways, and why, does Jesus want to see us ? Jesus told the disciples at the Last Supper, in Matthew 26:32, that after he was raised he would go ahead of them to Galilee. Why do you think he wants to see them in Galilee ? What do you think he wants to do with them, and why not just stay in Jerusalem and do it there? There are many possible answers to this question. Some of the factors are: The disciples are just visiting Jerusalem. They don’t have homes there. They have families who presumably expect them back. Jesus has more he needs to teach them, to prepare them for his sending them forth to preach the gospel without his constant bodily presence. Being in Jerusalem means being under a spotlight. Galilee provides a quieter, less visible place where they can focus on that preparation with fewer distractions. Just as Jesus isn’t finished with the disciples yet, he isn’t finished with you or me, either. What do you think he wants to do with us right now? Where is your “Galilee”? Where is the place where Jesus can meet with you and get you ready for your next steps, with minimal distraction? The women leave the tomb to go tell the disciples, feeling both fear and great joy. What a combination of feelings! Suddenly – wonder of wonders – Jesus himself appears to them! Are there ways in which it is especially fitting that it is these two women who first experience the risen Lord? Explain. Jesus greets them. The Greek word Matthew uses for Jesus’s greeting had multiple meanings. It was a standard greeting, meaning “Hail!” or “Greetings.” So a literal translation of that sentence might be: “And behold, Jesus met them, saying greetings” (“Matthew 28,” Interlinear Bible, Bible Hub , https://biblehub.com/interlinear/matthew/28.htm ). However, the original and literal meaning of that word was “rejoice,” and it was still used that way in Jesus’s time. For example, in Matthew 5:12, when Jesus says, “Rejoice and be glad” when they persecute you, the word “Rejoice” is the same Greek word. We wouldn’t translate it “Greetings and be glad”; we would choose the other meaning for the word: “Rejoice.” So, it would be legitimate to translate the sentence where Jesus greets the women in this way: And behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” How is being in the presence of the Lord a reason for rejoicing for you? In verse 9, how do the women respond when they see Jesus alive? What is the significance of “worshipping” him? There is a subtle but important point in the fact that they touched his feet: It tells us that he had a real body and was not just a disembodied spirit. Why is this important? How important is it to you that Jesus rose from the dead and is alive, not dead? Jesus repeats the angel’s instructions: Do not be afraid; tell the disciples to go to Galilee, where they will see me. But he doesn’t call them “disciples.” He calls them “brothers.” Why is it significant that, at this particular point in time, he is calling them “brothers”? Jesus had not used the word “brothers” for them previously in Matthew except in a vague way in Matthew 12:46-50. Calling them “brothers” now, after they deserted him, is a clear sign of the depth of his love for them and dedication to them. It is also a declaration of the relationship they will have with him forevermore. Jesus considers us, too, his “brothers and sisters.” How does it feel to you, to be called a brother or sister of Jesus? Now look beyond just how it feels. What does it mean to say that you are a brother or sister of Jesus? Is there anything you would like to say to the risen Lord Jesus, or that you would like to do, in response to the fact that he considers you his brother or sister? Take a step back and consider this: At a few points in our study of Matthew’s Gospel, where scholars disagreed or there were conflicting interpretations of a passage, I have said or implied that it doesn’t really matter for our faith which interpretation is right. For example, whether there was a Roman or Jewish guard at Jesus’s tomb doesn’t affect our faith. It is not a central issue. (I am not promoting relativism here. There is an absolute truth. Either there were Roman soldiers guarding the tomb or there weren’t, regardless of what we think. But practically speaking, the answer to that question does not have any significant effect on what we believe as Christians or how we live out our faith.) But the issue of the Resurrection does matter. Whether Jesus did in fact rise from the dead, resulting in an empty tomb and a living Lord; or whether there was still a body in a tomb somewhere, now long decomposed; or whether the disciples stole the body, also now long decomposed – that matters a lot . If Jesus did rise bodily from the grave, he did something that no other human could do, after announcing it in advance. In that case, the Resurrection confirms and authenticates the claims he made when he was alive. If he can do that, he is not just a human. And since he called himself the Son of God, his Resurrection calls us to response to him as the Son of God. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, his claims are fraudulent. Moreover, in that case the transformation of the fledgling Christian community from fearful waverers to bold witnesses is incomprehensible. Many people have died for a lie, but who would suffer excruciating torture for a fraudulent claim they knew they had made up? The story from the beginning, for which people gave their life, is that Jesus bodily rose from the dead and lives in a very real way today. So this really matters. Why have Christians from the very beginning emphasized the reality of the Resurrection so much? Is the Resurrection a central part of your faith? How important is the Resurrection in your understanding of God’s interaction with the world and with you? Are there ways that you have experienced the resurrection power of God? What has God done in your life that gives you confidence that Jesus rose from the dead and is alive today? For small groups studying Matthew: Preparation for next time: If you can, please do this small amount of preparation before our final meeting (but come anyway, even if you can’t do this “homework”): Look back through the Gospel of Matthew and try to answer these two questions: What do you think Matthew wants his readers to do in response to his account of the life and teachings of Jesus? Please don’t stop at something simple like, “He wants us to believe.” Yes, of course he does. But what would that look like? What does he want us to do or how does he want us to live our lives as our response to Jesus? What is your favorite story, quote, or teaching from Matthew’s Gospel, or what strikes you as most important or most meaningful, and 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 List Next

Jesus loves his people like a mother hen who desires to gather her young under her wings. How can we embrace this maternal love of God for us? Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 23:37-39 Jesus loves his people like a mother hen who desires to gather her young under her wings. How can we embrace this maternal love of God for us? Ben Austrian (1870-1921). Hen with Baby Chicks . Circa 1915. Cropped. Reading Public Museum, Reading, PA. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ben_Austrian_-_Hen_with_Baby_Chicks_-_2009.3.1_-_Reading_Public_Museum.jpg . Tom Faletti August 22, 2025 Matthew 23:37-39 Jesus yearns for the people of Jerusalem like a mother hen for her chicks We have completed the material Matthew has gathered together regarding the confrontations between Jesus and the leaders of the various factions of Jews in Jerusalem. Matthew ends with a passage that is very different but is connected by the fact that both this passage and the previous passage refer to the killing of prophets sent by God. But the tone in this passage is different. In the previous passage, where Jesus is uttering woes against the scribes and Pharisees, it would be natural to assume that Jesus’s tone was stern and judging. What is his tone in this passage? How does he feel about Jerusalem? What does the image of a mother hen gathering her chicks under her wings tell you about Jesus? How does a mother’s love portray God’s feelings toward us? This is not the only passage in the Bible that presents God using maternal images. Read Isaiah 49:13-15 As they struggle in exile, how does verse 14 describe how God’s people (the people of Zion) are feeling? They are feeling forsaken or forgotten by God. How does God respond in verse 15? God describes his relationship with them as like that of a woman and her infant, saying: “Can a woman forget her nursing child, / or show no compassion for the child up for womb? / Even these may forget, / yet I will not forget you” (Isaiah 49:15, NRSV). God is to his people like a mother to her nursing babe. What does this tell you about God’s relationship with us and love for us? Read Isaiah 66:13 In this portion of Isaiah, the prophet is describing the future restoration of Israel. What does God say in this verse? God says, “As a mother comforts her child, / so I will comfort you” (Isaiah 66:13, NRSV). How is the image of a mother comforting her child a helpful image of God’s concern for us? Read Psalm 131 How does the psalmist describe his approach to God? The psalmist says, “I have calmed and quieted my soul, / like a weaned child with its mother” (Psalm 131:2, NRSV). The psalmist could have said “father” – the child has been weaned, so this is not a nursing image. But here he pictures the peace and security he finds in the presence of God as being like a child leaning into the embrace of its mother. How does that enhance our image of God’s love for us? Can you picture yourself leaning into God’s embrace like a child to its mother? How does that make you feel? Does this image add anything to your usual image of your relationship with God? Read Hosea 11:1-4 Although the people of Israel have not been faithful to God, how does God describe his relationship with them? This is not an exclusively maternal image of God, but certainly has maternal overtones. When God says he taught his people to walk, “took them in my arms,” cared for them with love like those who “lift an infant to their cheeks,” and “bent down to feed them,” how does that remind us of a mother? Do you feel like God is helping you to grow and develop the way a mother nurtures her child? How is this image helpful? These few verses cannot be used to construct a theology for calling God “Mother,” especially considering the massive counterweight of biblical language that explicitly calls God “Father.” Since God is not a material creature, he is neither male nor female. But he chose to become a member of the human family as a male, and Jesus called God his “Father.” That is not something to be rejected. So it is appropriate to call God “Father.” Nevertheless, Jesus and Old Testament writers occasionally used the metaphor of a loving mother to express God’s love for us, which offers us the opportunity to explore the value of that metaphor in understanding how much God loves us. Go back and re-read Matthew 23:37-39 . Imagine being swept up into Jesus’s arms, or under his wings. How does that make you feel? What does Jesus want you to understand about yourself and him, in these words he spoke? Notice that Jesus’s words imply that he has been in Jerusalem many times previously. Matthew and the other synoptic Gospels tell Jesus’s story as though his public ministry included only one visit to Jerusalem. John’s Gospel shows that he has been there multiple times. Luke 3:41 tells us that Mary and Joseph and the child Jeus went to Jerusalem for Passover every year. It is unlikely that he would have stopped the practice as an adult. So Matthew’s Gospel, despite how much it covers, still only presents part of Jesus’s life in the public eye. Picture Jesus traveling to Jerusalem (like a pilgrimage) every year for the Passover sacrifice. What does that add to your understanding of his life? In verse 38, “your house” means Jerusalem – Jerusalem will be left desolate. This is another instance of Matthew alluding to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, after the time when Jesus spoke but before Matthew wrote his Gospel. Since Jesus has already had his dramatic entrance into Jerusalem in Matthew 21:1-11, where the people cried out, “Blessed is he who come in the name of the Lord,” verse 39 can’ be interpreted as a reference to that day. Therefore, verse 39 is often interpreted as referring to the Second Coming, when Jesus will come in glory for the final judgment. That make sense in the context of what is coming in the next two chapters, which are about the Second Coming and the Final Judgment. Everyone will face a final judgment at the end of their life. Jesus shows patience rather than calling for an immediate punishment upon the people in Jerusalem who oppose him. How has he treated you with similar patience? How might we imitate Jesus’s love for people even when they are rejecting him? How might we imitate Jesus’s love for people even when they are rejecting us? Take a step back and consider this: In Psalm 131, the psalmist says, “I have calmed and quieted my soul, / like a weaned child with its mother” (Psalm 131:2, NRSV). You can imagine him simply being present to God: not trying to direct the conversation, not imploring God to do one thing or another, just being with God, as young child in its mother’s arms. The next time you have a quiet time with God, don’t start with your requests and petitions. Don’t start with your sins. Start by just being with God, like a child with its mother. Jesus wants to bring all of us under his wing, close to himself. Spend some time resting in the peace of knowing that Jesus is near you and wants you near him. Like a child, lean in and enjoy just being with God. What effect does this kind of prayer, just resting in the arms of God like a child with its mother, have on you? How can responding to Jesus’s desire to gather you under his wings change your spiritual life? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next

It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; it’s what comes out of your heart that defiles you. Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 15:1-20 It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; it’s what comes out from your heart that defiles you Image by Nick Fewings, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti June 13, 2025 Matthew 15:1-9 The hypocritical Pharisees In verse 15:1 we see the first mention of Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem . Up until now, Jesus has been dealing with local Pharisees and scribes in Galilee. But he has now caught the attention of the religious leaders in the capital city of Jerusalem, and Pharisees and scribes have come north to check him out and ask him why he is doing what he is doing. What is the specific complaint of these Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem? This is not about hygiene. The Pharisees had developed a long list of traditions to reinforce their attempts to be ritually pure, traditions that were passed down from generation to generation “from the elders.” One of those traditions was to perform a ceremonial or ritual washing of the hands before eating. That rule didn’t come from the Old Testament Torah. The priests were commanded to wash their hands before serving at the altar (Exodus 30:17-21), but that did not apply to Jesus’s disciples. What is Jesus’s response? Jesus tells them that their tradition that allowed resources to be devoted to God even at the expense of taking care of one’s parents violates God’s command to honor one’s parents (in the Ten Commandments). His point is that they were putting tradition above God’s Law. Jesus distinguishes the law of God from the traditions of humans. When is it appropriate to break with traditions that have been handed down from the past, and when should they be upheld? In verses 8-9, Jesus quotes from Isaiah 29:13 (Matthew quotes from the Septuagint version). Looking at the passage Jesus quotes from Isaiah in Matthew 15:8-9, what is the fundamental problem with the Pharisees’ focus on tradition? Jesus is probably speaking in front of a crowd. His harsh language (“hypocrites”) draws a clear distinction between what is right and wrong; what is man-made and what is divinely inspired. In what ways might we find ourselves putting tradition or established rules ahead of what God has told us is right? In what ways might we be at risk of honoring God with our lips while our hearts are not in sync with God’s heart? Jesus’s response to these Pharisees and scribes is very forceful. When is it appropriate to take a strong stand, even if it offends other people? This exchange between Jesus and the delegation from Jerusalem appears to be a key moment in the events that lead to Jesus’s execution. When Jesus challenges their traditions, he is indirectly challenging the powerful people at the top of the social, religious, and political structure. Matthew 15:10-20 It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you but what comes out In this dialogue, Jesus is talking about what “defiles” a person – that is, what makes a person ritually impure or spiritually unclean : what makes them unholy in the sight of God. According to Jesus in verse 11, what defiles a person in the sight of God? How is this view different from what the Pharisees think defiles people? In verses 13-14, Jesus uses two proverbs to describe the Pharisees. What does he say about them? Why is their focus on ritual purity rules misguided? Why can’t what you eat make you impure before God (see verse 17)? In what ways does their focus on external purity make them “blind”? Jesus says that it is what comes out of your mouth that defiles you. In verse 18, he explains why. Where do these things that defile us come from? The heart. In verse 19, what are the specific sins he identifies that come from the heart? Why is it appropriate to say that these things “defile” us? How do they defile us? Would you say that the defilement is already within us before it comes out in sinful actions, or that we are not defiled until we do specific immoral things? Explain. Matthew’s list of the things Jesus names that defile us is shorter than Mark’s list. Matthew sticks to sins that specifically break the Ten Commandments (from the Old Testament). In Mark 7:21-22, Mark includes other vices or sins, such as greed, envy, and arrogance. Which of these sins do you think are especially a problem for people in the Church today? How can you know when you have given in to sin and have become defiled? What can you do when you have given in to sin and become defiled? If you had to summarize this passage in a sentence or two to explain the main point to someone who doesn’t know much about religion, how would you summarize it? In the next story, Matthew shows Jesus putting these words into action and applying this principle to a much bigger issue. Take a step back and consider this: In our day, we don’t think that touching a non-believer, a foreigner, or even a sinner can make us unclean before God. Even so, Christians tend to separate themselves from the world when they can. Sometimes, the reason given for this is that we should not associate ourselves with sin, or that we should not put ourselves in situations where we might be tempted to sin, or that we should build the church or Christian community that God desires and not get mixed up in the aspects of the world that do not reflect God’s desires. However, Jesus did not tell his disciples that they should separate themselves from the world. He told them to avoid sin, but he told them to go out into the world. In his long, final prayer in the Gospel of John, Jesus describes us as being “in the world” (John 17:11) even though we “do not belong to the world” (John 17:14). He then said to the Father, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15). We are not meant to be separate from the world. But we are meant to be separated from sin, so that what comes out of our hearts and into our words and actions come from God. In what ways are you maintaining a presence in the world rather than avoiding it, so that you can be a witness for Christ in your words and actions? What challenges or temptations do you face in trying to live out your faith in the world? What can you do to be faithful to Jesus and avoid the defilement of sin while you live your faith in a messy world? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next

In the story of “The woman caught in adultery,” Jesus rebuffs those who seek His consent for an execution and rejects capital punishment. Previous Justice Articles Next Jesus Rejects the Death Penalty In the story of “The woman caught in adultery,” Jesus rebuffs those who seek His consent for an execution and rejects capital punishment. Image provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti April 4, 2025 The Bible can help us evaluate the death penalty. It speaks to the value of life in many different places. One extraordinarily relevant passage is the incident in the New Testament that is often called “The woman caught in adultery” (John 8:1-11). Although that heading focuses on the woman, the story is mainly about the death penalty. A group of scribes and Pharisees bring a woman to Jesus and ask Him about the fact that the Law of Moses called for the execution by stoning of people convicted of adultery. The men know that Roman law does not allow the Jewish leaders at that time to execute people (John 18:31). In response to their inquiry, Jesus rejects capital punishment. What does it mean to “cast the first stone”? Many modern readers don’t see that Jesus is talking about capital punishment because, when Jesus says, “Let the one who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7b, NABRE), they interpret it primarily as a metaphorical statement about not judging other people. That’s not what the conversation was about. To “cast the first stone” means to initiate an execution. We can see this by going back to the original source in the Law of Moses. In the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses directs that when someone is to be stoned to death, the witnesses must be the first to raise their hands (Deut. 17:6-7) in the act of execution. Modern governments don’t execute people by stoning. They inject people with a deadly drug, or put them in a gas chamber and fill the chamber with poisonous gas, or line them up in front of a firing squad. If we apply Jesus’s words to our modern context, He is saying: “Let the one who is without sin inject the deadly drug.” “Let the one who is without sin fill the chamber with the poisonous gas.” “Let the one who is without sin pull the trigger of the gun.” When the men who questioned Jesus leave, presumably after realizing that they are not sinless, Jesus asks the woman: “Has no one condemned you?” (John 8:10b) She says, “No one,” and he replies, “Neither do I condemn you” (John 8:11) – that is, “Neither do I condemn you to death.” In this exchange, Jesus sets the conditions for capital punishment. Only those who are sinless have any right to initiate an execution. We are not sinless. And He, the Sinless One, rejects that option. We must not ignore Jesus’s words. Jesus rejects the death penalty. Why does Jesus reject capital punishment? Why would God tell us not to use the death penalty? It took Christians a long time to figure that out. We know that God loves us and that God loves sinners. We also know that all people are made in the image of God. It took us a long time to put all of that together and understand that every human being carries an infinite dignity given to them by God and that we are called to honor that dignity, even in people who have tarnished it badly. God breathed life into each of us (Gen. 2:7), and only God has a right to take that life away. Jesus took a clear stand for life when he said, "Neither do I condemn you." There are many reasons to reject the death penalty. For Christians, the foremost reason is that our Lord Jesus rejected it. Related material: Catholic Mobilizing Network is a leading voice for ending capital punishment and providing healing and justice for the families of murder victims. Their Executive Director, Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, invited me to include a version of this analysis in her article, In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus signals His opposition to the death penalty , which was published by Vatican News on April 4, 2025. I have posted a blog article that highlights how, although the passage headings provided by scholars in our Bibles are often very good at helping us understand the Scriptures, the traditional heading for John 8:1-11 disguises the central meaning of the passage. You can see that post here: Jesus, the Woman Caught in Adultery, and Capital Punishment . 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 Justice Articles Next

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who provides for his sheep and lays down his life for his sheep. How does Jesus act as a good shepherd in your life? [John 10:1-10; 10:11-18; 10:19-21] Previous Next John List John 10:1-21 Jesus is the Good Shepherd who provides for his sheep and lays down his life for his sheep. How does Jesus act as a good shepherd in your life? One of the earliest known depictions of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Unknown artist. Circa AD 300-400 or earlier. Fresco. Catacomb of Domitilla, Rome, Italy. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Good_Shepherd_04.jpg . Tom Faletti April 5, 2026 Read John 10:1-21 The Good Shepherd Jesus uses several different analogies in this passage to describe his relationship with us. Verses 1-6 what a true shepherd does, compared to those who want to harm the sheep To understand this passage, we need to know that a sheepfold was an outdoor space enclosed by a low stone wall. It had a single entryway. If it was large enough, it was used by more than one shepherd and controlled by a gatekeeper. In a smaller sheepfold, the shepherd would lie in the doorway at night to prevent any predators from entering and any sheep from wandering off. The entryway is here called a “gate” (or “door,” in some translations). In verses 2-4, what does a true shepherd do? In contrast to a true shepherd, Jesus describes two sources of danger for the sheep. In verse 1, what does Jesus say about the thief and robber? In verse 5, what does Jesus say about the stranger? Verses 1-6 immediately follow a passage where Jesus described the Pharisees as blind, and in verse 6 John says that they did not understand what he was trying to tell them. What does Jesus appear to be saying about the Pharisees and religious leaders here? What is Jesus saying about himself here? In verse 3, Jesus says that the shepherd calls his own sheep by name. Throughout history, shepherds and people who care for livestock have often given their animals names and called them by name. In what ways does Jesus call you by name? How do you experience him doing that, and what does this tell you about him or about your relationship with him? In verse 4, Jesus says that the shepherd walks ahead and his sheep follow because they recognize his voice. How is that a good description of the Christian life? How do you learn to follow Jesus, and in particular, how do you learn to hear his voice so that you can follow? Verses 7-10 Jesus is the gate What does Jesus mean when he says that he is the gate? In what ways is Jesus a gate for us, and what does this gate lead to? His gate leads to salvation, where we can find pasture (verse 9). It allows us to find abundant life (verse 10). In verse 9, Jesus says that his sheep find pasture. What does that look like in your life? How does Jesus help you find spiritual “pasture”? In verse 10, Jesus says he came so that people might have “abundant” life. What do you think it means when Jesus says he provides abundant life to his followers, his “sheep”? In what ways have you experienced an “abundance” of life with Jesus? Different people experience this in different ways. We may find an abundance of life in our inner experience of God, in the peace and joy we experience despite trials, in positive relationships with others, etc. There is more to come on this point. In chapter 11, Jesus will say that he is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25); and in chapter 14, he will say that he is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). What does Jesus say about the thieves and robbers in verses 8 and 10? The Old Testament describes the Lord God as the shepherd of the people of Israel (Gen. 49:24 and Psalm 23). In Ezekiel 34, God denounces the leaders of the people as bad shepherds who don’t care about the people but instead fatten themselves at the people’s expense (Ezek. 34). God says that the people are scattered for lack of a shepherd, so he will take the sheep from the leaders and shepherd them himself. At the end of the oracle, God says to the people, “You are my flock . . . the flock of my pasture” (Ezek. 34:31). In verse 8, Jesus says that those who came before him were thieves and robbers. This refers to Israel’s long history of poor leaders, who were often denounced by the prophets. In what ways were the religious leaders of Jesus’s time like spiritual “thieves”? Verses 11-15 Jesus says, “I am the Good Shepherd” In verse 11, how does Jesus describe what a good shepherd does? In what ways is Jesus like a good shepherd? How do you see Jesus acting as a good shepherd in your life? How is a hired man different from a good shepherd (verses 12-14)? In verse 12, Jesus refers to the wolf. When the wolf comes, the hired man runs away and does not protect the flock, so the wolf snatches the sheep and scatters the flock. In the New Testament, the wolf is often used as a metaphor for false prophets who lead the people astray or people who persecute Christians (Matt. 7:15; Matt. 10:16; Acts 20:29). Where are Christians vulnerable to “hired hands” and “wolves" today, if they do not listen to the voice of Jesus and follow him? In verse 14, Jesus says that he knows his sheep and they know him. What do you think it means when Jesus says he “knows” his sheep, and how does that apply in your life? What do you think Jesus means when he says that his sheep know him, and how does that apply in your life? When Jesus says he knows his sheep, it suggests a very personal relationship. His flocks are not run by a far-off corporation. He knows each sheep – each one of us – by name. How can you cultivate that personal relationship with Jesus that he has with you? What does it mean to you personally when Jesus says that he lays down his life for the sheep? Verses 16-21 Jesus says he also has other sheep, but there will be one flock, one shepherd In verse 16, Jesus refers to “other sheep” that are not part of “this fold.” This most likely refers to the Gentiles, who are not yet part of the “fold” of Jesus’s followers at the time he is speaking, but it may also refer to future generations. And in John’s mind, it may refer to Christians who are not in the Johannine tradition of Christianity as practiced in John’s community but are still followers of Christ (like our different denominations today). Jesus says that the sheep in those other folds will also hear his voice and there will be “one flock, one shepherd.” In our time, who might be some of those groups of Christians whom we might think of as “not part of this fold” but who are still part of Jesus’s “one flock”? When Jesus refers to one shepherd, he is referring to himself. Why is it important that there be “one flock, one shepherd”? In the Nicene Creed, which has been the definitive statement of the fundamental beliefs of Christianity for more than 1500 years, Christians profess that they believe in “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic” church. Christianity is so fractured today. How can we work to restore the unity intended by that word “one” that Jesus uses and our common creed uses? In verse 17, Jesus makes a startling point. He already said that he lays down his life for his sheep. Now, he says that he lays down his life that he might take it up again . In verse 18, he emphasizes that he has the power to take up his life again. Many people throughout history have realized that they were on a path to martyrdom and they would have to lay down their life for their cause. But no human can claim that he or she would “take it up again.” What does this mean, and what does it tell us about who Jesus really is? Does the fact that Jesus says he has the power to lay down his life and to take it up again offer you any new perspective on the crucifixion? Although in one sense Jesus was being obedient to the Father, in another sense the Second Person of the Trinity, having taken human form as Jesus, had the power to lay down his life and take it up again – and he willingly did so. What does this tell you about Jesus’s love for us? We see in verses 19-21 that people are again divided about Jesus, with some saying he is possessed by a demon and out of his mind (i.e., insane), and others saying that a person who is possessed by a demon could not have healed a man born blind. When you hear that Jesus says he has the power to lay down his life and take it up again, what is your conclusion about him? Looking at the whole passage, what does Jesus’s description of himself as the Good Shepherd say to you personally? What insights does it give you into Jesus’s role and work in your life? How might you adjust something in what you do or say or think, based on your insights about how the Good Shepherd is at work in your life? Take a step back and consider this: In verse 17, Jesus says that he lays down his life and takes it up again. Other New Testament passages say that the Father raised Jesus from the dead (for example, Acts 2:24; Romans 4:24). People sometimes get hung up on terminology. Who raised Jesus from the dead? From a human perspective, God raised the man Jesus. But Jesus is also God. God exists as three divine Persons, one of whom is the Son, who is (a) fully human by his choice to become incarnate and (b) also fully divine. From the perspective of the Second Person of the Trinity, the Son takes up his life by the command he has received from the Father. The Father and the Son are one (we see that in the next passage, in John 10:30) in sharing one divine will. So it is true both that the Father raised Jesus and that the Son of God has all power and takes up his life again. Jesus made it very clear that his death was not an accident and did not happen because he was powerless to prevent it. He is God and had power over his life even as he submitted to death on the cross for our sake. If we look at it from the perspective of the human Jesus, the Father raised him. If we look at it from the perspective of the divine Second Person of the Trinity the preexistent Son who was made incarnate in Jesus, he had the power to lay down his life and take it up again. But he is the same person: the God-man Jesus Christ. So there is no contradiction. Both statements are true. Nevertheless, one perspective or the other might speak to your heart at different times. What special insights do you see at this moment in your life as you ponder this mystery? What does Jesus’s total power as he chose the cross and his total submission as he gave up his life, his total power to take up his life again and his total submission to the Father who raised him from the dead, say to you today? Bibliography See John - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/john/bibliography . Copyright © 2026, 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 John List Next

Jesus offers rivers of living water, referring to the Holy Spirit. Some believe in him, some have questions, and some reject him. How can you let the Holy Spirit flow more fully through you? [John 7:14-24; 7:25-31; 7:32-36; 7:37-39; 7:40-52] Previous Next John List John 7:14-53 Jesus offers rivers of living water, referring to the Holy Spirit. Some believe in him, some have questions, and some reject him. How can you let the Holy Spirit flow more fully through you? Image provided by Wix. Tom Faletti February 25, 2026 Read John 7:14-24 Jesus has a contentious discussion about his authority Jesus waits until the week-long celebration of the feast of Tabernacles is half-over before beginning to teach publicly in the Temple area. Why do you think he comes secretly and then reveals himself? How might this timing relate to the idea of kairos (the opportune times or special moments when God acts) that we talked about in the previous passage? In verse 15, how do the religious leaders try to belittle Jesus’s qualifications? They say he has never been taught – i.e., he has not gone through the traditional system of being trained by an older rabbi. In verse 16, where does Jesus say he gets his teaching from? In verse 17, Jesus says that the people who choose to do the will of God will know whether his teaching is from God. This suggests that making a commitment to do God’s will comes first, and the ability to discern what is right comes after that. Why is a commitment to do God’s will so important? If we have not made the decision to follow the will of God, we will be tempted to assume that whatever we think is right is what God wants. When we commit to God’s will first, we are more open to letting the Holy Spirit show us what is actually from God. When Jesus says in verse 19 that they are trying to kill him, some people in the crowd are baffled. They don’t know about what happened when he healed a man on the Sabbath (John 5:16-18). Jesus may be speaking over their heads to the religious leaders when he argues that the healing he performed on the Sabbath was justified. In verse 21, Jesus says he performed one miracle. He is referring to the healing of the man at the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath the last time he was in Jerusalem (John 5:1-9). He points out that they don’t consider it a violation of the Law of Moses when they circumcise a baby on the 8 th day, even if it’s on the Sabbath. If addressing the need of one part of the body on the Sabbath does not violate the Law of Moses, then addressing the need of the whole body on the Sabbath also does not violate the Law of Moses. In verse 24, he urges them to exercise ‘just” or “right” judgment (i.e., judgment based on justice or righteousness) rather than judging by appearances. What does just or right judgment look like? Justice involves ensuring that everyone, including God, receives what is due to them. It would not be just or righteous to withhold healing from someone if it is in our power to heal them, since we owe it to others, as an act of Christian love, to heal them if we can. How is just or right judgment different from judging by appearances? What principles guide you toward right or just judgment? A variety of answers might be appropriate here: for example, following Jesus’s law of love, doing what the Bible says is justice, following the Golden Rule (do to others what you would want them to do to you), doing good whenever you can, etc. Read John 7:25-31 People start to develop different opinions about Jesus Although some people in the crowd have no idea that the leaders want to kill Jesus, some people who live in Jerusalem are aware of it (verse 25). How do they react in verse 26? In verse 27, some of the people say that no one will know where the Messiah comes from, and therefore Jesus can’t be the Messiah since they know where he comes from (i.e., Galilee). That is one of two views that were common regarding where the Messiah would come from. We will see the other view, based on Micah 5:1, that the Messiah will come from Bethlehem, in verse 42. When Jesus again claims that he is from the Father (verses 28-29), how do the authorities respond in verse 30? When John says in verse 30 that Jesus’s “hour” has not yet come, the Greek word is hora , which John uses to refer to the appointed time of Jesus’s Passion and death, when he will give his life as a sacrifice for all. It is a concept John mentions repeatedly: that Jesus would move forward to the Crucifixion only at the hour appointed by God. Why did it matter when the Crucifixion happened? Are there things that needed to happen first? He has not finished teaching his disciples and preparing them. For example, he has not yet taught them that he is the Good Shepherd, the Resurrection and the Life, and the Vine, or that he will be sending the Holy Spirit. Also, in John’s Gospel, the Crucifixion happens at the same time that the Passover lambs are being slain in the Temple. That can’t happen if he dies during the feast of Tabernacles. How might our faith grow stronger if we give more attention to the importance of Jesus’s “hour”? Although the leaders again seek to arrest Jesus, many in the crowd have a different reaction. What does verse 31 tell us about them? Three groups of people see the same things, but they have very different reactions. The leaders become hardened against Jesus, some people begin to believe in him, and others are still unsure. What happens in people that leads to such different reactions to the same events? How do you respond when others seem indifferent or hostile to Jesus? Read John 7:32-53 The arrest that went astray, and rivers of living water Verse 32 tells us that some of the Pharisees are unhappy when they hear people in the crowd beginning to believe that Jesus is the Messiah (the Christ). Why does this particularly trouble them as Pharisees? The Pharisees are the ones who are trying the hardest to follow every detail of the Law, which Jesus is less concerned about. Jesus is equating himself with God, which to them would be blasphemy. And some of the Pharisees are members of the Sanhedrin; along with the chief priests they are concerned about how Jesus is undermining their leadership. In verse 32, the chief priests and Pharisees send officers to arrest Jesus. These are members of the Temple police, who are under Jewish authority – not Roman officers. We learn in verses 45-46 that they don’t arrest him. What explanation do they give in verses 45-46 for failing to arrest Jesus? Now let’s return to verses 33-34. Jesus tells the Pharisees that they will look for him and not find him. They are baffled. They wonder: Will he leave Jewish territory, go out into the Greek-speaking part of the Roman Empire where there were Greek-, and preach there? What does Jesus really mean? They can’t accompany him in his ascension to heaven, and they won’t be able to find him on Earth when he has returned to heaven. (They will, however, still be able to receive eternal life and spend eternity with him in heaven, if they are willing to believe.) Verses 37-39: Rivers of Living Water On the last day of the feast, Jesus stands up and in a loud voice makes an unusual proclamation (verse 37). What does he offer? We heard Jesus talk about this drink that quenches our thirst when he was talking with the woman at the well. He is referring to himself. In what ways does Jesus quench our spiritual thirst? There are many great answers to this question. He gives us salvation, forgiveness, unconditional love, etc.; he fills our thirst for truth, refreshes us when we are weary; etc. How does he quench your spiritual thirst? The quote in verse 38 is not an exact quote. It appears to draw from several Old Testament images: in Exodus 17:5-6 and Numbers 20:10-13, God provided water to the Israelites when Moses struck the rock; in Ezekiel 47:1-12, Ezekiel had a vision of a river of flowing water streaming from Jerusalem; in Zechariah 14:8, Zechariah prophesied that when Jerusalem was restored, fresh water would flow from Jerusalem. Verse 38 says, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” The “his” could refer to Jesus or to the person who believes in him, but grammatically it appears to refer to the believer. John explains in verse 39 that Jesus is referring to the Spirit, who had not yet been given. When was the Spirit given, the first time? How do these rivers of living water arise in our hearts? When or how do we receive the Spirit in our time? In what way is the Holy Spirit like a river of living water in you? How do the rivers of living water from the Holy Spirit flow out of us? What does it look like when the Holy Spirit is flowing from us? How can you be more open to letting the Holy Spirit flow through you? In verses 40-44, we see a whole range of reactions to Jesus. On one side, some people want Jesus to be arrested. On the other side, some say he is the Prophet who Moses said would come, and some say he is the Messiah. Others don’t think he could be the Messiah because they expect the Messiah to come from Bethlehem based on Micah 5:1 and they don’t know that Jesus was born there. We saw the alternate view in verse 27: that some people thought the Messiah would appear as an adult, seemingly from out of nowhere, and no one would know where he was from. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible points out the irony that there was partial truth in both of those views: unknown to the people, Jesus came from heaven (not from any earthly place), but he was also born in Bethlehem, not in Galilee ( Ignatius Catholic Study Bible , fn. to 7:27, p. 176). What do verses 47-49 tell us about the attitude of the Pharisees toward the people? What does their attitude tell us about how they viewed themselves? In verse 50, Nicodemus tries to bring some orderliness to the actions of the leaders. What does he ask in verse 50? Why is the rule of law so important, from a Christian perspective? How does the rule of law relate to God’s repeated demand for justice in the Old Testament? We saw Nicodemus come to Jesus by night in chapter 3. What do verses 50-51 tell us about his spiritual progress? Was the meeting he had with Jesus in chapter 3 worthwhile? The chief priests and Pharisees don’t believe the Messiah will come from Galilee. But their derisive comment in verse 52 suggests that they hold a bias against people from Galilee, who lived far away from the important city of Jerusalem, which was both the religious and political capital of the Jews. Are there ways that we might dismiss people because of where they are from? What do we miss out on, when we have that kind of attitude? Take a step back and consider this: When we want water to flow freely in our houses, we turn on the tap. If the flow is weak, we might check the supply line valve to see if it is fully open. Engineers build dams to limit the flow of a river. When they want the river to flow freely, they open the floodgates. The Holy Spirit flows like water in our hearts. But we may limit the flow. If we want to let the Spirit flow freely, we may need to open the valves, open the floodgates. How do you see the Holy Spirit flowing in your life? In what ways have you seen the Spirit flow out of you to those around you? What are things you might be doing or failing to do that might be limiting the Holy Spirit’s action like a partially closed valve or floodgate? What can you do to let the Holy Spirit flow more fully in your life? Bibliography See John - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/john/bibliography . Copyright © 2026, 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 John List Next

If we try to make sense of God based on our human limitations, we will misunderstand the Scriptures and the power of God. How can the Scriptures guide us to a bigger picture? Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 22:23-33 If we try to make sense of God based on our human limitations, we will misunderstand the Scriptures and the power of God. How can the Scriptures guide us to a bigger picture? Image by Frank McKenna, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti August 18, 2025 Matthew 22:23-33 The Sadducees and whether there is a resurrection This is the second in a series of 3 challenges Jesus faces when he arrives in Jerusalem – this time from the Sadducees. The Sadducees believed only in the Torah – the first 5 books of the Old Testament, which Christians sometimes refer to as the Pentateuch, which is Greek for “five books.” The Sadducees did not consider the books of the prophets authoritative, nor did they accept the wide body of oral tradition that the Pharisees adhered to. Since the Torah does not suggest that there is a resurrection or an afterlife, the Sadducees did not believe in a resurrection. The Sadducees tended to be wealthy. They made up a major portion of the political leadership among the Jews and tended to be collaborators with the Roman occupation. But those characteristics do not seem to be relevant here, where the question revolves around their religious beliefs. The Pharisees believed in a resurrection and an afterlife. They not only believed in an afterlife of the soul (as, for example, the Greeks believed); they also believed that our bodies are raised. They pointed to passages later in the Old Testament that provided varying degrees of support for such a position. Here are some of those passages: Isaiah 26:19 says, “Your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise.” Ezekiel 37:1-14 describes a vision of a valley of dry bones. The bones come back together and regain flesh and skin, breath enters them, and they come to life. Although in the passage itself the image is of a new Israel being restored after the exile to Babylon, Jews (and later, Christian commentators) saw it as a sign or foreshadowing of individual resurrection. Daniel 12:2 says that after a time of terrible persecution, “many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Psalm 73:24-25 says, “You guide me with your counsel, and afterward [or, in the end] receive me with honor [or, into glory].” This could merely mean that the psalmist will be restored, in this life, after when the difficulties he faces are over, but some saw it as a description of entering into God’s realm like Enoch (Gen. 5:24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11-12), both of whom are described as being taken up to God without dying first. The Sadducees, who don’t believe in an afterlife, approach Jesus with a puzzle that they think shows the foolishness of believing in a resurrection. What is the problem the Sadducees pose? There is a commandment in the Old Testament, in Deuteronomy 25:5-10, that directs a man to marry his brother’s wife if his brother dies childless, so that through the first child of that union the brother will have a legal heir. Genesis 38:7-11 gives an example of a refusal to follow this command. Both of these books are part of the Torah, the limited part of the Hebrew Scriptures that the Sadducees acknowledged. The Sadducees imagine a series of brothers marrying the same woman, each dying before any offspring is produced, and they ask: Whose wife is she in heaven? In verse 29, Jesus tells them they are wrong (misled, led astray) for two reasons they don’t know the Scriptures and they don’t know the power of God. How is knowing both of those critical to the spiritual life? In verse 30, what does Jesus say about how they are thinking incorrectly? Jesus says there is no marriage in heaven, because in heaven people are like angels. It is important not to misinterpret the statement that humans are “like angels.” Humans in heaven are “like angels” in the sense that, like angels, they live forever and don’t need to engage in sexual reproduction in order to produce offspring and keep the family line alive (see New Oxford Annotated Bible, NRSV , Matthew 22:30 fn., p. 1780). This does not mean we are like angels in other ways; for example, unlike angels, we will have a body in heaven. Angels are a different kind of creature than humans. They only have a spiritual nature and don’t have a body or a material nature. Although Jesus frames his answer in terms of the Sadducees’ underlying assumption, common at the time, that the point of marriage is to carry forward the family line. This should not be misinterpreted to mean that that is the only purpose of marriage. St. Paul, and theologians and everyday believers throughout the centuries, have seen much more in marriage, in addition to its function of continuing an individual’s family line and ultimately propagating the species as a whole. In verses 31-32, Jesus turns specifically to the Scriptures. We might expect Jesus to focus on how they are wrong in not accepting the parts of the Old Testament that the Pharisees accept. Instead, in verse 32, Jesus quotes from Exodus 3:6, which is in the Torah, the part of the Old Testament that the Sadducees do accept. What does God say in Exodus 3:6, and why does Jesus argue that this indicates people do live on after death? In Exodus 3:6, God says, “I am” the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They must be alive, because otherwise God would have said, “I was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob before they died. The fact that he is still their God indicates that they are still alive. God is the God of the living, not the dead. The Sadducees are wrong about the Scriptures partly because of their crimped reading of the Torah. They think marriage works the same way in heaven as on earth, which shows that they think that heaven isn’t all that different from earth. Why is thinking that heaven is like earth such a big error, not just with regard to the question they asked but in our understanding of heaven more generally? Jesus also says the Sadducees are wrong about the Scriptures because they have not noticed a key statement by God in their Scriptures that presupposes that people do live on after death. What does this tell you about Scripture study? Now let’s come back to the fact that Jesus says in verse 29 that the Sadducees are also wrong because they do not know the power of God. What is it that they are missing about God’s power? They think that God is limited by what we understand from our human perspective. They think he is only powerful enough to create physical lives, which come and go. They don’t think that God has power over death and can extend life beyond death. At a fundamental level, they don’t understand how powerful God is. They underestimate God. In what ways do we tend to act like God is bound by human limitations or underestimate God’s ability to transcend problems that stump us? There are a lot of different threads in this exchange between Jesus and the Sadducees. What insights does this passage give you about God, or heaven, or the resurrection, or the Scriptures, or yourself? Take a step back and consider this: It is possible that the Sadducees didn’t really want to think of God as having a power and perspective that transcended theirs and could cut through their conundrums. They were very invested in their own power and comfortable with their own ways of seeing things. Accepting a God who transcends their power might have forced them to rethink some of the ways they were using their own power. How does our own desire for power affect our responsiveness to the power of God? How does our belief that we have power, at least in some areas of our lives, sometimes make it harder to appreciate the Scriptures and the power of God? Where, in your own life, do you need to let go of your preconceived notions about God and his ways? And replace them with what? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next

Jesus fulfills the Old Testament: the Law and the Prophets. Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 5:17-20 Jesus fulfills the Old Testament: the Law and the Prophets. Image provided by Wix. Tom Faletti April 26, 2024 Matthew 5:17-20 Jesus came to fulfill the Law What does Jesus say in verse 17? Jesus refers to “the law and the prophets.” The law and the prophets are two of the three divisions of the Hebrew Bible, our Old Testament. The “law” is the Torah, the first 5 books of the Old Testament. The “prophets” refers to the books of the prophets – Isaiah, etc. The third division of the Hebrew Bible is the “writings” – which includes the Psalms and other books of literature (Proverbs, etc.) that are grouped with the Psalms in the Hebrew Bible. In Matthew, Jesus uses the phrase “the law and the prophets” here and in three other places: Matthew 7:12; 11:13; and 22:40. In 7:12, he says that the “Golden Rule” – do unto others as you would have them do unto you – is the law and the prophets. In 22:40, after talking about the two Great Commandments – love the Lord our God and love your neighbor – he says that all that is written in the law and the prophets hangs on these two commandments. Jesus says he did not come to “abolish” the law and the prophets. What would it mean to “abolish” them? And therefore, what does it mean to not abolish them? What does it mean to “fulfill” the law and the prophets? To “fulfill” means to “complete,” or to bring to completion, or to have reached the point of completion. To “fulfill” the law and the prophets can be explored in two ways: How the law is fulfilled as we follow the moral law first outlined in the Old Testament; and How Jesus , by his life, death, and resurrection, fulfilled the purposes and promises of God presented in the Old Testament. With regard to Jesus, it is useful to note that in Luke 24:44, Jesus said that “everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled” (NRSV). There, he is referring to all three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures. With regard to how the law applies to us, the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible comments that the New Covenant Jesus presented “perfects and transforms” the Old Covenant: “While sacrificial laws of the OT expired with the sacrifice of Jesus, the moral Law (Ten Commandments, etc.) was retained and refined” (fn. to 5:17, p. 15). In the next section of Matthew’s Gospel, we see Jesus transforming the teachings of the Old Testament in ways that we still try to follow today. In what ways do we continue to follow the commandments of the Old Testament and embrace the teachings of the prophets? How does our commitment to following the law allow the law to fulfill its intended purpose? In what ways did Jesus fulfill the law and the prophets? Some scholars argue that this teaching in Matthew contradicts what Paul says when he says that we are not justified by doing the works of the law (for example, in Galatians 2:15-16; Romans 3:21-31). How would you respond? Is Jesus saying we are justified by doing the works of the Law? Is Paul saying we don’t have to obey the basic commandments of the Law? Or do these passages of the Bible fit together even though they may be looking at the issue from different perspectives? Some scholars overstate Paul’s rejection of the Law. Paul affirmatively cites the Ten Commandments in Romans 13:8-10 and says they are summed up in the command to love your neighbor, as Jesus said in Matthew. And throughout his letters, Paul expects a high moral standard of the people to whom he is writing. We are not justified by doing the works of the law – we still need salvation through Jesus; but Jesus expects us to follow the Ten Commandments and also other elements of the moral/social law – for example, to care for the poor, treat workers justly, welcome the stranger, etc. In verse 18, Jesus says that not one letter of the law will pass away. The word for “letter” is literally the Greek word iota – their name for the letter “i,” which is the smallest letter in Greek as it is in English. It is important to note that Jesus is not endorsing all the tiny details of the interpretations of the Law that the scribes and Pharisees had piled on top of the actual words of the Old Testament Law. He broke their "laws" frequently and derided them for their excessive devotion to the laws they had made. But he is expressing a deep reverence for the word of God handed down in the Old Testament itself. Jesus’s reference to heaven and earth passing away may be recalling Isaiah’s prophecy of a “new heavens and a new earth” (Isaiah 65:17, NRSV and NABRE). In Matthew 5:18, Jesus says that nothing will “pass” from the law “until all is accomplished.” This could be interpreted as referring to the “eschatological” end of the world (the “end times”), but it makes more sense to understand it as referring to Jesus’s fulfillment of the law and the prophets by his death and resurrection. Jesus has already preached that the kingdom of heaven is near. In what ways are we living, metaphorically or partially, in the “new heavens and new earth” that Isaiah foretold, even as we wait for its complete fulfillment at an end time that is yet to come? In what ways do the law and prophets still apply to us in this interim time we live in? Given that Christians do not accept the obligation to carry out all 613 commandments in the Old Testament – for example, we do not follow the kosher laws, the sacrificial laws, or other ceremonial laws – how do we know which laws Jesus still expects us to follow today? Notice in verse 19 that Jesus does not consign to hell those who break the commandments, but he says they will be called “least” in the kingdom of heaven. What do you think this means? What might “least” look like in heaven? Verse 19 particularly makes a point about teachers. Why are they so important? Jesus ends this passage with a statement that would have been a surprise to his followers. The scribes and Pharisees sought to live at an extreme or maximum level of righteousness. What does Jesus say in verse 20? What do you think Jesus is telling you, in saying that your righteousness must be greater than that of the people who are trying the hardest to be righteousness? For you, what is the good news in this passage? Take a step back and consider this: If the Law was a sentient being, you might picture it eagerly anticipating its “fulfillment.” It was created for a purpose – to prepare the way for Jesus and the salvation of not only the Jewish people but all of humanity. Now, in Jesus, the beginning of that time of fulfillment is at hand. We, too, are on a path to fulfillment. God is working his character into us and reflecting his goodness and love out through us to a world that desperately needs opportunities to see God through us. In the end, our goal is to allow God to work his character fully into us so that we are like Jesus. I can’t be exhibiting God’s character and manifesting God’s love if I am insulting, unfaithful, hateful, etc. – issues that Jesus will take up in the next passage. Those attitudes do not reflect the image of God because God does not have those attitudes. If my ultimate fulfillment is to be like Christ, then those attitudes must go. The moral law set forth in the Old Testament, however, does reflect aspects of God’s character. The Law helps me understand, in some ways, the kind of person God is calling me to be. For you, is the Law a bad guy that prohibits you from doing what you want to do and being what you want to be? Or is it a good thing that reminds you of what you want to do and who you want to be? How does the Law help you to live the life of Christ? How can you embrace more fully this vision: that the Law, which is fulfilled in Christ, is not something to be abolished but rather is a support for your life of faith that can help you reach your ultimate fulfillment in Christ? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next