In reviewing Mat 12:25-30 observe Jesus’ increasing invective against the Pharisees as he answers their charge that He cast out demons by the prince of demons; what conclusion does He now draw concerning them in these verses for their hardness of heart? Cf. Mat 23:33. What was the unpardonable sin that they had committed, and…
Mat 12:27-28 What example do we have in Scripture of Jewish exorcists who also cast out demons? See Act 19:13-14 and cf. Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews 8:45-49[1]. Was the deliverance ministry of Jesus in any regard less than that of others whom the Pharisees would have acknowledged as having been from God? …
Mat 12:22-24 In what way was the demon possessed man whom Jesus healed afflicted? What does Mat 12:22 teach us about the ability of evil spirits to afflict people physically? Cf. Luk 11:14-15. By what means did Jesus heal the man? See Mat 12:24. What does this teach us about the relationship between physical healing…
Mat 12:9-14 Who was it that questioned Jesus in Mat 12:10? See Mat 12:2. What question did they ask Him? What did they believe was the correct answer to their question, and what did they expect Jesus to answer? For what purpose then did they ask Him? How is that like many religious people…
Mat 12:1-8 What is the key word in Mat 12:1 that was at the center of the controversy described in these verses? See also Mat 12:10. What was the importance of the Sabbath to the Jews? See Gen 2:2-3, Exo 20:8-11, 31:12-17, Deut 5:12-15. Observe that the verb “to rest” used in Gen 2:2-3 is…
Mat 11:25-27 For what does Jesus give praise (lit. confess openly and freely with thanksgiving) to God in Mat 11:25? What are “these things” to which He refers that God has hidden from the wise and intelligent but revealed to babes? See Mat 11:11-15 for the superlative nature of God’s heavenly kingdom and how one…
Mat 11:20-24 Why does Matthew say that Jesus reproached the cities where most of his miracles were done? See Mat 11:20. What does this teach us about the importance of repentance to the gospel message? Cf. Luk 13:1-9. Where were Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum? Locate them on a Bible map for where Jesus performed…
Mat 11:14-15 What was the expectation of Jews in the first century in regard to the prophet Elijah, and why? See Mat 11:14, 16:14, 27:46-49, Luk 9:7-8, Joh 1:21, Mal 3:1, 4:5-6. In what sense was John the Baptist the fulfillment of Malachi’s prophesy that Elijah would come, and what does this teach us about…
Mat 11:10-13 What is the difference between those who are in God’s kingdom and those who are not, including the likes of even John the Baptist who stood on the pinnacle of all the law and prophets? See Joh 3:3. What does Mat 11:11 teach us about the difference between those who walk uprightly and…
Mat 11:1 In light of the circumstances facing the Jewish believers at the time Matthew was writing, what is the significance that the word Jesus used in Mat 11:1 to instruct his disciples about the oppositions they would face means literally to arrange carefully or make precise arrangement, so that it came to be used…