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…
Mat 10:32-33: What does it mean to confess Jesus before men? Cf. the two other uses in Matthew of the Greek word used here for confess, Matt 7:23 (NAS “declare”), Mat 14:7 (“promise”). Is there a difference between believing in Jesus and confessing Him? See Joh 12:42 and observe that to “confess in/with/by” (literal) another…
Mat 10:26-31 What admonition does Jesus give His disciples three times in these verses? See Mat 10:26, 28, 31. For what reason does Jesus say in Mat 10:26 they should not fear the opposition they will encounter? Need they fear the hidden plots or secret snares of men? Cf. Act 9:23-24, 29-30, 14:5-6, 20:3, 23:12-16,…
Mat 10:17-20 What encouragement does Jesus give his disciples in Mat 10:19-20 to face the inevitable oppositions they will encounter? What examples do we have in Scripture that this is true? See Joh 9:24-34, Act 4:13-14, and Paul’s defenses before the Jews, Felix, Festus and Agrippa (Act 22-26) in spite of his lack of eloquence…
Mat 10:16 How does Jesus in Mat 10:16 describe the apostles in relation to the world into which He is sending them? What is the nature of a sheep? See Isa 53:7, Jer 11:19, Mat 26:63, 27:12-14. What is the nature of a wolf? See Eze 22:27, Zep 3:3, Act 20:29. Considering how their nature…
Mat 10:5-6 Many Jews at the time Matthew was writing were rejecting the gospel because of the argument by its opponents that it was a Gentile belief, as was plain from the fact that so many Gentiles were gladly receiving it, and anything so welcome to the despised Gentiles couldn’t be for the Jews; how…
Mat 10:2-4 Was it at this time that Jesus chose the twelve apostles from among His disciples, or when? Cf. Luk 6:12-13. What is the difference between an apostle and a disciple; i.e., what is the main calling of an apostle? Hint: the Greek word apostolos means literally one who is sent out as a…
What key phrase in Mat 10:1 marks an important point of expansion in Jesus’ salvation ministry to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mat 10:6)? See Mat 7:29, 8:9, 9:6-8. What authority did Jesus give his twelve apostles, and how was this an answer to the prayer commanded in Mat 9:38? See Mat…