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Posts in the Matthew Category



Proving the Resurrection

January 16, 2011 by Tom Brunson

In Matthew 22:23-33 Jesus answers a Sadducee question about the resurrection, and in doing so proves to them that the Resurrection is taught in the Pentateuch. Today we read this section and usually scratch our heads, wondering why that proves the case. Jesus' simple proof is stated in verses 31-32: "But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by ...

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Permit me to bury my father

January 15, 2011 by Tom Brunson

Matthew 8 records a "hard saying" of Jesus that we struggle to understand: Matthew 8:21-22 Another of the disciples said to Him, "Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead." Nearly all commentaries focus on the possibility that the man's father was not yet dead; either that he was aging and the man wanted to care for him, or that he wanted...

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Kingdom, Rewards, and Vineyards

January 15, 2011 by Tom Brunson

Our reading in Matthew 20 continues in the context of Pharisees' teaching about earning rewards, and this thread runs throughout these chapters. After Jesus' showing that entry into the Kingdom is possible only through God, Peter asks, "What will there be for us?" Jesus responds that His 12 will sit on 12 thrones, judging Israel. Then He says...

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Rulers, Needles, and Gates

January 15, 2011 by Tom Brunson

Matthew 19:16 introduces the story of someone who comes to Jesus with a question. The exchange is interesting, because it isn't what we expect. Today we expect the discussion to be about how "to get into heaven" and the only answer is to believe in Jesus Christ. Well, the events here took place in Israel, before centuries of "allegorical interpretation," and their concerns were different. The solution - faith in God's revealed promises - has always been the only way, but Jesus uses the phrasing of the man's question to frame His answer...

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Sins to correct and sins to forgive

January 15, 2011 by Tom Brunson

Matthew is not a loose collection of separate sayings and events, but is rather a carefully crafted argument to convince 1st Century Jews that Jesus is the Messiah-King. Too often we break a section like Chapter 18 into verse-by-verse analysis rather than keeping our understanding based on the larger context and development of Matthews logical argument. As a result we tend to generalize statements apart from their bounds of context. Chapter 18 is in the context of growing Pharisee influence that will lead to the nation rejecting ...

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Rocks and Keys

January 14, 2011 by Tom Brunson

Matthew 16:13-19 has been argued about as much as any section of Scripture. It contains profound truth, yet is interpreted many different ways. Is Peter the foundation of the Church? Does he have authority to control who enters the "pearly gates?" Let's look at this. When asked by Jesus "But who do you say that I am?" Peter has the right answer for once! "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus' first response doesn't create much controversy: "flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." Since Jesus elsewhere says ...

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Revealing the Kingdom Delay

January 13, 2011 by Tom Brunson

The Parables of Matthew 13...

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Return to the Written Scripture - the Sermon on the Mount

January 10, 2011 by Tom Brunson

Matthew uses the Sermon on the Mount in chapters 5-7 to explain the content of Jesus's preaching that was previously summarized with "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!" Unlike our candidates today, Jesus not only proposed "change" for His country, He also explained in detail what this change would be, and what would happen to the (then) current leadership of Israel. This "campaign speech" also defined what was meant by both His and John the Baptizer's call...

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Introduction to Matthew

January 9, 2011 by Tom Brunson

The early church recorded that Matthew wrote for the Hebrew people, and that he wrote his Gospel first, and that it was used by the other writers. While more liberal scholars make other assumptions and have tended to date Matthew much later, recently some linguistics experts have again proposed very early dates (around 42 AD) based on very technical linguistic clues. This is in line with earlier church tradition...

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The Structure of Matthew

January 8, 2011 by Tom Brunson

Matthew is structured around a logical argument proving to the 1st Century Jews that Jesus was the Messiah King promised by the Scriptures. This argument proves the various points his audience would need to see in order to accept his claims. He begins by proving that Jesus has the credentials needed to be King in Chapters 1-4. This includes the genealogy showing his legal descent from Abraham and (especially) David through his legal father, Joseph. (However, he also shows that YHWH was really his father, while Joseph was head-of-household with Jesus as firstborn heir.) He gives...

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