1. Intro to the Gospel of Matthew
Session Three
Preaching of Jesus
Matthew 3:1-8:34

2. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• Matthew skips approximately thirty
years from the end of chapter 2 to the
beginning of chapter 3.
• Preparation for Ministry - Matthew 3:1-
4:11
• The Ministry of John the Baptist -
Matthew 3:1-12

3. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• Matthew states that John the Baptist
came preaching or proclaiming
• wilderness of Judea deserted place
• "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven
has come near." Of the four gospels
only Matthew uses the form of a direct
quotation to summarize John’s
message.

4. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• The announcement by John that the
kingdom of heaven had come near is
also important.
• All four gospels also quote from Isaiah
40 to confirm the importance of John
the Baptist’s ministry.
• John’s message directed to the
Pharisees and Sadducees was a
message of judgment

5. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• The coming judgment would end with a
purified people fit for the coming of Messiah.
• The Baptism of Jesus - Matthew 3:13-17
• Most scholars believe that Mark was the first
gospel to be written and he does not seem
bothered by the idea of John baptizing Jesus.
The other gospel writers all show some
discomfort with the idea.
• Matthew confronts the issue most directly "It
is proper for us in this way to fulfill all
righteousness.

6. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• The descent of the Spirit on Jesus is
important for several reasons.
• return of the Spirit would mark the
coming of the Messiah.
• in Jewish thinking a major role of the
Spirit was to inspire prophecy
• the descent of the Spirit on Jesus
marked him as a bearer of the Spirit

7. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• The Temptation of Jesus -
Matthew 4:1-11
• The twin themes of Jesus’ identity in
Matthew thus far have been Jesus’
divine sonship and his messiahship
• The temptation will test both his
confidence in really being the Son of
God and his understanding of being a
messiah

8. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• The first temptation – a temptation to
perform a messianic sign
• Messiah would repeat the "miracle of
the manna
• "If you are the Son of God. connect
Jesus and the people of Israel coming
out of Egypt during the exodus
• Rather than demanding bread Jesus
will wait for a creative word from his
Father

9. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• The second temptation the pinnacle of
the temple It towered almost 200 feet
above the Kidron Valley below.
• In terms of messiahship jumping from
the pinnacle of the temple would have
won Jesus instant acclaim
• temptation was to challenge God to
come through and rescue Jesus. But
such an approach toward God is the
very opposite of a true Father-son
relationship.

10. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• The third temptation The devil offered
Jesus the ultimate goal of the Messiah
without having to pay the price of being
a suffering servant
• The price demanded by the devil was to
worship him
• Jesus as New Israel, God’s son,
resisted the lure of idolatry and chose to
worship his heavenly Father alone.

11. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• As the temptation narrative came to a
close two conclusions stood out. Jesus
had triumphed over Satan and he had
won the right to be seen as the true
Israel. In all three temptations his
temptation parallel a test faced by Israel
in the wilderness. Israel failed. Jesus
trusted, obeyed, and succeeded. In that
he is a model for us.

12. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• Beginning His Ministry-
Matthew 4:12-25
• Matthew’s introduction to Jesus’
ministry comes in three parts:
interpreting Galilee as the center of
ministry in 4:12-17; calling the first
disciples in 4:18-22; and an overview in
4:23-25.

13. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• Galilee did not have a good reputation among
the Jews who considered themselves most
religious
• Now Jesus begins his ministry bringing the
light of God to Galilee of the Gentiles
• It was Matthew’s way of saying to Jews and
to Jewish believers in Christ, "Jesus, the
Messiah, the fulfillment of Jewish hopes, has
opened the door of the gospel to the
Gentiles."

14. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• The abruptness of Jesus’ demand on
Simon, Andrew, James, and John is
difficult for most modern folks to accept.
• However, it represents the radical call of
the kingdom of God to let go of all
human sources of security and all
human aspirations to embrace
wholehearted total obedience to God

15. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• Jesus’ first words to them, "Follow me,"
characterize the call to discipleship
• For Matthew Jesus introduces the task
of mission at the same time he creates
the church. There can be no mistaking
the centrality of mission.
• Verse 23 identifies the three main
activities of that ministry: teaching,
preaching the good news [gospel] of
the kingdom, and healing.

16. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• Matthew 5:1-48
• The first, longest, and best-known block of
teaching material in Matthew is known as the
Sermon on the Mount. Matt 5-7
• Despite the extensive study there is no
consensus about the outline of the Sermon.
Neither is there agreement about its purpose.
It does seem clear that Matthew presented
the Sermon as a summary of Jesus’ teaching
about the Kingdom of God.

17. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• Introduction to the Sermon - Matthew
5:1-2
• The opening two verses of Matthew 5
provide important insight into Matthew’s
understanding of the Sermon’s
framework
• For Matthew, the mountain is a place
of divine revelation.
• It also introduces his concept of Jesus
as the new Moses.

18. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• The comment that Jesus was seated is
also important. Sitting was the position
for rabbis when they were giving official
teaching of the Law
• To say that Jesus was seated speaks
both of his authority to give genuine
interpretation from God and his
connection to Moses

19. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• The second important insight from the
opening verses appears in the Greek form of
the verb taught in verse 2. The verb form
shows that Matthew did not regard the
Sermon as a single event in Jesus’ life.
• the Sermon on the Mount is not simply one
sermon preached once representing the peak
of Jesus’ teaching. Rather, it is the typical
preaching of Jesus. These are the kinds of
words he taught all the time wherever he
went.

20. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• The Beatitudes - Matthew 5:3-12
• Through much of Christian history the
beatitudes have been viewed as giving the
demands of the Kingdom of God. This
interpretation says, "Blessed are the meek,
but if you aren’t meek, you are cursed."
• It is much more natural to understand the
beatitudes as "effective words of grace." the
very act of speaking it begins its fulfillment or
enactment

21. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• Thus, when Jesus says, blessed are
those who hunger and thirst after
righteousness, the very act of his
saying it begins a process of actual
blessing in the lives of people who do
hunger and thirst after righteousness.
• Beatitudes - good news rather than an
impossible demand

22. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• Another way of expressing this is to
ask, "What is the Kingdom of God like?"
The answer according to the beatitudes
is that the kingdom is the kind of place
where the poor in spirit, the meek, the
merciful, and the pure in heart are
blessed

23. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• The second clause of most of the
beatitudes is expressed in the passive
voice- Jews in the time of Jesus often
used the passive voice as a way of
referring to God without mentioning his
name.
• God is the one who brings the
beatitudes to fulfillment is important.

24. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• The beatitudes promise divine grace
from start to finish.
• Salt and Light - Matthew 5:13-16
• Jesus uses two metaphors to describe
believers as kingdom people
• Both metaphors place believers over
against the world rather than viewing us
as part of the world.

25. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• Immediately following his words about
persecution in the beatitudes he calls
on his followers to respond to the
persecuting world in purifying,
preserving, and tasteful ways
• Our calling is to make the world a better
place to live. That will only happen as
the world becomes a part of the
kingdom of God.

26. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• The metaphor of believers as light
assumes that the world is dark or in
darkness.
• It is a command to shed light in the
darkness, to bring hope to the
hopeless, and to give correction to the
wrong.
• The conclusion of this section is that
when we are salt and light the result is
to be glory given to God rather than
praise given to us.

27. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• The Place of the Law - Matthew 5:17-20
• One of the questions that occupied
much of Matthew’s attention and has
been a problem throughout Christian
history is the relationship between
Christ and the Old Testament,
especially the Old Testament Law.

28. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• He (and he alone among the four
gospel writers) notes that Jesus did not
come to abolish the law or the
prophets. . . but to fulfill the law.
• This statement of Jesus stands as a
barrier and a challenge to those who
would like to completely cut off
Christianity from its Jewish roots and
Old Testament background.

29. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• verses 21-48 tells us that we are not free to
ignore the Old Testament or the Old
Testament Law
• As long as we regard the Law as a list of
requirements verse 20 will lead us to
legalism. When we understand the Law to be
a window into our hearts God has a chance to
speak the gospel to us in this section of
Matthew.

30. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• The Great Antitheses - Matthew 5:21-48
• You have heard it said by (or to) those of
old {Old Testament quotation}
• But I say to you {Jesus’ reinterpretation of
the Old Testament}
• The reinterpretation by Jesus then illustrates
what it means for him to fulfill the Law and
what it means for our righteousness to
exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees.

31. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• The first subject that Jesus addresses
is anger
• Verses 27-30 deal with the issue of
adultery
• The third issue Jesus addressed in the
great antitheses was divorce.
• The fourth main subject in this section is
that of oaths

32. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• Verses 38-42 deal with the subject of
retaliation
• The Life of Devotion - Matthew 6:1-18
• This section begins with an introductory
sentence in verse 1 and then is divided
into three parts. Verses 2-4 deal with
almsgiving. Verses 5-15 treat prayer
and verses 16-18 discuss fasting.

33. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• Almsgiving - Matthew 6:2-4
• Prayer - Matthew 6:5-15
• Fasting - Matthew 6:16-18
• No Security in Money - Matthew 6:19-34
• Relating to Others - Matthew 7:1-14. There
are four parts to this section of Matthew.
Verses 1-6 deal with judging others. Verses
7-11 provide teaching on prayer. Verse 12 is
the Golden Rule and verses 13-14 contain
the sayings about the narrow and wide gates

34. Matthew 3:1 -8:24
• The Importance of Obedience -
Matthew 7:13-27
• Matthew’s Conclusion - Matthew 7:28-
29
• Jesus: Giver of Life - Matthew 8:1-9:38
• Miracles Revealing Jesus’ Identity -
Matthew 8:1-17
• Miracles Teaching Discipleship -
Matthew 8:18-34

35. Study Questions for Reflection and
Discussion
• First Day: Read the notes on Matthew 7:13-8:34.
Look up the Scripture references given.
• 1. Identify one or two new insights that seemed
important to you. Why are they important?
• 2. Is there a spiritual truth in this passage that is
especially significant for you? Write it down and
explain why it is important for you.
• 3. Write a brief prayer asking God to help you identify
the areas of your life that need to change for you to
whole-heartedly follow Jesus as his obedient and
committed disciple.

36. Study Questions for Reflection and
Discussion
• Second Day: Read Matthew 9:1-26. Now focus on
Matthew 9:1-8.
• 1. Verse 2 acknowledges the faith of the people who
brought the paralytic to Jesus. How did they
demonstrate faith to Jesus? What would be a
corresponding demonstration of faith in your life?
• 2. What is the answer to Jesus’ question, "Which is
easier, to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say,
‘Stand up and walk’?" Which is easier to do? How
does Jesus’ question answer the accusation of
blasphemy?
• 3. What does verse 8 tell us about the conclusion
Matthew would like for us to draw from this miracle?
What does it mean to "glorify" God when a miracle
has taken place?

37. Study Questions for Reflection and
Discussion
• Third Day: Read Matthew 9:1-26. Focus in on
Matthew 9:9-17.
• 1. If the Matthew of verse 9 is the author of this
gospel and attended the dinner described in verses
10-13 how would the message of Jesus at the dinner
be reflected in this gospel?
• 2. To whom does Jesus compare himself in verse
15? In this comparison, who is the bride? What does
Jesus’ use of this comparison say about the way we
should live our lives?
• 3. If Jesus’ teaching is the new wine and Judaism
represents the old wineskins, what was Jesus saying
about his teaching and the kingdom of God in verses
16-17? What application does that truth have to us
today?

38. Study Questions for Reflection and
Discussion
• Fourth Day: Read Matthew 9:9-38. Focus your
attention on Matthew 9:18-26.
• 1. What new demand is placed on Jesus in verse 18?
If Jesus could answer this request what would it tell
you about him?
• 2. What two encouraging statements does Jesus
make to the woman who has suffered from
hemorrhages for twelve years? How does faith make
a person well? Can faith make a person healthy?
• 3. What does Jesus mean when he stated that the
daughter of the synagogue leader was sleeping
rather than being dead? What conclusions about
Jesus do you draw from these focus verses?

39. Study Questions for Reflection and
Discussion
• Fifth Day: Read Matthew 9:1-38. Now focus in on
Matthew 9:27-38.
• 1. How does faith enter into the healing of the two
blind men? How does the faith involved in this healing
differ from that in a previous miracle in Matthew 9?
• 2. What two responses to the miraculous appear in
verses 32-34? What are some "unhealthy" responses
to the miraculous today? Why are they "unhealthy?"
• 3. What motivated Jesus’ compassion according to
verses 35-38? What is Jesus’ response? In what
ways is the need of Christ today like that of these
verses? How can you be part of Christ’s response?

40. Study Questions for Reflection and
Discussion
• Sixth Day: Read Matthew 9:27-10:15. Now focus on
Matthew 10:1-15.
• 1. What "authority" does Jesus give his disciples in
these focus verses? How does that authority relate to
the commission he gave them?
• 2. Compare the list of things Jesus commands his
disciples to do in verse 8 with Jesus’ ministry in
Matthew 8 and 9. What does the comparison tell us
about Jesus’ expectations for his followers? How are
you fulfilling those expectations?
• 3. What does Jesus say about money in these
verses? In what ways does the church today follow
this teaching about money? Are these ways we
should operate differently because of this teaching of
Jesus? How?