Matthew Devotional Commentary

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Matthew 1:1

From the very first verse in Matthew's Gospel to the closing statement in John's Apocalypse, the focal figure of the New Testament is Jesus Christ... and the thrilling testimony is salvation by grace through faith to all who believe. From the opening verse of his Gospel, Matthew begins to open our understanding that Jesus Christ is the promised Seed of Abraham through Whom all the families of the earth will be blessed.

Matthew read more...

Matthew 1:18

Christ's kingly lineage was traced back from Joseph the husband of Mary, through David's kingly line, to Israel's celebrated forefather, Abraham, through whom all the families of the earth were to be blessed. They were to be blessed by Christ, the only begotten Son of the Father Who was full of grace and truth.

It was our Lord Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word of God, Who was to be born of Mary the betrothed wife of Joseph the read more...

Matthew 1:21

Christ is born in Bethlehem, is the line of a much-loved carol, but those words are pregnant with meaning, for the birth of this baby was for a divine purpose and to fulfil prophecy. Christ was born as part of God's eternal plan for man. The birth of Jesus shows Him to be both true deity and fully man. It was this point in time when God the eternal Son, became Jesus the perfect Man, Who took upon Himself a human nature. From eternity past, He was fully read more...

Matthew 1:22

The Jews are the target audience of Matthew's Gospel, and many prophecies relating to Jesus are found in his writings. Matthew opens by announcing that Jesus is the Son of David and Son of Abraham, and throughout his Gospel, Matthew refers to things which were fulfilled by Old Testament prophets "as it was written..."

Matthew records Micah's prophecy of His birth in Bethlehem. He quotes from Isaiah, Malachi, read more...

Matthew 1:23

Sometimes we are so familiar with the words of Scripture that we fail to see the enormity of their content. Sometimes the Word of God has become so commonplace in our lives that we have lost the eternal context and significance of God's eternal plans and purposes.

So it is with the Scriptures that detail Christ's birth. These Scriptures are some of the most well known and well loved, even with unbelievers as, year after year, they read more...

Matthew 2:6

Each of the four Gospels has its own emphasis, and Matthew's target audience are the Jewish people. Throughout his Gospel, Matthew makes numerous references to prophetic Scriptures in the Old Testament. He skilfully introduces people and prophecies in his writings, to show that they have their fulfilment in the Lord Jesus Christ, His ministry, and His mission.

As if to lay the foundation for his specific focus, Matthew begins his read more...

Matthew 2:11

Sages from far away eastern lands, travelled a great distance because they heard that the King of the Jews had been born. They were divinely guided and followed a star that rose in the east – which would lead them to Jesus.

Some suggest that they were descendants of wise men who had been taught, by Daniel the prophet, that 490 years would pass from the issuing of the decree to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and the House of God, until the coming of read more...

Matthew 3:2

While Matthew chapter 2 determines the historical timing for the birth of Jesus and John the Baptist (in the days of 'king Herod the Great'), chapter 3 pinpoints the start of John's witness, in preparation for the ministry and mission of Jesus the Messiah, the royal Son of David, the promised Seed of Abraham.

Both men had a miraculous birth. Both were anointed of God, and came in fulfilment of prophecy. Both came to call Israel read more...

Matthew 3:11

John the Baptist was speaking directly to many unrepentant and prideful Pharisees and Sadducees whom he scolded with various blistering accusations. He called them 'a fruitless generation of vipers', whom God in His wrath was preparing to chop down and cast into the fire.

They boasted of being 'children of God' because they were Abraham's physical descendants. However, they were ill-prepared to harken to John's voice in the read more...

Matthew 3:15

Jesus travelled all the way from Galilee to be baptised of John in the Jordan. It was not a baptism of repentance for which John was commissioned of God (in order to prepare the nation of Israel for their coming Messiah), but in order to fulfil all righteousness.

The young carpenter of Nazareth was God incarnate Who, in His humility, had kept every aspect of God's holy Law. His baptism in the Jordan was an essential action to be read more...

Matthew 3:17

It was at the start of Christ's ministry that Jesus walked from His hometown in Galilee to the River Jordan to be baptised by John, to be anointed by the Holy Spirit, and to be confirmed as God's only Begotten Son and Israel's promised Messiah. And the significance of Christ's baptism is staggering.

John was the final pre-Cross prophet of God who, like his predecessors, was calling the people of Israel to repent and to turn back read more...

Matthew 4:1

John the Baptist had paved the way, and the time had come for Jesus to be baptised. What a momentous occasion, as we see all three Members of the Trinity playing their part in this awesome event. The heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit descended and rested on the Lord Jesus as God pronounced: "This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased."

But before we can take a breath and spend some time enjoying this read more...

Matthew 4:4

Before Jesus was to embark on His earthly ministry and set out on His three year march to the Cross, it was necessary for Him to demonstrate that He was qualified to act as the federal Head of God's new creation of mankind. The first man, Adam, had failed in his assignment, but as the last Man, the last Adam, Jesus Christ would need to prove Himself qualified for the task of Kinsman-Redeemer to the lost race of mankind.

His link read more...

Matthew 5:2

Christ's Sermon on the Mount is interpreted by various groups differently. Some suggest that Jesus is setting out a message of salvation; live this way and you will be saved and go to heaven. Others identify it as the perfect way to live, if humanity is to bring in everlasting peace and prosperity onto the earth.

Some suggest that this only applies to Christ's Jewish disciples during His pre-Cross ministry, while others suggest that this is to be the read more...

Matthew 5:3

God had promised Israel a Messiah Who would destroy their enemies and set up an earthly kingdom of peace and prosperity in the land that He gave to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This knowledge permeated Old Testament Scriptures, and when the prophetic voice of John the Baptist announced the arrival of their long-awaited King, and called the errant nation to repentance, a wave of excitement swept the land.

News about Jesus spread read more...

Matthew 5:4

Israel had been called to repent nationally by John the Baptist before he introduced them to their promised Messiah, the Light of the world. Jesus was that true Light. He was God's anointed Son Who was to proclaim His Sovereign authority over heaven and earth and His rightful place on the everlasting throne of David.

It appears that read more...

Matthew 5:6

In the book of Proverbs, we are challenged that whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find it - they will find life, righteousness, and honour. And in this verse in Matthew, the Lord specifically says that people who hungered and thirsted for righteousness would be blessed, a truth that, although specifically written to the Jewish nation, has a wonderful application for all Church age believers. Yet a few verses later, Jesus warned us that unless read more...

Matthew 5:7

The beautiful beatitudes of Christ's Sermon on the Mount outline the ideal attributes that should be found in all citizens of heaven. They list and describe the constitution and character that our Heavenly Father desires from each of His blood-bought children. This in-depth description of the one who is blessed beyond compare, is only addressed to those that are saved and seeking to follow Christ as a true disciple; the one who is prepared to take up his cross read more...

Matthew 5:8

Too often when we look at a verse in Scripture, we interpret it from a present-day, human viewpoint, rather than in its biblical context and from God's perspective - and this is one such verse. Many look at this verse and say, "Ah! If I am pure in heart, then I will see God. I want to see God... so I will do this good thing and perform that righteous act, to make sure that I am pure in heart - and then I will see God."

"If my read more...

Matthew 5:9

Peacemakers are not the people who simply want peace or long for peace. They are not the governments that pass laws on peace, or legislators who write policies on peacekeeping. Peacemakers are those whom the Lord God uses to bring reconciliation to a fallen world. As Christians, we have peace with God through faith, and have been made ministers of reconciliation, so that fallen sinners may be reconciled back to God and gain true peace in their heart.

Matthew 5:13

The Church is the Body of Christ and in His absence from the world, we are called to be the salt of the earth and yet we are also warned that if salt loses it saltiness, it is good for nothing, other than to be thrown out and trampled under foot.

Then as now, salt has a number of important purposes. This was especially so in the time of Christ, when synthetic alternatives and refrigeration were unavailable. One use for salt is to read more...

Matthew 5:14

As members of Christ's Body, we are called to be salt and light in a darkened world that is sick, putrefying, and in need of Christ's healing, wholeness, light, and life. But in a world that is at enmity with God and has rejected the good news of the glorious gospel of Christ, this is no easy matter, and we are likely to come up against much resistance to our message of hope and personal rejection from our fellow-man, and even hatred, abuse, or death.

Matthew 5:16

When God redeemed us through the precious blood of Jesus Christ, our eternal future was assured forever. And as we live as strangers in an alien world where Satan has become the god of this world for a season, we are blessed indeed, for it is God who works in us, both to will and to do to His good pleasure.

In other words, the good works that we do in spirit and truth are not our own good works, for of ourselves we can do nothing that is worthy of God's read more...

Matthew 5:17

The Law was a large body of rules and regulations given to Israel through Moses, which was summed up in the moral principles of the 10 Commandments. It could not provide salvation but was God's tool to reveal our sinfulness, to bring us to repentance, and to point us to Christ, our sinless Saviour and Kinsman-Redeemer.

Adam's sin in the garden placed all men under the curse of death, and God gave the Law to a tiny segment of read more...

Matthew 5:18

The Lord Jesus had just announced that He did not come to destroy the Law but to fulfil both the Law and the prophetic writings. He continued to explain that not until heaven and earth pass away will the smallest jot or tiniest tittle of the Law pass away, for all things have to be accomplished. Many use this to insist that the Mosaic Law is part of Church age doctrine without looking into the incredible significance of this one statement of our Lord.

Matthew 5:20

Someone has suggested that the key to Christ's Sermon on the Mount lies in verse 20, which tells us that unless we are more righteous than the Scribes and Pharisees of Christ's day, we will not even enter the kingdom of heaven.

But even though the external virtue and exterior purity of these religious men seemed to be exemplary, it still was not sufficient to grant them a place in Christ's coming kingdom. So who can ever enter the read more...

Matthew 5:39

In His amazing Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives a list of the characteristics He expects from His followers - from those who would be subjects of the kingdom He came to establish. Kingdom citizens should be poor in spirit and pure of heart. They need to be men and women who hunger and thirst after righteousness, mourn over sin, show mercy to others, and are gentle and kind. And yet, He explains that the standard He expects from His people would result in them being read more...

Matthew 5:48

What an astonishing command: "Be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect." On the surface it seems like an impossible, unreasonable, even thoughtless request, because God knows that we are a sinful race with a fallen nature, and that there is no way that we could ever obey this command.

God's eternal plan for man is so designed that we are unable to obey His commands in our own strength, but He will allow us to read more...

Matthew 6:1

Much of Christ's Sermon on the Mount was on the righteousness behaviour that God expects and demands from those who by faith in God have become His children, by faith.

Jesus did not say that we would become children of God by exhibiting righteous behaviour, for by righteous works of the flesh shall no man living be justified. Rather He was teaching that godly behaviour and righteous deeds would read more...

Matthew 6:5

As one reads through Christ's Sermon on the Mount, it can be noticed, from start to finish, that it follows a very logical sequence where one topic flows coherently into the next.

Just as Moses laid out God's law to Israel on Mount Sinai, so we find Jesus, Israel's anointed King, presenting a comprehensive constitution of His coming kingdom which delivers a synopsis of His character and conduct - His mission and mentality.

Matthew 6:6

Prayer is one of the most vital and special prerogatives that Christians have been afforded in this Church age. Through the blood of Christ, Christians in this dispensation of Grace, have been given access into the throne-room of God, and as His children, we have been given the right to draw near to Him with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help in times of need.

The only way for a man to approach God read more...

Matthew 6:9

The Father of glory resides in heaven and His name is to be hallowed, treated with reverence, and set apart from all others. God began to unveil Himself to His creation in the beginning. As time passed, this revealing of Himself to man often came through the many names that He called Himself - each one disclosing one more beautiful facet of the immortal, invisible, only wise God of grace.

Hallowed be His name.

Matthew 6:9

There was something unique and so very special about the prayer-life of our Lord that it caused his disciples to ask, "Teach us to pray." They did not ask to be taught to teach or to preach, to heal, or to change water into wine, but their desire was to pray as Christ prayed, and so they came to Him and said, "Lord, teach us to pray."

Christ did not give them a 5-point lesson on the art of read more...

Matthew 6:11

The quiet, unassuming prayer life of the Lord Jesus was very different from the showy pomposity of Israel's religious leaders, whose presumptuous prayers were designed for the ears of other people and were not offered to our Father in heaven.

The intimate prayer life of the Lord Jesus with His Heavenly Father, was very different from anything the world had ever witnessed before. No wonder, therefore, that Luke's Gospel records read more...

Matthew 6:12

Jesus made some blistering criticisms of the hypocritical Pharisees of His day. They liked to flaunt their 'righteous' deeds and often made a great public performance of their prayers. Their proud hearts were not broken by sin and their long, repetitive invocations were insincere. Their prayers were not directed to God, but were turned into a drama for the benefit of passers-by.

Jesus condemned their vain, repetitive prayers and read more...

Matthew 6:13

When we pray we are called to be sincere in our prayers and to pray into the will of God, for He will not answer insincere or selfish prayers that conflict with His nature and will.

The pattern of prayer that Jesus taught His disciples, was to demonstrate that we should reverence Him as our Father in heaven, glorify His holy name, and pray into His perfect plan, His heavenly purpose, and His eternal will.

Matthew 6:19

The Lord Jesus knows: "The human heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked," and that an attitude of materialistic, money-orientated consumerism will degenerate into greed, covetousness, double-mindedness, and a divided heart, for we cannot serve mammon and God at the same time. Love of money and love for God cannot co-exist; one or the other will always reign supreme in the heart of man.

But the Lord read more...

Matthew 6:20

A right attitude towards wealth and material possessions is a mark of spirituality. However, when a wrong attitude starts to develop, it gives birth to a range of ungodly motives and behaviours.

Materialism can enslave the heart, entrap the mind, subjugate the soul, and suppress the will of a believer. And when a man or woman elevates earthly possessions above their heavenly investments, they become shackled to the temporal read more...

Matthew 6:21

How important that we hold this world's wealth and wisdom, together with position and power very lightly, for what we treasure in our hearts will become that which we worship.

We brought nothing into this world and will take nothing out of it, and yet too often we spend the majority of our time accumulating unimportant things and glorifying in the gaudy trinkets of this temporal world, at the expense of storing up a heavenly read more...

Matthew 6:22

The entire Mosaic Law was given to Israel through Moses, and its essence is encapsulated within the 10 commandments. Keeping the Law did not save a person but was designed to show a man his sinfulness - with the intention of driving sinners to God for His gracious salvation which would be procured through the blood of the New Covenant.

God took one small segment of all humanity (the nation of Israel) and tested them to see if read more...

Matthew 6:24

Too often, a demarcation line is laid between the material things in life and the spiritual things of God; between what we say and do in our Christian life, and what takes place during the rest of the time. This is often reflected in our attitude towards our material possessions. Ones attitude towards wealth is a good indicator of ones virtue, and ones perspective on the material is a legitimate barometer of a man's spirituality.

Matthew 6:25

It is one thing to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, but it is another thing become a disciple, take up one's cross daily, and die to self as we live for Him. The Sermon on the Mount makes it very clear to both Israel and the Church, that true discipleship demands true righteousness which is not produced by works of the Law but by faith in Christ.

The Sermon on the Mount was delivered to rectify Israel's incorrect read more...

Matthew 6:26

This is a verse about the foolishness of worry and the faithfulness of God as our gracious Provider, but too often we worry about the things in this life. We can be anxious about the future and we can fret about the past. We can worry about our finances, our families, and our futures, our reputation, and our relationships, and yet the Lord points out the futility of worry – for if He provides for the little birds, how much more will He provide for those that are read more...

Matthew 6:29

When the Lord tried to get His point across to the disciples, (and to us), He often did it in the simplest of terms, with the use of unimportant, everyday, mundane things. What is more insignificant than a little wayside flower or the grass of the field, and yet Christ used a simple wild lily to demonstrate the gracious care and loving concern our heavenly Father has for each of His blood-bought children.

Jesus challenged His read more...

Matthew 6:30

The eternal Son of God came to earth as the perfect Son of Man to fulfil prophecy, set up His kingdom on earth, and sit on the throne of David. Matthew is the Gospel that places its foremost focus on the kingship of Christ. He opens with the genealogy of the Lord Jesus through David and Abraham, which confirms His royal qualification. And as we take a peep into His birth and early childhood, we are presented with many prophecies to authenticate His Messianic read more...

Matthew 6:31

How easy it is to start to worry about the necessities of life and to become anxious when we see that food is getting scarce, clothing is getting worn, the rent is overdue, or when we have to face the loss of a job or a home.

All such things are considered to be the basic needs and necessities of life, and how easy it is to find our heart racing and our minds spinning when we lack the basics that sustain our mortal life. But read more...

Matthew 6:32

Christ's Sermon of the Mount is not a treatise on how to be saved, for we are saved by grace through faith in His finished work at Calvary. His teaching deals with the deeper, spiritual implications of Christ's authority over the lives of those who would believe in Him. The Jewish perception of the Messiah was a man who would come to defeat their Roman overlords in the physical realm and establish peace and plenty for all. The Jews of read more...

Matthew 6:33

Not one word in Scripture is superfluous and when the word BUT starts a sentence, it is a conjunction of contrast - it is a word that introduces an opposite outcome and is a clue that the upcoming statement is about to qualify something important. Having taught His disciples to pray to the Father in faith, Christ gives a long dissertation on the futility of fretting, the fruitlessness of worry, and the anxiety that is caused when our primary attention is read more...

Matthew 7:1

Jesus had been teaching His disciples the principles and practice of righteousness in the life of a believer and the spiritual priorities that should govern our behaviour. He emphasised the importance of living our lives in dependence upon Him and charged us to live our life as unto the Lord and not for the applause of men.

As Christ draws His extended Sermon on the Mount to a close, He starts to give the godly perspective on read more...

Matthew 7:7

Christ's Sermon on the Mount is an extended teaching that covers numerous distinct yet interconnected topics of Christian life and godly living. Not only are we to explore the inner motive of our heart with regard to our personal words and actions, but we are to consider our conduct towards others and appraise our attitude towards our neighbour.

One important topic that threads its way throughout Christ's life and teaching is read more...

Matthew 7:8

The Sermon on the Mount outlines the character and conduct that Christ expects from all subjects in His kingdom. It covers two long chapters and needs to be understood as an integrated whole, rather than a series of disconnected teachings, and this detailed dialogue should NOT be taken out of context.

Christ's Sermon is not a presentation of the gospel, nor does it explain the plan of salvation to unbelievers. It is a series of read more...

Matthew 7:11

The Lord's teaching in His extended 'Sermon on the Mount', gives step-by-step information to believers on true discipleship, followed by structured teaching on how to live such a life. It touches on things to avoid like anger and adultery, and the correct way to fast and pray. It teaches about charitable giving, and the right attitude towards one's possessions.

It provides training for Christians in acceptable (or unacceptable) read more...

Matthew 7:12

"Do unto others what you would have them do unto you," is often referred to by both believers and non-believers as 'the golden rule'. It is often considered to be the root of our Christian faith, but this is a misinterpretation of this scripture and a misunderstanding of this biblical passage.

The implication is that this 'golden rule' is the singular foundation upon which the Christian life is built, read more...

Matthew 7:13

In His Sermon on the Mount, it was not a great multitude of people that heard Christ's important discourse, for Jesus was only teaching His disciples. It was only the followers of Christ who came to Him who were taught the many truths in this important passage of Scripture. We read that when Christ saw the multitudes, He went up into a mountain and His disciples came to Him and Jesus started to teach these important truths to His followers - alone.

Matthew 7:14

Christ's Sermon on the Mount covers every area of godly living and right thinking. Unlike the Mosaic Law, it is not a series of rules and regulations. It is not a list of instructions on 'do's' and 'don'ts'. His sermon was an authoritative teaching that laid out general principles for life and living. These principles can be applied to every facet of life and are relevant in every situation we may encounter.

Jesus had come to the read more...

Matthew 7:21

Jesus identified Himself as the Good Shepherd of the sheep. He warned His disciples that many false prophets would arise, seeking to lead them astray. He referred to them as 'ferocious wolves' and explained that the fruit of professing prophets, priests, pastors, or teachers, would help to confirm them as legitimate ministers of Christ or identify them as a counterfeit.

Jesus explained in the previous verse that the way to read more...

Matthew 8:3

In the first few chapters of his Gospel, Matthew introduces the reader to Jesus as God's anointed King. His ancestry, which is traced through David and Abraham, and His prophesied advent as 'Immanuel' which means 'God with us', sets the stage for Christ's ministry to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

The Lord Jesus was identified as God's beloved Son at His baptism and started His mission and ministry by calling His read more...

Matthew 8:13

Beginning in Matthew 8, we start to witness Christ's miraculous powers of healing and his absolute authority over disease, demons, death, and the forces of nature, which authenticate His Messianic declarations as foretold by prophets of old. Isaiah had written how the coming Messiah would open the eye of the blind, unstop the ears of the deaf, heal the lame, raise the dead, and cast out demons, along with many other convincing read more...

Matthew 8:26

Whether or not this was a satanic attack on the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ or simply one of the many violent storms for which the Sea of Galilee is noted, this was a tremendous and dangerous tempest. Even seasoned fishermen, like Peter and the sons of Zebedee, were terrified at its ferocity.

But the Lord Jesus was abiding in the Father and resting in His love, despite the ordeal that the little crew were facing, read more...

Matthew 9:2

As Christ's ministry progressed, we see Him authenticating His messianic claims through a series of supernatural demonstrations of God's power. Having taught kingdom principles and practices in His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus set out to prove His power over sickness, diseases, demons, and death, with many mighty healings.

He showed his influence over men, for many were willing to forsake all to follow Him, and He displayed His read more...

Matthew 10:5

It is very important to understand that Jesus was specifically sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He was to execute God's many promises of a kingdom on earth and to fulfil the many prophecies that spoke of peace and prosperity for God's chosen nation. If the Gospels are read without recognising this important issue, it is possible to misinterpret many passages.

Israel were God's chosen people, through whom the Messiah read more...

Matthew 10:26

Jesus came to His people to present Himself as Israel's Messiah-King. Many prophecies were fulfilled at His birth, and the miracles He performed identified Him as the One to Whom all the prophets pointed. The Lord Jesus proclaimed His kingdom agenda to the people through His various sermons and teachings, and in Matthew chapter 10, He prepared His 12 disciples to undertake a mission to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. They were to announce: "The kingdom read more...

Matthew 10:34

Jesus came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel in fulfilment of Biblical prophecy. Quite early in His earthly ministry, He gave His twelve disciples authority over unclean spirits, and to heal every kind of disease and sickness. Before sending them out He taught them the meaning of discipleship to help them understand that genuine and sincere discipleship would not be an easy road... rather it would result in many conflicts, hardships, rejections, read more...

Matthew 11:14

At the very end of Malachi we read: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. He will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and turn the hearts of children to their fathers; but if they do not believe, I will come and strike the land with a curse."

Following this final prophesy in Malachi, we have the Gospel of Matthew which opens with: "A read more...

Matthew 11:28

The heavy yoke of bondage to sin is a weighty burden we all have to carry on the treadmill of life, which causes physical weariness, spiritual fatigue, and emotional exhaustion. But Christ’s invitation: "Come to Me all you who labour and are heavy laden," brings rest to the weary, comfort for the hurting, solace to the heavily laden, and rest for the soul.

Although this gracious invitation to 'come' in the Gospel of read more...

Matthew 11:29

These beautiful words follow Christ's severe denunciation of certain cities in Israel who had collectively rejected their Messiah. But we who have believed on His Word and have become God's children by grace through faith, have received eternal truths that are hidden from those that are wise in their own conceit, but revealed to us who trust Christ.

Jesus lived as a man in the way that God desires all His children to live: in read more...

Matthew 11:30

The opposition to Jesus Christ increased over the years, but the imprisonment of John the Baptist seemed to be a turning point in His ministry: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear," were words of warning that were spoken at this time, and soon the prophecy of Isaiah would be fulfilled, when Jesus started to teach His disciples in parables: "That having eyes they do not see and having ears they will not hear."

Matthew 12:20

No one spoke like this Man, and the tender words that accompany His work should soothe the soul of the one that is lost, discouraged, and getting to their own breaking point. They should bind up the heart of those that are broken by sin, for all humanity is a bruised and breaking reed, all mankind is a smouldering wick that is in need of a Saviour.

This was the ministry for which God the Father sent His Son into the world – a read more...

Matthew 12:27

Jesus came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel as their long-awaited Messiah. He came to set up His kingdom and, like the prophets of old, He called on the people and the priests to "repent of your sin." The people had fallen into apostasy and sin, and the entire nation had to repent, collectively. Israel, as God's firstborn, adopted son, had to turn back to the God of their forefathers and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ - God's only begotten Son read more...

Matthew 12:36

Jesus came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel as their long-awaited Messiah. He came to set up His kingdom, and like the prophets of old, He called on the people and the priests to.. "repent of your sin." The people had fallen into apostasy and sin, and the entire nation had to repent collectively. Israel, as God's firstborn, adopted son, had to turn back to the God of their forefathers and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ - His only begotten Son read more...

Matthew 12:40

The Jewish leaders knew that Christ claimed to come from heaven as their Messiah and King. They recognised the miracles and wonders He performed, which had been foretold by Old Testament prophets and clearly authenticated His claim. But His message was unacceptable to these religious folk because He did not fulfil their preconceived expectations.

Israel's opposition came to a climax in Matthew 11, when the Jewish leaders read more...

Matthew 12:48

Although Christ was the eternal God Who created heaven and earth, He had to be born into the human race so that He could fully identify with those He came to save.

To fulfil Bible prophecy, Jesus was born into a Jewish family in the kingly line of David. His mother was Mary, His step-father was Joseph, and He had a number of younger read more...

Matthew 13:9

God sent His only begotten Son into the world, and He expects us to listen to Him. God speaks to us through His living Word (the Lord Jesus Christ), and His written Word (the Holy Scriptures), and God has called us to hear Him because faith comes by hearing and hearing from the Word of God. And many times in Scripture we are admonished: "He who hath ears to hear, let him hear."

The read more...

Matthew 13:12

There came a trigger-point in Christ's ministry when He knew that Israel would reject His mission, ministry, and Messiahship. It seems to be at the point where the Pharisees committed the unpardonable sin of unbelief - by accusing Christ of performing His mighty miracles in the name of Beelzebub, rather than through the power of the Holy Spirit. It seems that when men call evil... good, and regard good as evil, they have hardened their hearts to the truth of the read more...

Matthew 13:14

The prophesied Messiah of Israel had come to deliver His people from the bondage of sin, but they rejected Him. The King of the Jews had come to set up His promised kingdom (where God rules over all), but the nation denounced the Lord Jesus and accused Him of casting out demons by the power of Satan, and in rebellion would cry: "We will not have this Man to rule over us."

A critical moment had arrived when the read more...

Matthew 13:38

It was after the Jewish leadership had accused the Lord Jesus of performing miracles by the power of Satan, that Christ started to speak in parables. Isaiah had prophesied that those with hardened hearts of unbelief would not understand the eternal significance of the gospel of Christ. Their hearts were closed towards the Lord. The ears were dull of hearing the truth.

The disciples, however, had a desire to know the truth and so read more...

Matthew 14:13

Although Jesus was fully God, He was also fully Man. Although He was the eternal Son of God Who was the exact representation of the Father, Jesus was also a Man - a perfect Man, but with human limitations, just as we are. And so because of His humanity, He is able to sympathise with the many weaknesses of mortal man; our physical weariness, mental exhaustion, the limitation of this body of flesh and blood, and He understands our deepest spiritual needs. He read more...

Matthew 14:27

As the disciples struggled to keep their little boat afloat in the midst of the tempestuous storm that raged across the sea, Jesus came to them, walking on the water. They had been battling the raging storm throughout the night and they were exhausted, but it continued to lash their little boat well into the early hours of the morning, for we are told that it was the fourth watch of the night when Jesus came to them.

It was read more...

Matthew 14:31

The storms of life may be used by God to chasten and discipline us OR to perfect and refine us (or both) as, little by little, His Spirit uses the turbulent circumstances of life to transform us into the image and likeness of His dear Son.

God used the tempestuous ocean waves to correct the rebellious Jonah, and He used the same raging seas to develop, increase, and perfect the faith of Peter and the other disciples.

Matthew 14:33

The disciples had just seen the Lord Jesus feed 5000 men with a few small loaves and fishes, walk right to the middle of the Sea of Galilee on the surface of the water to join the disciples on their fishing boat, give Peter the authority and power to walk on water himself - and then witness him being rescued from drowning by the strong arm of the Lord Jesus when his faith failed! No wonder that all those in the boat were in filled with wonder and amazement, and read more...

Matthew 15:11

As the end of Christ's earthly ministry drew ever closer, the conflict with Israel's hypocritical leaders continued to escalate. Christ's great concern was truth and love, but His truth exposed their hypocrisy and His compassion unmasked a cold indifference to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and a disdain for the Gentiles who were dead in their sins and without God in the world.

Matthew 15:24

When man sinned, God determined in his heart to redeem mankind. All humanity had been infected with sin, but God's redemptive plan was designed to circumnavigate the wiles of the devil, through a people of faith. His mission and ministry was to redeem a people out of the kingdom of darkness, into the kingdom of His dear Son.

Israel was chosen to be the nation through whom all the families of the earth would be blessed. And read more...

Matthew 15:28

In Matthew 15, Jesus had already been accused of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub, His Messianic claims had already been rejected by Israel's religious leaders, and He had already started to teach in parables, to all who had ears to hear.

Jesus knew His mission was to call His people to repent of their sin and to deliver the message of salvation to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He had come with healing on read more...

Matthew 16:15

Speculation about the identity and origin of Jesus Christ was as widespread among the people of the first century as it is within today's modern generation. Imaginations overflowed with ideas and postulations of where He was from, who He could be, why He had come, and what they should do about Him. There were some equally preposterous suggestions in those days as to who they thought that Jesus of Nazareth the Son of Man was, as there are in this day and age.

Matthew 16:16

What simple yet what profound words were uttered by Simon Peter in response to the question that Jesus asked His disciples: "Whom do YOU say that I AM?" This is the fundamental question that every man and woman born into the human race has to face at one time or another. Whom do YOU say Jesus Christ is? What think ye of Jesus of Nazareth?

There is of course only one correct answer, and every answer that conflicts with read more...

Matthew 16:17

Although He was only sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, Christ's rejection began in chapter 12 when the Jewish leaders challenged His authority and accused Him of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub. From that time on, He began to teach in parables, so His Jewish listeners would not understand the meaning of His words and would crucify their Messiah 'in ignorance' - for to reject the Prince of Life knowingly, would place these sinners under read more...

Matthew 16:18

The conclusion that every man and woman born into the human race has to reach at one time or another, is the answer to the eternally significant question, "What think ye of Christ, who do you say He is?" It was the Spirit of God that moved Peter to make the earth-shattering, yet correct answer, "You are the Messiah, the Christ – the Son of the living God." Peter trusted in Jesus as His Saviour, and even when Satan sought to read more...

Matthew 16:24

Though Matthew was written predominantly to call Israel as a nation to repent (to turn away from spiritual adultery and in so doing to turn TO their promised Messiah), much was written to instruct Christ's own disciples and to bring them to an understanding of who the Messiah was, what the Messiah came to do, and how believing on the Messiah and following after Him would affect their own lives.

Though Matthew was read more...

Matthew 16:25

When man sinned, he placed self on the throne of his life in place of God, but unless a believer learns the hard lesson of self-denial and sets out to live his life for Christ alone, by denying self, taking up his cross, living for Christ, and identifying with Him, his life will be fruitless.

Just as Christ identified with us and became sin for us so we might be made the righteousness of God in Him, we too are to identify with read more...

Matthew 16:26

A true disciple is one that denies self and lives for Christ, rather than ignoring the commands of the Lord Jesus by living for themselves. A real disciple is one that abides in Christ, takes up his cross and follows Him, rather than ignoring the way of the Cross and following the way of the world.

A genuine disciple is a man or woman who will forsake the things of this world by losing their life and dying to self, rather than read more...

Matthew 17:5

Only days before Christ's spectacular transfiguration, where the majesty of His holiness and the brightness of His glory shone out from the Lord Jesus on that holy mount, we discover Him telling His followers that a day was fast approaching when He would come in His Father's glory to set up His promised kingdom. It was as He was teaching this important truth that Christ added that some who were standing amongst them would not die until they had seen the Son of Man read more...

Matthew 17:11

For 400 years God's voice had been silent, until John the Baptist declared, "repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand." Jesus came to present Himself to Israel as their promised Messiah-King, from the line of David - the Prophet like unto Moses - the Priest after the order of Melchizedek. He came to fulfil His ministry of reconciliation and to offer His life, as the ransom price for sin. He came to fulfil the righteous requirement of the Law and to read more...

Matthew 17:12

As Jesus came down from the Mount of Transfiguration with Peter, James, and John, He told His three disciples not to disclose the wonderful vision they had seen there, until after He had risen from the dead. Christ's Resurrection would confirm that His ministry and message were true, and it would be used to authenticate His Messianic claims - which had been rejected by Israel.

Having just left the wonderful, mountain-top read more...

Matthew 17:20

The disciples had been with Jesus constantly for three years. They had heard his authoritative teachings, been given great revelation about the Son of Man Who was in their midst, and heard the voice of God proclaim, "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased," They had witnessed the Lord Jesus perform many mighty miracles that clearly authenticated His Messianic claims, and they themselves had been endowed with power from on high to heal read more...

Matthew 18:15

Christ gave a beautiful lesson in humility and meekness when He set a little child in the midst of His disciples to exemplify what our Christian lives should be like. And there continues to be a great need for humility in the Church today, but the cost of true humility is high.

Too often today, we quickly react to the offences of others with caustic remarks or an unkind attitude against a brother or sister who has consciously or read more...

Matthew 18:20

How we rejoice to know that where two or three are gathered together in the name of the Lord Jesus, He has promised to be there among us, for He is our living Head and we are all members of His Body.

As believers, we are the corporate Body of Christ, and when two or more members of Christ's Body are united in prayer or praise, thanksgiving or worship, we are in a small way fulfilling Christ's high priestly prayer: That we may be read more...

Matthew 19:14

How important it is for parents to bring their children and little ones to know the Lord in person and talk with Him in prayer. How needful to train up a child in the wonderful truth of the Word of God, and show them the path to peace and wisdom, for when they are old they will not depart from it.

How precious are the trusting hearts of little children, and how much we can learn from their innocent example, of the need to develop read more...

Matthew 19:26

The gracious words that fell from the lips of the Lord Jesus confound the minds of many today, just as they astonished Christ's disciples when they were first uttered. It was after Jesus addressed a wealthy young man on the issue of his riches being the obstacle he faced if he wanted to enter the kingdom of heaven, that the disciples asked, "who then can be saved?"

Jesus had challenged the young man to sell all read more...

Matthew 20:19

As Christ's ministry speeded towards His death, so His teachings became more urgent as He set about preparing the hearts of His followers for His forthcoming crucifixion and glorious Resurrection on the third day. For three years, Jesus and His disciples had been teaching the gospel of the kingdom to Israel. Jesus came to set up His kingdom on earth. He was the King of Israel. He was the Ruler of the universe. He was the Stone cut without hands that would crush the read more...

Matthew 20:28

Every Gospel presents different, yet complementary aspects of Christ's ministry and mission, and one important characteristic of Matthew's Gospel is the presentation of Jesus as Israel's promised Messiah and his role as King of the Jews, together with information about the kingdom over which He will rule. Jesus was initially sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel in fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy, and the early chapters of Matthew record how He read more...

Matthew 20:33

Jesus had set his face as a flint to go to Jerusalem because He knew that the hour of His death had almost arrived. He was the Lamb of God, Who was to be both the Passover Lamb and the Sin Offering for payment for a fallen creation. He had an important appointment in Jerusalem, for He was to give His life as the ransom price for many, but His journey took Him through Jericho because He knew that two blind men needed the goodness and mercy He had to offer. He had read more...

Matthew 21:13

At the start of His ministry, the Lord Jesus was introduced to Israel by John the Baptist as the Lamb of God; the King; the Messiah of the Jews. And from then on, the Lord Jesus presented Himself to the nation as the Shepherd of Israel Who would save His people from their sins. Here, at the end of His earthly ministry, we see Christ offer an official and final presentation of Himself to the people of Israel as their God, their King, and their promised Messiah, for read more...

Matthew 21:15

For a second time in His ministry, the Lord Jesus drove out the corrupt, profiteering money-changers from the Temple court, likening them to a den of thieves and condemning their ungodly practices. They were charging exorbitant prices for the sacrificial animals that people needed to use as an offering to the Lord.

Both at the start and the close of His earthly ministry this act of Temple-cleansing was necessary, for priests and read more...

Matthew 21:43

God's plan and purpose for Israel was that through them all the nations of the earth would be blessed. They were to be the nation through whom the Messiah would be born. They were to be a light to the Gentiles and a people of righteousness. Not only were they given the Law and the prophets, but Israelites are God's adopted son and heirs of His kingdom promises.

Sadly, when their long-awaited Messiah arrived, the nation had fallen read more...

Matthew 22:9

Jesus was the King of the Jews and the promised Messiah Who had been specifically sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Although we are able to see tiny glimpses of the coming dispensation of grace during Christ's earthly ministry, where the Body of Christ (which is the Church) would bring forth the fruit of the gospel of God, Christ's pre-Cross ministry was in general directed towards His chosen people, Israel.

But read more...

Matthew 22:37

The Lord was asked a genuine question by one of the Pharisees: "Which is the greatest commandment in the Mosaic Law?" and Jesus answered by quoting 'the Shema': "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one, Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength," substituting the word 'mind' for the word 'strength'.

Love for God and love for others, we are told, is the read more...

Matthew 23:28

Throughout His ministry, the scribes, Pharisees, politicians, and Jewish leaders resisted Christ's message and ministry. Despite the amazing miracles He performed, and the prophesied signs that were fulfilled in their sight, these arrogant men refused to recognise His Messianic claims and the burning hostility they exhibited towards the Son of God influenced many people against the Lord.

Although Jesus attempted to teach them the read more...

Matthew 24:3

Jesus knew the time of His departing was near and wept over Jerusalem because the people were so deceived by the enemy's lies and blinded to the truth of the glorious Gospel of God. He rebuked the blind, hypocritical leaders of Israel, who refused to acknowledge His message and His ministry, for He knew the terrible consequences of rejecting their Messiah.

Jesus had wanted to gather His people together, as a mother hen safely read more...

Matthew 24:14

Days before His crucifixion, Christ was asked what would be the sign of the end of the age. Both John the Baptiser and Jesus Himself had been teaching the gospel of the kingdom to none but the house of Israel, for Christ had come to set up His kingdom as Israel's Messiah-King. But they did not receive Him, and they cried out together: "We will not have this man to rule over us." Jesus had just wept over Jerusalem's continued unbelief. His spirit read more...

Matthew 24:35

The Word of the Lord stands fast for ever and ever, and every aspect of God's Word is rooted and grounded in the Person and Work of the Lord Christ, the incarnate Son of God.

He is the eternal Word, Who was made in the likeness of mortal man. He is the crucified, risen, ascended, and glorified Lord Who, at the appointed time, was manifest in the flesh so that all who trust in Him for salvation would not perish, but have read more...

Matthew 24:45

This is a parable about the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, when He returns to earth in power and great glory to set up His visible Millennial kingdom as Israel's Messiah-King. It is a prophecy that will be finally realised at the end of Daniel's 70th week, following that terrible time of Jacob's Trouble.

Believers in this verse are warned to be alert and watchful, knowing that the return of the Lord is very close. And read more...

Matthew 25:23

Like all the synoptic writings, the main function of Matthew was to preach the pre-Cross gospel of the kingdom which was primarily addressed to the Jews, with a message of hope for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Although there are many valuable lessons that Church-age saints can learn from this passage, both the parable of the ten virgins and the parable of the good and evil servants, are related to Israel, Christ's second read more...

Matthew 25:31

Today, the Son of Man is seated on His Father's throne in heavenly splendour, but the day is coming when the Lord Jesus Christ will return in the clouds astride a white horse, accompanied by thousands upon thousands of His saints, all dressed in fine linen, clean and white.

The day is coming when the Son of Man will return in heavenly glory to judge the Gentiles, to fulfil His promises to Abraham, to set-up Israel at the head of read more...

Matthew 26:4

Jesus gave His disciples an in-depth teaching session on the Mount of Olives, two days before He was crucified. The men were curious to know about the end of the age, when Christ would bring in the promised time of peace and prosperity and set up His Messianic kingdom. No doubt, they were all anticipating places of honour in the coming kingdom, but Jesus needed to prepare them for events in the near future, as well as giving signs to read more...

Matthew 26:28

Christ's life and ministry had been journeying towards the appointed time when He would become Israel's final Passover sacrifice. Every year since their escape from Egypt, Jews and Jewish proselytes celebrated the Passover, which looked back to their salvation from Egyptian slavery and forward to the promised Messiah Whom John the Baptist identified as Jesus, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world.

Passover took place read more...

Matthew 26:40

Jesus ate His final Passover meal with His disciples, and they sang a hymn together on the night that He was betrayed. He told them that His body was broken for them and that His shed blood inaugurated the New Covenant, for the forgiveness of sin. He predicted that Peter would deny Him before the cock crowed the next morning, and together they walked to the garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed in great agony of soul.

Was it read more...

Matthew 26:41

The accelerating events leading up to Christ's sacrifice on the Cross, are witnessed in these final chapters of Matthew's gospel as multiple prophecies of His passion spill onto the pages of holy writ.

Mary of Bethany had anointed Jesus with precious perfume from her alabaster box, in readiness for His fast approaching crucifixion. Judas had left to betray his Master, and Jesus had instituted the Lord Supper, following that final read more...

Matthew 26:59

There were many reasons that Christ's trial was illegal. Not only were the charges against Jesus false and the Mosaic law broken repeatedly, the hearing that took place before the high priest, and members of the Sanhedrin, was riddled with inconsistencies and illegalities. The trial of Jesus was a travesty of justice.

Indeed, the innocence of Christ and the way He conducted Himself in spirit and in truth, stood in stark read more...

Matthew 27:29

A few days after His triumphal ride into Jerusalem amidst the cries of: "Hosanna-save us," we hear the crowd screaming: "Let His blood be on us and on our children." And to placate the people and to fulfil the determinate will and counsel of God, Who loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son to die for the sin of the whole world, we see Jesus... crucified on a Roman cross between two thieves.

Matthew 27:35

The King of Israel and Saviour of the world was crucified on Calvary's Cross between two thieves, after having been falsely accused and sentenced to death at an illegal trial. The four Gospels combine to describe glimpses of His betrayal, His arrest, and some of the cruel treatment Jesus received at the hands of sinful men, yet He allowed Himself to be led as a lamb to the slaughter and opened not His mouth, and in so doing, fulfilled all things which were read more...

Matthew 27:42

Some of the truths that are recorded about the Cross are so shocking and so profound that they shake us to the core of our being, when we begin to comprehend the significance and poignancy of the eternal meaning behind them.

How true that the Lord Jesus had saved others for He went about doing good. Yet, as these very words were being spat out of the mouths of those who ridiculed Him at the foot of the Cross, our Saviour was read more...

Matthew 27:46

Numerous prophetic Scriptures were fulfilled during three hours of supernatural darkness that covered the entire earth, as God incarnated (the sinless Son of Man) hung. Falsely accused, shockingly condemned to death, hated by humanity, mocked by the people, abhorred by the rulers, scorned by all, despised by those He loved, and rejected by those He came to save, Jesus hung upon the Cross. Truly, our Saviour was a Man of deep sorrows and acquainted with read more...

Matthew 27:54

It was the centurion, who cried out, "truly this was the Son of God," when he saw the earthquake, the darkness, and all that took place at Calvary, on that pivotal point in history. Surely the life of the centurion who uttered these earth-shattering words, by divine revelation, was never the same again. Surely, for all who can look to the Lord Jesus in His death and read more...

Matthew 27:57

Matthew 27, traces Christ's path from his trial before the Roman authorities to his brutal crucifixion as a common criminal on Calvary's Cross, and His burial in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. Along the way, we are shocked to discover that Pilate released Barabbas instead of Jesus, to appease the crowd, who refused to recognise Him as the rightful King of Israel. He was the anointed Son of the Father and was sent to save His people from their sin, but was read more...

Matthew 28:6

It is a fact of history that Christ is risen from the dead. The four Gospel writers each gave eyewitness accounts of the Resurrection. They did not outline great theological arguments or seek to justify what they were saying with persuasive words. They simply reported facts that were observed by the various people who were there.

The pivotal Person in Scriptures is Christ and the crucial fact of Scripture is His Resurrection from read more...

Matthew 28:7

The tsunami of events that had taken place over the previous week must have left the disciples shocked and confused. Only a few days earlier, Jesus had ridden into Jerusalem on a donkey, where He was hailed as the Messiah Who had come in the name of the Lord, as palm branches were strewn in His path.

However, the euphoria they witnessed read more...

Matthew 28:18

Christ fulfilled the righteousness of the Law, which qualified Him to pay the price for our sins on the Cross. His death, burial, and Resurrection conquered sin and Satan. His death, burial, and Resurrection broke the power of sin and death forever in the lives of all who would believe on His name. And as a result, God gave Him all authority in heaven and on earth.

Because of His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection, God read more...

Matthew 28:19

Just before His Ascension, the Lord gave the Church their great commission to go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. But discipleship is not synonymous with becoming a Christian. True discipleship can only happen after salvation, for a disciple is one that learns of Christ and keeps on learning of Him.

The commission Christ gave was to make disciples read more...

Matthew 28:20

Just before ascending to the Father in heaven, the Lord Jesus commissioned His followers to go and make disciples of all the nations, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever He had commanded them, and then He made the most astonishing claim: "And, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

The Lord Jesus promised to be with His disciples for ever and for always. He promised to be read more...

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Old Testament

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