Please read the remaining chapters of the Gospel of Matthew (Ch. 15-28). Pay special attention to Chapters 21-23, chapters that particularly well show Jesus' challenge to the religion of the scribes and Pharisees. Choose a verse or summarize a passage that seems particularly important to you and do one of the following:1. Explain why you think this verse/passage is the best/most memorable in the assigned reading.
2. Explain how this verse/passage ties to the theme that Mattthew is a "gospel for those who think they don't need the gospel."
25 comments:
Holly Jones
Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you,: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
This shows complete power. When we are dying we show little composure. Here one man was giving instructions on how to save man. He is dying here not just for himself, but for the sins of all people.
Jesus then goes into the idea of baptism. Baptism symbolizes christians fear as well as acceptance in christ as well as the afterlife or resurection.
The final line ties the book of Matthew together. The book starts out with genealogies which give us our credentials for being "King". We are then given evidence in his life and his miracles he performed. We are then hit with a little history and a twist of power. If we refuse to serve the king we can be banished from the kingdom of god. We must make Jesus or king and life and worship him as our savior and Lord.
Matthew 16:25-27
To me this is a very memorable verse. Living in such a materialistic society, this verse really speaks to the fact that you can spend your whole life seeking material rewards like boats, big screens, money, land, etc. But, in the end, that isn't important. As Jesus said, "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, but lose his soul?"
I think that this is called the Gospel for Those Who Need No Gospel, because Matthew more than any other Gospel seems to be speaking to the Jews and their leaders. They felt they had the Old Testament and Jewish Law to live by. They felt that they did not need to hear what Jesus had to say.
Brett Newton
"I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven"
Matthew 18:3-4
This verse really speaks to me because it tells each one of us the exact kind of person we should become in order to be the person that God wants us to be. Except we do not consider a child to be the person we would like or try to imitate in order to reach the kingdom of heaven. If asked, we probably would speak of great political leaders, parents, or maybe someone we look up to. But how many little kids do we look up to?
This is why the verse speaks to me so much. In order to live a life after death we are called to live and love unconditionally like children. We do not hold grudges or gossip amongst friends. We live the day and enjoy the task at hand to the fullest without the thought of tomorrow's problems and worries. By dropping all of the outside world’s opinions, attitudes, and wants we realize less is more. If we follow way this life and idea of simplicity, we will please god and enter the kingdom of heaven, the greatest gift and the reason we are here, everlasting life.
Sam Merkel
Matthew 15:4
For God commanded, saying Honor thy father and mother: and he that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
This tells us that we should always honor and obey our mother and father. They know what is right for us and what is wrong for us. If we go against our father and mother it shows distrust. If we can't do the right thing by honoring our father and mother than the only penalty for it is death.
Matthew 23:23 "Woe unto you...for ye pay tithe...and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgement, mercy, and faith; these ought ye to have done, and not to to leave the other undone."
This is the best line to me, one where Jesus says that the Pharisees and priests have neglected their duty to serve the people and help them find their salvation and instead keep diligent watch on whether they receive their taxes and tithes to saty in charge. The rebukes of Jesus always seem spot on to them because they are correct, a person entrusted with helping others to salvation should be solely concerned with that task and not how they can enrich themselves at the same time.
Annie Merkel
Matthew 16:20 "Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ."
This just seems odd to me; why would Jesus tell the disciples to not tell anyone he was Christ? One simple answer is that Jesus wanted those who truly believe in his teachings to discover the fact that he was the Christ, Son of God, on their own. Basically, Jesus wanted everyone to believe in him because of his teachings, and not because of what some people (the disciples) said.
This verse just seems memorable for me because it would have been so easy for Jesus to just let the disciples tell everyone that he was Christ. I think it would have given Jesus many more followers, but for the wrong reasons. The followers he would have gotten would not truly believe in his teachings, but would follow him only because they think it is the right thing to do. Therefore, by Jesus ordering the disciples not to tell anyone, he really knew it was for the best - in order to get the real followers, Jesus had to keep his identity secret.
As far as the Pharisees are concerned Matthew 2:42 is clearly intended for them. "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes." Christ is using Old Testament prophecy to try to get through to the Pharisees. In chapter 23 the Lord calls the Pharisees fools and blind. Is this an attempt to get through to them or frustration that no matter what He does the Pharisees will not accept him as the Son of God? The best verse in this section is Christ's answer to the Sadducees question about resurrection, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Issac, and the God of Jacob; God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." How could you answer that? Anyone who thinks our current crop of politicians are "great debaters" should read Christ's answers to the Pharisees and Sadducees. I do have some questions about other passages in Matthew. Matthew 22:14 says, "For many are called, but few are chosen." Does this mean I can live like a wild heathen because I can't be sure I am chosen? Also in chapter 16 Christ tells Peter he is the rock that He will build His church on but in chapter 23 He tells Peter to get behind me Satan! That is quite a change. Is it because Peter was trying to talk Him out of the crucifixion and resurrection?
Matthew 21: 28-32 tells the story of a man who had two sons, one of whom was righteous while the other was unrighteous. Both sons had told their father they would work in the vineyard, but only one of them did.
The verses tie into the theme of the gospel being for those who don't think they need it. In those verses Jesus explains that the priests, who were supposedly the most righteous of the people, rejected John and didn't feel they needed him while the supposedly wicked people such as the harlots and publicans did believe him. Jesus explains to them that John's prophecies were correct (as Jesus is proof of) and that they needed to repent more than the harlots and publicans.
So while they didn't feel they needed the teachings of John and Jesus, they actually did need them.
Joe Adam
Matthew 19:3-9
"And there came to him the Pharisees tempting him and saying: is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?"
Who answering, said to them: Have ye not read that he who made man from the beginning made them male and female? And he said:
For this cause shall a man leave father and mother and shall leave to his wife: and they shall be in one flesh.
Therefore now they are not two but one flesh. What therefore God have joined together, let no man put asunder.
They say to him: why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorce and to put away?
He saith to them: Because Moses by reason of the hardness of your heart permitted you to put away your wives. But from the beginning it was not so.
And I way to you that whoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and he that shall marry her is put away committeth adultery."
I found these verses interesting. What I think that this part of the bible is saying is that there should be absolutely no divorce. When it says "and they two shall be in one flesh" it means that marriage shall last forever until the wife or husband dies.
Matthew 19:9 goes into further detail saying that if you do divorce and you do marry another that you have committed adultery and if the person that you divorced remarries than they have committed adultery also.
Matthew 21:31b,32
"I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him."
Jesus said this passage to the Pharisees shortly after they had come up to trap him with a question. By telling them this passage he is directly contradicting what the Pharisees believed. The Pharisees believed that they were holy and would be given eternal life based on their "flawless" following of Old Testament laws, instead of believing the Gospel, which tells us that Jesus is our Savior from sin, and that we will be saved only by believing in Him. Jesus was trying to tell them they were so focused on earthly things that they had lost focus of what was truly important, faith in God as their Father, and in Jesus as their Savior.
Jesus is also proving his point by using tax collectors and prostitutes as his example of people being saved. Tax collectors and prostitutes were considered the worst sinners in Jewish society, and Pharisees believed that they were much better than them and would be taken to heaven while these "sinners" would be sent to hell. Jesus takes this thought and throws it right back at them by saying that even these "sinners" can repent, be brought to faith, and be saved instead of the Pharisees who wrongly believed they could earn heaven on their own.
John Rawerts
Matthew 22 42-46
42Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David.
43He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,
44The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?
45If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?
46And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.
I think this was a great line in Matthew because it shows the cleverness of Jesus. I thought the whole exchange between Christ and the Pharisees was very interesting. I really like it when someone has all the answers. They were trying to catch him and to make him look foolish and he was able to bypass all of their traps and furthermore make them look foolish. This part of the parables was great.
The story about having compassion and forgiveness of debt would really persuade a lot of people to join Christianity I think. 33Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
34And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
35So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
I think that this passage would be a great preaching passage to use for converts. Many would like to think of compassion and a forgiveness of their debts. Who wouldn't want to be a part of a religion where the rulers and the peasants are kind to each other.
Matthew 21:5-6 "All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, behold, thy king cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon a an ass..."
This is an example of Matthew writing his gospel for a crowd that doesn't need it. There is a reffernce in this passage to Jesus fulfilling a prophecy. Matthew included this line to proove to people who study scriptures and who would know about the prophecy that Jesus is the son of God.
Matthew 22:37
You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
I think that this verse is a very memorable verse in this reading. I think it s very fitting because it tells us that we need to love our lord above everything else. I think that this is very important because the people during the Roman times were polytheistic and they would find something like this very wrong. Eventually though, the Romans convert to Christianity and try and follow this commandment. This verse is also very important because it tells all Christians which commandment is the most important.
Matthem 19:21-22
Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
This verse seems to stand out to me and is very important because it shows what someone with great wealth might have to do to show that he believes. Even today if people needed to do this it would be very hard for anyone to just sell pretty much everything that isn't needed for basic servival. In places like the U.S. and other developed places this would be very hard since most people need consumer goods. If you have the ability to do something like this, that is a great thing, but it is very tough and in the end as long as you do your best you should be accepted.
Eric Bengs
Matthew 23:33
"You serpents, generation of vipers, how will you flee from the judgment of hell?"
This was my favorite quote from the reading. When Jesus calls someone a bad name; they probably had it coming.
Anyway, throughout the entire twenty-third chapter of Matthew Jesus is telling the people not to follow the bad example of the Pharisees, but instead follow the good doctrine. This is an obvious way to get people to turn away from their old Jewish faith and follow the Jesus, which is proof Matthew was written for "those who don't think they need the gospel."
Jon Adam
One of my favorite sections of the book of Matthew was in our assigned reading for today.
Matthew 25:31-46
It’s in these verses that Jesus talks about the judgment of the nations. “…Come you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill an you cared for me, in prison and you visited me. Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison and visit you? And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me….”
This stands out for me because it is Jesus’ way of showing us how to live in order to reach the kingdom of heaven; that by following His example, we too will have eternal life. It was a wake up call to the people of the time to turn away from the selfish ways they were living and to care for those who were less fortunate then they were. In a broader sense, it speaks to each of us as in these words we are called to a higher standard of conduct, to treat those around us as we would treat Jesus himself.
Amanda Imberi
Zach Anderson
Matthew 22:14
"For many are called but few are chosen"
I feel that this verse is the most memorable because it ends a very important parable of the wedding feast. It is saying that just being called does not mean you are in the kingdom of heaven you still must be prepared and accept Jesus.
This speaks to those who felt they did not need the gospels because it says just because you are one of the chosen people does not mean you are chosen only called. You need to be prepared through the good news and only then are you truly chosen.
Jesse Peck
Matthew 22:2-14
It seems to me that the story of the wedding feast is short story that sums up what Matthew is trying to do. I am guessing that the first people the king asked to the feast were the already religious people who could not accept Jesus. Latter the people from the crossroads where the people Jesus and his disciples had come across.
I think this ties in with some of the other passages in Matthew where Jesus talks about children. Where people who make themselves like children will be able to better follow Jesus. I think this is because if you are a child, you dont presume to know any thing and are willing to learn.
What makes this memorable is the last line "For Many are called but few are chosen". So first of all you have to be willing to come when Jesus calls, but that is not enough. I like that there is a level of personal accountability in each persons faith. It is not enough to hang around with Jesus, you still have to live the right way.
In Chapter 22 from verses 23 to 46, Jesus is tested by both the Sadducees and Pharisees in turn. The Sadduccees are first, and question Jesus about the resurrection--which Jesus uses scripture to hush them. The Pharisees try to test Jesus using scripture, saying, "Which is the greatest of commandments?", but Jesus denounces them by deciphering scripture better than they can.
I am not sure where this passage lies between our two assigned questions, but it is memorable in that Jesus is purposefully going against the Sadducees and Pharisees, who the book could be mainly written for. It can also be a gospel for those who do not need the gospel because Jesus is still preaching while countering with these people. What is the greatest commandment? Love your neighbor. No gospel is needed for someone to know that--Matthew writes to reinforce beliefs, and this section is a good example of that.
Ruth Wilson
Matt 22:34-40 The Greatest Commandment
This passage actually answers both questions. The religous leaders were getting so caught up in who was better that they forgot love. Instead of lifting up their bretheren they weighted them down with extra laws and more sacrifices. The Jews are still an ethnocentric culture, forgetting that love in the key to all the commandments.
If one has love, honoring thy father and mother is easy. not coveting thy neighbors wife- easy! when you love, respect for others replaces the natural tendancy to covet. Love, as Paul in his letter to the Corinthians states "Love is patient, love is kind..." All these atributes of love are true and in having them, a multitude of sins are avoided.
Matthew 21:23-27
23 And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?
24 And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things.
25 The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?
26 But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.
27 And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.
The selected verses show significance in Jesus's challenge to the religious authorities. Only the true Son of God could challenge a high establishment and reform its standards.
Jesus as man would also be humble and righteously serve God as man should. He set an example of how man should serve God, and showed his example to the temple authorities, because they were revered as holy and wise to the Hebrews.
In this case, the authorities reasoned with each other and gave Jesus an honest answer. They were amazed by his reasoning, and when they gave Jesus their answer, Jesus thought their reply was genuine. Jesus's reply was one that would make others think. Though Jesus was the Son of God, he was man at this time and tried to live as such, but without sin.
The Gospel of Matthew sums up Jesus's life as man, but also spreading God's message and rules in a good way.
Matthew 22: 37-39
When Jesus was asked which is the great commandment in the law Jesus said "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." He also says that the second is " Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
This has been a very important passage to me because of how he depicts out of all of the commandments these two as the most important, and i feel that he is correct about it. He makes a good point with both of them, especially for loving thy God.
Matthew 22: 37-39
When Jesus was asked which is the great commandment in the law Jesus said "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." He also says that the second is " Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
This has been a very important passage to me because of how he depicts out of all of the commandments these two as the most important, and i feel that he is correct about it. He makes a good point with both of them, especially for loving thy God.
I like chapters 15-22 about paying taxes to the emperor. I think that it is the most memerable because it shows that not only that Jesus knew they were trying to trick him but that he would not fall into there trap. He calls out the desception then he proceeds to answer the question any way. I think this shows that Mattew is a gospel for those who dont need a gospel because what he says is true. You must pay back what you have that belongs to someone else. It is the appeal that our life is a debt. That we owe our lives to someone else so we must pay it back with servatude.
Matthew 20:16 “The last will be first and the first will be last.”
I believe this is similar to the genealogies, which were discussed on Tuesday. Jesus, the Messiah, was here not just to save the so called "important people", but everyone else as well.
In fact, this is a mute point to begin with. Status has nothing to do with how a person lives their life. Which is why this gospel is critical for those who believe they don't need the gospel, material wealth doesn't necessarily signify that God is on your side.
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