Missy Armstrong

The next section of Matthew is the Sermon on the Mount. The Beatitudes are probably one of the most famous parts of this sermon. I have broken them up into three lessons, attitudes and actions. Christians that desire to be true disciples of Christ should strive for these attributes daily. They will desire to have a humble trust in God,depend on God for everything, and be gentle and holy.

Matthew 5:1–6

 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ² and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes

He said:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
⁵ Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.

Matthew describes the setting of the sermon in verses 1–2. Jesus began his sermon by explaining what a genuine disciple of Christ should be like. Each statement began with Blessed.

The poor in spirit

This does NOT mean those whose spirits have lost hope, those who do not have God’s Holy Spirit or those who do not have spiritual understanding. It means those people who recognize that they cannot please God by themselves and are trusting in God for everything. Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven because you have to come to God with this attitude when you are saved.

Those who mourn

People who mourn are not just those who are sad, but it also includes those who grieve over sin. Not just their own sin, but others sin as well. Those who mourn over sin will be comforted . They will confess and repent of their sins. So, they will be forgiven and comforted. They will feel a lightness and since of relief.

People who are meek

Meekness is often seen as someone who is a push over or gentle and nonthreatening. While some of these characteristics are true, not all are correct. Meekness is restrained power. Someone who could be a threat but chooses to be gentle, loving, quiet and subservient. If you know my husband Daniel, you will know that he is the defection of meek.

Jesus was describing people who were subservient to God. They obey His words. They let God’s will control them. They are completely loyal to the purposes of God. One day, all God’s people would live in a new heaven and a new earth. Here, Jesus was talking about this great truth of the Bible.

Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
(The word righteousness means to be ‘right’. It also means to do what is right.)

People who want to do right more than anything else. To hunger and thirst is a deep desire, a spiritual growling stomach, to know more and to do what is right. These people crave prayer and Bible study. They long for a fulfilled relationship with God. This is a vital(I need it)desire.

They will be filled. Those that desire to know more and study, pray and spend time with God are granted the wisdom and understanding to grasp the Bible and its message.

The truth of this teaching requires a lot from us. It can frighten us. So often, we are not like this at all. But, there is comfort for us too. We may have failures. But we just need to keep close to God and to Jesus Christ. We must desire what is best in our lives. Then, God will certainly bless us.

Questions

1. What do these verses teach me? How can they help me, as a disciple of Jesus?

2. There is much talk in the church today about celebration (a happy time). But, people should be sad about sin too. How can both these things be in the local church?

4. What effect should Meek people have on the church and on the world? There are people who live for God. What effect should their lives have on the church and on the world? Can you think of any examples?

Matthew 4:12–25

When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. ¹³ Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— ¹⁴ to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

¹⁵ “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
    the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
    Galilee of the Gentiles—
¹⁶ the people living in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
    a light has dawned.”

¹⁷ From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Jesus Calls His First Disciples

¹⁸ As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” ²⁰ At once they left their nets and followed him.

²¹ Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, ²² and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Jesus Heals the Sick

²³ Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. ²⁴ News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. ²⁵ Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.

Jesus’ special public work began. He taught and he healed people. These things showed who he was. We shall think about what people’s reactions to him should have been.

John the Baptist’s work ended. Then, Jesus’ work began. He worked mostly from a small town, Capernaum. It was a special place in Galilee. It was important to Matthew. This was because in the Old Testament, Capernaum belonged to Zebulun and Naphtali. These were two of the 12 tribes of Israel. Isaiah spoke about them in Isaiah 9:1–2.

This place was in the north of Israel. For centuries, the people who lived there had had very hard times. There had been political trouble, military trouble and constant attacks from their enemies. The words of Isaiah’s prophecy showed this. But he promised one day, they would be the first to benefit. They would have light instead of darkness.

The Bible often uses the word ‘light’. There are two other special uses for the word. It reminds us about the knowledge of God. It also reminds us about the fact that God is present. Matthew believed that this prophecy had now come true. It was happening as Jesus began his work. He declared the start of the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus’ words are in verse 17. They are like John’s words. Jesus made it clear which people had hope. They were people who knew they had sinned against God. They knew that they deserved his punishment. But they turned to him with repentance. There was such good news for them. This could be true for the people of Galilee. It did not matter that they were poor. They were suffering much. They were anxious. Their needs were great. But, the good news was still for them.

The first disciples

At this time, Jesus asked 4 men to join him. They were Peter, Andrew, James and John. There was a custom in Israel at that time. Disciples would gather round a teacher. But, Jesus was different. He called the men to him. He expected them to follow him. This clearly showed that he had authority.

But Jesus was not like a teacher who is at school. He was not giving information to students. They followed him. This meant that they were joining him in the work. That work was to call men and women to repent. They must call them to believe in God too. To these 4 men, it meant that they must leave their jobs. Their work for Jesus must be more important than their families. It could be the same for us today. Jesus deserves the best.

Now we come to the last three verses of the chapter. They describe the nature of Jesus’ special public work. Jesus did three things.

He taught the truths of the Bible. He would go as a visitor to the synagogue. Priests would invite him to speak.

He declared the good news. It was about the kingdom of heaven.

He healed many people. These actions taught three things.

  They confirmed Jesus’ message.

They showed that he was the Messiah. The*prophets had spoken about him.
                      

  They proved that God’s kingdom had begun to arrive.

The life and the work of Jesus disturbed many people. It also caused excitement. That was in Galilee. But it was true about other places too. This is not a surprise.

Questions

1. Jesus invited the first 4 disciples to follow him. Study their reactions to Jesus. What do you think that you should learn from these disciples? They left their jobs and their families. Does Jesus usually expect us to do the same? If not, how do we know when we should do this?

2. Christians should bring people to Jesus. They should then teach them how to follow Jesus. Read this passage again. What can we learn about how we could do these things?

3. Verse 16 describes certain people. Where might we find them today? Other people think that religion is something bad. To them, it is like going into the dark. How can we help them to find Jesus as the ‘light’?

We as Christians are tempted by Satan on a regular basis. We sometimes forget that Jesus was also tempted and resisted temptation. We know that Jesus had no sin, so being tempted is not a sin, it is giving in to the temptation that is the sin.

Matthew 4:1–11

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶ “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    and they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

⁷ Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹ “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

¹¹ Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Jesus is the Son of God. God showed this to everybody. He did this at Jesus’ baptism. Satan was intimidated by this. So much so, he tempt Jesus.

Jesus was ready to identify with all the needs of sinners. (Matt 3:13–17.) He had the same temptations as we have. Jesus suffered like us too. But his temptations were special. The devil was testing a fact that Jesus was the ‘Son of God’. Notice when these events happened. It was just after a great experience.

It can be the same for us. We may have a great spiritual experience. We may have a great success against Satan. Then, it can be hard to deal with another temptation.

Jesus went to the place where he would have his great test. Matthew said that God’s Holy Spirit took Jesus there. It was part of God’s plan for Jesus. He would be ‘perfect by the things that he suffered’. (Read Hebrews 2:10.) God often uses the temptations that come into our lives. It can be his way to make us grow in our Christian lives. Matthew emphasized it. God allows the devil to tempt us. But, when evil attracts us, that is the devil’s work.

Satan did not just tempt Jesus at the end of 40 days. (Read verses 2–3.) He tempted Jesus for the whole period. (Read Luke 4:1–13.) There was no ejector seat from his temptations. Often, the same is true for us.

Let us think about the first temptation. The devil seemed to be referring to 3:17. There, God confirmed that Jesus was his Son. Satan was trying to spoil Jesus’ confidence in these words. ‘If’. He wanted Jesus to test the truth of God’s words.

The devil had used this method before. He tried to bring doubts into Eve’s mind. (Read Genesis 3:1–6.) There, in the garden, Adam and Eve failed the test. Here, Jesus passed the test. He was confident in God. He trusted God and his word. He reminded the devil that all people must respect God. So, Jesus said words from Deuteronomy 8:3. The devil’s methods do not change. They are the same today. The way to overcome the devil does not change either!

The next time, Satan said something from the Bible. (Psalm 91:11–12.) He wanted Jesus to test God’s word. Satan’s test was on the roof of the Temple. So, surely God would look after his Son. He was able to help too. There could not be a better place. Jesus could do something wonderful. Then a crowd of people would follow him!

Jesus answered the devil in the same way. He used the Bible. Jesus knew Psalm 91. There, God promised to protect his children. But Jesus said words from Deuteronomy 6:16. Jesus knew the Bible. He understood its correct meaning too. In this way, he overcame the devil. The lesson for us should be clear.

Then there was probably a vision. (This is like a dream, but the person is often awake.) The devil showed Jesus ‘all the kingdoms of the world’. He was able to do this ‘in a moment of time’. (Read Luke 4:5.) But, the test was still very real. The devil offered power on earth to Jesus. This was instead of spiritual authority.

But, there was a price for this power. Jesus must accept Satan as his spiritual leader. He must worship Satan. Jesus knew Satan’s purpose. Again, Jesus said words from the Bible. (The words are in Deuteronomy 6:13.) God is the only one whom people must worship. Then the devil left Jesus (verse 11). The devil will leave us too. (Note: Luke 4:13 reminds us of another fact. Satan ‘went away to wait until a better time’. For us too, the same thing will happen. Satan will come back.)

Questions

1. How well do I know my Bible? When the devil tempts me, could I answer him in the right way? (Write down any verses that would help you. There will be many of them. So, you could do this for a long time.)

2. Jesus had the same sort of tests that we have. How should this help us with temptations (when someone or something is tempting us to sin)?

3. What does this passage teach about the spiritual battle?

4. How does this passage explain the world in which we live?

Jesus is God. He baptizes with the Holy Spirit. But Jesus still wanted John to baptize him. Jesus has no need for salvation because he is God. So I’ll say it again Baptism will not save you.

Matthew 3:11–17

“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹² His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

The Baptism of Jesus

¹³ Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. ¹⁴ But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

¹⁵ Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

¹⁶ As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

The crowd believed that John was a prophet. But John told them that he was like a slave. In ancient Israel, this had a certain meaning. It was a slave’s task to carry his master’s shoes. Then John made another claim. It was even more surprising. The Old Testament says that God is ‘the greater or more powerful one’. (Read Daniel 9:4 and Jeremiah 32:18.) The Old Testament promised that God’s Christ (the Messiah) would come. John said that this Messiah would be God! He would not be just a man, as John was.

John’s work was different than Christ. Christ (the *Messiah) would baptize with the fire of the Holy Spirit. We cannot live a life that pleases God by ourselves. We do not have the power to do it. But, the Christ would provide that power.

What John had said finally came true. It was on the Day of Pentecost. (Read Acts 2. It will explain about the Day of Pentecost.) From that day, God gave the Holy Spirit to all his people. His work showed in their lives. Every day, there was repentance. Every day, they became more holy. But, there is something else about Jesus’ baptism of fire. If it did not make holy, it would burn. (Read 3:12.) Jesus came to bring life. But, there will be people who refuse him. They will know him as judge one day. John 3:16–21 teaches a similar lesson.

John did not think that he should baptize Jesus. John was a sinner. Jesus was not a sinner. But Jesus insisted on baptism. He was willing to share this with sinners. He was willing to take their punishment. His gentle reply in verse 15, may suggest this.

But, the most important part of this section is in verses 16 and 17. The dove (a bird) was a sign in the ancient world. It was a sign of moral goodness and kindness. But something was more important. The Spirit came on Jesus in a way that people could see. This meant that Jesus was now ready for his work.

Something even more wonderful happened next (verse 17). God the Father spoke. He declared that Jesus was the Son of the Father. Jesus was God. This man was the Christ (Messiah). He was the man about whom John spoke. God is holy. He must hate and judge sin. But, he is also the God who loves. Because he loves, he sent his Son to save people. God was very pleased with the work that Jesus was going to do.

There is one final detail in this section. It is in verses 13–17. We learn that the Father was pleased with the work of the Son. The Spirit came to help Jesus with his work. So, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were working together. They were working to save sinners. They still do this same work today. This is very wonderful.

The baptism with the Holy Spirit

The phrase ‘baptism in the Holy Spirit’ is common today. It often refers to experiences after a person becomes a Christian. But, read Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; Acts 1:5 and 11:16. These references are clear. They refer to the first experience of a Christian. The use of the word ‘baptism’ confirms this too. Ancient societies used this word. They used it for the ceremony when a person joined the society. So, it was about the beginning of a person’s decision to join.

So, ‘baptism with the Spirit’ is a New Testament phrase. It is one of the ways to describe a special event. It is the event when a person becomes a Christian. It emphasizes two things. First, God lives in a real Christian. Then, that person has what he or she needs for a holy, good life.

The Son of God

Many false teachings have come from these words. They do not mean that Jesus was not really God. They do not mean that he was born in heaven, some time after his Father. John 1:1–3 shows us that this is not true.

But, a son has the same nature as his father. A man is human. His children are human too. It is the same when the Bible speaks about ‘God’s son’. God is God and Jesus is the son. It means that he has the same nature as the Father. So, he is God! This was the claim that Matthew was making about Jesus here. Matthew’s readers would have understood this.

Questions

1. How would you describe Jesus to one of your friends?

2. The work of the Holy Spirit is vital to every real believer (Christian). How do the leaders of your church explain the Holy Spirit’s work?

3. Non-Christians need to understand the love of God in Jesus. How can you help them?

When you ask many people when they where saved, that start telling you about their baptism. Baptism is not salvation. Baptism is symbol or demonstration that you have been saved and you are following God’s Will. The waters of the baptismal will not get you to heaven, only the blood of Christ can do that.

Matthew 3:7-10

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. ⁹ And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ¹⁰ The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

In Bible times, God spoke to his people by prophets. But there had been no prophets since the death of Malachi. That was in about 400 BC (Before Christ). The Jews believed that God would use prophets again. They thought that it would be when God’s kingdom came. People traveled a long distance to hear John. Many of these people recognized who John was. They obeyed his message.

When this happened, John baptized them. He put them in the water of the Jordan river. Baptism was a common ceremony in the ancient world. It was a sign, that showed that a person was clean from something evil Or, it showed that they were entering into a new society.

Many people wanted to do something about John’s message. Baptism was the way that they showed this. It was a sign. It showed that God had taken away their sin. John was preparing them for God’s kingdom. Jesus would start this kingdom. Later, Jesus’ disciples baptized people too. (Read John 3:22; 4:1, 2.) This also became a sign. It showed that people wanted to follow Jesus. It showed that they had entered his kingdom. (Read Matthew 28:18–20 and Romans 6:4.)

During John’s time there were two important religious groups. They were Pharisees and Sadducees. Members from both these groups came to John. They asked him to baptize them. We might think that this would make John happy. But he was angry. He did not believe that they had repented. They wanted God to accept them as his people. John emphasized the result of real repentance will always be a different life.

The same thing happens today. Many people believe that baptism alone makes them God’s people. But this is not true. First, people must repent of their sin and be saved. They must want to live in a way that will please God. They will obey God. Only then does baptism have meaning. It shows that repentance is real.

In verse 7, John dealt with the problem of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The snake was a sign of wicked things to the Jews. A snake (serpent) first deceived humans. (He told a lie to Eve; and he made it seem like the truth.) This caused sin in the world. John said to the religious groups: ‘You are all like snakes.’ They would hate this description. But John wanted to get their attention. They were not being honest with themselves. They did not realize that they were in great danger of God’s judgement.

Read verses 9–10. John was saying God is very good to us. But this means that we have responsibility. He promises to save. But there is a rule. God will only accept people if they repent.

Pharisees and Sadducees

We do not know how these two groups began. But, we do know some facts about them. There were the Pharisees. They would not accept other cultures and customs. They felt that these things would stop them from being holy. The Pharisees insisted that people must be very careful to obey God’s laws. So, they added many extra regulations. They thought that these rules would help people. The rules would stop them from becoming ‘dirty’ with sin. Pharisees tended to be proud. They thought that they were very good people. They did not like those who did not have the same beliefs.

The Sadducees. They were very different. They believed the first 5 books of the Old Testament. They believed that only these books were God’s words. They had another main belief. Dead people could never come alive again. (The Pharisees believed that this could happen.) The Sadducees enjoyed power. To gain it, they were even willing to have lower standards. They were rich and powerful. The High Priest and his family were members of this group.

God’s anger

The Bible speaks about God’s anger. This does not mean that God has bad moods. He does not get angry for no reason. But God hates all that is evil. He hates all that is wicked. This is what God’s anger means.

This is why God’s anger must be against every human person. Nobody can ever live by God’s standards. (Ephesians 2:3.) People experience his anger in this life. (John 3:18, 36 and Romans 1:18.) But his main anger is for the future. (Ephesians 5:6; Colossians 3:6; 2 Thessalonians 1:8–9 and Revelation 14:10.) There is a connection with the return of Jesus. (Read Malachi 3:2–3; 4:1–5.) Men and women must really repent. They must trust Jesus. Only then can they escape God’s anger.

Questions

1. What importance does baptism as a Christian have for you?

2. What should the church expect in the lives of those who want baptism?

3. Do you think that modern speakers should ever speak as John spoke? (Read verses 7–10.)

4. John spoke with urgency. Do you have urgent concern in your life for the unsaved?

Have you ever seen a scraggly looking guy on the side of the road with a sign that says, “The End is near?” John the Baptist was this guy! He was a rough gut preaching in the wilderness saying exactly those words. As weird as it may seem to us, John the Baptist prepared the way of the Lord not by attacking the government or standing in the temple. John went to the people. He was out there preaching to the common man. In our terms he was pounding the pavement telling people to repent.

Matthew 3:1–6

 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea ² and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” ³ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’”

⁴ John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵ People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. ⁶ Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

Matthew now spoke about later events. He did this just after he had told about Jesus’ birth. These events happened 30 years later. The time was just before Jesus started his public work.

Many Kings and great leaders usually sent someone ahead of them, a herald. A herald was to prepare for the arrival of the leader. Jesus was a king (2:2). He had a herald too. Isaiah foretold the heralding of Jesus by John the Baptist in 40:3–5, “A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
    the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
    a highway for our God.
⁴ Every valley shall be raised up,
    every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
    the rugged places a plain.
⁵ And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
    and all people will see it together.

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

The “Voice” is John and he would come before God himself came. Matthew said that the verses referred to John the Baptist. John went out into the places where there are people to listen! Note: Many prophets spoke about events in the near future. But they often suggested that these events could refer to something more. They pointed to much greater events. They would be a long time in the future. These verses in Isaiah are like this.

Repent!

John was a herald. Someone important was going to arrive. He was much greater than John. The herald’s task was to make sure that everyone was ready. This was exactly what John did. His message was very clear. Most people would not want to hear it. He called them to repent.

We may want to know what John meant by the ‘kingdom of heaven’ (3:2). It meant that God would establish His rule over the whole earth. The Old Testament often used the term ‘kingdom of heaven’. John said that this kingdom ‘is near’. God would act very soon. Men and women could enjoy God’s kingdom for themselves. But, they must be ready. They would not just arrive there. John emphasized this. They needed to do something. Most important, they must repent.

To repent literally means to turn away from sin. So not only do we need to confess our sins we need to stop doing them. God promised that He would give many good things. It would happen soon. But men and women must be ready. Jesus spoke the same message. ( Matthew 4:17.) But there was a difference. Jesus taught how these good things would come. They would come because people knew him. (Mark 1:15 and Matthew 13:16–17.) John promised good things. These good things began to arrive. They started when Jesus came.

1. How could your life show that you have repented? What evidence should you expect in your life?

2. Repentance is necessary. How does your church emphasize this when they tell the Good News about Jesus?

3. John spoke the truth to the people. How can we learn from his methods?

God keeps His promises. God made a way to protect Jesus for the task he had laid before him.

Matthew 2:13–23

¹³ Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”

¹⁴ When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, ¹⁵ and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

¹⁶ Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. ¹⁷ Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

¹⁸ “A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more.”

¹⁹ Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, ²⁰ saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” ²¹ Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.

²² But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. ²³ And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

There is not much information about Jesus’ early life. Matthew soon completed his account. He did this in three short paragraphs. These are in verses 13–15, 16–18 and 19–23.

Herod realized that the wise men were not coming back. He acted immediately. Herod wanted to be sure that nobody else could be king. So, he killed all the children who were younger than 2 years of age. Nothing not Satan, men or women cannot stop God’s plans. Satan had been trying to stop the curse way back in Genesis, all those centuries, but could not do it. Genesis 3: 14-15

¹⁴ So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,

“Cursed are you above all livestock
    and all wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
    and you will eat dust
    all the days of your life.
¹⁵ And I will put enmity
    between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
    and you will strike his heel.”

Satan was using Herod as his hands to find the Messiah and kill him. Herod himself would die soon. Jesus escaped his evil plan. God told Joseph about the danger before it happened. So, he could take the child and Mary to Egypt. This was the nearest safe place.

When Herod died, Joseph could return with his family. He did not want to go back to Bethlehem. This does not surprise us. The new ruler was Archelaus. He was as bad as his father, Herod. He had already killed 3000 people. So, Joseph was anxious. But God understood this. He told him to return to his former home. This was in Nazareth. God was protecting and caring for Joseph, Mary and the baby. He can do the same for us too.

All of God’s prophecies in the Old Testament come true in Jesus. Each of the three short paragraphs ended by repeating words from the Old Testament. Matthew tells us that they came true in Jesus.

There is one more thing to notice here. Joseph obeyed God. But this was not always easy. First, there was the fact that Mary was having a baby. Then there was the birth of Jesus. These events completely changed his life. Sometimes, he was confused and anxious. He did not know what to do. He only knew that God had helped him before.

At other times, he knew part of God’s plan. But he did not know all of it. (Compare verses 20 and 22.) It was hard for him to marry Mary. She was having a baby. People did not understand. They spoke against him. But, Joseph still learned something important. It was this. To obey God was the best way. God protected him, even in times of great danger.

How Matthew used the Old Testament

Matthew says that these Old Testament passages refer to Jesus. But at first, they do not seem to have anything to do with him!

Verse 15 repeats Hosea 11:1, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” There, the prophet showed how God saved Israel’s people. They were in Egypt. He brought them back to their own land. This had happened many hundreds of years before. So, some people cannot understand how the passage could refer to Jesus.

But the writers of the New Testament used the Old Testament, they saw similar things that tied the Scripture to Jesus’ life and work. Careful study will show this. They knew Jesus matched with the whole history of the Israel. He even lived it all again.

God brought the Jews out of Egypt. He wanted them to bring God’s salvation to the world. They failed to do this. But Jesus would succeed. So, He too went to Egypt and returned from there. This was to show that he had come to save the world. He had come to bring the knowledge of God to all people.

Read verse 18. He repeated Jeremiah 31:15

¹⁵ This is what the Lord says:

“A voice is heard in Ramah,
    mourning and great weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,
    because they are no more.”

It told about a sad time in Bethlehem. The young people of the village would go away into exile. So, the words could not be about Herod’s murder of the babies. But Jeremiah’s words were a message of hope. The enemy would destroy the land. But there was still hope. God would save his people. He had not forgotten His people. He would not remove His promises from them.

Again, Matthew saw that those days and his own days were similar. Once, God had brought hope to a sad people. He saved them. Now, in Jesus, God had done it again. Jesus still brings hope to desperate people. He saves them from the results and the power of their sin. This was the hope for which the world was looking.

Matthew repeated some words of the prophets. So, he was probably thinking about several passages. In fact, Nazareth was a very small village. People ‘despised’ it. This means that it was very unimportant to them. People thought that it had nothing of value. (Read John 1:45–46.) Many times, the Old Testament said that people would ‘despise’ the *Messiah (Christ). (Read Psalm 22:6–8, 13; 69:8, 20–21; Isaiah 49:7; 53:2–3, 8; and Daniel 9:26.) These verses describe good people. They also describe the Messiah. People ‘despise’ them both.

Matthew realized something. It was about the language of these verses. They referred especially to Jesus. (Compare Matthew 12:24; 27:21–23, 63; Luke 23:11; John 1:11; 5:18; 6:66; 9:22, 34.)

Questions

1. Think about Joseph’s experience. Use the lessons of his life in your own situation.

2. How does this passage encourage your church group? How does God guide a group of Christians (believers)?

3. Think about the cruel murders in 2:16. There is so much suffering in the world. Is there something that you could do? How could you show that the Christian message has an answer?

The wise men (‘Magi’) visited Jesus. This visit showed three things about Jesus. He is a king. He is a priest. He is God himself. It suggested something else too. He would suffer greatly because he always obeyed God.

Matthew 2:1–12

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ² saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

³ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

⁵ So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

⁶ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

⁷ Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. ⁸ And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

⁹ When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. ¹¹ And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

¹² Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

Matthew did not tell us about Jesus’ birth. He had a main interest. He wanted to explain why it was important. He did this by describing some strange events. They happened after Jesus’ birth.

Jesus’ birth was exactly as the Old Testament had said that it would be. The prophet Micah lived more than 800 years before Jesus. Micah had promised that a great ruler would come. His birth would be in Lesser Bethlehem. This was the place where David was born. Micah 5:2 says,

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
The One to be Ruler in Israel,
Whose goings forth are from of old,
From everlasting.”

The people knew that it would be after the time of the exile. But, nobody had come. So, the people were still waiting. But this small village was exactly where Jesus was born!

Matthew recorded the gifts that the Magi (wise men) brought. So, he must have thought that the gifts were important. He believed that each one shows us something special.   

Gold shows us about royal things. This is true even today. Gold for a King.

Frankincense is a perfume. Jewish priests used it in the Temple. It was one of their duties. Frankincense for a Priest.

Myrrh was another perfume, but one used for preparing the bodies of the dead. It helped to make the funeral less awful. Myrrh was also a sign that people were loyal to God. Myrrh for a Sacrifice.

Matthew believed that these gifts were signs. They showed the fact that Jesus was a holy king. He obeyed God. Because he served God, he would suffer and die. Matthew might have wanted us to think about something else too. People had different reactions to the news about Jesus’ birth. King Herod knew and believed God’s word. Herod had no doubts that the Magi would find the Christ in Bethlehem. He said, ‘When you find him’ (verse 8). But Herod was more interested in himself. He had his own ambitions. So, he tried to defeat God!

Also, there were the chief priests and the teachers of the Law. They had a different problem. They were professional Bible experts. But they failed to use the Old Testament in their own lives. They showed little interest in the Magi’s news. All of the Old Testament points to Jesus. But these men still had no interest in him.

The wise Men had little knowledge about Jesus. But they traveled great distances. They dealt with many difficulties. They really wanted to find him. When they first saw him, they gave him honor. Yet, he was only a child. These men ‘worshiped’ Jesus. Worship is for God only. Matthew tells us that this child was God himself. In some way, even the Magi knew this!

Herod

The Bible mentions several people who were called Herod. Herod the Great ruled Israel at the time of Jesus’ birth. Herod the Great was born in 73 BC. (Note: BC means Before Christ. Christ means Messiah.) Herod killed many people. So, he was always afraid that someone would kill him. At the time of his death, he had evil plans. He was planning to kill more than 3000 people. He had already killed his wife and his sister’s husband. He even killed his mother and some of his sons. This was because he was afraid of them.

All this explained Herod’s reaction to the report of the wise men. It helps us to know why the news affected ‘all the people in Jerusalem’ too. When Herod worried, other people usually suffered! Soon, the mothers of Bethlehem would know this. They would suffer from the cruelty of the king.

Maybe Herod was worried most about something that the Magi said. They spoke about someone who was ‘born as the king of the Jews’. Herod knew that he was not the proper king. He became king by using evil methods.

The Wise Men and the star

Magi or wise men were not religious leaders. They were the wise men in Persia and Media. This is now Iran and other countries near there. They were astronomers and studied the skies. We do not know how they knew about Jesus, maybe they had studied the prophecies or maybe it was a shared in a dream.

The chief priests and the teachers of the Law

These men were religious and political leaders. They ruled in ancient Judea. Judea was a part of Israel. They met together in a group. The name of this group was the Sanhedrin.

The chief priests included the present and previous High Priests. They also included priests from whom they would choose the new High Priest. They were all members of another group. The name of this group was the Sadducees.

Also, there were the teachers of the Law. ‘Scribes’ is another name for them. (Some English translations of the Bible use this name.) They must make sure that people obeyed the laws. They must also teach God’s words. They were the experts in Jewish religion. They were usually Pharisees.

Questions

1. People in this passage had different reactions to Jesus. What lessons can we learn from them?

2. Jesus came into this world for a purpose. He came to obey his Father. He came to serve us. He also died for us. What does this mean for the life of your church?

3. We must tell the Good News (gospel) to other people. What does this passage tell us about the gospel’s contents?

God became human for us. Jesus was God. He was also completely human. The story of his birth showed how this could be true. God promised to send the Messiah. Jesus is the Christ. Matthew has told us this. He has shown us that Jesus had the right family. He was the son of Abraham. He was the son of David too. Now we want the story to begin!

Matthew 1:18-25

¹⁸ This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

²⁰ But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,^[c] because he will save his people from their sins.”

²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ²⁵ But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Matthew tells us two great facts about Jesus’ birth here. First, a virgin gave birth to Jesus. Second, Jesus’ strange birth was special. It had special meaning.

Joseph and Mary had agreed to marry. This agreement would be for a year. Then there would be the marriage. It was during this year that Joseph found out about something. Mary was going to have a baby. Of course, he thought that she must have had sex with another man.

God’s law demanded action. Joseph wanted to give honor to God in his life. But, he did not act before he had thought about it. Then, he had a very clear dream. He knew that it was from God. An angel brought a message to Joseph. It was hard to believe it. Mary was going to have a child. But she had not had sex with another man. She was still a virgin! Her child belonged to God in a special way. He was from the Holy Spirit. This was exactly what God had said would happen. The angel reminded Joseph about this. He would have known the words from Isaiah 7:14.

¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel

Joseph acted very bravely. He obeyed God’s message. He married Mary. Probably, some people laughed at him. They would think that there had been sex before marriage. They might think that he was not obeying God’s laws. Other people might accuse Mary. They might say that she was a wicked woman. It is not always easy to obey God!

Matthew explained why this strange event happened. God became a man. He did this to ‘save his people from their sins’ (verse 21). Men and women can do many good things. But all people have sinned. Men and women are unable to help themselves. People need someone who will rescue them.

Customs of Jewish marriage

There were three periods to a Jewish marriage. First, there was the ‘engagement’. This was often while the couple were still children. The parents would use someone else to arrange it. The couple might not even see each other. Marriage was a serious matter. You could not trust the emotions of young people.

The second period was the ‘betrothal’. This was an official agreement. It was between the two young people. It meant that the engagement should continue. Up to this time, it could end. After the betrothal, they could not end the agreement. It lasted one year. During this time, people spoke to them as if they were man and wife. But they did not live together. Divorce was the only way to end it. Joseph and Mary were in this period when we first hear about them. The marriage was at the end of the year of betrothal.

Joseph was a good man. This meant that he obeyed God’s law. Some laws spoke about women who had sex with many men. There should be a public meeting about the matter. Then there should be a divorce. (Deuteronomy 22:23–29.) By the time of Joseph and Mary, the Jews did not kill people for this sin. But, there was another way to deal with it. The law seemed to allow a ‘secret’ divorce. (Deuteronomy 24:1–2.) Joseph was a kind man. So, he decided to have this kind of divorce. That would mean that Mary’s shame would not be so bad.

Birth by a virgin

Matthew told how a virgin gave birth. In verse 23, Matthew repeated Isaiah 7:14. He used the word ‘virgin’. We know that the Bible is true and these two writings generations apart refer to Jesus

Think about it

God called Joseph to do a very brave thing. Is there any part of your life where you are like Joseph? What could you learn from this passage to encourage you?

Christians believe that Mary was a virgin. (She had not had sex with any man.) They teach that it is true. Why do you think that this is important?

We live in a world where people often suffer. What message does this passage give you? What does it suggest that your church could do about it?