The Gospel of Matthew, Lesson 4.4

Lesson Objectives

  1. To read Matthew 8-10 with understanding.
  2. To understand the Old Testament background and allusions in Matthew’s depiction of Jesus’ healings and other miracles and the growing tensions with the scribes and Pharisees.
  3. To understand how Matthew uses evocations of select Old Testament prophets to convey that in Jesus, the long-anticipated “restoration” of Israel has begun.

IV. Study Questions

1. How does Matthew use the prophecies of Hosea, Isaiah, and Ezekiel to evoke the sense that in Jesus the long-awaited restoration of Israel has begun?

2. Explain what Jesus wants the Pharisees and scribes to hear when He tells them: "Those who are sick do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’"

For prayer and reflection:

Read and pray over Matthew 9:36 and Ezekiel 34:10-16; 23-25,30. Based on our discussion in this lesson, pray and reflect on the way the images and promises of the Old Testament materials are fulfilled in the readings from the New Testament, especially the Gospel passage from Matthew.

Begin Lesson 5

Lesson Outline

  1. Down From the Mountain
    1. Matthew’s Second Book
    2. Bearing Infirmity and Sin
  2. Mercy, Not Sacrifice
    1. Holiness Exceeding the Pharisees’
    2. Learning From the Prophets
  3. The Identity of the Law-Giver
    1. The Divine Bridegroom
    2. In the Storm-Tossed Ship
    3. The Shepherd King
  4. Study Questions

Other Lessons

  • Lesson One: Learning to Listen for Echoes: A New Approach to the New Testament
    • Lesson Objectives
    1. To understand how important the Old Testament is to reading and interpreting the New Testament.
    2. To learn what “typology” is and to appreciate its significance for reading the New Testament.
    3. To understand the relationship between the writers of the New Testament and other first-century Jewish interpreters of Scripture.

    Begin Lesson One

  • Lesson Two: Son of David, Son of Abraham
    • Lesson Objectives
    1. To read Matthew 1-2 with understanding.
    2. To learn the Old Testament history and background behind the quotations and allusions used in the prologue to Matthew’s gospel.
    3. To gain a fuller appreciation of Matthew’s depiction of Jesus as a “new Moses.”

    Begin Lesson Two

  • Lesson Three: ‘Not to Abolish, But to Fulfill’
    • Lesson Objectives
    1. To read Matthew 3-7 with understanding.
    2. To understand the Old Testament background and allusions in Matthew’s depictions of John the Baptist, the Baptism of Jesus and His temptation in the wilderness.
    3. To understand the crucial importance of Jesus’ summary in the Sermon on the Mount: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.”

    Begin Lesson Three

  • Lesson Five: Riddles of Rejection, Rock of Foundation
    • Lesson Objectives
    1. To read Matthew 11-18 with understanding.
    2. To understand the Old Testament background to Jesus’ teaching in parables.
    3. To understand the deep Old Testament context by which Matthew conveys that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah and the Church is the restoration of the Davidic Kingdom.

    Begin Lesson Five

  • Lesson Six: David’s Son, David’s Lord
    • Lesson Objectives
    1. To read Matthew 19-28 with understanding.
    2. To understand the Old Testament background to Matthew’s depiction of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, His Passion and death.
    3. To understand the deep Old Testament context by which Matthew conveys that Jesus is the long-awaited “Son of David” and the “Son of God.”

    Begin Lesson Six