Jesus continues to explain that “greater righteousness” that is needed to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The Lord continues to contrast His way of thinking vs. the commonly accepted traditions of the time.

Jesus begins His ministry in Galilee drawing people from all the Land to hear His preaching and receive His healing. Matthew then presents the first of the 5 larger “sermons” – the Sermon on the Mount. This teaching will illustrate the kind of repentance – changing the way of thinking about everything – that will…

After Jesus fasts for 40 days and nights in the wilderness, He is tempted by the Devil (Satan). Ultimately, Jesus is tempted to take the “easy” road to glory, forsaking His allegiance to His Father. Jesus passes the test and this prepares Him for His ministry.

John arrives preaching a radical, unprecedented message to the people of Israel: “Repent (change your thinking about everything) because the Kingdom of Heaven has drawn near.” As John is baptizing, Jesus comes to be baptized – identifying with John’s mission and message and also identifying with His people.

We take a look at the visit from the Magi and Herod’s plot to kill the new-born King of the Jews. Matthew provides evidence of the FULL-fillment of the Hebrew Scriptures from Jesus birth narratives. He also establishes Jesus as a NEW Moses who will bring a NEW Exodus, preparing a NEW Israel.

Jesus’ birth FULL-fills what was foretold through the Prophets. We discuss how Matthew uses his quotations from the Hebrew Scriptures to show how Jesus is the long expected Messiah. Then, Magi from the East come to worship the new-born King.

We consider Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus and the surprises it holds. There are names that should be there, names that are a surprise, and a name that causes a mental train-wreck. In the final analysis, Matthew presents a Messiah who has come to save His people from their sins.

In our first session, we discuss the key aspects of history from the Hebrew Scriptures that set the stage for Matthew’s narrative. We also discuss the issues of authorship, audience, and how Matthew fits with the other Synoptic Gospels (Mark, Luke).