Gospel of Matthew
Monday – Read Matthew 1:1-25
Prayer: Ask God to open your heart so that you can learn what He has prepared for you during your study.
1. Why do you think Matthew begins this account of the life of Jesus with a listing of His genealogy?
2. Of all the names listed in the genealogy of Jesus, which are the ones that would be important to the Jews?
3. In the genealogical listing, Jacob and Judah have something in common. What do these two individuals have in common?
4. Since Jesus was not actually from the seed of Joseph, why is he listed in the genealogy?
5. What do you understand “betrothed” to mean? Is it the same as someone in our time being engaged? Why or why not?
6. Thought Question – Why do you think it was necessary for Jesus to be born of a virgin?
Prayer: Thank God for providing a Savior to save you from your sins.
Tuesday – Read Matthew 2:1-12
Prayer: Ask God to open your heart so that you can learn what He has prepared for you during your study.
7. What do you know about Bethlehem of Judea?
8. What made Jesus being born in Bethlehem of Judea significant?
9. Why do you think the person who was king at the time of Jesus was born is mentioned in this account of his birth?
10. Where do you think “the east,” verse 1, was?
11. From what is said about the wise men, verses 1 & 2 & 10-12, what do you assume about them?
12. Why do you think King Herod troubled when the wise men came and told him about the birth of Jesus?
13. Why would King Herod assemble the “chief priests and scribes of the people,” verse 4, since he was not a Jew?
14. Since the wise men said they saw the star when it rose, and the star led them to the house in Bethlehem where Mary and baby Jesus were, why do you think they stopped in Jerusalem and talked with King Herod?
15. Why did the wise men fall down and worship baby Jesus when they saw Him?
16. Thought Question – About how long after His birth do you think it was when the wise men came to Bethlehem?
Prayer: Thank God for the miracle of the birth of Jesus and for giving you these details surrounding His birth so you can better understand what people of faith Joseph and Mary were.
Wednesday – Read Matthew 2:13-23
Prayer: Ask God to open your heart so that you can learn what He has prepared for you during your study.
17. Why did the angel of the Lord tell Joseph to take the child and flee to Egypt?
18. Why do you think Herod killed all the male children in Bethlehem and its regions, two years old or under?
19. Read verses 19 & 20 again. From reading those two verses, where do you think Joseph intended to live with his family when he returned to Israel? Why do you think he would have chosen to live there?
20. What is the difference between a “Nazarene” and a “Nazarite?”
21. Thought Question – Since John the Baptizer was a Nazarite, why do you think Jesus was not a Nazarite?
Prayer: Thank God for all the prophecies that He recorded in the Old Testament concerning Jesus that help establish the identity of Jesus as the promised Messiah and strengthen you trust in His promises.
Thursday – Read Matthew 3:1-12
Prayer: Ask God to open your heart so that you can learn what He has prepared for you during your study.
22. Why do you think this information about John the Baptizer is contained in this account of the life of Jesus?
23. What was significant about John’s message about the kingdom, verse 2?
24. What do you think the statement from Isaiah that John was uttering, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,” verse 3, means?
25. From the scriptures, what would a person know about baptism when John first preached it, verse 8?
26. Why do you think John was so harsh towards the Pharisees and Sadducees when they came to him in the wilderness, verses 7 & 8?
27. What do you think the statement “We have Abraham as our father,” verse 9, means?
28. What does John’s comparison of himself with Jesus, verse 11, indicate about John?
29. Thought Question – Why do you think John’s ministry was in the wilderness of Judea instead of in Jerusalem, in and around the Temple, the heart of the Jewish religious system?
Prayer: Thank God for John the Baptizer and others like him who were willing to withstand the bad treatment by their own people to proclaim the message of Jesus.
Friday – Read Matthew 3:13-17
Prayer: Ask God to open your heart so that you can learn what He has prepared for you during your study.
30. Why did John not want to baptize Jesus, verse 14?
31. What do you think the statement of Jesus, verse 15, means?
32. Why was Jesus baptized?
33. Why did the dove descend on Jesus when He was baptized?
34. What do you think was the purpose of God’s statement about Jesus at His baptism, verse 17?
35. Thought Question – From Matthew’s Gospel, to this point you have learned that baptism was to be preceded by repentance, verse 2; baptism is in water, verse 6; and after baptism you should bear fruit in keeping with repentance, verse 8. What is the only point Jesus’ baptism, verses 13-17, confirms?
Prayer: Thank God for showing you how to come in contact with the blood of Jesus through baptism so your sins could be forgiven and you could enter a covenant relationship with Him.
Saturday – Read Matthew 4:1-11
Prayer: Ask God to open your heart so that you can learn what He has prepared from you during your study.
36. What does the way Jesus went into the wilderness teach you about the way God wants you to live your Christian life, verse 1?
37. Why do you think Jesus was tempted immediately after His baptism?
38. What is the significance of the number “40” in the Bible, verse 2?
39. In what way does the devil attempt to deceive Jesus just as He did Eve in the Garden, verse 3?
40. What does Jesus say is the key to overcoming temptation, verses 4, 6 & 10?
41. In what way was the temptations of Jesus similar to the temptations of Eve?
42. What does the story of the temptation of Jesus teach you about temptation, verse 11?
43. Thought Question – Do you think the devil could have done, given to Jesus, the things he promised if He would worship him? Why or why not?
Prayer: Thank God for the example of Jesus which teaches you that you can resist the temptations of the devil if you lean on God.
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