Gospel of Matthew Resources — Wednesday in the Word

Gospel of Matthew Bible Study Resources | WednesdayintheWord.com

Everything you need to kick start your study of the Gospel of Matthew: maps, charts, key words, history, background, outlines, and links to help you study.

Jump to: Background; Maps; Key Words; Encyclopedias; Commentaries; Articles; GotQuestions Next

Bible Studies

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Basics

Author: the Apostle Matthew (aka Levi).
See: Who was Matthew?
Matthew was a tax collector in Capernaum when Jesus called him.
Date Written: 58-68 AD
The early church fathers unanimously believed Matthew’s gospel was the first gospel written.
The view that Mark’s gospel was first (which is more popular today) did not arise until the first half of the 19thCentury. These scholars would date Matthew’s gospel around 80 AD.
Primary audience: Greek-speaking Jewish Christians, quite probably in Antioch, Syria.
Matthew’s gospel was placed first in the New Testament Canon by the early church because it’s opening forms a natural bridge between the Old and New Testaments.
Purpose: Convince Jewish readers that Jesus Christ is the culmination of the Old Testament promises and that Jesus is the Messiah.
Matthew often uses the phrase “that which was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled”. That phrase does not appear in Mark, Luke or John.
There are more quotations from the Old Testament in Matthew’s gospel than in the remaining three put together.

Structure

Matthew contains important transition markers in the text:

Literary: “When Jesus had finished saying these things…” (Mt 7:28-29; Mt 11:1; Mt 13:53; Mt 19:1; Mt 26:1); 5 blocks of teaching.
Temporal: “From that time Jesus began to preach” (Mt 4:17) and “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples” (Mt 16:21).
Theological: “This was to fulfill what was spoken…” (Mt 1:22; Mt 2:6; Mt 2:15; Mt 2:17; Mt 2:23; Mt 4:15-16; Mt 8:17; Mt 12:17-21; Mt 13:14; Mt 12:35; Mt 21:4; Mt 27:9-10).
inclusio (a device of using the same phrase to begin and end a section): “his name shall be called Immanuel which means ‘God with us'” (Mt 1:23) and “lo I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mat 28:20).

There are many different ways to outline the gospel of Matthew. Here are 2 examples:

Simple Outline

Prologue – Chapters 1-4
Galilee – Chapters 5-16:12; Jesus’ ministry in Galilee
Turning Point – Chapters 16:13-17; Jesus prepares to go to Jerusalem
Jerusalem – Chapters 18-28; Journey to Jerusalem, culminating in the passion week.

More detailed Outline

1:1-2:23 – Prologue
3:1-4:11 – Introduction to Jesus’s public ministry
4:12-11:1 – Galilean ministry
Narrative: Introduction (4:12-22) & summary (4:23-25)
Discourse: Sermon on the Mount; The Messiah’s call to righteousness (5:1-7:29)
Narrative: The Messiah’s ministry (8:1-9:34) & summary (9:35)
Discourse: Commissioning the 12; The Messiah extends his ministry (9:36-11:1)
11:2-20:34 – Rejection and acceptance from Galilee to Jerusalem
Narrative: Rejected by Jewish Leaders; accepted by the disciples (11:2-12:50)
Discourse: Parables of the Kingdom; The Messiah teaches about the Kingdom (13:1-53)
Narrative: Rejected by Jewish Leaders; accepted by the disciples intensifies (13:54-17:27)
Discourse: Talking of the church; The Messiah instructs about community life (18:1-19:1)
Narrative: The Messiah instructs on the way to Jerusalem (19:2-20:34)
21:1-28:20 – Jesus confronts Jerusalem
Narrative: The Messiah confronts Israel in Jerusalem (21:1-22:26)
Discourse: The Olivet Discourse; The Messiah predicts the judgment of unbelieving Israel (23:1-26:2)
Narrative: The Messiah is rejected in Jerusalem, but vindicated by God (26:3-28:20)

Genre: Understanding the Gospels

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Section 1: Background

Background & Outlines

Matthew NASB Study Text
Introduction to New Testament Jewish Groups
Blue Letter Bible: Matthew Overview
Bible Atlas: Nazareth
Bible Atlas: Galilee
Bible Atlas: Bethlehem
Bible Atlas: Jerusalem
Bible Atlas: Judea
Bible Atlas: Jordan River
Blue Letter Bible: Chronology of Acts/Epistles
Overview of the Book by Ray C Stedman
Author, Date, Background by John MacArthur
Ligonier: Introduction to the Gospels
Ligonier: Introduction to Matthew
Biblehub: Chronology of Matthew
ESV: Introduction to Matthew
ESV: The Global Message of Matthew
NIV: Introduction to Matthew
David Malick (Bible.org): An Introduction to Matthew
David Malick: An Argument of Matthew
James van dine: Introduction to Matthew
Comparison of Sermon on the Mount and Sermon on the Plain
List of the miracles of Jesus
List of the Parables of Jesus

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Section 2: Maps

Maps from Bible-History.com

New Testament World
Israel in NT Times
Kingdom of Herod the Great
Herod’s Kingdom Divided
Christ’s Early Ministry
Nazareth
Galilee
New Testament Jerusalem
New Testament Cities – Once there click on specific area

Maps from Holman Bible Atlas

Rome’s Emergence as a World Power

Romans, Palestine, and Herod the Great

The World of Jesus

The Life and Ministry of Jesus

Inductive Bible Study Maps:

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Section 3: Key Words

Key Words in Matthew

Occurrences are based on New American Standard Text. “4x/3v” means the word appears 4 times in 3 verses. “3x” means the word appears 3 times in 3 verses.

Son (72x) – Strong’s G5207; G5043 in 9:2; Son of Man – 30x; Son of God – 8x
Kingdom (53x) -Strong’s 6932; Kingdom of heaven (Strong’s G3772) – 31x; Kingdom of God (Strong’s G2316) – 4x
King (19x) – Strong’s G935 in Mat 1:6; Mat 2:1; Mat 2:2; Mat 2:3; Mat 2:9; Mat 5:35; Mat 14:9; Mat 18:23; Mat 21:5; Mat 22:7; Mat 22:11; Mat 22:13; Mat 25:34; Mat 25:40; Mat 27:11; Mat 27:29; Mat 27:37; Mat 27:42; Strong’s G444 in Mat 22:2;
Blessed (17x) – Strong’s G3017 in Mat 5:3; Mat 5:4; Mat 5:5; Mat 5:6; Mat 5:7; Mat 5:8; Mat 5:9; Mat 5:10; Mat 5:11; Mat 11:6; Mat 13:16; Mat 16:17; Mat 24:46; Strong’s G2127 in Mat 14:19; Mat 21:9; Mat 23:39; Mat 25:34.
fulfill (12x) – Strong’s G1437 in Mat 1:22; Mat 2:15; Mat 2:23; Mat 3:15; Mat 4:14; Mat 5:17; Mat 5:33; Mat 8:17; Mat 12:17; Mat 13:35; Mat 21:4; Mat 26:56; fulfilled (4x) in Mat 2:17; Mat 26:54; Mat 27:9; Strong’s G378 in Mat 13:14.
Spirit (16x); Holy Spirit (5x); Spirit of God (2x) – Strong’s G4151 in Mat 1:18; Mat 1:20; Mat 3:11; Mat 3:16; Mat 4:1; Mat 5:3; Mat 10:20; Mat 12:18; Mat 12:28; Mat 12:31; Mat 12:32; Mat 12:43; Mat 22:43; Mat 26:41; Mat 27:50; Mat 28:19.
Truly (31x) – Strong’s G281 in Mat 5:18; Mat 5:26; Mat 6:2; Mat 6:5; Mat 6:16; Mat 8:10; Mat 10:15; Mat 10:23; Mat 10:42; Mat 11:11; Mat 13:17; Mat 16:28; Mat 17:20; Mat 18:3; Mat 18:13; Mat 18:18; Mat 19:23; Mat 19:28; Mat 21:21; Mat 21:31; Mat 23:36; Mat 24:2; Mat 24:34; Mat 24:47; Mat 25:12; Mat 25:40; Mat 25:45; Mat 26:13; Mat 26:21; Mat 26:34; Mat 27:54.
Pharisees (29x) – Strong’s G5330 in Mat 3:7; Mat 5:20; Mat 9:11; Mat 9:14; Mat 9:34; Mat 12:2; Mat 12:14; Mat 12:24; Mat 12:38; Mat 15:1; Mat 15:12; Mat 16:1; Mat 16:6; Mat 16:11; Mat 16:12; Mat 19:3; Mat 21:45; Mat 22:15; Mat 22:34; Mat 22:41; Mat 23:2; Mat 23:13; Mat 23:14; Mat 23:15; Mat 23:23; Mat 23:25; Mat 23:27; Mat 23:29; Mat 27:62.