Matthew was written as a Gospel primarily for the Jewish people to prove that Jesus is the long-

expected Messiah.

And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to

heal every disease and every affliction. 2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter,

and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot,

who betrayed him.

The Zealots were members of a first-century political movement among Judean Jews who sought to overthrow the occupying

Roman government.

And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to

heal every disease and every affliction. 2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter,

and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus,

and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot,

and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority

over the unclean spirits.

Mark 6:7

And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to

heal every disease and every affliction.

“Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out

demons. You received without paying; give without pay. 9 Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, or

two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. 11 And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in

it and stay there until you depart.

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

Mt. 10:16

 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and

the servant like his master.

Mt. 10:24-25

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever

denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Mt. 10:28 - 33

Mt. 11finished Instructions, Preached in cities

Messengers from John the Baptist

Woe to Unrepentant Cities

Come to Me, and I Will Give You Rest:Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you

rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my

burden is light.”

Mt. 11:28 - 30

Mt. 12

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath:

‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’

A Man with a Withered Hand (Mt. 12:10 - 14):a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. 11 He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls

into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored,

healthy like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

Mt. 12

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit:when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of

demons, that this man casts out demons.”

A parable is, literally, something “cast alongside” something else. Jesus’ parables were stories that were “cast alongside”

a truth in order to illustrate that truth. His parables were teaching aids and can be thought of as extended analogies or inspired comparisons. A common description of a parable

is that it is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.

What is a parable?

Jesus explains that His use of parables had a two-fold purpose: to reveal the truth to those who wanted to know it and to conceal the truth from those who were indifferent. In

the previous chapter (Matthew 12), the Pharisees had publicly rejected their Messiah and blasphemed the Holy

Spirit(Matthew 12:22–32). They fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy of a

hardhearted, spiritually blind people (Isaiah 6:9–10).

Jesus’ response was to begin teaching in parables. Those who, like the Pharisees, had a preconceived bias against the

Lord’s teaching would dismiss the parables as irrelevant nonsense. However, those who truly sought the truth would

understand.

tools to help study the Parables

Determine the scope of the spiritual truth being presented.

Sometimes, a parable is preceded by some introductory words that provide a context. For example, often Jesus preceded a

parable with the words “this is what the kingdom of heaven is like” (7 times in Matthew 13 alone). Also, before the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, we read this: “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on

everyone else, Jesus told this parable” (Luke 18:9). This introduction delineates the subject matter being illustrated

(self-righteousness and spiritual pride).

Distinguish between the “meat” of the story and what is just

ornamentation.not every detail of a parable carries a

deep spiritual meaning. Some details are simply there to help the story seem more

realistic. For example, in Jesus’ own interpretation of the Parable of the Sower, He does not comment on the fact that there are four

(and only four) different types of soil. That detail was meaningless to the

overall point Jesus was making.

Compare Scripture with Scripture.

Jesus’ parables will never contradict the rest of the Word of God, which He came to express (John 12:49). The parables are meant to illustrate doctrine, and the teachings Jesus

illuminated are found clearly taught elsewhere in the Bible.

Mt. 13 ends - Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

Mt. 14The Death of John the Baptist

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

Jesus Walks on the Water

Mt. 15

Traditions and Commandments

What Defiles a Person

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

Jesus Heals Many

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

Mt. 16The Pharisees and Sadducees Demand Signs

The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ (Mt 16:15-16):

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection (Mt 16:23):

But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus (Mt 16:24-26):

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?