Jim’s Blog

Key Verse: Matthew 12:8 “For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath” This is the first of what are known as the Sabbath controversies in the gospels. On this occasion, Jesus’ disciples were picking some heads of grain and eating them as they walked through some grain fields on the Sabbath day. […]

Matthew 5 The New Law vv. 17-20 (Part 2) Jesus proclaimed the “springtime” of God’s dealings with Israel after a four hundred year drought of hearing from the Lord. His “green leaf” message had full regard fro the ancient stock and vine of the Law and the Prophets. Indeed, as he put it, “Do not […]

Key Verse: Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” In this chapter, we have two contrasting sides of Jesus’ ministry portrayed. First of all, He very bluntly and directly condemns Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum, cities that were not repenting of their sin, not […]

Key Verse: Matthew 10:34 “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” In this chapter, Jesus sends out His twelve disciples. It’s the first time He has invested them with a ministry responsibility and it’s not difficult to see that He recognizes their greenness, their newness at this huge task of world evangelization. […]

Key Verse: Matthew 9:11 “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Matthew, as we all know, was one of Jesus’ disciples. In fact, he is the writer of the book we’re now studying. But Matthew was one of the undesirables in Israelite society. He was a Jew, yes, but he was a […]

Key Verse: Matthew 7:2 “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged…” He knows that it’s as natural for humans to judge one another as it is to breathe. And every one of us is guilty. Every one of us is making judgments of others, as hard as it may be sometimes for […]

Key Verse: Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” This beatitude not only sets the tone for Jesus’ “sermon on the mount”, but it’s also the bedrock of Jesus’ ministry. He came to bring men and women into the kingdom. It wasn’t just a case of coming […]

Key Verse: Matthew 4:17 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” After successfully dealing with Satan’s temptations in the the wilderness, Jesus began his ministry. His message was very straight-forward, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” I think we need to be clear about this subject of repentance. Confession of sin […]

Matthew 5 The New Law vv. 17-20 (Part 1) Later in his writing about Jesus, Matthew (9:17) recalls Jesus saying, “Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, […]