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Pilate tried to pretend that Jesus’s death was not his decision. How can we be honest about the role we play in what goes on in our lives? [Matthew 27:11-14; 27:15-26] Previous Matthew Index Next Matthew 27:11-26 Pilate tried to pretend that Jesus’s death was not his decision. How can we be honest about the role we play in what goes on in our lives? Pilate washes his hands in front of a bound Jesus. Andrea Schiavone (c. 1510-15 - 1563). Kristus inför Pilatus [Christ before Pilate] . 16 th century. Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Andrea_Schiavone_-_Christ_before_Pilate_GG_1516.jpg . Tom Faletti September 19, 2025 Matthew 27:11-26 Pilate questions Jesus and sentences him without finding him guilty Pilate was given authority over Judea as a military governor from AD 26 to 36, so he is not new to the position when Jesus shows up in his court in AD 30 (or 33 according to some scholars). His headquarters were in Caesarea, on the Mediterranean coast, but he knew it was important to be in Jerusalem during the Passover feast due to the huge crowds that gathered there. He was an unsympathetic person, not well liked, and unnecessarily cruel, which eventually led to his being recalled to Rome. He apparently considered his primary duty to be to keep the lid on the pressure-cooker of Judea, where there were many fervent and sometimes resistant Jews living under Roman occupation. Sadly, his methods often inflamed the population rather than pacifying them. Pilate’s formal title was “prefect,” a military governor. Some translations refer to him as the “procurator,” a generic term indicating that a person has been given power but is subordinate to a higher authority. Pilate had received power from the emperor and was responsible to him for what went on in Judea. In verse 11, what does Pilate ask Jesus? Why would he care about that particular question? Matthew is providing a condensed version of what happened. The Gospel of John provides a much fuller account of the multiple hearings that led to Jesus’s execution. Matthew does not state the formal charges that were brought against Jesus. We see them in Luke 23:2. The charges included that he claimed to be “the Messiah, a king.” Pilate asks about the claim that he is a king because that would be an unacceptable claim in the Roman Empire. He would be much less concerned about whether Jesus claimed to a messiah. He would consider that to be mainly a religious squabble among the Jews unless it was accompanied by acts of insurrection against the Empire. How does Jesus answer in verse 11? When asked if he is a king, Jesus again the same “You say so” that we have seen him use previously. Again, a straight “Yes” would be misleading because he was not claiming to be the king of the Jews in the military sense that Pilate would have understood the term to mean. We often get ourselves into trouble by saying too much or by saying things that people can misinterpret and that we could have said better. What can we learn from Jesus about saying the right things in the right ways at the right times? How does Barabbas come into the story starting in verse 16)? The claim that Pilate had a practice of allowing one prisoner to go free during the feast is not mentioned in sources outside of the Gospels, but it is a prominent element of the story in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John. Verse 18 tells us that Pilate had reached a conclusion as to why Jesus was brought before him. What does he think is going on? If that is what Pilate thought, do you think he should have handled Jesus’s case differently? What happens to Herod’s wife (verse 19)? It looks like God is giving Pilate every opportunity to do the right thing and refuse to do the wrong thing. Does God also give us little signals when we are contemplating doing something wrong, or does he just sit back and watch as we wrestle with sin? What is God’s attitude toward you as you are grappling with temptation? Reread Matthew 27:20-26 . Who do you think these “crowds” were, that were there in Pilate’s court rather than focusing on their Passover celebration? Why do you think they asked for Barabbas to be released rather than Jesus? What does verse 23 tell us about whether Pilate thinks Jesus is innocent or guilty? How does verse 24 further show what Pilate thinks about Jesus? If Pilate thought that Jesus was innocent, why didn’t he release him? We might wonder how concerned Pilate is about justice. Verse 24 offers some insight about his biggest concern here. What does Pilate care about most? Matthew’s is the only Gospel where Pilate washes his hands (verse 24). What is Pilate’s point in doing that? The Jews had a practice of washing one’s hands to show innocence. It arose from an instruction in the Mosaic Law in Deuteronomy 21:1-9, which said that if a corpse was found in the wilderness and no one had any idea who killed the person, the elders of the nearest town were directed to sacrifice a heifer and wash their hands over it as a sign of their innocence, asking God not to hold against the people the guilt of the shedding of innocent blood. Pilate is unlikely to have had any interest in following a Jewish ritual, and the circumstances in Deuteronomy don’t fit Jesus’s situation. However, this gesture by Pilate has come down through the ages as a symbol of professed innocence. Pilate further underscores his innocence by saying to the crowd in verse 24, “See to it yourselves” (27:24), the same thing the chief priests had said to Judas when he repented of betraying innocent blood (27:4). He is saying, “Don’t put the blame on me.” However, who ultimately hands Jesus over to be crucified – the crowd or Pilate? Can a person in power get off the hook or absolve themselves from something by washing their hands of it? When is it appropriate for them to say, “Don’t blame me,” and when is a person in power still morally responsible for what they allow others to do? Verse 25 has a statement that has been misused throughout history to justify discrimination, mistreatment, and oppression of Jews. In Matthew’s telling, the people say, “His blood be on us and on our children.” In Western history, how have Christian churches and individual Christians used this statement as a bogus reason to treat Jews badly? Jews in later generations were falsely called “Christ-killers,” discriminated against, kept from good jobs and neighborhoods, forced into ghettos, evicted from their homes, murdered in vicious pogroms, and ultimately subjected to the Holocaust. Many of these acts were falsely justified on the grounds that a tiny number of their distant ancestors sought Jesus’s execution. Matthew is expressing a view that arises from the contentious and sometimes violent relations between Christians and Jews in his time. The words he places in the mouth of the crowd are not a judgment from God. God’s view is entirely different. Read Ezekiel 18:4 and Ezekiel 18:20 . Does God allow children to be punished for the sins of their parents? No. God says: “For all life is mine: the life of the parent is like the life of the child, both are mine. Only the one who sins shall die!” (Ezekiel 18:4, NABRE) If that isn’t clear enough God adds: “Only the one who sins shall die. The son shall not be charged with the guilt of his father, nor shall the father be charged with the guilt of his son” (Ezekiel 18:20, NABRE). Is there any legitimate justification for blaming the entire Jewish people for the acts of the few who were there at the time? Why not? Note that in the end, in verse 26, it is Pilate who hands Jesus over to be crucified, not the Jews generally or even the chief priests specifically. Pilate is the only one with the authority to order the crucifixion. How does that guide your thinking about Pilate’s protestations of innocence? It is Pilate’s Roman soldiers who will crucify Jesus, and they will do so on the orders of a Roman, Pilate. How does that guide your thinking about the ways that Christians have unjust treated Jews throughout the ages? In verse 26, Jesus is scourged. Scourging was an incredibly excruciating form of torture, where a condemned prisoner was whipped with leather straps that had bits of bone and lead embedded in them. This was different than using a regular whip to whip someone as a form of punishment. Instead, it was part of the torture of execution, intended to deliver maximum pain and weaken the prisoner while still keeping him alive to suffer the further intense agony of the crucifixion itself. In verse 26, Jesus is “handed over” to be crucified. Matthew uses the same Greek work for “handed over” in all of the following places: In Matthew 11:27, Jesus says that the Father has handed over all things to him. In Matthew 20:18, Jesus says that he will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, who will condemn him to death. In Matthew 26:2, Jesus says that he will be handed over to be crucified. In Matthew 27:2, Jesus is handed over from the chief priests to Pilate. In Matthew 27:18, Matthew tells us that Pilate knew the chief priests handed Jesus over to him out of jealously. In Matthew 27:26, Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified. Interestingly, not in Matthew but in John, when Jesus died, he bowed his head and handed over his spirit (John 19:30). To the end, Jesus was in control of his destiny. Do you ever feel like your life is a series of instances where you are “handed over” to some experience or another? In John 10:17-18, Jesus says that he has the power to lay down his life and the power to take it up again. In Matthew 26:53, Jesus declares that he could summon legions of angels to intervene if that was what the Father wanted to happen. What does the fact that he allowed this to happen, when he could have stopped it, tell you about him? How might Jesus’s example give you a sense of perspective as you deal with difficult situations in your life that are not of your own choosing? Take a step back and consider this: The Roman Empire is often praised for the Pax Romana , a period of supposed peace and prosperity the reigned under Roman rule from roughly 27 BC to AD 180. There may have been relative peace on the Italian peninsula during this time, but to people of other ethnic groups it was a period of oppression that was so extensive that any attempt to fight for freedom was quickly and brutally crushed. Moreover, people did try to fight for freedom, leading to massacres such as Rome’s destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. And even during periods of relative “peace” such as the years in which Jesus lived, Roman crucifixions lined the roads of the Empire as vicious warnings not to disrupt the peace of Roman oppression. How can we hold historians to account, and challenge ourselves as well, to tell an accurate history that includes the experiences of the oppressed and does not present the views of the victors as the only way to understand what happened? How do you think God would want you to tell your own nation’s history? Christ died on the cross for all people, not just the people who were most powerful. Does your nation’s history tell the stories of people who were oppressed or held back as honestly as God would tell their stories? Whose story might need to be more fully told if seen through God’s eyes? Why does it matter whether Christians tell the whole history of a people? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew Index Next

Make the choice to follow Christ and do not be afraid of the consequences. [Matthew 10:16-25; 10:26-33; 10:34-39; 10:40-42] Previous Matthew Index Next Matthew 10:16-42 Make the choice to follow Christ and do not be afraid of the consequences. Image by Redd F, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Cropped. Tom Faletti August 10, 2024 Matthew 10:16-25 The persecution that will come As Jesus’s followers go out to preach the good news, what problems will they face? What are the risks they will face? What are the reassurances Jesus offers? How is the reassurance Jesus offers based on a relationship? In verses 17, 18, and 21, who will oppose them or cause them trouble? Jesus mentions religious leaders, governmental authorities, and family members. As you try to be transparent and open about your faith, is there anyone who is likely to oppose you or cause you trouble? If so, what might you do about it? Have you experienced any situations like what is described in verse 20, where you did now have a plan for what you would say about your faith, but the Spirit spoke through you? How can you live a life that is so open to the movement and guidance of the Holy Spirit that that kind of guidance “in the moment” is possible? Where are you tempted to hold back in boldly following Jesus? What does this passage say to you? Based on what Jesus says in these verses, would you say martyrdom should be sought, avoided where possible, or avoided at all costs? In verse 23b, Jesus says that the Son of Man will come before they have proclaimed the good news in all of the towns of Israel. Matthew might have understood this to be true in the sense that the beginning of the coming of the Son of Man was inaugurated when Jesus died and rose from the dead. Or he might have seen the coming of the Son of Man as having occurred when Jerusalem was destroyed and Israel was shattered by the Romans in AD 70. We will explore the coming of the Son of Man when Jesus talks more about it in Matthew 24. In verse 24, Jesus says the disciple is not above the teacher. The word disciple means a learner or student. How do you maintain your role as a lifelong learner under Jesus? What are some ways that we, as disciples, are called to be “like” our teacher Jesus? Matthew 10:26-33 Do not fear What does Jesus emphasize repeatedly in verses 26, 28, 31 of this passage? Why might fear be a natural response? There might be pain, suffering, rejection, and even death in following Jesus. Why, then, does Jesus tell us not to fear? What is Jesus saying about us and God in the sparrow analogy in verses 29-31? We are greatly valued by God. We are intensely and surprisingly important to him. He never stops watching us, with love. What fears do you face? What does this word from Jesus about not being afraid say to you in your particular circumstances? In verses 32-33, Jesus contrasts those who acknowledge him before others and those who deny him before others. William Barclay suggests (Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1 , pp. 403-404) that there are three ways we can deny Jesus: by our words , by our silence , and by our actions . What does it look like to deny Jesus by our words? . . . by our silence? . . . by our actions? What does it look like to acknowledge Jesus before other people by our words, our silence, and our actions? Where in your life do you need to be a clearer witness to Jesus right now, and how might it affect your words, your times of silence, or your actions? Matthew 10:34-39 The choice What are the some of the things Jesus says will be part of being called by him? What does Jesus mean in verses 34-36 when he says he has come to bring a sword? When Jesus says he has not come to bring peace, but a sword (verse 34), he explains what he means in verses 35-36. He is not talking about military might or violent uprising. He is not saying that he wields a sword, nor is he saying that the sword should be wielded by his disciples. On the contrary, the sword is wielded by those who oppose Jesus and his disciples. Jesus is lamenting the fact that his coming produces such opposition that some will die by the sword. The quote in verses 35-36 comes from Micah 7:6, where the prophet describes with great sorrow how the society around him has degenerated to the point where those who are faithful to God cannot trust the people around them, but instead must look to God and wait for God to provide salvation (Micah 7:7). What does the conundrum in verse 39 about finding your life/losing your life mean? What does it mean to “take up your cross and follow me”? How might a person today have to give up the life they have today in order to find the life they are called to by in Christ? What do you think of Jesus’s blunt honesty in this passage? Do we need more of this kind of honesty in the message of Christianity in our day? Or can we avoid this tough message and still be saved? Most people don’t face this choice in stark, life-or-death terms the way the martyrs did. They do face smaller life decisions that change the direction of their lives and even smaller choices every day about how to live their lives. How do these smaller choices both reflect and determine where we stand with Jesus? What is the cost or sacrifice that comes with following Jesus? What is the reward or benefit? A cross is an instrument of death. How is taking up a cross an apt metaphor for the choice we face? What is the cross you are called to take up right now in order to follow Jesus? Matthew 10:40-42 You are representatives of Jesus What is this passage saying? This passage implies that we are representatives of Jesus. What responsibilities come with being a representative of Jesus? This passage implies that our fellow Christians, even the lowest, are representatives of Jesus. What does that fact call us to do? In verse 42, Jesus talks about giving a cup of cold water to “these little ones.” Scholars debate whether the “little ones” refers to the apostles/disciples or to the uneducated and needy members of the community. But it can also be taken more literally. Who are the “little ones” in this world who need a cup of water? How can we, directly or through organizations or governments, help people who need access to safe, clean drinking water? Benedict T. Viviano comments, “It has been observed that if God will reward one who gives a cup of cold water to a disciple, how much more will he reward one who installs an entire city water system” (Viviano, par. 72, p. 652). Many nonprofit organizations, often operating from a religious orientation, help people in less developed countries build wells or implement water purification programs, so that children and other community members will have safe drinking water. Some people living along the southern border of the United States try to serve Jesus in the “least among us” by providing water to migrants who might die of thirst or heatstroke as they search for a safe place to call home. There are many ways to give a cup of cold water to “little ones” in need. If you were to be evaluated (like in school or on a job performance evaluation) on how you are doing as a representative of Jesus, where would you receive high marks and where would it be said that you could make improvements? How might you respond to this passage in terms of how you relate to other people? Take a step back and consider this: William Barclay wrote, “The Christian may have to sacrifice his personal ambitions, the ease and the comfort that he might have enjoyed, the career that he might have achieved; he may have to lay aside his dreams, to realize that shining things of which he caught a glimpse are not for him. He will certainly have to sacrifice his will, for no Christian can ever again do what he likes; he must do what Christ likes. In Christianity there is always some cross, for Christianity is the religion of the Cross” (Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1, p. 408). There are many ways that following Christ may require a sacrifice of the will. It generally doesn’t mean, “I want to be an entrepreneur/lawyer/realtor/artist (etc.) but God wants me to be a missionary in a far-off land.” More commonly it means, “I want to be an entrepreneur/lawyer/realtor/artist (etc.) but because I follow Christ there are certain things I will not do, even if the world tells me it is necessary for success.” In our work, we stay true to God, speak honestly and openly about our faith when the opportunity arises, and trust God, without fear, that if following Christ closes some doors, God has other doors for us. Sacrificing our will generally doesn’t mean we live in absolute penury with only the clothes on our back. It means we choose to live simply so that we have resources left to put at God’s disposal. We put Christ in charge of our budget, recognizing that all we have comes from God and that sacrificing our own luxury may help meet others’ basic necessities. In other words, when our desires and Christ’s will do not line up, we let go of our will so that Christ’s will can have its way. In exchange, we are given the opportunity to participate, from the platform we have as an entrepreneur/lawyer/realtor/artist (etc.), in the greatest mission we could imagine. And when we have made that fundamental decision and have lived it for a while and allowed it to seep deeply into the fabric of our life, the ambitions and luxuries that run counter to the mission of Christ sometimes seem less attractive. That doesn’t mean we won’t face new temptations as situations arise. But they will less commonly be decisions about the major direction of our lives. They will more commonly be: “Can I set aside the thing I am working on right now, because the person in front of me needs me to do something for them.” Those smaller sacrifices of the will are always before us and will continue until we meet the Lord face to face in the life to come. Do you agree with Barclay that Christianity requires a sacrifice of the will to do what Christ desires? Explain. What are the kinds of sacrifices that God is asking you to make right now for the sake of his kingdom? What do you need to do (or keep doing) right now to stay true to the decision you have made to be a follower of Christ? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew Index Next

How many times must I forgive someone who does something wrong to me over and over again?  How is God a model for the answer? Previous Matthew Index Next Matthew 18:21-35 How many times must I forgive someone who does something wrong to me over and over again? How is God a model for the answer? Lawrence W. Ladd (fl. 1865–1895). Parable of the King and His Servants . Circa 1880. Cropped. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC. Public domain, via Smithsonian American Art Museum, https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/parable-king-and-his-servants-14161 . Tom Faletti June 29, 2025 Matthew 18:21-35 Forgiving others; giving and receiving mercy In this parable, Jesus tells a story that has multiple layers. But it starts with a question from Peter. What does Peter ask Jesus and what is he really a sking? Let’s remember the context for this parable. In the previous passage, Jesus has just said that if your brother sins against you, you should approach your brother about it; and if your brother listens to you, you will have regained a brother. But Peter is thinking ahead. He is saying to himself: Suppose my brother apologizes and admits he was wrong, and I forgive him; but then he goes and does it again. How many times do I have to forgive him? What is Jesus’s initial answer? Jesus says either 77 times or 70-times-7 times, signaling a number larger than one would try to count: an unlimited number of times. Here is why scholars disagree as to whether Jesus said (70 plus 7) times or (70 times 7) times. In English, we have a word for two times (twice) and a word for 3 times (thrice), but we don’t have words beyond that. In Greek, there is a word formation that can be used for any number: five-times, seven-times, ten-times, etc. Peter uses that word formation to ask, Seven-times? Jesus uses the same word formation with seventy (seventy-times) and then follows it with the word seven. So in the Greek, Jesus’s answer is: Not seven-times, but seventy-times seven. Is “seventy-times seven” equivalent to our “seventy-seven” (i.e., seventy and seven, 77)? Or is it equivalent to our seventy times seven (490)? Scholars don’t agree on the answer. But the specific number isn’t the point. The key is that it is a large number. How do you think Jesus wants Peter to interpret Jesus’s answer? Is he saying Peter can count 77 times (or 490 times) and then stop forgiving, or is he saying something else? What is the point of Jesus’s answer? Jesus may be remembering an exchange in Genesis 4:23-24. In Genesis 4:15, God says, “If anyone kills Cain, vengeance will be taken against him sevenfold” or “seven times as much.” In 4:24, Lamech says, “If Cain is avenged sevenfold, / then Lamech [will be avenged] seventy-sevenfold.” The Jews did not have a word for infinity, and seven was seen as a number representing perfection, so seventy-seven might have suggested double-perfection, unlimited perfection – or in this case, unlimited revenge. Jesus turns it on its head, using the concept of seventy-seven for unlimited forgiveness. What does this exchange say to us? What does it say to the church? This interaction between Peter and Jesus follows immediately after the instructions about how to deal with someone in the church who is doing something wrong, and the giving of the binding and loosing power to the church. How are the previous passages and this passage related? Jesus tells a parable to bring his point to life, and he chooses numbers that make it extreme. We miss his extreme exaggeration in the translations. What happens in the first part of the parable? What does the king do, what does the slave request, and how does the king respond? Although many translations say “servant,” Matthew uses the Greek word for a slave ( doulos ), not the word for a servant ( diakonos ). At the time of Christ, perhaps 20% or more of all the people in the Roman Empire were slaves. Slaves in the Roman Empire often performed very high-level jobs with a great deal of responsibility, unlike the situation in the American and European colonial slavery systems. In the second part of the parable, what does the slave do, what does the fellow slave request, and how does the first slave respond? In a parable, the key elements of the story stand for something else of a spiritual nature. Parables often use an everyday human situation as a metaphor for a spiritual truth about God or God’s interaction with people. In this parable, who does the king represent? Jesus tells this parable when Peter asks how many times he must forgive someone. Matthew is trying to use Jesus’s teachings to guide his community in how it should handle conflicts. Considering that context, who does the first slave stand for? In our own lives, who does the first slave stand for? The slave owes 10,000 talents. A talent was worth 6,000 denarii, where a denarius was roughly a day’s wage for a laborer ( The New Oxford Annotated Bible , Matt. 18:24 fn., p. 1773). This means that the value of one talent was the value of nearly 20 years of wages for a common laborer or soldier. If we translate that value to our time, the value of one talent, translated to the wages of low-skilled workers in the United States today, would be somewhere between $275,000 and $600,000 (as of 2025; the range is so wide because different jurisdictions have widely varying minimum wages). But this slave owed 10,000 talents . That is a sum of money comparable to something like $5 billion today. How does the meaning of this story change when you understand that the first slave owed $5 billion in today’s economic terms and was forgiven? What does the forgiveness of such an enormous sum say to us? The second slave owed 100 denarii. A denarius was the standard wage for a day’s work for a common laborer ( The New Oxford Annotated Bible , Matt. 18:28 fn., p. 1773). In terms of the minimum wage scale in the United States in 2025, 100 denarii would be somewhere between $5,800 and $12,000. The second slave owed something like $10,000 in today’s economic terms. When you understand that, you realize that the debt was not trivial, even though it was tiny compared to the first slave’s debt. What does the king expect the first slave to do, when he is owed $10,000? Now remember the context for this parable: Jesus is talking about forgiving others who have hurt us. Even when the offense is big, what is he telling Peter and us to do? According to the parable, why should we forgive others? What happens to the first slave? What do his fellow slaves do, and what does his master do? Recall from our work in Matthew 13:1-23 that there is a difference between a parable and an allegory: “A parable is not an allegory; an allegory is a story in which every possible detail has an inner meaning; but an allegory has to be read and studied : a parable is heard . We must be very careful not to make allegories of the parables, but to remember that they were designed to make one stabbing truth flash out at a man the moment he heard it” (Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2 , p. 63). This parable is not a theological exposition on how God judges people. Jesus is describing what an ordinary, human, perhaps cruel and sinful king would do. In that human scenario of a king, the slave might be tortured for two reasons: to get the truth out of him as to where he is hiding the money he claims he does not have; and perhaps to extort payment from family members who would not want their loved one tortured. God doesn’t act like that. But we have to ask: How do you think God deals with people who fail to show mercy, and why? Why might it be impossible to live with God in heaven if you do not forgive others? How is forgiveness a fundamental characteristic of God, making it impossible to be like him and live with him if we lack that characteristic? Are there other Scriptures that echo this teaching that God does not forgive those who do not forgive others? Yes. Consider these passages: Matthew 6:12,14-15 (forgive us our trespasses; if you do not forgive, neither will your Father). Matthew 7:1-2 (with the judgment you make, you will be judged). Mark 11:25 (when you stand praying, forgive, so that your Father may forgive you). Luke 6:37-38 (forgive and you will be forgiven; with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you). James 2:13 (judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy). Read these passages on forgiveness. Why does God care so much about whether we are merciful and forgiving? We are called to be like God, and he is merciful and forgiving. We owe God a big debt that he has chosen to forgive. Yet we are often harsh and unforgiving toward those who sin against us, as the slave is harsh and unforgiving toward those who owe him money. God wants us to be like him. In Matt. 18:35, Jesus tells us to forgive “from the heart.” What do those extra words “from the heart” mean, and why are they important? When have you forgiven someone who has hurt you, when it might have been difficult? How did it happen? What difference did it make? What does this parable suggest about how we should deal with those who sin against us? What is this passage calling you to do differently, or how is it calling you to think in a different way? Now let’s connect this parable to the previous passage about dealing with someone who has done something wrong to us. If we take this parable to heart and apply it to the cases where we have been sinned against, how often would we be likely to take an offender before the entire local Christian community? How would Jesus want us to deal with situations where we think someone has done something wrong to us? Consider again Peter’s original question: How many times must I forgive someone who sins against me? What do you think Jesus’s response is? Take a step back and consider this: Just because a person is a Christian doesn’t mean they find it easy to take Jesus’s teachings about forgiveness to heart. According to a survey of Christians conducted by the Barna Group in 2019, 27% of practicing Christians can identify someone who they don’t want to forgive, and 23% can identify a person they can’t forgive ( Barna Group ). The offenses against them may have been great, so I am not judging them. Yet forgiveness appears to be a fundamental attribute of God that he wants us to embrace. For many people, merely receiving a command from God to forgive does not make it easy to do so. Perhaps we can become more like God in this attribute if we try to think like God and be like God all the time, not just when we hit a point where it is difficult to forgive. It might also help if we can see the invitation to be like God as a great privilege, rather than as an order or a requirement that we must fulfill in order to be forgiven or to get to heaven. God has sent each of us a personal invitation to be like him and to receive his Spirit to empower us so that we can think, speak, and act in ways that are in accord with his character. It is a gift to get to be part of Team Jesus: the people who are invited to live, moment by moment, in the presence of God. How can we embrace that opportunity more fully? How does it feel to be invited to live a life that is always united with God? Is there someone you struggle to forgive? How would Jesus like to help you forgive that person? What is one step you can take to allow God to further transform your mind and heart so that you are more like him in everything you think, say, and do? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew Index Next

The cursing of the fig tree was a prophetic action, where Jesus stands against those who are "all leaf and no fruit." Is our metaphorical fig tree producing fruit or withering? Previous Matthew Index Next Matthew 21:18-22 The cursing of the fig tree was a prophetic action, where Jesus stands against those who are "all leaf and no fruit." Is our metaphorical fig tree producing fruit or withering? Image by Wyxina Tresse, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti August 5, 2025 Matthew 21:18-22 Jesus curses a fig tree What do you think is going on in this incident? On his first day in Jerusalem, Jesus uses tactics we have seldom seen him use in the past. He is no longer concerned about attracting attention. He has made a dramatic entry into Jerusalem on a donkey, driven money changers and sellers out of the Temple, healed people in the Temple under the indignant noses of the chief priests, and now cursed a fig tree. What is going on? One way to interpret this is that Jesus is doing what many Old Testament prophets did: he is using dramatic public actions to illustrate symbolically what the leaders have ignored when he has merely spoken. These kinds of actions might be thought of as acted-out parables . (Protest movements would call it “street theater.”) Here are some of the things Old Testament prophets did that seem to be similar to Jesus’s actions in these acted-out parables: At the Lord’s direction, Jeremiah called the elders and senior priests together and destroyed a clay jug in their presence, telling them that this is what God would do to their houses and the house of the king if they did not repent (Jer. 19:1-13). Ahijah bought a new garment and tore it into 12 pieces to dramatize the breakup of David’s kingdom (1 Kings 11:29-31). Ezekiel baked bread on dung in the sight of the people and ate it for a year (Ezek. 4:9-17). When the people did not wake up to the calamity they faced, Ezekiel cut off his hair, divided it into three pieces, and then burned one-third, went around the city striking one-third with a sword, and scattered the last third to the wind, symbolizing what would happen to the nation (Ezek. 5:1-12). Isaiah took off his clothes and went naked and barefoot for 3 years to symbolize the coming defeat that would result in the people being led away naked and barefoot into captivity and exile (Is. 20:1-6). Jesus is using prophetic actions , direct actions similar to these, to try to wake up the religious leaders. American Catholic novelist Flannery O’Connor wrote stories that were often considered violent, disturbing, and even grotesque. He explained why: “When you can assume that your audience holds the same beliefs you do, you can relax a little and use more normal ways of talking to it; when you have to assume that it does not, then you have to make your vision apparent by shock – to the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost blind you draw large and startling figures.” (qtd. in Austin Dominic Litke, O.P. “ Reading Flannery O’Connor in our times .”) Many people are bothered by the idea that Jesus might have cursed a poor tree, and they are even more troubled when they see that Mark says it was not the time for figs (Mark 11:13). Scholars have a variety of sometimes contradictory explanations: Some say that in fact figs do grow on fig trees in Israel at the time of year when the Passover occurs, and this tree was deficient. Others say that leaves don’t grow on fig trees until later in the Spring, so this tree had leaves when it should not have had leaves, a sign that it was not flourishing properly and would not produce fruit at the proper time. Others say that fig trees start with a knob that is not a delicious fig but can be eaten, and the tree should have had these knobs by this time of the year. A tree with no “fruit” (i.e., no knobs) at this point in the growing cycle would not produce fruit later in the year. Others point to the fact that the word Mark uses when he says that it was not the “time” for figs is the Greek word kairos , which is usually used in the New Testament to speak of a special kind of time: God’s time, the appointed time. So the tree should have had fruit because it was God’s time for that tree to have fruit for Jesus, but it was not responding to God’s time, just as the Jewish leaders were not responding to the unique moment or “time” they were in, a time when they should have been welcoming Jesus as the Messiah. Since this action of Jesus seems to be a prophetic action or acted-out parable – an action taken to make a broader point – let’s focus on the metaphor and the broader point Jesus is making, not the tree. If Jesus’s action is a metaphor, what do you think the fig tree and its lack of fruit stand for? The fig tree was sometimes used in the Old Testament as a reference to Israel – for example, in Jeremiah 8:12-13 and Hosea 9:10. Israel, as represented by their leaders, is not producing the fruit God expects to find. Mark tells the story of the fig tree in two parts, happening on successive days, with the cleansing of the Temple happening in-between. Since his Gospel was written first, it is possible that his sequencing of the story is closer to the actual timeline of what happened. His narrative establishes a clear connection between the cleansing of the Temple and the cursing of the fig tree. Matthew condenses the fig tree story but still keeps it adjacent to the cleansing of the Temple. When we see the connection, we realize that Jesus’s action is not about this tree’s fruit. The tree sacrificed its life so that the Lord of the Universe could perform a dramatic prophetic action to try to wake up the Jewish leaders. If the fig tree stands for Israel, i.e., the Jewish people, what is Jesus trying to tell the Jewish leaders? The Jewish leaders might be described as all leaf and no fruit. What kind of fruit should the leaders have been showing? How can we avoid being all leaf and no fruit? What should our “fruit” look like? Perhaps the most surprising thing about this passage is that Jesus does not explain his action. He does not talk about the tree or the fruit. He does not talk about the leaders. When he is questioned by the disciples, he makes a separate point that has nothing to do with the leaders, the fruit, or the leaves. Perhaps he concluded that the acted-out parable did not have the desired effect so he decided not to belabor the point, or the disciples didn’t remember his point, or the Gospel writers didn’t think there was value in explaining the point or thought we would grasp the point without it being said. He will make the point again in some of the parables he will tell in the next few days, as he returns to prophetic teaching rather than prophetic acting: Our actions need to conform to what we profess or claim about ourselves. We need fruit, not just leaves. How is the metaphorical fig tree of the Church (God’s people) doing these days? In what ways is it producing fruit or withering? How is your metaphorical fig tree doing? In what ways are you producing fruit or withering? How does Jesus respond in verse 21, when the disciples ask how the tree withered so fast? Rather than warning people that they might be at risk of suffering what the tree suffered, Jesus unexpectedly suggests that the disciples might be able to do the same thing he did if they have faith. In verse 21 and at the end of verse 22, what does he ask his followers to exhibit? What does this passage say to you about your own faith life and prayer life? Do you think Jesus is talking literally about trees and mountains (that if I have enough faith, I could cause a tree to wither or a mountain to move?), or is he speaking metaphorically? What are the “trees” and “mountains” that we might need to talk to God about with undoubting faith? Christians tend to like the mountain metaphor: we see obstacles, call them mountains, and pray that they will be removed. Can the fig tree be a useful metaphor for us as well? What might be some things we could approach God about in prayer, that we would like to see wither away so that God’s will would be done in our lives? How can we build the kind of faith that is not about getting God to do what we want, but rather about living in such union with God that we can ask for the right things and trust him completely that he will work in and through us? Take a step back and consider this: The clearing of the Temple and the cursing of the fig tree can raise many questions in our minds. Let’s not lose sight of the big picture. Jesus is calling us to live lives totally devoted to God, and this dedication should be manifest in our public lives: in the “Temple,” in marketplace, in our workplaces, in our families, everywhere. If the chief priests and scribes had believed in Jesus, he would never have felt the need to cause a fig tree to wither as a metaphor for their lack of faith. But the point was never about the fig tree; the point was that the nation was withering because of the lack of faith of the chief priests and scribes. Perhaps our lack of faith also causes things to “wither” that would flourish if we had faith. When we fail to trust that God has our back, we may be tempted to do inappropriate things that wither our spiritual life rather than giving life. When we fail to believe in and support the people around us, our actions or inaction may wither the life in them and us. When we do the easy thing instead of the right thing, and do it again and again, our connection to God will gradually wither. Every day, we face choices that lead us to cry hosanna to the Son of David or to take actions that contribute to the withering of our life with Christ. How can you recognize and consciously reject actions that cause faith to wither? How can you help your own faith and the faith of the people around you to produce fruit? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew Index Next

Welcome a child, be as humble as a child, and don’t lead any “little ones” astray: the starting point for our relationships in the church. Previous Matthew Index Next Matthew 18:1-9 Welcome a child, be as humble as a child, and don’t lead any “little ones” astray: the starting point for our relationships in the church. Carl Bloch (1834–1890). Jesus Christ with the children / Let the little Children come unto Me / Suffer the Children . Date unknown. Oil on copper. Cropped. Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Castle, Denmark. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Let_the_Little_Children_Come_unto_Jesus.jpg . Tom Faletti June 29, 2025 In chapter 18, Matthew again gathers together various sayings and teachings of Jesus. This time, the focus of the teachings is on how to deal with issues that might cause dissension and strife within the Christian community. Jesus tells us how to treat each other and what to do when someone doesn’t treat us right. Matthew 18:1-5 Seeking status versus becoming like a child and welcoming the child What is the disciples’ question to Jesus? What do you think they are thinking about, and how does it show that they don’t understand Jesus’s ways yet? Notice that he doesn’t answer their question. Instead, he calls a child into their midst. What do you think it is about a child that shows what it takes to enter the kingdom of heaven? What does it mean, when Jesus tells us to humble ourselves like a child (verse 4)? In what ways is a child “humble”? Why does Jesus say that those who do this are “the greatest”? Greatest in what way? Why would Jesus say (in verse 5) that when we welcome (NRSV) or receive (NABRE) a child in his name, we welcome or receive him? Fr. Daniel Harrington tells us: “in ancient society the child had no legal rights or standing and was entirely dependent on the parents. . . . Likewise, no one through rank or status has a real claim on God’s kingdom” (Harrington, p. 74). Harrington explains that the Qumran community from whom we have the Dead Sea scrolls seated people at meals according to their rank within the community because “[t]he meals were supposed to mirror what would happen when God’s kingdom comes” (p. 73). This focus on status was apparently not uncommon in the time of Jesus. How does our society give attention to status and elevate some people over others? In what ways do people seek status in our society? How are people asking today a modern-day equivalent of “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” How are we infected by that kind of thinking? What does Jesus say in response? How is a child’s dependence and lack of worldly status a model for us? In the context of the rest of the passage, Jesus is not just talking literally about children. They represent all the people at the bottom of the social ladder. The disciples want to know who is greatest – who has highest rank. Jesus says, those who appear to have the lowest rank, the least claim, the lowest status are the ones who, in the kingdom of God, have the highest status or who are the greatest. If this is the criterion for greatness, what does it say to us about ourselves? What does this tell you about God and about God’s thinking? Jesus identifies himself with the children, the people with the lowest status. This is not the only time Jesus identifies himself with someone else. In Matthew 25, in the story of the sheep and the goats, he identifies himself with the hungry, sick, etc. What does this tell you about Jesus? What does this tell us about the importance of looking out for the vulnerable: children, the poor, people with mental or physical disabilities, and others who have no claim to greatness? Jesus appears to be saying, I will measure you not by whatever status you think you have, but by how you treat the people who don’t have status, the people who are not considered the greatest. Who are the people who lack status in our community and nation, and what must we do differently to respond to this challenge from Jesus? Harrington sums up this verse by saying that Jesus is saying that “He dwells in them in a special way” (p. 74). What is this special relationship between God and the least among us? What does that relationship challenge us to do? How can we welcome those with the lowest social status? This passage starts out talking about status in the kingdom of heaven. But by the end of the chapter, we will realize that Matthew is thinking in part about the church on Earth and the struggles between people within the church. In that context, who are those with low status that your local church should be showing greater concern for? Matthew 18:6-9 Don’t lead the little ones astray In this passage, Jesus refers to “these little ones,” and most people interpret it as not just talking about children. Who are “these little ones”? Harrington suggests that this term describes “a simple and good-hearted member of the community who can be lead astray” (p. 74). The one other place where Jesus uses the term is in Matthew 10:42, where it means a disciple as Jesus praises anyone who gives one of “these little ones” a cup of cold water. The word Jesus uses to describe the offense committed by someone who leads others astray is a word we have seen before: the Greek word is skandalon . When Jesus calls Peter a “stumbling block” or “obstacle” in Matthew 16:23, it is this word. When Jesus says in Matthew 17:27 that they should pay the Temple tax so that they will not give offense (Matt. 17:27), the word for “offense” is the verb form of the same word. Here again it is the verb form of that word. To be a stumbling block, to give offense, to scandalize – these are all situations where one person might trip up another person so that their faith is shaken or they are led into sin. How can one person lead another person to sin? Jesus says that the perpetrator would be better off if some pretty bad things happened to him or her. What are those things he warns us about in verses 6, 8, and 9? What is his point in making these comparisons? In verse 7, Jesus addresses the common rationalization: it’s going to happen anyway. What is his warning? How might we be a stumbling block for others if we are not careful? Take a step back and consider this: Matthew is selecting various teachings of Jesus and arranging them in the order he thinks might have maximum benefit for the Christian community. He could have chosen any story to tell first. It is worth considering why he chose to start with these teachings about how to treat children and the “little ones,” before dealing with what to do when a member of the community sins against you and how often you should forgive people (which are coming next). By starting here, Matthew provides a bigger-picture perspective with which to consider the rest of the teachings in this chapter. If you think of yourself as a big deal, you may be more tempted to get angry when someone does something you don’t like. You may be more tempted to try to exclude them or cut them off. If you think of yourself as a humble child, you might choose a different way to deal with disagreements. In every age, there are people in prominent positions who identify themselves as Christians but aren’t living up to the “high calling” or “upward call” we have in Christ (Phil. 3:14). They may be too focused on power, or on what they can gain from their prominence. They may have a tendency to lord it over other people or act as though they think they are more important than others. We too sometimes get off track. Maybe we get too focused on ourselves and our own desires. Maybe we start treating others as underlings whom we expect to help us accomplish our desires. Maybe we start treating people as means to our ends, rather than as important in themselves. Matthew 18:1-5, can be an antidote to that. How can viewing ourselves as simply a child in the kingdom of God help us maintain the right perspective and not act like we and our agenda are more important than everyone else and their agenda? How can viewing the world through the eyes of a child help prepare you to forgive others when they hurt you? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew Index Next

Throughout the Bible, God views what is going on from the perspective of the lowly, the poor, and the outcast. Previous Christian Faith Next God Takes a Downside-Up View of the World Throughout the Bible, God views what is going on from the perspective of the lowly, the poor, and the outcast. Image by Gianna B, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti March 17, 2025 Everywhere we turn in the Bible, we see God showing great concern for the people that those in power ignore or abuse. He advocates for the poor, the widow, the orphan, the immigrant, the stranger. He denounces leaders who abuse the needy and warns us not to ignore the needs of the least among us. God takes a downside-up view of the world. Here are some examples: Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount/Plain Jesus shows his downside-up view of life in the Sermon on the Mount/Plain: Blessed are the poor (Luke 6:20). Blessed are the hungry (Luke 6:21). Blessed are the meek (Matt. 5:5). Blessed are the peacemakers (Matt. 5:9). Blessed are those who mourn (Matt. 5:4). Love your enemies (Matt. 5:43-48). You can’t serve both God and Mammon (money) (Matt. 6:24). Do to others what you want them to do to you (Matt. 7:12). Jesus in his parables and other teachings This incident is part of a series of events in this part of Matthew’s Gospel where Jesus explains what I call Jesus's downside-up view of life (which is upside-down for those who are at the top of the social ladder): The greatest must become like a child (Matt. 18:1-5). God cares as much about the one stray person as the 99 who are safe (Matt. 18:10-14). The prayers of just 2 or 3 people can move heaven (Matt. 18:19-20). Forgiveness is not something we can choose to dole out in limited amounts — we are called to forgive to the utmost (Matt. 18:21-35). Men are not to look for reasons to divorce their wives (divorce could leave women economically devastated at the whim of a faithless husband) (Matt. 19:1-9). Anti-foreigner prejudice is to be rejected: a foreign woman is worthy of praise and assistance (Matt. 15:21-28). The kingdom of heaven belongs to the children, who are the lowest people on the social ladder (Matt. 19:13-15). Wealth, rather than being a sign of God’s favor, makes it hard to be saved (Matt. 19:16-30). The rewards of the kingdom are available to those who come late to Jesus as well as those who (think they) have followed God’s law from the beginning (Matt. 20:1-16). Those who wish to be first must be the servant of all (Matt. 20:20-28). God welcomes the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame to his eternal feast (Luke 14:15-24). If you ignore the needy who struggle for the basics of life, you should not expect to find a place in the Kingdom of God (Luke 16:19-31). Jesus in the story of the Last Judgment Jesus shows his downside-up view of life in the story of the Last Judgment: Come, you who are blessed by my Father (Matt. 25:34): I was hungry and you fed me (Matt. 25:35). I was a stranger and you welcomed me (Matt. 25:35). I was in prison and you visited me (Matt. 25:35). What you did to the least of these, you did to me (Matt. 25:40). Depart from me, you who are accursed (Matt. 25:41): What you did not do to the least of these, you did not do to me (Matt. 25:45). Jesus on the cross When he was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said that he could have defended himself with “more than twelve legions of angels” (Matt. 26:53) if he had chosen to do so. Instead, he chose to give up his life for our benefit: He said that he, the Son of Man, came “not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). He said, “I am among you as the one who serves” (Luke 22:27). He demonstrated this servant attitude by washing his disciple’s feet (John 13:1-5). And then he gave himself up to death on the Cross, staying true to his downside-up approach even to the end. God in the Old Testament God shows the same downside-up view of life throughout the Old Testament: The Lord hears the cry of the poor (Ps. 34:17/18; Ps. 69:33/34). Defend the oppressed (Ps. 72:3/4). Do not oppress the alien/stranger, the orphan, or the widow (Jer. 22:3; Zech. 7:10). Provide support for the poor (Lev. 25:35). Offer a helping hand to the needy (Deut. 15:7-8). Treat the immigrant like you treat a citizen (Lev. 19:33-34). Provide justice to the lowly and the destitute; rescue the poor and needy from the hand of the wicked (Ps. 82:3-4). If you close your ears to the cry of the poor, you will cry out and not be heard (Prov. 21:13). The fast I desire is that you end the injustice (Is. 58:6-11). The challenge to us: Will we see as God sees? God has shown us how He sees the world. He has a special concern for those who the world cares the least about, precisely because the world cares so little about them and often doesn’t even see them. We need to make an effort to see the world with the clear eyes of God. The closer we are to the top, the harder that may be, especially if we live in a thriving city in a powerful nation. We may need to force ourselves to see differently than the world we live in has trained us to see. Yet Christians can do no less if they wish to follow God. The downside-up view is the only view worthy of the name of Christ. We might ask ourselves: We who are Christians call Jesus Lord and claim to be His followers. But do we think like Him? Do we put our priorities where His are? Do we care for the least, the lost, the lowly, the left-out, the left-behind the way He does? Do God’s downside-up priorities show in our charitable giving, our work, our social activities, our church work, our political positions, our use of time, our everyday comments about what is going on in our society? How can we embrace more fully God’s downside-up view of our world? Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Christian Faith Next

Paul’s concern for the Thessalonians is like the love of a mother or father for their children. [1 Thessalonians 2:1-12; 2:13-16] Previous 1 Thess. Index Next 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16 Paul’s concern for the Thessalonians is like the love of a mother or father for their children. Image from Wix. Tom Faletti January 26, 2025 1 Thess. 2:1-12 Paul describes his ministry among the Thessalonians In chapter 1, Paul focused on the Thessalonians. In chapter 2, he turns the camera around and focuses on himself: What was he doing as he was ministering to them? What is your overall sense of Paul’s character, based on his self-description here? How would you describe him to someone who did not know him? Verses 1-7 Paul’s motivations are like that of a nursing mother In the first two verses, Paul recalls that when he came to Thessalonica, he had been severely beaten in Philippi. And then he encountered swift opposition in Thessalonica. What sustains him? Where does he get the courage or boldness to continue preaching? We don’t face the kind of opposition Paul did, but many of us hesitate to talk about our faith with others. Why is that? How can you draw courage from God to speak boldly about the good news of knowing Jesus? In verses 3-6, Paul offers a list of negatives where he describes many things that his preaching was not . In compiling this list of false motivations, Paul may be responding to charges that were leveled against him by those who opposed him, or he may be defending the gospel of Christ more generally. In verses 3-6, Paul lists a series of false motivations that are not the reason for his preaching. What is the meaning of each of these false motivations? His preaching was not motivated by what? Not from delusion/deceit/error (v. 3). In other words, his message was not factually false; he was speaking the truth. Not from impure motives (v. 3). He wasn’t trying to secretly get something for himself. Not from deception/trickery (v. 3). He was not withholding information to trick them. Not to please humans (v. 4). He wasn’t doing it so that they would feel good about him. Not with flattery (v. 5). He wasn’t giving them false praise in order to get something from them. Not as a pretext for greed (v. 5). He wasn’t trying to get rich off of them. Not seeking praise from them or others (v. 6). He wasn’t doing it for glory or to gain popularity or acclaim. Tucked in the middle of this list of negatives that his gospel was not , Paul identifies the one motivation that governed his preaching (verse 4). What was his motivation? To please God. This list of good and bad motivations is useful not just for evaluating our “preaching”; it can be used to evaluate everything we do in our lives. What are we called to have as our one true motivation in life, and how does it look when we are living that way? When we seek to please God as our sole motivation, then we (do what?). Which of the false motivations Paul lists is a risk for you as you live your life in a world that does not always share your faith and values? What can you do to keep your motivations pure? We see in our own times how people disparage those they disagree with and use unsubstantiated charges to try to destroy them. What can we do when we or others we know are falsely attacked? Paul notes that as apostles, he and his companions could have made demands (not that making demands of people who are just getting to know you gets you very far, but he could have tried that). But that is not how he approached them. Paul describes himself as being like a nursing mother. What do you think this looked like in practice? How can you be “like a mother” in your approach to people in your community, your workplace, your online presence, your church, your family? Verses 8-12 Paul’s behavior is like a father with his children In verse 8, Paul says that he and his companions shared “not only the gospel of God, but our very selves as well” (1 Thess. 2:8, NABRE). What is his reason for why they did that (verse 8)? How does sharing your whole self enhance the message you are trying to communicate? We tend to want to share only the good things about ourselves, and not our whole selves. How might being more vulnerable strengthen our relationships? Also, how might this kind of openness strengthen our effectiveness in sharing the gospel? What does verse 9 tell you about Paul’s work ethic? Why might it have been important to work for his keep and not expect the Thessalonians to meet his basic needs? In verse 10, Paul describes his personal conduct and behavior. How did he act among the Thessalonians? In verses 11-12, Paul compares his behavior to that of a father with his children. In what ways was he like a father? How can you be “like a father” in the sense Paul means it, in your approach to people in your community, your workplace, your online presence, your church, your family? 1 Thess. 2:13-16 Paul gives further thanks, and digresses Paul here returns to his early theme of thanksgiving (1:2-10). Why is he thankful? Judea is the portion of the former kingdom of the Jews that included the region around Jerusalem. In verse 14, how have the Thessalonians become imitators of the churches of God in Judea? The Christians in the churches in Judea suffered persecution from their fellow Jews – recall the martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 7:54-8:2) and the persecution under Herod in which James, the brother of John, was killed (Acts 12:1-5). Similarly, Paul says, the Thessalonians suffered persecution from their fellow Thessalonians (although this came also from Jews even though the Thessalonian church was largely Gentile). At this point, Paul digresses to talk about the persecutions that some Jews were fomenting in his time. Because the tone suddenly becomes so harsh, some scholars argue that this was inserted later and not written by Paul. They point out that Paul was a Jew and held out fervent hope that the Jews would be saved. In Romans 9:3 he says he would undergo separation from Christ if it would bring his fellow Jews to Christ. In Romans 11:26, he asserts that “all Israel will be saved” (NRSV, NABRE, and other translations). Furthermore, this is the only place that Paul attributes the crucifixion to the Jews. For example, in 1 Corinthians 2:8, he says that “the rulers of this age” crucified the Lord. We might see this as Paul getting worked up and angry because of the mistreatment that he and these Thessalonians he loved had suffered at the hands of some Jews. An analogy might be a White person writing angrily about what “the Whites” did to African Americans in the South over the course of 300+ years of enslavement and oppression. Referring generically to “the Whites” would not mean all White people, only those who were directly responsible. Similarly, Paul’s denunciation of “the Jews” would not apply to all Jews. Verses 15-16 have been misinterpreted throughout the centuries to foment persecution against the Jewish people. Is Paul speaking about any Jews other than those who were persecuting Christians at that time he was writing? No. Paul’s words are directed only at those of his time who were persecuting Christians. This is not a statement about any Jews at any other time in history and should not be used to criticize or harass Jews in our time. Misusing this passage to justify attacks against Jews is a sign of anti-Semitism. We have seen previously the word “wrath” that appears in verse 16. It is Jewish shorthand for the final judgment of God. In verse 16, when Paul says that the wrath or judgment of God has (already) come, his specific meaning is unclear. There are several possibilities: He could be speaking apocalyptically about what Paul thinks is coming soon. He could be thinking of some specific event that had already happened shortly before he wrote the letter. In The New Jerome Biblical Commentary , Raymond F. Collins indicates that Paul could have been referring to “any of a number of tumultuous events about AD 49: the famine, the edict of Claudius expelling Jews from Rome, the massacre in the Temple courts at Passover” (Collins, “1 Thessalonians,” The New Jerome Biblical Commentary , par. 23, p. 776). He could be thinking about the idea that embracing evil means that a person is already living in a state of anticipatory judgment. As the footnotes to the NABRE put it: “Sinful conduct (1 Thes 2:16) is itself an anticipation of the ultimate wrath or judgment of God (Rom 1:18–2:5), whether or not it is perceived as such” ( New American Bible, revised edition , fn. to 1 Thess. 2:15-16, p. 315). Looking at this entire section of Paul’s letter (1 Thess. 2:1-16), what would you have valued about Paul if you had been in Paul's church? In what ways might you like to be an imitator of Paul? Take a step back and consider this: In verse 4, Paul says that he, Silas, and Timothy were “entrusted” with the gospel. Raymond F. Collins writes, “Paul’s language recalls that of the Athenian court. Public officials are first scrutinized before they are entrusted with political responsibility. In similar fashion, Paul and his companions have been scrutinized by God before being entrusted with the mission of proclaiming the gospel” (Collins, “1 Thessalonians,” The New Jerome Biblical Commentary , par. 19, p. 775). All believers, by virtue of their participation in the faith of Christ and the life of the Church, are entrusted with the task of sharing the gospel (in varying ways, of course, depending on our gifts, etc.). This is obvious to most Protestant believers. Catholics sometimes slip into thinking that the task of sharing the gospel belongs to the priests and religious. However, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “the faithful, who by Baptism are incorporated into Christ and integrated into the People of God, are made sharers in their particular way in the priestly, prophetic, and kingly office of Christ, and have their own part to play in the mission of the whole Christian people in the Church and in the World” ( Catechism of the Catholic Church. Second Edition , https://www.usccb.org/sites/default/files/flipbooks/catechism/238/ , par. 897, page 237, quoting from Pope Paul VI, Lumen Gentium, (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church) , 21 Nov. 1964, par. 31). The Catechism goes on to say: “Since, like all the faithful, lay Christians are entrusted by God with the apostolate by virtue of their Baptism and Confirmation, they have the right and duty, individually or grouped in associations, to work so that the divine message of salvation may be known and accepted by all men throughout the earth. This duty is the more pressing when it is only through them that men can hear the Gospel and know Christ.” ( Catechism of the Catholic Church. Second Edition , https://www.usccb.org/sites/default/files/flipbooks/catechism/240/ , par. 900, page 238) The priests and ministers can’t be everywhere and can’t know everyone; and even if they did, they wouldn’t have all the relationships we have. Some people may only hear the gospel through us. God has entrusted all of us with the work of spreading the message of salvation. All of us are called to share the good news, to encourage others to put their faith in Jesus Christ and accept the love God has for us. What do you need to do differently, if anything, in light of the fact that God has entrusted you with the gospel? Bibliography See 1 Thessalonians - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/1-thessalonians/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous 1 Thess. Index Next

We find hope because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through Jesus. (Paragraphs 1-4 of Spes Non Confundit) Previous Next Jubilee Year 2025: Embrace God’s Hope and Extend It to All Session 1: Why we can have hope We find hope because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through Jesus. (Read paragraphs 1-4) Link to S pes Non Confundit Photo by Tom Faletti, Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, March 29, 2024. Tom Faletti November 16, 2024 The title of Pope Francis’s document means “Hope Does Not Disappoint.” It’s easy to have hope when things are going well. But what about in the hard times? In this session, Pope Francis explores what hope is, where it comes from, and why we can have it. The Christian life flourishes when it is grounded in hope. Pope Francis draws on the words of the Apostle Paul to remind us why hope is possible even in the hard times, how even suffering can lead us to hope. Our study guide questions will help us explore how God’s love supports our hope and how Jesus Christ stands at the epicenter of God’s active love for the world. Jesus Christ is the foremost reason why we can have hope and bring hope to our world. Read paragraphs 1-4 in preparation for this session. You can use the links next to each heading to jump to that part of Pope Francis’s document. Paragraph 1 (the Jubilee is an opportunity for hope) 🔗 What does “hope” mean to you? How would you describe it? In the second part [1] of paragraph 1 , Pope Francis says that “God’s word helps us find reasons” for hope. Is there a particular passage from the Bible that has especially inspired or helped you find hope? If so, how does that passage speak to you? Suggested Activity: Take a few minutes to contemplate what life feels like to someone who is unemployed, dealing with a chronic illness, facing the fear of violence due to their background or heritage, discouraged about the future, etc. Try to feel their pain. Then consider whether there is something you could do for someone such as this – perhaps directly for someone you know, or by getting involved in a ministry in your parish or community (perhaps through Catholic Charities in your diocese or through another organization). (Section 1) A word of hope In this section, Pope Francis explores the biblical basis for the hope we have in God. Paragraph 2 (why we can have hope) 🔗 Read Romans 5:1-2,5 (we will look at verses 3 and 4 in Paragraph 4 later in this session) What does Paul tell us in Romans 5:1-2 that allows him to say that we have hope? In verse 5, Paul says that hope does not disappoint us. Why? How would you explain verse 5 in your own words? How have you experienced the love of God poured into your heart? How does knowing that God loves you so much allow you to show greater love to others? Paragraph 3 (hope is born of love) 🔗 In paragraph 3, why does Pope Francis say, “Hope is born of love”? How does Romans 5:5 help to explain this statement? Note: In paragraph 3, the Scripture cited as coming from Romans 5:19 is actually Romans 5:10. Read Romans 5:10 What is Jesus’s role in our being reconciled to God? How might being reconciled to God affect how we relate to God and to others? How does Romans 5:10 support Pope Francis’s statement that hope is born of love? How have you experienced God’s love giving you hope? In the second part of paragraph 3, Pope Francis describes the action of the Holy Spirit in giving us hope. What does he say the Holy Spirit does? How does Romans 5:5 support this understanding of the Holy Spirit? How have you experienced the Holy Spirit in your life? Read Romans 8:35 and 8:37-39 How does the fact that nothing can separate us from the love of God help us understand why we can live a life of hope? Paragraph 4 (hope requires patience) 🔗 Knowing that we all face times of suffering, Pope Francis calls our attention to Romans 5:3-4. Read Romans 5:3-4 Paul tells us that even suffering can lead to hope. He describes it as a multi-step process. What are the steps he sees that lead from suffering to hope? Think about the sequence of steps Paul suggests: suffering -> endurance -> character -> hope. Everyone is unique and not everyone experiences things in exactly the same way, but Paul’s analysis can be useful. How might suffering infuse God’s character into us? How might the experience of suffering lead to hope? In the rest of paragraph 4 (including part 2 of paragraph 4) Pope Francis explains that patience is closely linked to hope. Why is patience so important in the cultivation of hope? Pope Francis cites St. Francis of Assisi in reminding us of the value of contemplation. How might making time for contemplation help us deal with our impatience and better manage the cultural demand to treat everything as “urgent” and in need of immediate response? How might you make contemplation a more central part of your life? Suggested Activities: Spend a few minutes in quiet contemplation each day. You might find it helpful to find a good guide to contemplation from a respected Catholic or Christian author. Read and contemplate a portion of the New Testament each day. One way to approach the meditation of Scripture is through the practice of lectio divina . Pope Francis says patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, which is stated in Galatians 5:22-23. Read Galatians 5:22-23 Paul is telling us that God the Holy Spirit is the one who gives us the patience we need to endure the sufferings we face. How does it make you feel when you hear that God wants to give you what you need to go from suffering to hope? How have you experienced suffering leading to hope in your life? In the second part of paragraph 4, Pope Francis quotes from a translation of Romans 15:5 that describes God as “the God of all patience and encouragement.” Where do you see God’s patience in your life or in the lives of others? How does that give you hope? Closing question: Based on what we have considered in this session, if someone said to you, "How can you have hope with all that is going on in the world," how would you respond? [1] See A Note About Our Terminology for an explanation of what we mean by a “part” of a paragraph. Bibliography See Jubilee Year 2025 - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/jubilee-2025/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Jubilee 2025 Next

Jesus is greater than King David. He’s not your ordinary messiah, not your ordinary son of David. Who is Jesus in your life? Previous Matthew Index Next Matthew 22:41-46 Jesus is greater than King David. He’s not your ordinary messiah, not your ordinary son of David. Who is Jesus in your life? Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640). King David playing the harp . Tapestry. Circa 1628. Convent of Las Descalzas Reales, Madrid, Spain. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:King_David_playing_the_Harp.png . Tom Faletti August 18, 2025 Matthew 22:41-46 Jesus challenges the Pharisees: What do the Psalms say about the Messiah? Matthew has now presented 3 separate confrontations between Jesus and 3 major factions of Jewish religious and political society: the Pharisees, the Herodians, and the Sadducees. Each group hoped to trip him up. In each case, he not only outwitted them; he gave timeless guidance for how to think about major questions in life. Jesus now turns the tables and poses a question to the Pharisees. He knows that they believe, correctly, that the Messiah will be the son of David. Matthew signaled from the very beginning of his Gospel that this is a key theme of the Gospel, when he presented the genealogy of Jesus in a way that showed that Jesus is the son of David (Matt. 1:1ff) and the Messiah. First, Jesus asks the Pharisees an easy question. What does Jesus ask in verse 42, and how do they answer? Jesus then asks a really difficult question that had never occurred to them. In verses 44, Jesus quotes from Psalm 110:1. This psalm begins with a caption attributing the psalm to David, and the Jews of Jesus’s time believed that this psalm was talking about the Messiah. In verse 43, he points out that David was inspired by the Spirit when he wrote it. In verses 43-45, what is the meaning of Jesus’s question? Why is this a difficult question? In the psalm, David says: The Lord (i.e., God) said to “my lord” (meaning whom?), “Sit at my right hand….” Who could David be referring to as his “lord”? The Jews interpreted the psalm as speaking about a son (descendant) of David, but a child is generally not considered greater than the parent. Who could be of higher stature than David, that David would call him “lord”? The Jews of Jesus’s time believed that in this psalm David was talking about the future messiah, yet David calls this descendant of his his lord. Jesus asks, how can this be? It is a difficult question because it suggests that the messiah is greater than David, not simply a descendant who would restore David’s throne. How can this be? If the messiah is greater than David, not just a son of David, what might that suggest about the Messiah? Jesus is suggesting that this Messiah is greater than David and more than just a “son of David.” But what could be greater than David? This raises the possibility that the Messiah is the Son of God. Is Jesus saying something about himself? How does this relate to Jesus? Several people have called Jesus the Son of David in Matthew’s Gospel, and he has never rejected the title. When the crowd called him the Son of David in Matthew 21:9 as he entered Jerusalem, he did not reject it. And in Matthew 21:15-16 when the chief priests and scribes criticized the use of that title for Jesus, he embraced it. So he is indicating that he is greater than David – greater than any human. If we put the pieces together, Jesus is saying that Jesus is the long-expected Messiah and Son of God, and that David prophesied that God would say to Jesus: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.” If Jesus is described as being at God’s right hand and that God will put his enemies under his feet, what does that say about Jesus? Are the ideas in this passage old news to you, or does it shed new light on your faith in some way? What does this passage say to you? Matthew wants us to understand that Jesus is more than an ordinary messiah, more than a generic descendant of David. Who is Jesus in your life? Who is Jesus to you? Jesus has now stumped the people who should know the most about the Hebrew Scriptures. What does verse 46 tell us? Why are they afraid to ask him any more questions? Should we be afraid to ask Jesus questions about the Scriptures or anything else? Why not? Why do you think Matthew has walked through these debates between Jesus and the various Jewish factions? Among other things, Matthew is showing that no one knows the Old Testament Scriptures better than Jesus and that the Scriptures point to Jesus’s unique identity as the Son of God. It also sets the stage for what is coming by showing some of the reasons why the Jewish leaders want Jesus dead. And it shows Matthew’s readers why they can believe in Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God. Looking back at the debates between Jesus and his opponents in Matthew 22:15-46, how does Jesus want us to respond to what we are learning from him in these passages? Take a step back and consider this: One of the early debates in the Church, as it was first being formed, was whether Christians needed the Old Testament or could just discard it as a relic of an earlier time before Jesus appeared. How do you think Jesus would respond to that question? Why is an understanding of the Old Testament valuable for the faith of a Christian? What is your relationship with the Old Testament? Do you find it valuable? If so, why? Are there ways you think you could do more to enhance your understanding of the Old Testament? Why? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew Index Next

Pray with confidence that God will respond as your Father. Previous Matthew Index Next Matthew 7:7-11 Pray with confidence that God will respond as your Father. Image by Gustavo Sánchez, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti June 7, 2024 Matthew 7:7-11 Pray expectantly Overall, what is your initial impression of this passage? What is it saying? In verses 7-8, what is the attitude Jesus is calling us to have in prayer? The tense of the verbs in these verses is the present imperative active ( Interlinear Bible , https://biblehub.com/interlinear/matthew/7.htm ), which means that they would be better translated as: Keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking; or continually ask, continually seek, continually knock. We don’t have this tense in English, so our translators settle for “ask, seek, knock,” but the tense in Greek means to continually do that thing. The Greek verbs that are used in verses 7-8 indicate that Jesus is not talking about asking just once. The verbs actually mean “keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking.” How does that affect your understanding of this passage? What does this tell you? In verses 9-10, Jesus offers two images of what human parents would or would not do, and then uses them as analogies to God. What would human parents not do, and why? To an innocent and undiscerning child, a large stone might look like a small loaf of bread. A small fish might look like a snake or eel. If a child asked for bread or fish, a parent would not give them a stone or a snake; that would be malicious. Almost all parents love their children and would responding lovingly, not cruelly or callously. In verse 11, Jesus then compares the parents to God. What does he say about “your Father in heaven”? By describing our prayers as like a child seeking what he or she needs from a parent, Jesus is telling us about our relationship with God who is our Father. What does this tell us about how we can approach God in prayer? Jesus says even human parents, who are “evil” (NRSV) or “wicked” (NABRE), wouldn’t give their child a stone if they asked for bread. What is he trying to tell us by using that word “evil” or “wicked” to contrast us with God? God, who is all good, will not give us fake gifts or false gifts. God will only give us what is good, what is consistent with His perfect love. This means God will not always give us what we ask. Even when we ask for good things, God does not always give us what we ask for. How do you make sense of that reality in the context of this passage? It is often said that God answers our prayers in one of three ways: Yes, No, or Not Yet. If the answer is Yes, we receive the blessing and move forward. If the answer is No, we accept the answer and move on. If the answer is Not Yet, we wait patiently, continuing to pray and trust that God has our best interests at heart. God cannot always give us what we ask for, because sometimes what we ask for would not actually be what is best for us, and God would not give us a stone even if we thought it was good and asked for it. How have you experienced God answering your prayers with a Yes? How have you experienced God answering your prayers with a No? How have you experienced God answering your prayers with a Not Yet? There is a fourth way that God answers prayer. Sometimes, after praying for a period of time, we come to realize that what we truly want and need is not what we were asking for, but something else. In this case, God has answered our prayer by changing our heart and our desires. When our heart is aligned with God, it opens the door for God to work in new ways that might not previously been feasible. But that requires us to be willing to more forward according to God’s ways, not our ways. How have you experienced your requests to God changing as you kept asking God for something? There is a fifth way that God answers prayer: with a “Not That But This.” God sometimes gives us something that is a blessing but not the blessing we sought. As William Barclay says: “God will always answer our prayers, but He will answer them in His way, and His way will be the way of perfect wisdom and of perfect love” (Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1 , pp. 275-276). A relevant quote that has been attributed to many people over the years is: “When one door closes another always opens, but we usually look so long, so intently, and so sorrowfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened” (quote investigator Garson O’Toole concludes that the source is unknown, although part may have come from Johann Paul Friedrich Richter). How have you experienced God answering a prayer not by giving you what you asked for but by opening a door to something else? Did you find it easy or hard to recognize that God was answering your prayer by giving you that alternative? The relationship we have with God, our Father, is far more important than anything we ask God to do. Are there ways that your prayer life might change if your prayers were consistently founded on the relationship you have with God as Father and not so much on what you want? How does this passage help you pray to God with confidence? Having looked at this entire passage in detail, what does it say to you? Take a step back and consider this: Sometimes what we ask for is not evil but misses the point. My grandfather, when he was in his 60s, told me that when he was young, he had asked God for three things: a beautiful wife, a beautiful car, and a big house. With his 8th-grade education and hard-scrabble upbringing, those probably seemed like big asks. But he was a hard worker, a sociable person who was good at understanding what other people wanted and how to bring people together, and a wise man about many things despite his meager formal education. He advanced in the steel mill from blue collar to white collar, then left to become a very successful insurance agent. He married early and eventually obtained a big house (relative to others in his community) and the fancy car he wanted. But he told me about his early prayer not boastfully but ruefully, as if to show the foolishness of the request. When he told me this, he was spending most of his time in one room of the big house, sitting next to the bed where his wife lay 23 hours a day. Her life had been sapped by chronic health problems, but she had all the time in the world to carp at him as he sat there. The fancy car mostly sat unused in the garage. People sometimes say: Be careful what you ask for. But that is too cryptic to catch the point. It isn’t what you ask for, but why, that matters. For whom are you asking, and to what end? For whom are you most earnest prayers delivered? To what end do you ask God to bless you? How would your prayers change, if you were only allowed to pray for things that you knew would help advance God's loving work in the world? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew Index Next

Jesus’s compassion extends to all people; even foreigners. How can we be like Jesus? Previous Matthew Index Next Matthew 15:29-39 Jesus’s compassion extends to all people; even foreigners. How can we be like Jesus? James Tissot (1836-1902). La multiplication des pains [The Multiplication of the Loaves] . Between 1886 and 1894. Brooklyn Museum, New York, NY. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brooklyn_Museum_-_The_Miracle_of_the_Loaves_and_Fishes_(La_multiplication_des_pains)_by_James_Tissot.jpg . Tom Faletti June 13, 2025 Matthew 15:29-31 Crowds come to be healed Although some Bibles have a footnote on this passage suggesting that these crowds may be Jews, there is overwhelming evidence that in this scene and the next, where Jesus feeds the 4,000, he is in Gentile territory: Jesus and the disciples were in Gentile territory in the previous passage. To get to this location, Jesus walks by the Sea of Galilee and continues on. Mark 7:31 tells us that he went by the Sea of Galilee to the Decapolis, which was Gentile territory southeast of the Sea of Galilee. In the next passage – the feeding of the 4,000 (Matt. 15:32-39) – Matthew uses language that clearly signals that they are in Gentile territory. In the next chapter, he will be in the Gentile region of Caesarea Philippi (Matt. 16:13), north of the Sea of Galilee. Matthew doesn’t tell us Jesus is back in Jewish territory again until Matthew 17:22-24. So it is pure supposition to put Jesus back in Jewish territory for this incident. Furthermore, this period of ministry in Gentile territory is central to the entire arc of the narrative of Matthew’s Gospel (see the study Matt. 1:1-17 ). Matthew foreshadows in the early chapters that Jesus is for all people, Jewish and the Gentile, and then shows Jesus teaching and working miracles first in Jewish territory and then in Gentile territory before he goes to Jerusalem, dies, rises back to life, and tells the disciples to take the gospel to all nations. In Matthew 5:1, Jesus went up on a mountain to teach the Jewish crowds in the “Sermon on the Mount” at the beginning of his ministry (Luke placed Jesus on a plain for this sermon). Here, Matthew tells us that Jesus went up on another mountain, this time in Gentile territory. What do you think Matthew is signaling to us by placing Jesus on mountains in these passages? What kinds of people come to Jesus on the mountain? Why do you think they are coming to him and bringing sick people to him? What does Jesus do? Considering Jewish attitudes toward non-Jews (Gentiles) at the time of Jesus, how significant is it that Jesus is healing all the Gentiles who come to him? Why were the crowds amazed, and how did they react? Notice in verse 31 that the people “glorified the God of Israel.” This is the only time Matthew uses the phrase “the God of Israel,” and Mark and John never use it at all (Luke uses it only once). It would be rather redundant to say that Jewish people “glorified the God of Israel” – you would just say they glorified God. But this is exactly what Gentiles would say. Since the God of the Jews was not their God and they did not believe in the God of Israel, if they now wanted to acknowledge that God they would call him “the God of Israel.” Why is it significant that these Gentiles are praising the God of Israel? Jesus has made a significant breakthrough: crowds of Gentiles are honoring the God of the Jews, the one true God. How do you think Jesus felt when he saw Gentiles, who did not believe in the one true God the Jews believed in, now glorifying the God of Israel because of his healings? If scholars are right that one of the reasons Jesus “withdrew” from Jewish territory was to get away from the Jewish crowds and prepare his disciples for what was to come, what lessons do you think his disciples were learning, or were supposed to be learning, from watching what he is doing? Are there times when we need to re-learn that the mercy of God is for everyone? How can we be as willing to minister to foreigners as Jesus was? How might we bring this example of caring for the foreigner into our society and help our society be more caring about foreigners? Matthew 15:32-39 The feeding of the 4,000 Jesus has been healing people, and probably teaching them too (that’s what he did when he sat down on a mountain for the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:1). How do you think Jesus feels about this crowd who has bene with him for 3 days? What does Jesus do? How are the details of this story different than the details of the feeding of the 5,000 (Matt. 14:13-21)? Some scholars think the only differences between the feeding of the 5,000 and the feeding of the 4,000 are the numbers, so they suggest that these are two different tellings of the same story. They have missed key information and jumped to a false conclusion. William Barclay, who was an expert in the Greek language of the New Testament, found nuances that others missed. In this passage, he finds clear evidence that the people fed here are living in a Gentile culture, and that therefore this is a different event than the feeding of the 5,000 in Jewish territory. He writes: “When Jesus fed the five thousand (Matt. 14:15-21; Mark 6:31-44), we read that they sat down on the green grass (Matt. 14:19; Mark 6:39). It was therefore the spring time, for at no other time would the grass be green in that hot land. On this occasion when the crowd are bidden to sit down, they sit on the ground ( epi tēn gēn ) , on the earth; it was by this time high summer and the grass was scorched leaving only the bare earth…. The people and the place are different. The feeding of the four thousand in this passage took place in Decapolis; Decapolis literally means ten cities , and the Decapolis was a loose federation of ten free Greek cities. On this occasion there would be many Gentiles present, perhaps more Gentiles than Jews. It is that fact that explains the curious phrase in Matthew 15:31, ‘They glorified the God of Israel.’ To the Gentile crowds this was a demonstration of the power of the God of Israel. There is another curious little hint of difference. In the feeding of the five thousand the baskets which were used to take up the fragments are called kophinoi ; in the feeding of the four thousand they are called sphurides . The kophinos was a narrow-necked, flask-shaped basket which Jews often carried with them, for a Jew often carried his own food, lest he should be compelled to eat food which had been touched by Gentile hands and which was therefore unclean. The sphuris was much more like a hamper; it could be big enough to carry a man, and it was a kind of basket that a Gentile would use.” (Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2 , pp. 138-139). Matthew says they “ate and were satisfied” (Matt. 15:37, NABRE) (or “filled,” NRSV). What does that phrase say to you: they ate and were satisfied? Jesus called himself the Bread of Life (John 6:35), and at the Supper he broke bread, gave it to his disciples, and said, “This is my body.” Given the overtones of Eucharist or Holy Communion when Jesus feeds the people with bread, what are the spiritual implications of this story? Going beyond the event itself, what deeper spiritual message does it offer you? This story has a spiritual dimension, but it also has a practical, physical dimension. God does not want anyone to go hungry. God explicitly calls us to feed the hungry (Matt. 25:35; Is. 58:7; Prov. 22:9). What does the fact that in Jesus’s ministry all the people “ate and were filled” say to us about our responsibility for the hungry? Despite Jesus’s teaching and example, millions of people regularly go hungry in our nation and hundreds of millions of people go hungry around the world. As Christians and followers of Jesus, what should we do about it? Jesus had compassion for the crowd of Jews in Matthew 14:14, and he has compassion for this crowd of Gentiles (Matt. 15:32). He cares for everyone. How are we called to have God’s compassion for whoever is in need, regardless of whether they are part of “our” people? What can we do to extend God’s compassion to others? How can we find tangible ways to show care for people who are not of our own race, nationality, ethnic group, class, religion, or church? How might this set of passages about Jesus’s ministry to the Gentiles (15:21-39) be seen as a follow-on to the previous passage (15:10-20) about what is and is not unclean? And what does it say to us? Jesus showed that the Gentiles are not unclean. No one is unclean. No one is excluded from the being fed by the Lord. God is accessible to all and has compassion for everyone. How might this insight be applied to marginalized groups in our society today? What can you do to be like Jesus here? Take a step back and consider this: The feeding of the 5,000 comes near the end of Jesus’s public ministry to the Jews in chapters 5-14. The feeding of the 4,000 comes near the end of this period of time when Jesus has been ministering to the Gentiles. The Last Supper comes at the end of Jesus’s ministry in Jerusalem before his crucifixion and resurrection. How central to our faith is the image of being fed by the Lord? Why? How central to your faith is the idea of feeding at the table of the Lord? Why? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew Index Next

Faith Explored applies the Bible to our lives today, with Bible Study resources for individuals and small groups and analysis of issues related to faith and justice. Copyright and Permissions Copyright © 2024 – 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com . See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Scripture quotes are copyrighted by their respective owners; including the following: Some Scripture texts on this website are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Some Scripture texts on this website are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.