Start Here: Understanding Matthew

Who wrote it, when, why, and how the whole book fits together.

• Overview of the Gospel of Matthew: Jesus the Promised King
• Book of Matthew Summary and OutlineThe complete summary
• Gospel of Matthew Outline
• Themes in the Gospel of Matthew
• 5 Reasons the Gospel of Matthew Was Written
• Who Wrote Matthew?
• When Was Matthew Written?

The Five Discourses of Matthew

Matthew arranges Jesus’ teaching into five great speeches, each closing with a variation of “when Jesus had finished saying these things.” Many readers hear an echo of the five books of Moses. Narrative and teaching alternate from the birth of Jesus to the empty tomb.

1. 1–4Birth and beginnings
2. 5–7Sermon on the Mount
3. 8–9Miracles
4. 10Mission
5. 11–12Opposition
6. 13Parables
7. 14–17Who is Jesus?
8. 18Community
9. 19–22To Jerusalem
10. 23–25The End
11. 26–28Passion and resurrection

Matthew Chapter by Chapter

1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. 4
5. 5
6. 6
7. 7
8. 8
9. 9
10. 10
11. 11
12. 12
13. 13
14. 14
15. 15
16. 16
17. 17
18. 18
19. 19
20. 20
21. 21
22. 22
23. 23
24. 24
25. 25
26. 26
27. 27
28. 28

Highlighted chapters have a full summary and outline. More chapters are being added.

Commentary on Key Passages

Verse-by-verse studies of selected passages, in the order they appear in Matthew.

• Jesus’ GenealogyMatthew 1:1–17
• Who Were the Magi?Matthew 2
• The Visit of the Magi (Confirmation Study)Matthew 2:1–12
• Jesus and the Canaanite WomanMatthew 15:21–28
• Peter’s ConfessionMatthew 16:13–20
• Jesus Predicts His DeathMatthew 16:21–23
• Take Up Your CrossMatthew 16:21–28
• Woes to the PhariseesMatthew 23
• The Great CommissionMatthew 28:18–20

Themes in Matthew

The big ideas that run through the whole Gospel.

• The Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew
• Jesus as the New Moses
• Jesus and the Law in Matthew
• Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy
• Discipleship in Matthew
• The Passion of Christ in Matthew
• How Many Times Did Jesus Predict His Death?
• Miracles in Matthew: List, Meaning, and Themes
• How Many Miracles in Matthew?
• Parables in the Gospel of Matthew

Matthew Among the Gospels

How Matthew relates to Mark, Luke, and John.

• What Are the Gospels in the Bible?
• Why Are Matthew, Mark, and Luke Called the Synoptic Gospels?
• The Sermon on the Mount vs. the Sermon on the Plain

Preaching and Worship from Matthew

Sermons on Matthew in the order of the text, plus liturgies for Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary, the year of Matthew.

• Jesus’ Scandalous Family TreeMatthew 1:1–25
• Emmanuel: God With UsMatthew 1:18–23
• Joseph’s Fantastic TrustMatthew 1:18–25
• The Magi’s Lessons for UsMatthew 2:1–12
• The Strength to DisappointMatthew 11
• Stay in the FieldMatthew 13
• He to Rescue Me from DangerMatthew 14
• Praise the Mount of God’s Unchanging LoveMatthew 14
• I’m Fixed Upon ItMatthew 16
• Did the Messiah Just Yell at Me?Matthew 16:13–20
• Reclaiming OughtMatthew 16
• The Transfiguration of Jesus, Part 1Matthew 17
• The Transfiguration of Jesus, Part 2Matthew 17
• Teach Me the Way of ForgivenessMatthew 18
• The Hardest Word to LearnMatthew 18:21–22
• Who’s in the Driver’s Seat Now?Matthew 26:14–50
• All Sermons from Matthew
• Year A Liturgies (Matthew)

Matthew in Christian Art

• Caravaggio’s The Calling of Saint MatthewMatthew 9:9
• Faith in Art: The Full Gallery