Category: A Verse by Verse Study in the Gospel of Matthew
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Gospel of Matthew, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 28
What Does Matthew Chapter 28 Mean? After the darkness and agony of the previous chapter, Matthew 28 is filled with life and worship and dismay. It also sets the stage for the birth of the church and the mission to follow. Jesus had died on the cross and was buried before sundown…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Gospel of Matthew, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 27
What Does Matthew Chapter 27 Mean? The events of Matthew 27 all take place in a single, exhausting day, during which the Son of God will die. The council that condemned Jesus the night before had not followed official procedure. Part of their error was not passing a death sentence during the…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Gospel of Matthew, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 26
What Does Matthew Chapter 26 Mean? Jesus has concluded His public teaching ministry as well as His final teaching to the disciples before His death and resurrection (Matthew 16:21). He tells them that He will be delivered to be crucified in two days, on Passover. At the same time, the…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Gospel of Matthew, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 25
What Does Matthew Chapter 25 Mean? In response to their request (Matthew 24:3), Jesus has been describing future events to His disciples. Some of it must have been difficult to understand as they sat together on the Mount of Olives. The temple stood before them whole and sound (Matthew 24:1–2).…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Gospel of Matthew, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 24
What Does Matthew Chapter 24 Mean? After proclaiming God’s judgment on the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23:13) and the city of Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37–398), Jesus leaves the temple, walking toward the Mount of Olives with His disciples. Someone in the group refers to the temple, saying something about the buildings.…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Gospel of Matthew, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 23
What Does Matthew Chapter 23 Mean? Other than the introductory sentence, this passage is entirely the words of Christ, as with John chapter 17. This begins a stretch in Matthew’s gospel running through the beginning of chapter 26, which is almost entirely words spoken by Jesus. In the prior chapter,…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Gospel of Matthew, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 22
What Does Matthew Chapter 22 Mean? Jesus’ back-and-forth engagement in the temple with some of Israel’s religious leaders (Matthew 21:23) continues in this chapter. It begins with a third devastating parable about them. Then Jesus easily handles questions intended to trip Him up. Finally, He asks them a hard question…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Gospel of Matthew, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 21
What Does Matthew Chapter 21 Mean? Jesus and the disciples have nearly completed their long journey from the region of Galilee in the north to Jerusalem. They have now travelled the last leg from Jericho to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, not far from Jerusalem’s gates.…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Gospel of Matthew, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 20
What Does Matthew Chapter 20 Mean? Matthew 20 records Jesus’ teaching, interactions, and healing as He and the disciples continue to travel toward Jerusalem. It begins with the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. The parable follows Jesus’ statements about the disciples’ eternal rewards for following Him. He told them…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Gospel of Matthew, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 19
What Does Matthew Chapter 19 Mean? Matthew 19 begins with Jesus leaving Galilee behind for the last time and heading toward Jerusalem. After entering the region of Judea, however, Jesus and the disciples cross over the Jordan to the east, likely into the Jewish region of Perea. Large crowds continue to…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Gospel of Matthew, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 18
What Does Matthew Chapter 18 Mean? Matthew 18 begins with a question from the disciples to Jesus: Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Jesus’ surprising response becomes the foundation for the rest of the chapter. Jesus calls a child to Him and puts that child in the middle…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Gospel of Matthew, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 17
What Does Matthew Chapter 17 Mean? The previous chapter concluded with a prediction: some of those with Jesus would not die before seeing Him coming in His kingdom. That is what happens six days later when Jesus selects Peter, James, and John to climb a high mountain with Him. Once…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Gospel of Matthew, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 16
What Does Matthew Chapter 16 Mean? Matthew 16 begins with another confrontation between Jesus and some of Israel’s religious leaders. A group of Pharisees and Sadducees approach Jesus together. This is unusual, since the two sects don’t agree on more than the most basic points of theology. Their demand to Jesus…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Gospel of Matthew, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 15
What Does Matthew Chapter 15 Mean? Jesus’ fame and influence over the people has grown to the point where the religious leaders are concerned about Him. A delegation of Pharisees and scribes travels from Jerusalem to Galilee to challenge Jesus. They pick the issue of ritual handwashing to confront Him.…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Gospel of Matthew, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 14
What Does Matthew Chapter 14 Mean? Matthew 14 begins with the news that Herod the tetrarch, also known as Herod Antipas, has heard about Jesus’ fame and power. This is the son of Herod the Great, who once tried to have Jesus killed (Matthew 2:7, 13). Antipas was assigned, by the Romans,…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Gospel of Matthew, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 13
What Does Matthew Chapter 13 Mean? A huge group of people follow Jesus from the overcrowded house He was teaching in at the end of the previous chapter to the shore of the Sea of Galilee. So many people gather around Him that they cannot all see and hear Him.…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Gospel of Matthew, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 12
What Does Matthew Chapter 12 Mean? Matthew 12 follows Jesus’ teachings in chapter 11, where He mourned over how people in those cities rejected Him. Here, He once again comes into conflict with local religious leaders. These mostly involve the ultra-legalistic, tradition-minded Pharisees. By this point in Jesus’ ministry, they had…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Gospel of Matthew, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 11
What Does Matthew Chapter 11 Mean? Matthew 11 comes immediately after Jesus has sent His twelve hand-picked apostles out on separate missionary journeys, in pairs (Matthew 10:1–4). Jesus Himself continues through Galilee, teaching and preaching (Matthew 11:1). John the Baptist is in prison (Matthew 4:12). He has heard about what Jesus…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Gospel of Matthew, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 10
What Does Matthew Chapter 10 Mean? Matthew 10 begins with a listing of Jesus’ core group of hand-picked disciples. These men are often collectively referred to as the Twelve. Jesus had many followers, but this dozen was appointed to special roles. The word “apostle” is from the Greek term apolstolōn, literally referring…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Gospel of Matthew, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 9
What Does Matthew Chapter 9 Mean? In chapter 9, Matthew continues to tell the stories of Jesus healing and casting out demons and even bringing the dead to life. Each story demonstrates that He is truly the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus repeatedly emphasizes that faith in Him is…
Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded 