This page represents a major project of mine - now completed - to write some sort of commentary on the Gospel of Matthew. I originally went through the Gospel in the course of about a year and a half in 1988/9 simply because the church I was in at that time was providing so much good teaching that I needed an outlet for my ministry and there was no room for me to teach in the context of their meetings. Turning to the Gospel, I found a way to both study and to store up notes for a later date.
Some of these I've already developed over the years into teaching that I've included on the web site or which I used when putting together sermons.
The Gospel of Matthew has always been my favorite Gospel, probably because the author systematically recorded both the sayings and the actions of Jesus in good groupings so that they are more easily accessible than, for instance, Mark or Luke are.
Wherever possible, I have used the parallel passages in the other Gospels to supplement the commentary and even, at one point, used the entire text of the parallel passage because I had, at a previous date, spoken on that section.
One final word. I must thank Louise - a good friend of mine out in NC - who's read over half these notes as and when the pages were completed to make sure they look right and that there are no glaring mistakes. Without her help, I would have found that I would have had to spend extra time rereading them which I have otherwise been able to employ in fresh study. Being a qualified nurse, she's also researched a few points that otherwise would, no doubt, have been beyond me.
My wife, also, has been an invaluable asset, who's taken it upon herself to allow me the time that I needed to get my head into books even when she'd rather us have 'done things together'.
3:1-12 (108K) John the Baptist
3:13-17 (45K) The Baptism of Jesus
4:1-11 (80K) The Temptation of Jesus
4:12-25 (123K) The Beginning of Jesus' Ministry
The Sermon on the Mount
5:1-2 (17K) An Introduction
5:3-12 (85K) The Beatitudes
5:13-16 (54K) Salt and Light
5:17-48 (127K) Jesus and the Law
6:1-18 (144K) Against False Worship
6:19-34 (71K) Singleness of Purpose
7:1-12 (55K) Judgment and Prayer
7:13-27 (69K) Warnings
7:28-29 (28K) Authority
Galilean Healing
8:1-9:34 (14K) Overview
8:1-4 (43K) Cleansing the Leper
8:5-13 (49K) Healing the Slave
8:14-22 (38K) Healing and Commitment
8:23-27 (25K) Calming the Storm
8:28-34 (29K) The Two Demoniacs
9:1-8 (43K) The Paralytic
9:9-13 (33K) The Call of Matthew
9:14-17 (40K) The Question on Fasting
9:18-26 (67K) The Ruler's Daughter and the Woman with the Haemorrhage
9:27-34 (35K) The Blind Men and the Dumb Demoniac
The Twelve Sent Out
9:35-10:4 (59K) The Commissioning of the Twelve
10:5-15 (61K) The Twelve sent out
10:16-23 (67K) Persecution
10:24-25 (15K) Beelzebul
10:26-33 (48K) The Fear of Man
10:34-39 (28K) The Family
10:40-11:1 (30K) The Reception of the Missionary
John the Baptist
11:2-6 (50K) John's Question
11:7-15 (43K) John's Greatness and Inferiority
11:16-19 (27K) John and Jesus Compared
11:20-24 (65K) The Denunciation of three Galilean Cities
11:25-30 (62K) Revelation and Tradition
Opposition
12:1-14 (65K) Sabbath Problems
12:15-21 (37K) Secrecy and Fulfilment
12:22-37 (89K) Deliverance Problems
12:38-45 (60K) The Request for a Sign
12:46-50 (15K) His Mother and Brothers
13:53-58 (32K) Journey to Nazareth
14:1-12 (62K) The Death of John the Baptist
14:13-21 (51K) Feeding the Multitudes
14:22-36 (54K) Walking on the Water
15:1-20 (114K) The Tradition of the Elders
Jesus' Gentile Mission
15:21-28 (42K) The Syrophoenician Woman (Tyre and Sidon)
15:29-31 (17K) They Glorified the God of Israel (Decapolis)
15:32-39 (25K) Feeding the Multitudes (Decapolis)
16:1-4 (30K) The Demand for a Sign (Magadan)
16:5-12 (51K) The Leaven of the Pharisees and Saduccees (near Bethsaida)
16:13-19 (92K) Peter's Declaration (near Caesarea Philippi)
16:20-23 (28K) Peter's Mistake (near Caesarea Philippi)
16:24-28 (25K) The Cost of Discipleship (near Caesarea Philippi)
17:1-8 (75K) The Transfiguration (near Caesarea Philippi)
17:9-13 (22K) Coming down the Mountain (near Caesarea Philippi)
17:14-21 (98K) In the Valley below (near Caesarea Philippi)
Back into Galilee
17:22-23 (12K) Travelling back from Caesarea Philippi
17:24-27 (34K) The Half Shekel Tax
18:1-5 (35K) The Greatest in the Kingdom
18:6-9 (27K) Temptations
18:10-14 (22K) Angels and Sheep
18:15-20 (29K) Reconciliation
18:21-35 (41K) Forgiving a Brother
Judea beyond the Jordan
19:1-2 (13K) From Galilee to Judea
19:3-12 (46K) Marriage and Celibacy
19:13-15 (22K) Three Aspects of Acceptance
19:16-22 (33K) The Rich Young Ruler - Part One
19:23-30 (44K) The Rich Young Ruler - Part Two
20:1-16 (34K) The Rich Young Ruler - Part Three
Journeying to Jerusalem
20:17-19 (11K) Heading West from the Region beyond the Jordan
20:20-28 (55K) The Mother of the Sons of Zebedee
20:29-34 (26K) Two Blind Men near Jericho
Jerusalem - Monday and Tuesday
21:1-11 (70K) The Triumphal Entry
21:12-22 (91K) The Temple and the Figs
21:23-27 (31K) The Question concerning Authority
21:28-22:14 (85K) Parables
22:15-22 (51K) The Question concerning Tax
22:23-33 (30K) The Question concerning the Resurrection
22:34-40 (28K) The Question concerning the Commandments
22:41-46 (23K) The Question concerning David's Son
Against the Scribes and Pharisees
23:1-4 (84K) The Authority of the Scribes and Pharisees
23:5-7 (56K) The Underlying Principle
23:8-12 (28K) Rabbi, Father, Teacher
23:13-36 (78K) The Seven Woes
23:37-39 (27K) The Lament over Jerusalem
The Coming of the Son of Man
24:1-51 (123K) The End Times
25:1-46 (49K) The End Times Parables
26:20-30 (62K) The Passover Meal
26:31-35 (32K) Journey to Gethsemane
26:36-46 (44K) In the Garden of Gethsemane
26:47-56 (49K) The Arrest
26:57-68 (74K) The Trial before Caiaphas
26:69-75 (46K) Peter's Denial
27:1-2 (16K) The Trial in The Chamber of Hewn Stone
27:3-10 (39K) Judas' Suicide
27:11-14 (37K) The Trial before Pilate
27:15-23 (89K) Barabbas
27:24-26 (56K) Pilate's Pronouncement
27:27-31 (14K) The Second Mocking
27:32-34 (35K) From Antonia to Golgotha
27:35-38 (28K) They Crucified Him
27:39-44 (36K) They Mocked Him
27:45-50 (43K) From the Sixth to the Ninth Hour
27:51-53 (49K) The Restoration of the Original Created Order
27:54-56 (24K) The Centurion and the Women
27:57-61 (46K) Jesus' Burial
