Questions

Scriptural Reflection
Matthew 12:1–8

When you read Deuteronomy 23:24-25 and Exodus 31:12-17, do you get a sense that the disciples violated the Sabbath or not? Why?

1. In Jesus’ reply, did He defend the action of the disciples based on the following grounds?

a. Their action did not violate the law of Sabbath

b. The Law of Sabbath no longer was needed

2. The Old Testament Law may be categorized into the following:

a. Ceremonial law that governs the worship and the religious conduct of the people of Israel

b. Civil law that governs the social conduct of the people of Israel in order to maintain law and order, and

c. Ethical conduct that reflects the attributes of God

In general, it is thought that

- Jesus came to fulfill all ceremonial laws

- And as society changes, civil law also changes (such as the monetary penalties necessarily change over time)

- But ethical and moral law never changes

What is the purpose of the law of Sabbath, and if you accept the above categorization, what then would the law of Sabbath fall under?

3. Jesus’ reply comprised several examples with different emphases:

a. Jesus appeared to contradict what the priest said in 1 Samuel 21:4-6: What was Jesus’ point of emphasis?

b. Priests could do what was not permitted on Sabbath. What was His point of emphasis?

c. He is the Lord of Sabbath and is greater that the temple itself: What was His point of emphasis?

4. Jesus again quoted from Hosea 6:6. Can you recall when He quoted this verse not long ago? What was the context of His earlier quote? How similar was its application in both cases?

5. What then is Jesus teaching us about our attitude towards the Law and how should it affect our Christian life today, especially in the church?

6. What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?

Scriptural Reflection
Matthew 12:9–21

1. What was the penalty for breaking Sabbath Law (see Exod. 31:14) and why was it so severe?

2. Who else could have healed the man with a shriveled hand? What kind of a question, then, was it in v. 10?

3. How did Jesus’ reply echo His earlier answer in v. 7?

4. With all the explanations, why did the Pharisees still react the way they did in v. 14?

5. How appropriate was Matthew in quoting Isaiah 42:1-4 in view of this incident? How did Jesus demonstrate the following:

a. He will not quarrel. Is there any reason that He should?

b. He will not cry out and no one will hear His voice in the streets. What kind of a picture was painted of Jesus?

c. A bruised reed He will not break. What is a reed for? What is a bruised reed? Why would one want to break it?

d. A smoldering wick He will not snuff out. What does a smoldering wick represent? What would one do to a smoldering wick normally? What kind of a picture was painted of Jesus?

6. What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?

Scriptural Reflection
Matthew 12:22–37

1. After the healing of a man’s shriveled hand, now performed an undeniable spiritual healing — that of driving a demon out as He healed the man’s blindness and muteness. What was the reaction of the crowd? (What did they understand by “the Son of David”?)

2. What would your reaction be if you were there? If you were a skeptic, what might be the possible explanations of such a miracle?

3. On your list of possibilities, does it include what the Pharisees said here?

4. Why did they attribute Jesus’ power as from demons? Did they have any basis to do so?

5. If you were Jesus, what would you do?

a. Rebuke them severely?

b. Perform another miracle to prove yourself?

c. Perform a miracle of punishment?

d. Patiently reason with them, hoping they might repent?

What did Jesus do?

6. In vv. 25-26, what reason did Jesus give to correct them?

7. Now we know that those within Satan’s empire are united. How does Satan’s empire compare with the church of Jesus Christ in this respect?

8. Now, do you know one of the main reasons why the church of today is so weak and without power? What should you do, as a member of the church?

9. Jesus followed with several warnings, as a result:

a. What was the warning in v. 30? Can anyone have a neutral stand toward Jesus? Why?

b. What was the warning in vv. 31-32? Why did He distinguish between the Holy Spirit and the Son of Man?

c. What was the warning in vv. 36-37? Why is the consequence so severe even for “careless” words?

10. What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?

Scriptural Reflection
Matthew 12:38–45

1. You can scan through the previous chapters that we have covered so far and see what kinds of miracle the Pharisees and the scribes had already witnessed. Why then did they ask to see a miraculous sign? What kind of a sign might they have in mind (something that was different from what they had already seen)?

2. Have you seen or experienced miracles in your life? Why would you call them miracles?

3. How did Jesus rebuke them for their request? Why would such a request point to a “wicked and adulterous generation”?

4. Then, Jesus foretold his own miracle of death and resurrection. How similar was it to that of Jonah?

5. Jesus compared His hearers to the people of Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba. What reasons did Jesus give that His generation should be judged and condemned? What about ours?

6. Jesus ended His condemnation of the generation, likening them to a demon-possessed person. How did the generation resemble this man in the following ways?

a. It was swept clean of evil spirit.

b. It was unoccupied.

c. It was eventually occupied by even more evil spirits.

7. Is our generation any different? Why or why not?

8. Is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?

Scriptural Reflection
Matthew 12:46–50

1. What was Jesus doing when His family arrived?

2. Why did they not come in and listen, and instead want to speak to Jesus?

3. What might be the purpose of their visit?

4. Was Jesus’ reply a little rude? Why or why not?

5. But saying, “Here...my mother” in particular, while pointing to the disciples, was He was not being too impolite to His mother?

6. What was the important point that He was trying to make?

7. What do these words of Jesus mean to you today?

8. Catholics, in general, would use v. 50 to refute Luther’s and Calvin’s claims that salvation is by faith, and say that righteousness is based on work. What is your answer?

a. You may wish to look up John 6:28 for Jesus’ own interpretation of what “work” is; and

b. The Book of Romans and Galatians have much to say in this respect (e.g. Rom. 3:28, 4:1-2, 5:1, and 10:10; Gal. 2:6, 3:1 and 3:24).

9. How do you understand v. 50 then?

10. What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?

Scriptural Reflection
Matthew 13:1–9, 17–23

1. Does “That same day” mean anything to you?

The fame of Jesus and the size of the crowd grew at the same time, but it appears that Jesus was speaking mainly in parables to them and Matthew selects a few to be retold here. The first one is about the fates of the seeds being sown. Vv. 1-9 tells the parable and vv. 17-23 provides the explanation. It is important to note that in understanding a parable, one has to focus on its central teaching, and not on minor details, unless they are made plain by Jesus himself.

2. In what ways does the use of the sower and sowing seed vividly fit the sharing of the gospel?

3. Can you relate the four outcomes of the seed to people or incidents that you have come across (or are in your own life)?

a. Seeds fell along the path: They are taken away by Satan.

1. How did Satan do this in a hearer’s heart?
2. What can the sower do?
3. What can the “seed” do?

b. Seeds fell on rocky places: They dried up by trouble or persecution.

1. Since trouble or persecution happens “because of the word”, should you encourage the hearer to keep his or her faith secret to avoid it?
2. What can the sower do?
3. What can the “seed” do?

c. Seeds fell among the thorns.

1. What are the choking factors? What else can choke the growth of one’s faith?
2. What can you the sower do?
3. What can the “seed” do?

d. Seeds fell on good soil: There is acceptance and multiplication.

1. How can the soil be good?
2. Is there anything the sower can do to make sure the soil of the hearer is good?

4. What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?

Scriptural Reflection
Matthew 13:10–16

1. In the New Testament, “secret” or “mystery” refers to God’s plan of salvation hidden in the past, but now made plain by the coming of Jesus. Why then did Jesus use parables in many of His public teachings?

2. Jesus was contrasting the disciples with the crowd (the Jews), and in Mark 4:11, Jesus used the words, “on the outside” to refer to the latter.

a. What did He mean by “outside” (outside of what)?

b. As those being inside, what did the disciples have that they would be given more of (more of what)?

c. What did the Jewish crowd have that would be taken away?

3. What had the crowd heard that they never understood? What had the crowd seen that they never perceived?

4. Whose fault was it, according to v. 15?

5. Even so, if they had decided to turn, what would have happened according to v. 15?

6. Tom Rees once made a remark that “the same sun that hardens the clay melts the wax”. How may his remark help you understand the quote from Isaiah 6:9-10 in v. 15?

7. Why did Jesus call the disciples blessed? What about us today, are we blessed less or more? Why?

8. What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?