Questions

Scriptural Reflection
Matthew 15:1–9

The word “elders” does not mean, in this phrase, the officials of the synagogue; rather it means the ancients, the great legal experts of the old days. Their rules and traditions were oral and were eventually written down in the 3rd century after Christ; these writings were known as the Mishnah. These were considered to contain the essence of the service of God. As such, ethical religion was buried under a mass of taboos and rules.


1. What might be the purpose of these Pharisees and scribes who had come all the way from Jerusalem to see Jesus in Galilee (see Mk. 7:1ff)?

2. From this story, what was their focus? Jesus’ teaching, Jesus’ miraculous power, how He conducted His life, or something else?

3. Do you think their hearts were in the right place? Why or why not?

4. How evil was their trumping the command of God by their tradition concerning honoring parents as pointed out by Jesus?

5. Can you think of three “traditions” or “rules” in today’s Bible-believing churches that resemble such an error? How are they being justified?

6. What was Jesus’ verdict in vv. 7-9? Because of this, what happened to their worship and the sacrifices that they had made to God?

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

Scriptural Reflection
Matthew 15:10–20

1. The disciples appeared to be more concerned  about offending the Pharisees. Why? Were their own hearts in the right place?

2. Why were the Pharisees called blind guides? Will God tolerate them?

3. In what way might we be blind guides as well?

4. Jesus appeared to have lost patience over Peter’s question in v. 16. Why? (Was Peter still trying to justify their question in v. 12?)

5. Jesus, in essence, is declaring that food does not make anyone unclean which is in direct conflict with Levitical law which distinguishes food that is clean with food that is not clean (see Lev. 11). But Jesus also declares that He has not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17). How can you reconcile the claims of Jesus in light of 2 Corinthians 3:6?

6. Can you honestly stand someone who eats without washing his hands? Next time when it happens, what should you do?

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

Scriptural Reflection
Matthew 15:21–31

1. Why did Jesus choose to go to the predominantly Gentile place of Tyre and Sidon if He were only sent to the lost sheep of Israel? (Was He?)

2. The Canaanite woman also called Him, “Son of David”. What does it tell you about the woman and her understanding of who Jesus is?

3. Why did Jesus choose to remain silent and what did this do to the disciples, judging from their words? (What is meant by “send her away”? Were these words of compassion and intercession or words of annoyance?)

4. As much as what Jesus said to her appeared to be very mean in v. 26 (which probably was a mean Jewish proverb that reflected the existing attitude of the disciples who must have said “amen” in their hearts), mull over this statement and see what the statement itself affirms about who Jesus is and what Jesus can do.

5. Instead of feeling insulted, the woman willingly assumed the analogy of a dog. Apart from her desperation (wanting to see her daughter healed), what kind of a faith did she demonstrate that was so different from the Jews of the time — faith of God’s power or faith of God’s heart? Or more?

6. At the end of the encounter, what has the woman learned about Jesus?

7. What have the disciples learned about Jesus?

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

Scriptural Reflection
Matthew 15:32–39

The setting, location and other details of this account differ so significantly from the feeding of the 5,000 in chapter 14 that the two accounts cannot be the same. Mark in fact reaffirmed the two as separate in 8:19-20.

1. How hungry was the crowd? Why did Jesus not do anything earlier? What might He have been doing in the last three days?

2. How special was it that Jesus made special mention of the circumstances of this crowd?

3. How shall you imitate the Lord in this respect?

4. If you were one of the disciples, and you have already witnessed the feeding of the 5,000 earlier, what would have been your response to Jesus?

5. How many bread and fish did they have compared to the last time? What can we learn from their reply in v. 33?

6. Can you remember the greatest deliverance that you have experienced? If a similar situation happens again, will you immediately trust God without hesitation, without complaints and without any worries at all? Why or why not?

7. Most commentators downplay the significance in the difference between the terms used for the twelve baskets and the seven baskets. But both accounts do reveal that there were leftovers. What might be the significance of the leftovers?

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

Scriptural Reflection
Matthew 16:1–12

1. By asking for a sign, the Pharisees were trying to test Jesus. What did they want to test Him on?

2. Jesus has already performed many miracles. Why did they ask Him for “a sign from heaven”? As far as the Pharisees were concerned, how is a sign from heaven different from any of the miracles Jesus had already performed? Should there be any differences?

3. If Jesus really performed “a sign from heaven” for them, would they have believed?

4. The problem was obviously not with not having any sign, or even not knowing how to interpret it. What was their real problem according to Jesus in v. 4? What is meant by a wicked and adulterous generation?

5. Jesus was obviously trying to teach them an object lesson in vv. 5-6, but how did the disciples take it?

6. Why did the disciples immediately relate Jesus’ statement about the yeast to themselves not having bread? Why did their response invite such a severe rebuke from Jesus who charged them with having “little faith”?

7. What were they supposed to have learned and understood from the two miracles, and why did Jesus ask about the leftovers?

8. Jesus cautioned them against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. What does yeast signify or mean? What are the yeasts of the Pharisees and Sadducees?

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

Scriptural Reflection
Matthew 16:13–20

If you look at the maps of your Bible, you will find Caesarea Philippi to the north of the Sea of Galilee, a place that Herod’s son Philip (who ruled this country as the tetrarch) had enlarged and beautified, and had named after both Caesar and himself (Lenski, COTNT, Matthew, 618). The disciples had followed Jesus for some time - they saw Jesus’ miracles, heard His teachings, witnessed the fierce opposition of the Pharisees and knew Jesus up close. Now, Jesus began to reveal His ultimate plan of suffering to them in this chapter (16:21ff).

1. Who did the people, in general, think that Jesus was?

2. To be thought of as Elijah or Jeremiah would have been a great honor already. Why was it not enough for Jesus?

3. Why then did Jesus follow with the question, “But, what about you? Who do you say I am?” What is the significance of the word, “but”?

4. Now Peter’s response was obviously correct: but was it enough for him to acknowledge Jesus as the Christ (i.e. Messiah)? Why not?

5. In general, who do the people of today say, that Jesus is? In what aspects are the people right? In what way are they wrong and how wrong are they?

6. What about you? Who do you say Jesus is?

7. What did Jesus attribute Peter’s correct answer to? What about your answer? How did you get it?

8. Jesus was making a play on words, because the name, “Peter” means a stone, but a rock is much larger. Before we seek to understand these verses, please turn to John 20:23 in which Jesus spoke, not only to Peter, but to all the disciples. This implies that whatever Jesus had to say to Peter, He was saying to Peter as a representative. If this is the case, what or who did Peter represent?

9. Here, verse 18 marks the very first time Jesus used the word, church, which in its original meaning is “a group of people being called out”. If you were one of the disciples who heard Jesus say the term, "my church", for the very first time,

a. What image does it conjure in your mind?

b. Why does such a group of people need to be built almost like a structure?

c. What does a rock mean? Why does this “building” need a rock? Since Peter is a representative, who would be part of this rock?

d. What challenges would this “church” face?

e. Does what Jesus said in v. 19 refer to power or function? Why?

f. Who and what ultimately determines the eternal fate of a person, in terms of forgiveness and eternal life?

g. What then are the “keys” of the kingdom of Heaven?

10. How did the disciples use the keys as we learn from the rest of the New Testament?

11. How should we, as the church, continue to make use of the keys?

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

Scriptural Reflection
Matthew 16:21–28

1. Apart from divine revelation (as alluded to in Matt. 16:17), why did Peter give a completely different answer about who Jesus is from the people?

2. As good and correct as Peter’s answer was, what was his take on Jesus’ Messiahship and what it meant to be the Messiah’s disciples?

3. Matthew describes Peter’s words as a “rebuke”. Who did Peter think he was?

4. Why did Jesus call him, Satan? In what sense was he a stumbling block? Define a “stumbling block” according to v. 23.

5. What does Jesus mean by “come after me”? Try to define it as clearly as you can.

6. What does it mean for one to

a. “Deny himself”

b. “Take up his cross”, and

c. “Follow me”?

Have you done all of the above?

7. What does following Him have to do with “saving” and “losing” one’s life? Does gaining the whole world necessarily lead to forfeiting one’s soul?

8. Which title most accurately fits this section and why?

a. The cost of discipleship (NIV)

b. The condition of following Christ (JB)

c. The way of the Cross (TNIV)

d. Or…?

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