Matthew 11-13 Class Comments

1. 11:1-19 How did Jesus answer John’s question? Where was John at the time? Class Answers: vv. 5-6: “Go and tell John the things that you hear and see.” Jesus didn’t answer the question directly; he apparently knew that identifying his works would be enough for John. We didn’t come to a satisfactory conclusion as to why John asked the question. Hadn’t he prophesied of Christ? Didn’t he know Jesus was the Messiah? We concluded that either John didn’t know the full extent of Jesus’ identity, or that he sent his disciples to Jesus for their benefit. v. 2 – John was in prison at the time, for telling Herod his marriage to Herodias was illegal (Matthew 14:1-5).
   
2. 11:20-24 Why was Jesus so angry with Chorazin and Bethsaida? Class Answer: Because they wouldn’t repent, even after seeing the mighty works Jesus did. They would be judged more harshly than Tyre and Sidon (condemned in extreme terms in Ezekiel 26-28) and Sodom, which was burned to the ground for its depravity (Genesis 19).
   
3. 11:25-28 To whom do the teachings of Jesus appeal? (verses 25, 28) Class Answers: Little children, and those who labor and are heavy-laden. When we are feeling too “wise and prudent” is when we should remember to accept Jesus’ teachings as if we were little children.
   
4. 12:1-21 What did the Pharisees criticize Jesus for? Class Answers: vv. 1-2 -for plucking heads of grain and eating them on the Sabbath and vv. 9-10 - for healing a man on the Sabbath. We discussed at length whether or not Jesus really was breaking the Sabbath and decided He was not. The Pharisees knew His disciples were not “harvesting”; they were just trying to find something to accuse Him of. Our strongest motivation is to do what’s good for other people, not to be bound by our own interpretation of law.
   
5. 12:22-37 What did the Pharisees accuse Jesus of after He cured the blind and mute demoniac? What does Jesus call them in response? Class Answers: v. 24 – That he cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub. v. 34 – He calls them a brood of vipers. If we take the whole passage in context, after they glibly accuse him of casting out demons by Beelzebub, he accuses them of 1) hypocrisy (v. 27); 2) blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (31); and 3) being evil, as demonstrated by their words (35)
   
6. 12:38-45 Who would “rise up” and condemn the scribes and Pharisees for their disbelief? To what does He compare them in verses 43-45? Class Answers: v. 41 – The men of Nineveh, who repented when Jonah preached; v. 42 – The Queen of Sheba (the South), who came from far away to hear Solomon. v. 45 – He compares them to a man who is filled with eight wicked spirits.
   
7. 12:46-50 Who does Jesus consider as his family? Class Answer: Those who do the Father’s will. This wasn’t a rejection of His physical family, but a teaching moment: All those who do His Father’s will are His family. (Luke 8:21)
   
8. 13:1-23 What is at least one lesson you learn from the Parable of the Sower? Class Answers: 1) If our faith is shallow, it will be difficult to sustain. 2) Good soil reproduces. 3) Acceptance of God indicates the state of our heart. 4) When I receive a “nugget” of truth, I can do four things with it: a) reject what I don’t understand; b) like what I hear, but give in to peer pressure and not pursue it any further; c) pursue it for a little while, and then become distracted by other things; or d) study it, understand it, make it a part of my life and tell others about it. (Hope I represented that last point okay, Beverly!)
   
9. 13:10-17, 34-35 Why did Jesus speak in parables? Class Answer: To reveal his will only to those who wanted to see, hear, and understand. To hide it from those who didn’t want to understand.
   
10. 13:24-30, 36-43 What is the lesson of the Parable of the Weeds (Tares)? Class Answer: That God allows followers of Satan and followers of God to live beside each other until the time of judgment. The wicked are allowed to live because of the righteous. [We were not completely satisfied with this answer.]
    
11. 13:31-33 What are the lessons of the Parable of the Mustard Seed and Parable of the Yeast (Leaven)? Class Answers: Like a mustard seed, the kingdom of heaven starts very small and increases in size to cover the whole earth; like leaven, it permeates – influences – everything around it.
    
12. 13:44-53 What other things does Jesus compare with the kingdom of heaven? Class Answer: 44 – hidden treasure; 45 – a pearl of great price; 47 – a dragnet, separating the good from the bad, when gathered. One man just stumbles on his hidden treasure; the other man actively seeks it. In both cases, they realize its value. We liked verse 52, which reminds us that we find new “nuggets” of truth even in scriptures we may have studied again and again.
    
13. 13:54-58 How was Jesus treated in his hometown? Class answer: With disdain. Had he been from another town, they might have admired him, but they knew him too well. They had seen him as a child. They thought he was elevating himself above what he should.