Week One:

Reading Plan:
Monday Matthew 1-4
Tuesday Matthew 5-7
Wednesday Matthew 8-9
Thursday Matthew 10-12
Friday Matthew 13

Questions:
Define gospel
Who wrote this gospel?
What was his profession?
Why do you suppose there four gospels? What are their differences?
Who does Matthew target his gospel to? What audience?
Why do you think Matthew begins his gospel with such a long genealogy? How far back does he trace
Jesus’ ancestry? Why is this important?
Why do you think he uses so many Old Testament quotations? Identify 3 or 4
What does the term “Messiah” mean? In what way was Jesus the Messiah?
Why is Matthew 5:17 a “key verse” to understanding Jesus in Matthew?
Who were Jesus’ earthly parents?
What was Jesus’ hometown?
Who told them that Jesus was on the way? What was their reaction?
Where was Jesus born? Why?
Describe John’s message as he was preaching in the wilderness
Who were the first disciples to be called by Jesus? What were they doing? How did they respond?
What is a “beatitude”?
What was Jesus’ message in the Sermon on the Mount? What did he say about:
…Murder?
…adultery?
…divorce?
…swearing?
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…revenge?
…how to treat your enemies?
…giving to the needy?
…prayer?
…fasting?
…materialism?
Name the twelve apostles:
What is the “sign of Jonah”?
Name the four different kinds of soil in Jesus’ parable of the sower… How does this parable relate to
evangelism?
Know these main characters:
John the Baptist
Mary
Joseph
Gabriel
Herod
Magi
Peter
Andrew
James
John
Matthew

Journal Thoughts:
• Have you ever had to wait a long time for something? What was it? Was it worth the wait?
How do you think God’s people must have felt having to wait so long for the Messiah?
• How is Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount so “counter-cultural” today?